For the past five years, I’ve focused my public speaking on the innovation stories I’ve covered as a journalist.
I love speaking to groups about the Israel of today: a tiny country out in the Middle East and yet one of the most important sources of pioneering ideas for the world.
As a journalist and speaker, I take the role of storyteller seriously.
That’s not to say my talks are solely serious-minded. I’ve always included humor in what I do.
I inherited a healthy dose of sarcasm and wit.
And, yes, my talks will make you smile – and maybe even laugh.
But during the past two years, I added “fool” to my resume.
It started out as an interest in medical clowning. I had interviewed a number of medical clowns in Israel for articles.
I decided to take this interest one step further and I signed up to learn the art of clowning at a college in Tel Aviv.
When I finished my medical clowning certificate studies, a new field of clowning was starting in Israel: educational clowning. So, I signed up for a course in that, too.
My alter ego, Oshi the clown, was born.
I still give talks on the culture of innovation – and I absolutely love doing this. I speak to community groups, VIPs, business folks, students, families and everyone in between.
I speak to tourists visiting Israel and who are interested in hearing more about this country. And I speak at community or synagogue events in North America.
I also clown in schools. Twice a week, I pick out my most colorful clothing -- with polka dots or stripes -- and spend the morning adding color, silliness, perspective and fun in a school setting.
I blog about both my role as a journalist in the innovation arena and my role as Oshi.
Most recently, I began giving talks on clowning – what it is, the impact it makes in schools, how teachers can and should include clowning principles into their teaching, how parents can use clowning methods to get a point across, and how clowning helps communication in general.
I also speak about my journey – from journalist-speaker to social clown, and how I juggle both worlds.
Please be in touch if you’d like to hear me speak about Israel’s creativity and innovation or about clowning: Talks.