That Will Be $90

"Memorize your opening line so that you can begin with complete eye contact."

"Underline your key words so that you will remember to emphasize them."

"Great creative use of your own pitch when talking about the highness and lowness of your instrument's pitch."

"Take your time with the gestures. No need to rush."

Last night. Our house. A coaching session with none other than . . . my daughter.

Worlds have collided.

The project? Create an instrument (she chose to make Soda Bottle Pipes) and then prepare a 3 minute presentation about your instrument including information about how it was made, and how it works. Explain various terms such as Volume, Pitch, and Frequency, and show how they relate to the instrument.

She wrote the presentation

She made the instrument with Dad.

Then, she put two and two together and practiced for us.

She has my genes. She spoke way too quickly.

I was just beginning to gently give her some pointers, when, mid-sentence, she stopped cold.

"Wait! Is THIS what you do with kids? Is THIS coaching?"

I wasn't sure if answering "yes" would cause her to reject everything I was about to impart to her about public speaking, or whether she would think it was cool. I went with the truth.

"Yes," I answered. Hesitantly.

"Cool! How much do I owe you?"

$90.

Yeah, you heard me right.

Private lessons don't come cheap.