This is not a partisan blog, I swear. But when it comes to lessons in how not to communicate, the current crop of GOP presidential candidates is the gift that keeps on giving. First there was Mitt Romney and his unique comedy stylings. Then Michele Bachmann and her little grammar problem. And now we have … Read more
I’ve never been a fan of small talk. As the name suggests, it’s decidedly unambitious. Now I don’t need to always be engaging in deep-meaning philosophy, but I do like something a little more meaningful than, “How about that weather?” Of course, small talk isn’t really about the talk itself. It’s really an attempt to … Read more
In the old days of Facebook — a couple of weeks ago — people would dutifully cut and paste political messages, quotes, aphorisms, etc., into their status updates. Recently I’ve noticed a growing phenomenon that is both ridiculously simple AND effective. People are simply putting text in the form of pictures. Like this one: That’s … Read more
What can Mad Men teach us about expressing ourselves effectively? What does Chris Farley tell us about stage presence? Is there intelligent life down here? Mr. Spock says so. Nothing sells like video! The webcast of yesterday’s radio show is up and it turned out great. Having video clips, even if audio-only, added a lot of … Read more
This morning I’ll be appearing on All Sides with Ann Fisher, a talk radio program broadcast out of Columbus, Ohio. We’ll be talking about the book and taking questions from callers about how to communicate and write more effectively. And you don’t even have to be in Columbus to listen. Tune in via the intertubes … Read more
I’ve been on Google+ since shortly after it was launched, as have a number of my friends. Most of them, however, don’t post there. Many haven’t even bothered to fill in their profiles. In fact, G+ seems mainly populated right now by people who are heavily into social media and technology — consultants, bloggers and … Read more
Bill Clinton was a great communicator. A greater communicator, I think, than THE Great Communicator. As we all well know, he could talk his way into and out of just about anything! But he was not what you would call a concise speaker. His State of the Union addresses always clocked in at over an … Read more
The reason most business writing is boring is that it demands so little of the reader. That is, it settles for merely conveying information. That’s fine, I suppose, if you’re writing an instruction manual (but even those could use a little more humor and drama). The problem is captured in David Mamet’s duly famous memo to … Read more
I’m not a big fan of traditional business books. I think I got to #4 in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People before bailing. (Maybe that says something about my effectiveness.) So when I set out to write my own book, I was determined to make it the kind of book I would … Read more
If you’re the kind of person who likes to get things done, few things are more frustrating than people who stand in the way of progress. Foot draggers, naysayers, bottlenecks, roadblocks — these are people who come from a place of “no.” It’s especially frustrating in the communications business. Over the years, I’ve come across … Read more