Creating messages for your fantastic, fast-moving AI-native company? Awesome. Make sure you have one basic value prop/idea/message that is elastic enough that it can support whatever massive innovations come our way in 2027. Why? Because your … [Read more...] about The umbrella covers everything
Step by step by step
We are three-quarters of the way through a rocket ship of a year. It’s already time to start thinking about the foundation you want to build for 2027. Here are a few questions to consider with your team as you plan for the year ahead: … [Read more...] about Step by step by step
Persistence and patience = real change
We fear change. Our brains fear change. Laying down a new neural pathway takes energy and attention! How can you get your team, your customers, or your partners to change? Peter Denning and Robert Dunham’s The Innovators Way is my favorite book on … [Read more...] about Persistence and patience = real change
Who’s reading/listening/watching?
In June, we talked about the power of soundbites. They stick in our ears. We can remember them for years. Want to reach into a human’s mind? Use a soundbite! But what if your message is getting intermediated by AI? If the human is not watching … [Read more...] about Who’s reading/listening/watching?
Have mercy on your audience
If I am reaching for my phone every three minutes to look up some acronym you just mentioned in a talk, you are making me work to listen to you. Don’t make me work to listen to you. The minute I grab my phone, you’ve lost me for the duration, because … [Read more...] about Have mercy on your audience
Clarity is awesome
Clarity is a discipline. Sure, many of us have the skill to stand on a stage, riff on the slides we have behind us, and walk off the stage without breaking a sweat. But delivering a clear, useful talk requires making choices. It’s about cutting … [Read more...] about Clarity is awesome
Skill + content + intention = magic!
What makes a great spokesperson? Skill for sure. Quality of content, absolutely. But there’s a third component that can be overlooked: attitude and intention. Soundbites and stories stick in peoples’ heads. You can deliver high-quality stories … [Read more...] about Skill + content + intention = magic!
Perception. It’s still reality.
“Perception is reality.” Lee Atwater coined this phrase in political campaigning because he understood that what people think is more powerful than what’s true. Objectivity does not exist. This can be super frustrating, but it’s … [Read more...] about Perception. It’s still reality.
Got ideas? Get help!
I ask every client two questions: What do you uniquely see? What are you uniquely doing about it? I get some amazing answers! And yet, while a fundamental insight is essential, it is not sufficient. If you want your idea to have impact, you … [Read more...] about Got ideas? Get help!
Politeness, discernment, and persistence
Answering questions is a very particular skill. An expert spokesperson - whether they are on a podcast, an earnings call, an All Hands, or a tough media interview - does these three things well: Acknowledge that a fellow human said words. … [Read more...] about Politeness, discernment, and persistence
