I am on the island of Serifos in the blue, blue Aegean.  My wife Sharon is engrossed in her month-long seminar, and I am left to my own devices.  I have slowed down considerably – reading, swimming, and sleeping is all I do.  Eating too.

But now comes the national strike, a two-day gesture of defiance and outrage over the Greek financial crisis.  In both the public and private sectors, nothing will get done today or tomorrow, except shouting outside Parliament.  No ships will arrive or depart from the harbor.  No planes will fly overhead.  No trains will move between Athens and Piraeus on the mainland.  The Greek-speaking world will come to a halt.  Silence will take over from the noise of scooters and trucks.  Stillness will settle over us.

There is no peace in the silence and the stillness.  Anger and anxiety abound.  But I like to think my own effort to come to rest is radiating from me.  That my micro stillness has become the macro.  That the world around me is taking a breath, and that out of that experience will come new strength.  For the Greeks, it will be the strength to fight through the difficulties ahead, and mine will be the strength to go back to work.

Sims Wyeth & Co. provides public speaking courses, executive speech coaching, presentation skills training, voice and speech training, speech writing, and courses that address stage fright, body language, presentation strategy, and effective use of PowerPoint, all of which contribute to greater executive presence and personal impact.

I just read some Mind Mints at www.garyforman.com.  The guy can write.

Who is Gary Forman?  He’s a speech writer, a good one.  I know he’s good because last year I partnered with him on a speech for Endo Pharmaceuticals, and he kicked butt. 

What are Mind Mints?  They are nuggets of observed experience that Gary bakes into rich morsels of insight.  They are short, conversational, intelligent, positive, and practical.  They make you think about speaking in new ways.    

Gary surrendered himself to me one day last year to try out a speech he wrote about kicking butt.  Kicking butt is important to Gary because he dislikes mealy-mouthed speeches.  He is adamant about the value of edginess, verve, and the unexpected.   His speech and his delivery were very, very good.  He kicked butt.

If you want to read some good, short presentation tips about speaking, presenting, and speech making, subscribe to Mind Mints at www.GaryForman.com.  

And no, he did not ask me to write this, and I have no financial interest in his business.

Gary Forman is a speech writer I work with.  He was developing a stump speech for himself, and he came over to read it to me and get my feedback.

It was fabulous, and so was he, although I did have a few nits to pick here and there.  (It was a little long and I wanted a bit more problem definition.)

But what I really liked was a magical and playful phrase evoking the importance of bringing yourself into any talk you make: the youie youness of you.

Gary was adamant on the subject of authenticity, self-expression, and presence.  He made the case that if you hold yourself back, or try to be something you’re not, you are absent, not present.

We debated about the universality of that claim.  What if, I asked, the youie youness of you is monotonous, tentative, and disorganized?  Does that still work?

Gary is smart, opinionated, and experienced as a writer and performer, so the Gary-like Garyness of Gary is ready for prime time. 

But if my name is Casper Milquetoast, the Caspar-like Casperness of Casper may not serve me well if I’m presenting myself in public.  Caspar must learn how to project his ideas effectively.  He can be Casper, but he needs to learn a few techniques, like how to write a speech, how to craft a presentation, use PowerPoint effectively, and project a stage presence.

It is liberating to hear Gary speak about the Youie Youness of You.  He gives us permission to let our talents take over, to trust ourselves, and to say, “I AM GOOD ENOUGH.”  He holds out the possibility that there is joy in public speaking and presenting, because it is a deep experience of self-expression for the speaker. 

I suppose I’m a bit of a technician.  I don’t think the average guy should walk on a wire between two buildings without some serious training.  Nor do I think he should walk out on stage to deliver a speech or presentation without an adequate amount of knowledge and skill.

Nevertheless, Gary is right.  No matter what you talk about when presenting, your audience is thirsty for the youie youness of you.

Sims Wyeth is an executive speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.