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COVER STORY
Your audio was really clean and crisp. What I’m certainly not suggesting that anyone need
information can you share about preparing to go through that much trouble, but definitely
to speak virtually? pay attention to your audio and do what you can
Ha! Great question! I really never thought to improve the sound quality.
much about my audio, even at the Club, Area
and Division contests. Back to the biographical info—married? Kids?
Then while doing the tech check for the What do you do outside of Toastmasters that
District contest, Ellen Ino told me that I had a makes you feel complete?
bit of an echo that needed to be addressed. That My (fellow Toastmaster) wife and I will
freaked me out! celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary in
I tried different cameras (with microphones), August. I actually convinced her to take our
it was worse. So then I bought a fancy desktop anniversary trip to Nashville if I make it to semi-
microphone (under $100), but that didn’t sound finals. . . though with airline prices right now, I
good either. I bought a lapel microphone, it made may have to remain virtual!
some weird ticking noise. This was all within a We are a blended family, both having kids
couple days of the contest mind you! from previous marriages. In total we have five
Ultimately, I decided that the microphone I “kids," ranging in age from 19 to 31. Only the
had in my original webcam was the best option, youngest is still at home, but she’s getting the
and I just had to try harder to soundproof my boot soon (kidding. . . sorta)!
office. I was going to buy a bunch of foam acoustic I’ve worked in market research for 23 years,
panels and turn my office into a padded cell, but but have always done something on the side.
the math on that got expensive. Once, when someone asked me what I do for a
Ultimately, I covered every hard surface in living, I said “By day I work in market research
my office with blankets and sheets. . . not just and by night. . .” He interrupted me and asked
the desks, but I pinned them to the walls and "What are you, a superhero???"
the ceiling. Of course I thought that was a perfect way to
Except for the wall behind me, pretty much describe myself, and that’s exactly what you will
everything was covered. I was actually nervous see in my LinkedIn bio—should you be curious.
that the blanket pinned to the ceiling right above Market research pays the bills, but my side
my head would come loose and fall in the middle business as a Health Coach is what really fuels me.
of my speech. That and my volunteer work with Braver Angels.
10 ONE COMMUNITY
