I am quite certain that I became an expert at nonverbal communication before I was one year old.
By the time I was a teenager, I was a master. My life depended on my ability to recognize whether the adult who was walking in the front door to care for me was sober enough to cook dinner without setting fire to the house. By the time I hit my teens, I knew when to hop out of a car in the middle of a busy expressway, all based on the ever-so-slight upturn of a lip or the way my name sounded rolling off the tongue of my driver.
Possibly this start to my life was the impetus for my intense study of human communication and cognition (and some good many years of therapy, as you can imagine.) Maybe I would have been into this stuff anyway. Regardless, here I am – in love with the beautiful (and not always so beautiful) ways our bodies, minds and hearts share our message with the world.
After more than thirteen years of teaching college level communication courses and a handful of years coaching and training people in business and non-profits, I am more certain than ever that our well-being depends on our ability to powerfully and authentically share our message with the world.
What better way to make a living than by transforming lives with our message?
I am here to help you share your message. That is my commitment. The world needs you to Build the Business You Came to Build.
Some of us express ourselves through visual arts – painting, sculpture, photography. Others of us express ourselves through dance or sports. It doesn’t matter what mode of expression is right for you, it just matters that you do it. And that you do it big, bold, all the way. I believe this is the road to personal well-being – and ultimately the path to world peace. If your way of sharing your message involves verbal and nonverbal communication combined, you and I should talk. I’m way into this stuff.
And if you are working on building a business that supports you based on that message, hurry up and get in touch with me. I’ve got so many tools to help you Build the Business You Came to Build.
(In case your curious about my formal credentials, I have a Master’s Degree in Speech Communication, a Bachelor’s Degree in Biological and Cognitive Psychology and my coaching certification from the beautiful and soulful Baraka Institute in Portland, Oregon.)
Now, about my public speaking experience…
When I was in high school, I realized I have been driven around by intoxicated adults so often that, statistically, my chances had to be up.
I was so certain that the next time I was with or near a drunk driver, I would be toast. Gone. So, I joined our student Mother’s Against Drunk Drivers chapter and traveled classrooms, speaking about the dangers of drinking and driving.
Then, after hearing too many horrible stories about the painful experience of living with AIDS when I was a college student, I became a certified Peer Educator through our Student Health office and traveled college classrooms with a banana and a book full of the various condom options.
This is how my speaking career was launched – with gruesome car accident photos, bananas and condoms.
But it didn’t end there (thank goodness.) I moved into community mediation, teaching college students public speaking and later spent a lot of time helping entrepreneurs craft powerful presentations that inspire clients to sign up for their programs and services. Amidst it all, I’ve done hundreds of presentations myself.
And you know what, I’m still nervous when I speak. Every time. I’m nervous because I care so much. I’m nervous because my desire to make an impact is really huge and I want so much to realize that impact, to make it happen for the people who show up in my audience. The difference between the nerves I feel now and the nerves I used to feel is pretty important though because now I expect that extra energy in my body, I know that it is actually an asset to my speaking. It makes me work harder, be bigger. But I still need to manage that nervousness. Luckily, I have many tools for doing that. Which is part of why I am here doing this work with you all. I want to pass along those tools so you can get out there and speak, even if you, too, are nervous.
If you are here because you want to cold kick that anxiety that is getting in the way of you taking on the stage (or the front of the room, in whatever form) in a big, bold, Amazing way – you are in the right place.
If you want to leave the audience wishing for more when you sit down from speaking, we can so make that happen.
If you know you are good – maybe even really good – when you speak, but you want to totally blow away your audience, you have arrived at the perfect spot to get there.
I am so ready, too. I’ve been preparing for this for a long time.
I’ve been helping people craft extraordinary presentations and present them with passion for over 12 years. I have spoken in front of hundreds of audiences varying from a few lovely, engaged souls to hundreds of people in rows of chairs. I have trained, inspired and coached executives of companies and solo business owners, and leaders at each level in between.
Here are just a few of the kinds words I’ve heard about my coaching over the years:
I highly recommend Michelle to anyone who wants to present with confidence and ease. Thanks again Michelle, you’re great at what you do! Cory H, Quality Improvement Facilitator, Bend, OR
Michelle Barry Franco’s speaking coaching gave me the confidence I needed to stand in front of 100′s of women for a presentation on social media. Thanks Michelle for your enduring and honest support! Lynn Wenger, Webprodigy, Bend, OR.
She was awesome! She made this terrifying speaking experience actually fun! I was amazed at how much I was at ease. I will definitely use Michelle in the future and would highly recommend her. Sandi L., Bend, OR.
The presentation was a success with 64 in attendance and great feedback. The audience participation was high and animated. I felt well prepared and the PowePoint “photos only” kept the audience interested. Thanks for your honing and refocusing. It gave me a lot more confidence to just go for it.” Chris H., Bend, OR.
I can’t wait to help you share your message with the world, too.
The world is waiting. Your opportunity to move the room to action, make waves, level-jump your business… essentially, change the world with your speaking – is Right Now. Contact me. Let’s get started.