Years ago, a close friend nearly destroyed our relationship.
He volunteered me — without warning — to give a speech at a graduation ceremony.

Two hundred heads swivelled in my direction.
Zero preparation.

After briefly considering escape (and a flying kick in his direction), I walked to the podium and improvised a passionate speech about the power of communication.

Big applause.

Then someone told me it was the same speech I'd given them at the opening ceremony ten months earlier (so, possibly a slow clap?)

Memory is unreliable, and panic doesn't help.
(Japanese politeness saved my dignity. Barely.)

Unfortunately, life loves putting you on the spot, in big ways and small.

A tricky question in a meeting.
A sudden request to “say a few words.”
A heated pub debate that suddenly turns to you.

Winging it can work if you have a structure.

Next time someone puts you on the spot, try this:

For example – AI

You've added something, and now they're talking (phew).

It's a conversation, but like a boomerang.

Just be ready for it to come back.

💡 PRO TIP: Before your "1", pause. One beat of silence feels like confidence to everyone else — even when inside it feels like your brain has already called an Uber.

“Make sure you have stopped speaking before your audience has stopped listening.”
(Dorothy Sarnoff — American opera singer (1914-2008)

👇 Answer at the end

Who doesn’t love a good tree?
Climb them as a kid (and fall out).
Drink under them as an adult (and maybe fall over).

This week, Tokyo's cherry blossoms should open.
(Unless it snows again. Like yesterday. ❄️😨)

When they bloom, millions of people pour into parks for hanami (cherry-blossom viewing.)
Blue tarps appear at dawn, territory claimed with startling efficiency.
Elaborately prepared bento boxes. Sake. Beer.
Night viewing under illuminated trees.

It’s beautiful and slightly chaotic (and always well-behaved).

A far cry from my childhood picnics.
Cheese sandwiches. Monster Munch. Rain.

But why this tree?
Why does an entire nation pause for something that lasts only two weeks?

Because the cherry blossom is fleeting.
It blooms fast, peaks briefly, then disappears.
The bittersweet beauty of impermanence – pretty and philosophical!

In other words: Enjoy it now. It won’t last.

Every culture celebrates spring somehow — festivals, rituals, a collective sigh after winter.
Japan just does it with more poetry…and better snacks.

💡 PRO TIP: Ask: “What does spring remind you of?”
Everyone has an answer. Almost nobody expects the question.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: "What's your version of hanami?" (Morris dancing and cider in the park?)

⛔ DON’T SAY: “Cherry blossoms? It’s only a tree.”
(You’ll be sitting on that blue tarp alone.)

Must...resist...Trump...clown car...

Managed it. Phew.

While most of us brace for prices to climb again, here's an economic indicator nobody saw coming:

The Tooth Fairy.

The average payout per tooth in the US just hit $5.84 — up 17%, according to Delta Dental’s annual poll.

First tooth?

$7.17!

Turns out what parents slip under the pillow tracks consumer confidence almost as well as oil prices.

In Japan? ¥900 average...(what the...?!)

My kids get ¥100.
(Don't tell them. I already get “But Amanda’s house gets ¥500 every time”...thanks for that, Amanda…)

Last thing I need is toothflation too.

💡 PRO TIP: Drop "the Tooth Fairy as economic bellwether" into any inflation conversation. Sound silly, lands well.

💬 FOLLOW-UP: “What did the Tooth Fairy pay at your house?” Think I got 50p

⛔ DON'T SAY: "Just lie to your kids about the going rate." (They'll Google it.)

Scientists at Cortical Labs grew 800,000 human brain cells in a petri dish.

Then introduced them to the world via the video game, Doom.

Hellfire. Demons. Hitler.
(Worst. Childhood. Ever.)

After seven days? Better at killing.
What could go wrong?

The worst origin story since Frankenstein?
(At least he got a bride).

I think, therefore I am…going to kill you.

💬 FOLLOW UP: What was the first video game you ever played?

AI will eliminate 300 million jobs in the next 5 years.

Yours doesn't have to be one of them.

Here's how to future-proof your career:

Start learning AI now

Colin Firth as a King with a stammer and Geoffrey Rush as the unorthodox speech therapist who helped him.

💬 YOUR TURN: Have you ever had to give a speech? How was it?

A) 🤖 Yes — smarter decisions – 15%
B) 😬 Maybe — but tightly controlled — 69%
C) 🚫 Hard no - 8%
D) 🫣 Pretty sure it's already running things – 8%

💬 Your Two Cents:

B: “Most of the White House is already hallucinating like they are on LSD, so adding a bit of AI to the mix can't make things much worse, can it?”

A.C. is back. Still haunted by robot vacuums. 😄

Your feedback improves SpeakEasy with every issue.
Hit ‘reply’ – I read every email!

Know someone who loves a good conversation?
Forward this and spark one.

First time reading? You can subscribe here. It’s free.

Until next time, keep it smart.

P.S. Missed an issue? Check out The Library 😃

P.P.S. Not feeling it? You can unsubscribe below.👇 But remember: