Category: Fitness and health

1. Dr Seuss Oh the Places You'll Go read for you with an English accent

   Posted on 12:00pm Monday 18th Mar 2019

   Oh The Places You'll Go read for you - A wonderful story by Dr. Seuss.

   Oh the places you'll go is a story that I often read to children when I am working with them and their parents and I wanted people to be able to hear the story read at any time.

   It's a very famous story and in fact in even featured in the sitcom Friends. In the episode "The one where Rachael finds out" Joey gives the book to Rachael as a birthday present. So, if you are wondering..."What book did Joey give Rachael in Friends for her birthday?" this is the Dr Seuss book that he gave her as a gift.

    

   There are lots of American voices reading this wonderful story, but I couldn't find any where the story is read with an English accent, and as that is where I am from I thought I would read it for you. I hope you enjoy listening.

    

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   What is Oh The Places You'll go about?

   So, it's a book written and illustrated by children's author Dr. Seuss. It was first published by Random House on January 22, 1990. It is his last book to be published during his lifetime. The book concerns the journey of life and its challenges. Though written in the style of classics such as Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat, Oh, the Places You’ll Go! has many specific characters including a narrator and the reader. A young boy, referred to simply as "you", initiates the action of the story. However, the presence of a main character helps readers to identify with the book. It is written in second person and uses future tense.

   On the Teaching Children Philosphy website there is some useful informaion written by By Danielle Perris and Lindsay Romanic

   https://www.teachingchildrenphilosophy.org/BookModule/OhThePlacesYoullGo  There are lots of ideas that you can explore with children on what it means to them and what lessons we can learn from this book too.

   "Dr. Seuss’s children’s book Oh the Places You’ll Go raises the question about the theory of individualism vs. communitarianism. The book uses the phrase “The brains in your head, the feet in your shoes” as a metaphor for the skill, abilities, and knowledge one has to help them succeed within a new life phase, for example graduation. Dr Seuss also discusses the moments within a new phase where there will be struggles and difficulties and at times, you will be stuck in “the waiting place.” The “waiting place” is where you may be waiting for opportunities to come or preparing for these new opportunities. This story raises questions about how we get the “brains in our head and the feet in your shoes.” Are we able to develop the skills, abilities, and knowledge on our own or do we need the help of others and our society? Is it possible for us, as individuals, to create our own opportunities, or do we need other’s help in order to pull us out of the “waiting place?” Furthermore, it could be argued that our skills, abilities, and knowledge are a product of our individual nature. However, if we are a product of our society, then it could be argued that we need our society to help us through new life phases. Although we live within a community, it is easy to feel as though you are alone. An individual’s identity may been seen as a product of their relationships with others or it may be viewed as just an individual nature that one has chosen out of their own free will."

   #drseuss #ohtheplacessyoullgo 

   You can get the book by Dr. Seuss from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2HeJA4Q   

2. How to stop being afraid of public speaking

   Posted on 11:00am Monday 4th Feb 2019

   What can I do if I am afraid of speaking in Public?

   

   The Guardian recently published an interesting article all about the fear of public speaking with lots of really great links to help and advice. You can read the full Guardian article here if you want to take a deep dive into all the advice. Here's some of the ideas that I think can really help you to look at speaking to a crowd in presentations, or even for something like a wedding speech.

   They make a really good point about how the most important thing is for a crowd to see that you are at ease. Nerves can be infectious, so if you look nervous the audience will pick up on that and become nervous too. It's not really the words that you are saying that is the most important thing. It is rather the way that you say them...

   "as any public speaker knows, the business of presenting to a large audience is a confidence trick: that is, a speaker who seems to be at ease will put their audience at ease. A speaker with a look of sick terror and a tremor in his or her voice will communicate his or her own baleful vibes of unease to the audience, and enter a vicious circle. A bad joke put over with confidence will get a laugh. A good joke put over apologetically will die on its arse."

   
   It is good to remember that in fact your audience are probably on your side! They want to enjoy what you are saying if it is a wedding speech, and if you are teaching them something they probably want to understand and learn something from you.

   The article also reiterates one of the most important things...Know Your Audience!

   "That old wine includes knowing your audience, seeking to project authenticity, using relatable narratives and humanising examples, and giving a speech a robust structure with a grabby opening and a memorable payoff. "

   If you know who you are talking to then you can tailor what you are doing to help you as much as them. You don't need to get hung up on the ins and outs. Write some notes up, maybe just a few cue cards. The last thing you should do is read all your notes out. If you can't read it as well as a presenter on Cbeebies doing the bedtime story, then it just isn't a good way to work.

   Be yourself, but.. “So often, people go to the podium and, for all sorts of reasons, pretend to be something they are not,” says Simon Lancaster (author of Speechwriting: The Expert Guide). “People are wise to this bullshit. Just be yourself (which sounds easier than it really is).” That means being the best version of yourself. Speak with notes (advised) or without them if you’re super-confident. But reading the entire speech from a sheet of paper kills the spontaneity (“Readers can’t be leaders”).

   
   My background is in acting and presenting. I spent many years with a daily BBC Local Radio Show, so if you are looking for some more help you can visit me and learn more about how hypnotherapy and other techniques can mean you can let go of the nerves and really enjoy talking to people.

   Once you learn that you can enjoy it you can find it's a really pleasurable thing to be able to do!

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