Sharpen Your Storytelling — A Quick Lesson from Ronald Reagan

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoPu1UIBkBc&w=420&h=315] Whether you think Ronald Reagan was a great communicator or THE great communicator or simply a decent one, the man knew how to tell a story and land a joke. A great example is the now-legendary moment during a 1984 debate with Walter Mondale. For those who weren’t alive or sentient then, there … Read more

Is Your Writing Missing the Element of Suspense?

Writers constantly struggle to find just the right words. But then we go and squander them by burying them somewhere in the middle of a sentence, undermining the strength of the point we’re trying to make. The issue is captured in a book I often reference: Story, by Robert McKee, which is widely acknowledged as one … Read more

Show and Tell

I’m not one of those who considered Ronald Reagan “The Great Communicator” or even a great communicator. He was a good communicator, certainly, but no more so than I would expect from a successful politician and actor. His speech in the aftermath of the Challenger disaster was especially moving. He could deliver a well-timed one-liner, … Read more