Postcards with Presence

Using our imagination - and the power of emotive words - to bring colour and vitality to our communications.

Having the courage to stand up and speak as ourselves. No masks, or artifice.

How a gentle Netflix series, high on beautifully served food and low on drama, had me captivated.

What happens when we shift focus and see what really matters...

Here's a link to Rumi Tsuchihashi's website:

https://www.rumitsuchihashi.com/

and to her book, which I mention:

https://bookshop.org/p/books/i-want-to-remember-this-recognizing-the-tiny-moments-that-make-up-a-life-rumi-tsuchihashi/17838011?ean=9781088005088

Lessons on how to embrace our imperfections from the Japanese art of kintsugi.

How - and why - certain language diminishes the impact of our communication.

I refer to the excellent book Playing Big, by Tara Mohr.

Why it's important to accept - and embrace - your accent when communicating across the language barrier.

Thank you to:

Sue Heatherington, Founder, The Art of Quiet Disruption:

https://sueheatherington.com/the-art-of-quiet-disruption/

and

Diane Wyzga, Speaker and Storyteller, Founder of Quartermoon Story Arts:

https://www.quartermoonstoryarts.net/about/

for your wise words.

What does it mean to send a postcard? For sender... and recipient?

Why it’s important to recognise our achievements, own our accomplishments, and talk about our talents.

To brag… but nicely.

A surprise connection with a group of schoolchildren puts a spring in my step as I get ready for a business storytelling session.

How a group of actors had me time-travelling... and spellbound.

As the last episode completed Season Two, this time, instead of sharing a reflection on communication, I want to invite you to contribute to a collection of mine.

If you’re a regular listener, you might have gathered by now that I love to play with words.

On my website is a page dedicated to beautiful words. I call them, ‘Words You Could Eat’. Some of them may refer to something edible, but if they’re there it’s because they’re such lovely words you could just munch them.

The page is a co-creation, because I invite people to contribute a favourite word of their own, and tell me why they love it.

The result so far is a delicious repository of words from people around the world. Not just words, but the stories behind them.

I would love for you, my podcast listeners, to contribute to the gallery by sending me a word you could eat.

All you have to do is go to my website, carolineharvey.me, then to the “fun” page, and you’ll see the words I’ve already collected. Or click here.

Complete the form with your word, and a couple of sentences to tell me why you love it.

I look forward to savouring your Word You Could Eat!

Watching my dog Phoebe digging away in the sand, I'm a little perplexed... A reflection on public speaking with purpose.

How connecting with the places and stories of our past can bring colour and personality to the way we communicate today.

Taking part in a pre-Christmas, guided meditation led by a friend reminded me of the magic of giving - and of treating our audience as special guests.

A recent encounter with a trainee receptionist reminded me of an important mindset shift for how we view our audience.

How the Rule of Three brings clarity to your communications - and why you should use it too.

Finding a balance between too much information... and space for spontaneity and surprise.

Knowing your audience means you can prepare "music" they love.

On the power of silence, and how we can use it to great effect in our public speaking.

Looking back on a journey to French wine country - and what I learned along the way.

A conversation in my local park... and why we need to make space in our communications to let the light in.

Scaling up competence - and confidence - on the public speaking path.

A warm, autumnal welcome to Season 2 of Postcards with Presence!

The heat and humidity of summer have finally given way here to bright, blue-sky days and pleasantly cool nights. What would probably be considered an Indian summer in northern Europe.

Autumn is my favourite season. Even if there aren’t many autumn colours on the Mediterranean coast, I love the changing light and increasingly beautiful sunsets.

My first postcard this season comes from the town where I live...

This in-between-seasons, longer episode is an account of an experiment I did inspired by Oliver Burkeman’s TEDx talk, “Why patience is a superpower”.

The experiment involved a beautiful painting of sunset by Turner, a hushed ambience in an art museum… and plenty of patience.

I hope it will spark insights you can apply to your communications - and perhaps inspire you to carry out a similar experiment. I really recommend it!

Here are links to Oliver Burkeman’s TEDx talk:

https://www.ted.com/talks/oliver_burkeman_why_patience_is_a_superpower

And his book, "4,000 Weeks: Time And How To Use It", which I also mention:

https://www.oliverburkeman.com/books

Check out the Turner painting in an article I posted on the subject on LinkedIn – and do connect with me while you’re there!

I’ll be sending more Postcards with Presence your way very soon.

As summer draws to a close and my first season is complete, I'm going to take a short break from sending you Postcards with Presence.

I'll be back in the autumn :)

When I launched my podcast earlier this year, I was inspired by the idea of the postcard to share brief, visual and playful moments of connection.

Sometimes drawing on stories of little moments from my life and how I drew meaning from them, or using images and metaphor to spark ideas for communicating with presence.

My goal is always to help you bring more of you to your public speaking.  

I'd love to know what you think of the show. You can rate it and leave a review wherever you listen to your podcasts.

And please feel free to share any ideas directly with me via a contact form on my website: carolineharvey.me.

I’d love to hear from you.

You can also sign up to my monthly-ish newsletter, Own Your Voice, for more drops of inspiration and ideas for communicating with confidence, and creativity: carolineharvey.me/newsletter-sign-up

Thank you so much for listening and being a part of this journey - and have a lovely rest of summer, wherever you may be.

A TGV journey through the South of France reminds me that being ourselves at work - with levity, empathy and humanity - can transform the day-to-day into something special.

The book I refer to is "Reinventing Organisations", by Frédéric Laloux.

Changing your mindset from feeling like a rabbit in the headlights... to presenting with purpose and confidence.

Inspiration from stand-up comedy on giving the audience not what they expect... but what they want.

The adventures - and misadventures - of learning to communicate with our Spanish Water Dog, Phoebe.

How to reach out to your audience and make your message meaningful for them.

Talking of which...

If you’d like to chat about bridges, the audience journey and other techniques for public speaking that connects, please do check out my website - www.carolineharvey.me - and get in touch.

To sign up for my Own Your Voice newsletter, click here

Fresh out of university, many moons ago, I spent two years living in southern Japan.

In today's episode I talk about a lesson I learned at the start of my Japanese adventure, and how I apply it to my work today.

On cultivating our communication as a gardener would a flowerbed.

How making music lifts the soul, and reminds us of who we are.

I reference my wise friend Ian Berry, who helps people find their essence and become wise leaders: linkedin.com/in/ianberry1

How to be funny in your presentations if, like me, you can't tell jokes.

What's our single most powerful tool to capture the attention of our audience?

A reflection on what Modernist architects can teach us about originality. This was inspired by a spur-of-the-moment visit to the famous Barcelona landmark, La Pedrera.

On finding the stories you want to share. Your stories.

Trailer to introduce host-on-mic reflections on what it means to present with presence. The weekly episodes - starting in May - are designed to prompt ideas for growing your public speaking creativity and confidence.

I'm Caroline Harvey, a public speaking coach and lover of words. Growing up in Wales, the ‘Land of Song’, shaped my belief in the power of language and voice to enchant our audience. 

A sometime poet, occasional clown and Jane Austen fan, I'm on a mission to help you cut through the noise without shouting. To move your audience by being yourself - leveraging your singular voice and the creative power of words.

If you'd like to join me on this journey, hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Find out more about me and my work at: www.carolineharvey.me

or on LinkedIn: es.linkedin.com/in/caroharvey/