Lucinda Atwood

Communication & Confidence.

About Blog

Communication & Confidence.

Imagine being able to improve your life, your career… maybe even the world. You don’t need superpowers, just communication skills and confidence.

Strong communication skills improve your career and personal life. Imagine knowing what to say and how to say it in every situation. Imagine being comfortable and effective in interviews and professional situations, at social events, when saying no, even when speaking to yourself. Being able to communicate effectively lets you share your strengths, learn and grow, improve your relationships, maintain healthy boundaries, and lead others.

I invite you to work with me, building and strengthening your communication skills. Feel the rush of confidence, the joy of clarity, and power of self-respect. Follow me on LinkedIn, read the blog posts here, or contact me about a workshop.

Developing Confidence: Swimming Upstream

“I’m not scared of public speaking, it’s doing it in front of people that terrifies me.” (One of my students) I... Read More

Confidence – Change Your Life And Possibly The World

What would you do if you had more confidence? Imagine being able to improve your life, career… and maybe even the... Read More

Shame Waves: Surfing to Success

You just gave the best performance ever. You were calm, confident and engaging. The audience loved you! But then you sit... Read More

How to answer unexpected questions (sounding smart and confident)

Have you ever wondered how to give strong, confident answers to unexpected questions? Speaking without preparation is called impromptu speaking. We... Read More

Public Speaking Basics: Building confidence and competence

Most of us fear public speaking more than we fear death. Which is ironic because it’s an easy-to-learn skill that can... Read More

Saying No: A beginner’s guide

No, non, nada, nyet—how we say no in different languages. Nein is the German word for no. Nein sounds the same... Read More

Public Speaking Basics for Presenters

Most people fear public speaking but it's surprisingly easy to learn. Follow these tips—and practice 10 times—and you'll look and sound... Read More

Casual Negativity or Mindful Positivity

A young friend introduced me to this simple group game last Saturday. We passed slips of paper around in a circle;... Read More

Self-Control: The secret to successful speaking & listening

Technology allows us to communicate faster, more frequently, and to a wider audience. But who's listening? The more we communicate, the... Read More

Personal Anecdotes: 6 Pro Tips

I was the wittiest teacher in town until that day. Mid-joke, I suddenly realized that my students laugh because I control their... Read More

Teenagers: 15 Tips for Peaceful Communication

Sometimes it seems that all teens do is communicate—text, social media, facetime. But when adults try to talk to teens, both... Read More

Personal, Active & Brief

We pay more attention when someone speaks directly to us. Salespeople know that, so do good writers, speakers, teachers and leaders.... Read More

Kids and Swearing: How to get the little ones to stop talking sh*t

Ahh the power of words: to inspire, teach and offend. Nothing beats the precision of a well-placed profanity, but swearing is like... Read More

Subject Lines: Explicit is good

Clear, precise language in email subject lines increase the chance that people will read and respond to your message. Specific subject lines... Read More

Be Precise: 3 tips for powerful speaking & writing

Precise language is efficient and effective. Here are 3 ways to be more precise: 1. Avoid Adjectives and try not to use... Read More

Empathy Self Test

Empathy is a cornerstone of relationships. When we speak and listen with empathy others feel heard and respected, relationships improve, and... Read More

Conversation Skills: Are you sharing or monopolizing?

Sitting in a coffee shop listening to two women talk over each other, I am reminded of that apt analogy of... Read More

Complaining: Committed vs Uncommitted

Committed complaining: have you heard of it? The idea is that we complain in two ways: committed or uncommitted to fixing... Read More

Beyond No! Communicating with Toddlers

Communicating with two-year-olds can be frustrating. They're passionate, stubborn and likely to bite. But it doesn't have to be this way—spending... Read More

Are You an Interrupting Cow? How to be a better listener, and more popular too

Knock, knock. Who's there? Interrupting Cow. Interrupting Cow wh-- Moo! Are you an interrupting cow? How often do you allow a pause after... Read More

WAIT What? 4 Wrong Reasons to Speak (& 4 good ones)

There's a great acronym that makes me look smart and wise. It's WAIT, and stands for Why Am I Talking? What... Read More

About

I create and deliver in-person and distributed learning programs that build communication skills and confidence for participants around the world.

Why Do I Do This?

I worked for over 20 years in communications, communication design, user experience design and business development, while also teaching part time. Both at work and in the classroom, I noticed that brains and talent aren’t necessarily predictors of personal or career success, but communication skills are. Successful people tend to be those who are good at communicating. Effective communicators can respond in any situation, act with confidence, and are able to share their strengths.

So I decided to dedicate my work to teaching people how to communicate effectively. I’ve now created and delivered thousands of successful in-person and global learning programs. I also teach college, maintain a private coaching practice, and create content. Publications include textbooks on Public Speaking and Presenting for Professionals, The Confidence Manual, Communication Basics, and Professional Business Practice.

Outside of work you can find me up a mountain, on the water, or working on my pickleball game. Also cooking. A whole lot of cooking.

To connect please message me on Instagram.