Everyone thinks they know what good customer service is. We’ve all had bad customer service—a waiter who won’t bring the check or an Internet company that can’t keep a four-hour appointment window. But good customer service means more than …More ☛
What of M&Ms, rock stars, and divas? The rock band Van Halen had an infamous clause in their contract saying there could be no brown M&Ms backstage, or the promoter would forfeit the entire show at full price. It …More ☛
Every sailor runs aground sooner or later! How do you know if a speaker really brings the experience they claim to? I was sailing along through clear turquoise water over a pure white sand bottom. A jagged line of …More ☛
13.7-billion years ago, the universe expanded from a single point. Some of the light we see in the sky took billions of years to travel across space—at 186,282 miles per second—to reach our eyes. Will the universe expand outward indefinitely—infinitely? …More ☛
Meeting success is hiding in the light. Here’s another innocent mistake so many event organizers make. True story: Joe was hired to keynote at a huge conference—you know—a fancy stage with multiple iMag screens and colorful lights. He planned to …More ☛
How long does it take to build any business? Celebrities and rock stars may find it easy to launch an enterprise based on name recognition. A few speakers are able to build a practice quickly when they retire as industry …More ☛
Speaking involves so much more than your voice. Hand gestures, body language, stage positioning, and facial expressions all play an important role in making a speech engaging. Let’s talk about that last one. Here’s an example: My sister called and …More ☛
They don’t have a clue! In 1991, I sailed a wooden boat 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. During my 38 days at sea, I battled seasickness, faced storms and calms, adjusted the sails, and minded the compass. Do …More ☛
When the urge to gripe arises, consider that no matter what dark clouds may loom on the horizon, you threaded the needle of human history. Imagine what life would have been like had you been born not so many years …More ☛
Another agonizing networking event! You walk around the room, introduce yourself to the next stranger, ask them what they do, and pray they’ll offer anything remotely relevant to you. Great! Another realtor! Wow! Another financial manager! Nice to meet you …More ☛
Watch a sunbeam Magic! The light reveals swirling dust, a hidden universe Slip a jar under it Close the lid What do you have? Nothing Take a picture of a sunset. Can you capture the grandeur of the frameless …More ☛
Is AI-Generated Marketing Copy the powerful shortcut we’ve been told it is? The explosive growth of online content has done little for the evolution of graphic design or copywriting. Publishing has never been so easy, and the demands of producing …More ☛
Keep your poor me stories off the stage. My friend Tony showed me a video of a speaker who told the story of her escape from alcohol and depression and her long, hard road to personal and professional success. “It’s …More ☛
Is your digital calendar robbing you of the time you need to be productive? Maybe the problem isn’t your calendar. Back in my carefree boat bum days, my course was governed by the world’s natural rhythms. I rose and retired …More ☛
Perhaps you’ve experienced flow writing. You sit down, watch your fingers tap away at the keyboard, and wonder, Where did that come from? Did I write that? That’s really good! Sometimes the experience of flow can be as simple and …More ☛
AI Storytelling – Is it any good? I entered a simple prompt into ChatGPT. Yes, I could have been more specific about what I wanted—better prompts make for better output from the AI—but my intention was to analyze the …More ☛
We often hear about “dynamic speaking,” but what does that mean? The dictionary defines “dynamics” as “the forces or properties which stimulate growth, development, or change within a system or process.” Essentially, “dynamics” means “change,” and if you want your …More ☛
You’ve been asked to pitch a big project. You and your teammates Shelly and Barbara sit at your conference table discussing next week’s big presentation. “It’s impossible to know how the competition is going to position themselves,” says Shelly. “We …More ☛
Do you think sales is a dirty word? Many of us think that way … and given all the tacky messages we have to sort through and delete every day, it’s no wonder. For some, the word “sales” conjures up …More ☛
The “elevator pitch” is an essential professional tool—a tool that should be kept razor sharp and as ready to deploy as a handshake and a smile—and yet, most professionals are woefully bad at introducing themselves. Have you ever attended a …More ☛
You’ve probably read about OpenAI and how artificial intelligence has come of age. It’s easy enough to generate articles and blog posts using tools such as ChatGPT, and if they turn out a bit too academic or clinical, you can …More ☛
We all love dessert! If you dine at Seasons 52, you’ll be presented with a selection of tiny sweets at the end of your meal—chocolate mousse, key lime pie, carrot cake, and a host of other delectable options to enjoy …More ☛
Maria, a realtor attended one of my storytelling workshops at the suggestion of a mutual friend. “What does storytelling have to do with real estate?” she asked before the session started. Tell me about a property you’re excited about,” I …More ☛
Lost and found items create logistical challenges, but stories are always about people. The story of how (or whether) a person is reunited with a lost item they need or value determines the success of important business relationships. Create a …More ☛
I was talking with a friend at a business networking event when a man came plowing through the crowd doling out business cards as if he were handing out candy on Halloween. After the most cursory of introductions, he put …More ☛
How do you put a price on your passion? How can you charge a fair-but-high price for your services? You’ve got a fantastic prospect on the line. The conversation is engaging. The relationship develops instantly. Your hopefully-soon-to-be client is …More ☛
Inspire prospects to ask you to sell to them. Many years ago I was out sailing on Biscayne Bay with an old sailor friend. The conversation drifted from how to adjust the sails to light talk about our personal lives, …More ☛
The following advice on writing and publishing is based on my own experiences and those of my clients. I hope you find it valuable and encouraging, even if it changes your expectations. I’ve written and published twelve books, and I’m …More ☛
Hobbyist or professional? True professionals dedicate their lives to being the best in the world at whatever they do—not some day, but today—every day. Not try, do. I have played guitar almost every day for almost forty years. I play …More ☛
In storms of life and business, it requires immense energy to sustain conflict. Dangerous and destructive forces require attention and—at the appropriate times—resistance, but often the best strategy is to park and wait for the tempest to subside. A retail …More ☛
Imagine an event where each attendee is given a puzzle piece and directed to connect one-at-a-time with others in the room to see whether their pieces fit together. Though such a laborious process sounds absurd, it describes exactly how most …More ☛
We give more weight to evidence that supports what we like—a phenomenon called, “confirmation bias.” Belief is often based as much on what we want to be true as on what we determine to be true through direct observation. Data, …More ☛
Anyone who questions the relationship between business and storytelling need look no farther than the humble corporate mission statement. The goal of this article is to teach the value of storytelling so you can develop engaging mission statements that …More ☛
Keep your listeners’ attention while reading aloud. The host announces the next author. She walks to the lectern, offers a synopsis, and begins reading aloud. It’s not bad prose—and I can’t say that for every writer here—but after three pages …More ☛
Do you have a customer service horror story to share? What stories are you telling about yourself before you even show up to do business? A Customer Service Horror Story A friend of mine sailed his boat up on some …More ☛
If you’re skeptical about the connection between business strategy and storytelling, consider the challenges faced by advertising agencies and marketers. Ad agencies’ storytelling challenges are complex because they must consider how the stories of their individual team members dovetail with …More ☛
Shipwrecks are the ultimate symbols of massive failure. Building and operating a ship is an enormous enterprise that requires people, money, teamwork, and skill. Whether a vessel was sunk in battle or lost to a navigational blunder, every wrecked ship had …More ☛
One Sunday morning not long after I had been introduced to sailing, I was enjoying a cup of coffee in the cockpit of my friend Strider’s boat. The sounds of rustling canvas alerted me to watch a bronzed man on …More ☛
Storytelling tips: You’re walking along and you happen to look down. “Hey, that’s not a scrap of paper; that’s a $20 bill!” Isn’t it a rush when something we thought was useless turns out to be meaningful. Stories—whether they’re truth …More ☛
How do you handle a one-star review? Capable leaders are adept at untangling the many stories that compete for attention when problems need solving and egos need soothing. I monitor a FaceBook page for a local chapter of a national …More ☛
River stories: Numerous stories have been written about rivers. We all have rivers to cross. Metaphorical rivers represent both the obstacles we encounter in life and business and where the “current” carries us. Perhaps a tough conversation lies ahead or …More ☛
Do you trust your compass? Finding your way in life, business, and traffic is a challenge. The easiest way to get somewhere without getting lost is to switch on the GPS. But too many people never know the joy of …More ☛
I was frustrated the other day, thinking about how I need a better computer. Some of my software is out of date and my machine just doesn’t have the speed and the memory to support some of the the new …More ☛
Is sexual harassment a problem, or a symptom of a larger, deeper issue? The answer depends on the stories we use to define and discuss it. Challenge: Write a story about sexual harassment. Use fictional avatar characters. (If you call …More ☛
Storytelling is a powerful tool, but no one ever talks about story listening. Have you ever been with a friend, family member, client, or colleague and assumed they were thinking and feeling something completely different from what they actually were? …More ☛
“This should be a great presentation,” said Jess as we walked into the Chamber of Commerce breakfast and grabbed a table near the platform. The speaker made a gazillion dollars taking startups public. He’s the CEO of…” “Why does everyone …More ☛
When I was young, I collected superhero stories and comic books. I was fascinated by the exploits of the same characters—Ironman, Spiderman, Superman, and others—who inspire movie-watchers today. The comic book was for me, the ultimate storytelling medium, a combination …More ☛
“Storytelling…? I don’t know.” A troubled look flashed across Sally’s face. “You’ll have a hard time selling me on your topic. Last year’s speaker was a dud. I need to deliver some wow-factor this year or I might not be …More ☛
Are your messages missing the mark? Are your stories clear and accurate or are your meanings lost in translation? The storyteller’s challenge is to convert abstract and intangible ideas, experiences, emotions, and memories into sounds or characters on a page …More ☛
Getting stuck in the wrong story can feel productive, but it traps us in conflict and prevents us from reaching our meaningful goals. I was sitting in the cockpit of my sailboat one evening when I spied a small …More ☛
Use storytelling for problem-solving. Think about the various stories involved in a conflict and plot a course for resolution. Seen through the StorySailing™ spyglass, a story is analogous to the voyage of a sailboat across the rocky, stormy seas of …More ☛
In 1989, as a 25-year-old sailing solo on a 26-foot sailboat, I spent a surreal Christmas weathering a North Atlantic gale, at anchor in a not-so-sheltered place in the central Bahamas. This piece was originally published in my sailing memoir, …More ☛
Nideknil Marketplace was all hustle and bustle. Colorful signs above the merchant stalls proclaimed the advantages of endless products and services. Businesspeople crowded the aisles, picking up samples and literature and talking to the vendors. The pitch-trolls were out in …More ☛
Too many professionals buy the story that expertise is a commodity: Hire an expert, tell them what to do, and get the job done. Experts are experts because they know more than you do about their professional discipline. Experts are …More ☛
Verbs are the engines that move your writing, your speaking, your readers, and your audiences but many authors ands presenters don’t spend enough time choosing the right ones. If your writing was an electric guitar, your verbs would be the volume, …More ☛
How do stories work? You knew that movie was going to stink as soon as you got through the opening scene … but you sat through the whole thing to find out how the story ended. Numerous studies have explored …More ☛
What is a meeting monster? My daughter asked me to spend some time with her. “I can’t right now,” I replied. I’m the meeting monitor today.” She shot me a funny look. “Daddy, what’s a meeting monster?” The name stuck. …More ☛
I’ve been videoconferencing for years; this will be easy! I thought as I began my first virtual speech. When it was over, I was surprised at my lackluster performance, and by the number of filler words I used—ums, ers, and …More ☛
You’ve already read at least a dozen articles about ZOOM and videoconferencing that remind you to mute yourself when you’re not talking and look into the camera. Here are eleven important video tips you haven’t read before but should. …More ☛
Body language and spoken language: Combine them strategically to enhance audience engagement. In my 2019 Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest entry, I parodied the “speaker’s journey” from being paralyzed by fear to joining Toastmasters to becoming a confident presenter. (Toastmasters International …More ☛
Speechcrafting is a special discipline of which speechwriting is but a single element. The effective speechcrafting professional understands the art of narrative and also the power of stagecraft—timing, pauses, dynamics, gestures. Eloquent words delivered by a lackluster presenter will miss …More ☛
A little storytelling fun: a poem by yours truly. The title is a reference to the traditional Stone Soup folktale. What role does the context provided by understanding the title play in the interpretation of the story? In November, …More ☛
An accomplished jazz musician, educator, and friend pointed out that too many virtuosic young players blow a lot of noisy notes with fire and conviction, ignore the structure of the music, and brand themselves as “avant garde.” To his ears, …More ☛
A friend asked if he should take a day off work to attend a free “Become a Millionaire Speaker or Coach!” seminar. No. Don’t quit your day job—even for a day. I’m sure the session offers hours of true and …More ☛
Great storytellers are masters of time and tempo. What is this mysterious thing called “time?” Does it flow at the same speed for everyone? If we encounter a life-threatening situation, time is a stream of cold honey. If we’re nervous …More ☛