You’ve been in your industry for 20 years. You know SO MANY things. When you sit down with a reporter who asks an open-ended question, there’s a great temptation to turn into human Wikipedia. The impulse is: ‘Behold! Here is all of my knowledge! You … [Read more...] about Curate your talk track
Tell me more…
My genius friend has the best way of dealing with people who bring dumb, nonsensical or useless ideas to her. She just says, “Tell me more” and then watches them tie themselves into knots trying to add depth and justification to an idea when there’s … [Read more...] about Tell me more…
Don’t drown in the details
“Don't confuse me with the facts!” “The confused customer does not buy.” When you make your prospective customer feel stupid, when you drown them in details, they will find a way to make it YOUR fault that they don’t understand. And it IS your … [Read more...] about Don’t drown in the details
What should I do first?
You want to become a better communicator. But there are so many things to work on. Where should you start? With your audience. To be more specific: with how what you do/know really helps your audience. I have worked with people who are super … [Read more...] about What should I do first?
Politicians suck, but they are great repeaters
“Oh look at that shiny thing over there! Everyone’s talking about it! I’d much rather talk about that than our boring old messaging!” says the founder. “Please kill me now,” says the PR person (to herself only of course). Because the “boring old … [Read more...] about Politicians suck, but they are great repeaters
Watching is listening
You’re giving your presentation. You see arms folded, fidgeting, surreptitious phone checks. Oh no! You’re in the middle of explaining the third quarter data and all you can think about is whether your message or its length is off. Or, you get … [Read more...] about Watching is listening
Incremental action
We know that tiny, daily, incremental practice leads to real change. But it’s so tempting to think that doing just one big thing one time will embed a new skill into our brains. When I run a presentation skills or media training workshop, I … [Read more...] about Incremental action
Step by baby step
We’re two weeks into the new year. What are you seeing that you need to learn? What skills does your team need to develop? What’s working well? What’s broken? What’s hilarious? What’s horrible? If you can take an hour to think about foundational … [Read more...] about Step by baby step
Happy New Year!!
Welcome to the new year! I hope that your holiday break was restful and restorative, that your inbox and calendar are not overstuffed on re-entry, and that you feel refreshed and ready to tackle whatever 2024 has to offer. 2023 was the stuff of … [Read more...] about Happy New Year!!
One step at a time
Several years ago, I spent a week at The Ashram in Calabasas, California. It’s a simple place that will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. All twelve guests at the Ashram do yoga together as the sun rises before going out to hike for 5 - 6 … [Read more...] about One step at a time
