One cannot be a successful public/motivational speaker unless she feels strongly about the topics about which she speaks. Nor can one convey strong substantive messages unless one knows the points she wants to make and the way she wants to deliver them. Ambiguity is not a term associated with those of us who make public declarations.  Public speakers work very hard to not be misunderstood.  Don’t, however, confuse  misunderstood with differences of opinion.

I recently conducted a wine seminar in Asheville North Carolina in which I stated that I believe that the most important thing about tasting wine is to find the wine grape and style that YOU like and enjoy it with the foods YOU like and at the temperature that YOU like it to be.  I noticed there was a gentleman in the audience who was turning his head side to side emphatically saying “no”.  I continued my seminar and at the end of it I sought out this person and let him know that I had noticed that he was disagreeing with my statement.  He then began to tell me that under no circumstances whatsoever was a white wine to be served with a red meat or vise versa.  He went on to tell me that he believed strongly in the “rules of the wine world”.  I encouraged the gentleman to in fact break his rules and perhaps dare to experience some of the unexpected.  This is an example of a speaker not being misunderstood but rather a speaker with whom somebody disagrees.  It was after this encounter that I decided that I would write and post Jackie’s Wine Manifesto……stay tuned folks, it will be delivered soon.  Cheers!

At a sparkling seminar I conducted last week in Asheville, N.C. attendees had the opportunity to taste the differences between true French style sparklings that are made in the Methode Champenoise tradition and those sparkling wines that are not.  Hands down, in a side by side tasting there really is no comparison.  I always enjoy speaking about the important differences.  Methode Champenoise means that the actual fermentation takes place in the bottle over a period from one to three or so years.  It makes its’ own CO2 which is in fact those tiny little bubbles! Sparkling wines that are not made in the traditional style and are fermented in stainless steel tanks are indeed ready to go after about 14 days or so. It is bottled, CO2 is added (like a diet Coke) and it is on the store shelves within thirty days! I encourage folks to think of Champagne as a place rather than a beverage.  It really is all about those tiny bubbles!

There is a myth that the “bubblie” does not go well with foods, well….I am here to say that is not true!  If you like sparklings AND food then it is all about timing.  The first Wednesday of the week, my dog is house broken, I got a new food processor or I’m eating an egg McMuffin or a Caesar Salad or a pizza on Fridaynight!  I love the true French style sparkling wines…..life is too short to wait just for New Years!

So, as an event/public/motivational speaker I have the opportunity to have so much fun introducing people to the wonder of bubbles!

Don’t wait……sip, light a candle, toast and ENJOY, we deserve it!

Demystifying wines for the public continues to be a fun exchange for this motivational/public speaker.  At a recent wine tasting/seminar in Highlands North Carolina, an excited bride to be and her attendants from Atlanta decided to stop in at my event to see if they could find what wines they should choose for their up coming springtime wedding.

Fun was had by all as I took their palates on a learning highway from dry whites to fruity bold reds.  Their energy was palpable and their tasting discoveries rewarding.

Wine knowledge does not have to be complicated, but only needs to be explained in an arena of playfulness and simplicity. Speaking about wine and playing with wine is one of my most enjoyed themes as a public speaker.  So keep asking the questions, keep discovering the grapes and thank you to all who continue to learn, sip and play with me….SALUTE!

As a public speaker, delivering keynote addresses to many visitors attending conferences and conventions in the Asheville North Carolina area, I often  welcome the folks to our fair city by pointing out that Asheville is indeed the home of hospitality and tourism and that one of the indicators of the difference between tourists and natives is the number of bumper stickers on their vehicles.

Driving the streets of our city provides opportunity at every stop light for moments of enlightenment.   Albeit brief, the words printed on these small but thought provoking rectangular, circular, square and oval expressions of opinion do in fact cause one to pause and reflect.  More than once I have found myself twisting my head and neck as far as they could go so that I could catch the last word or two on those multi-shaped placards of wisdom!  On one recent trip through Asheville I managed to smile widely when I read “I Only Do What My Rice Crispies Tell Me” and then became thoughtful upon seeing “Don’t Believe Everything You Think” as I began to ask myself what exactly is it that I do think!  My next stop due to highway construction left me hopeful when seeing “Another Mama for Obama” and “If You Can Read This Thank a Teacher”. There are good, positive and powerful people who make a difference for so many of us every day.  Glancing to my left I was greeted by “Mean People Suck” and “Hate is Not a Family Value” and I was quickly reminded that there are also some not so good and negative people who try to be powerful using fear as a platform.  Upon seeing “Misery is Optional” on a rusted out Ford pick up sporting a partial bumper I knew that there is indeed a reason for the wit and wisdom of all these bumper stickers.  Our beliefs create reality.