Working backwards
How often do you hear a speech, read a blog, watch a commercial, or peruse an email blast and say, huh?? What is this about? Or, what does this have to do with me? Keep that confusion in mind the next time you need to communicate. The point is, you’ll be wasting your time… unless […]
Lincoln: A Master at Making Ideas “Sticky”
A recent book entitled Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, written by brothers Chip and Dan Heath, focuses on the six characteristics that make ideas memorable (“sticky”). To be sticky, they say, ideas have to be: • Simple • Unexpected • Concrete • Credible • Emotional • And tell a story […]
Assume People Don’t Read or Listen
As a writer, I came to the conclusion a long time ago that it was in my best interest to assume that most people don’t read very much or listen very well. Short attention spans, busy lives and almost constant distractions create enormous challenges for communicators. It’s an undeniable fact that audiences bore easily. So […]
The clocks were striking thirteen
When I’m browsing for a book to read, I always check out the first couple of lines. If they grab me, I’m more than half way there. I want to know what happens next. “It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” – George Orwell, 1984. “They shoot the […]
Knowing When to Quit
I remember Sinatra in the 1980s, preening before adoring crowds as if he were still the coolest cat around. But the pipes were rusted and he couldn’t hold a note for very long and he couldn’t fake it with technique anymore. It was painful to watch, though his legion of grey-haired fans didn’t seem to […]
Where Are the Humans? The Language of Economic Insecurity
Many people compare and contrast the Great Depression with our current economic troubles, to gain some perspective and perhaps find solutions from past experience. But the words used to describe our plight today almost sound like a different language. During the Great Depression, President Roosevelt looked for solutions that would place “the security of the […]
Selling Through Storytelling and The 4th Earl of Sandwich
The British politician and aristocrat John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, liked to play cards. But he also enjoyed eating a snack at the same time, and that tied up his hands and involved utensils. So, in 1748, he came up with a solution: he put beef between slices of toast, so he could […]
Sometimes It Just Takes Time
Sometimes it takes time and perspective before the true impact of an idea or an action is fully realized, especially in our dizzying culture. The Greek philosopher Socrates was charged with “corrupting youth,” and he was sentenced to death by hemlock. But today he’s regarded as one of the giants in Western philosophy and a […]
Word Inflation: Amazing, epic, disruptive innovation
I’m mixing metaphors, but many communicators in the U.S. (Sorry, I don’t get to read Der Spiegel or Paris Match), are getting out of hand – and way over the top – with word inflation. If every product change or new idea is amazing, epic, and disruptive, what happens when something really significant takes place? […]
The Fine Art of Baloney Detection
With social and traditional media burning up with all kinds of questionable information and messages, it’s a good time to make sure you’re targeting your communications to the people you want to reach. Can you visualize that person, understand his or her needs and frustrations, and address them? If so, you’ll have a much better […]