Blog
Why Most Team-Building Activities Don’t Work
After 37 years of entertaining corporate audiences, I’ve learned something important about team building: You can’t force people to have fun. Too many team-building activities begin with forced participation. Everyone is told they need to get involved, mingle, participate in an awkward exercise, or do something completely outside their comfort zone. And what happens? People…
Read MoreI Learned to Speak on the Stoops of My Town
When people find out I’m a public speaking coach in New Jersey, they sometimes assume I learned how to communicate in a classroom. I didn’t. I learned it on the stoops of my hometown. I grew up in Guttenberg, New Jersey—a small town where people knew each other, talked to each other, teased each other,…
Read More37 Years of Bringing People Together
I’ve been entertaining audiences since 1989. Here’s what I’ve learned… After 37 years and thousands of live audiences, I’ve learned something important: People don’t want to attend an event. They want to experience it. I’ve performed for audiences that were excited before I ever walked into the room. I’ve also walked into rooms where people…
Read MoreFrom Goal Setter to Goal Achiever
Over the years, while working with small business owners and individuals on their goals, I’ve noticed something fascinating: Most people genuinely mean well.They have good intentions.Some even have great ideas and detailed plans. Yet many still never accomplish what they set out to achieve. So what separates a goal setter from a goal achiever? The…
Read MoreWhen I Met B.B. King, I Finally Understood Humility
There are moments in life that stay with you forever.Not because of the lights, the applause, or the fame attached to them — but because of the lesson hidden inside the experience. One of those moments for me was meeting B.B. King in person. Here was a man known around the world as “The King…
Read More🎤Transform the Way You Lead, Speak, and Show Up
Tommy Hilcken has lived on the stage—learning firsthand what it takes to captivate an audience, connect with people on a deeper level, and perform with confidence under pressure. Now, he brings those invaluable, career-changing lessons off the stage and into your life, your leadership, and your team. Through powerful keynotes and interactive programs, Tommy helps…
Read MoreI didn’t see the picture.
It hit me recently while teaching my “Course in Happiness” program! Here I was talking to the audience about doing more of what you enjoy and more of what makes you happy. Then the light went on. I should listen to my advice. I guess sometimes it’s hard to see the picture when you’re inside…
Read MoreHere are some of my tips on how to make yourself bigger than life by using non-verbal skills.
GESTURES Your hands can be an excellent tool for getting the point across. Learning to use your hands for emphasis is invaluable to a speaker. EYE CONTACT FACIAL EXPRESSIONS Proper facial expression will emphasize all presentations and is one of the most significant components of non-verbal skills. As a clown, one of the first things…
Read MoreIs it an audience of one or one audience?
An audience of one Many of us spend a lot of time doing one-to-one networking. I like to think of it as an audience of one. Many of us act entirely differently when having a one-on-one conversation. We never think of it as talking to an audience, yet we are talking to an audience, an…
Read MoreTo office or not – That is the question!
Going back to work and vaccination conversations can be somewhat polarizing, and it all depends on our attitude and mindset. Good Attitude vs. Good Mindset? Your mindset is how you see the world around you.Your attitude is how you interact with the world according to how you see things.I always look at attitude as a…
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