Some Good Articles

Somestimes it's just easier to learn from others:

http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-be-happy-and-married-24-tips-from-a-24-year-old-marriage

http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-answer-23-of-the-most-common-interview-questions

Public Speaking

People aren't afraid of public speaking. People are afraid of public embarrassment.

And one of these days I'll write a little more about the subject. For the record, I used to be a member of Toastmasters. It is a great organization dedicated to helping people improve their public speaking skills.

Listening and Writing

I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.

Ernest Hemingway

Listening (for the purpose of providing some form of acknowledgement or emotional relief) is an Art. As an artform, it resembles fiction writing in some very interesting ways. Both use words as their primary vehicle. Just like there are basic skills in writing such as grammar and punctuation, there are basic skills in listening such as asking open-ended questions and paraphrasing. Mediocre fiction distracts the reader from the story at hand. Poor listening prevents the speaker from immersing themselves in their own stories. But among all the similarities, there is one that is most telling: both great stories and great listeners touch us and leave us forever changed.