Speaking

"He who speaks does not know. He who knows does not speak." Tao Te Ching

There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.

Dale Carnegie

It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.

Mark Twain

I’m generally shy about public speaking, but my writing and teaching often attract attention that leads to invitations. I try to say yes as often as I can. I use these events to practice remaining in the present moment as a means to overcome my natural inclination to stage fright.

This somewhat passive approach means that I haven’t really controlled the focus of the content. Accepting most of the invitations I receive, I’ve ended up covering a wide variety of subjects, as you can see from the following representative list.

Identifying the Social and Technical Requirements for a Successful Virtual Organization

Poster Session, NASA Astrobiology Institute Annual Conference, Tuscon, Arizona (2008).

Faculty Development for Blended and Virtual Teaching

Invited Presenter, Innovator’s Webinar, Softchalk Course Builder Software (2007)

Grassroots Marketing Using “Circles of Intimacy” (aka "6 degrees of separation")

Guest Presenter, Free Agent Nation Online Community (2003)

Collaborative Projects: Bringing a Group Together Online for Collaborative Work or Study

Guest Presenter, International Online Workshop, Methodologies in E-Learning, Timsoft, Romania and E-Learning Centre, UK (2002)

Real-Time Meetings on the Web

Panel at WebEx User Group Conference, San Francisco (2002)

Course Management Software Alone Does Not a Successful Online Program Make

Keynote at Web-Course-In-a-Box User Group Conference – Richmond, Virginia (2000)

An Overview of Online Instruction and Pedagogy

Conference Session, Syllabus99 conference on online learning, San Francisco (2000)

Using Mindfulness to Find Meaningful Work

Guest Lecturer, Institute for Transpersonal Psychology – Menlo Park, California (1998)

Mindfulness and Meaningful Work: Explorations in Right Livelihood

Public Lecture, Assoc. for Creative Change in Organizational Renewal & Development (ACCORD), Toronto, Ontario (1997)

Building an Environment for Meaningful Work

Public Lecture, Department of Business and Economics, Holy Names College – Orinda, California (1997)

Using Mindfulness to Find Meaningful Work

Dharma talk, Sacramento Buddhist Meditation Society – Sacramento, California (1996)

Meaningful Work and New Management: Are They Real?

Guest Lecturer, Social Services Department, Notre Dame de Demur University – Belmont, California (1996)

Opening Up to Spirit at Work

Demonstration of “Bohmian Dialogue” before the Bay Area Organizational Development Network – San Francisco (1996)

The End of Work, Reinvention of Work, Own Work, Future Work, Good Work: Practical Steps

Guest Lecturer, Residential Program, Saybrook Graduate School – San Francisco (1996)

Mindfulness and Meaningful Work

(Part of “An Evening Series for Business Thinkers: Where do we need to go? How do we get there from here?”. Other speakers in the series included: Willis Harmon, Dennis Jaffe, Terry Pearce, Michael Ray, Edgar Schein, Mary Scott.) Center for the Future of Organizations, California School of Professional Psychology – Oakland, California (1995)

Relationship of Mindfulness to Meaningful Work

Dharma Talk, Nyingma Institute, Berkeley, California (1995)

Using Mindfulness to Find Meaningful Work

Guest Lecturer, Institute for Creation Spirituality, Oakland, California (1995)

Mindfulness and Meaningful Work: Explorations in Right Livelihood

Lecture and book signing, Black Oak Books, Berkeley, California (1994)

A Taoist View of Time

Guest Lecturer, The Eric Berne Seminar, San Francisco (1994)

Heart and Soul in the Work Place

Panel, San Francisco Bay Area Book Festival, San Francisco (1994)

Grassroots Marketing

Evening workshop, Jewish Community Center, San Francisco, California (1994)

Healthy Business for Healthy Communities

Panel, International Conference on Healthy Cities, San Francisco (1993)

In the Company of Others: Making Community in the Modern World

Lecture and book signing, East-West Books – Menlo Park, California (1993)

Mindfulness and Meaningful Work

Guest Lecture, Eric Berne Seminar, San Francisco, California (1992)

Is Right Livelihood Possible in These Hard Times?

Evening Workshop, Experience Unlimited, Employee Development Department, Oakland, California (1991)

Working for Yourself versus Getting a Job

Guest Lecturer, Undergraduate marketing course, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley (1991)

A Network Of Friends In Business: Origins, Purpose, and Status of the Briarpatch

Guest Lecturer, School of Broadcast Communication Arts, San Francisco State University (1991)

Do the Work You love, Avoid Burnout, and Still Stay a One-Person Business

Evening Workshop, National Association of Professional Organizers, Oakland, California (1991)

What is Right Livelihood?

Guest Lecturer, Eric Berne Seminar, San Francisco (1990).