powerful counsel | powerful messages | powerful conversations
Are you ready for the fall conference season? If you’re leading a breakout session, start by saying THANK YOU to the people who chose to walk into your session room! Acknowledge your audience’s discernment and good taste. They chose YOUR session, … [Read more...] about Say thank you!
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 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
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 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.
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!
We spent February on the formula for delivering a great story. In March we’re talking about how to deliver it. “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!” … [Read more...] about Be consistent
We spent February on the formula for delivering a great story. In March we’re talking about how to deliver it. Whenever you communicate with anyone you are crossing a bridge. You are trying to get part of what’s in your mind into the uncharted … [Read more...] about Build a bridge
We spent February on the formula for delivering a great story. In March we’re talking about how to deliver it. Every great story has a problem. But what kind of problem is going to spike your audience’s cortisol so they’ll pay attention long … [Read more...] about Citizens of different countries
Proper storytelling is both a science and an art. A magnificent, multi-layered, intractable problem is the core of every great story. When we describe a problem in vivid language, our audience’s brains get activated. They HAVE to know how the … [Read more...] about A dumpster fire on a ship in a storm with sea monsters
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