Perhaps the hardest part of telling a business story is resisting the temptation to finish your story yourself. I call this “The Power of Shhhhh.” It’s where you stop talking. Be quiet. Let your story and its lessons sink in. People hate a vacuum, and will often rush to fill it with their own conclusions. …
How can you develop a culture of storytelling at your organization? Four quick tips: 1. Meetings: get into the habit of starting each meeting with a story. Ask for others to share stories. 2. Contests: you might have an “employee of the month” contest: why not try a “employee story of the month” contest? 3. …
What if we started learning food prep and cooking in elementary school? And I’m not thinking about food prep as an elective course or two. No, my vision is much bolder: Learning to cook needs to be mandatory. Food prep needs to be integrated into every class you take in school. You must demonstrate ongoing …
I own a car. When it dies, I may not buy another. In fact, I may never own another car again in my lifetime. I don’t want to be careless. I’d rather be carless. This is a shocking statement for a middle-aged Michigan suburbanite to make. For a time, I worked in the auto industry. …
Do we really need business cards anymore? I find that when I go out to meet people, I’m more inclined to exchange LinkedIn information. Other people I know exchange electronic contact info to stay in touch. When someone tries to hand me a business card, I usually try to ward them off. I know I’m …
In my workshop for content writers, I talk about the importance of being both focused and unfocused. We need to be focused to be productive. And that’s why we do things like set deadlines and write outlines. So that we can be productive and stay focused. But I also talk about the importance of being …
OK Google. Cortana. Siri. Alexa. We’re all using voice and audio interfaces right now. If you’re interested in voice search optimization and writing content for your brand’s voice — go ahead. Do a search for some how-to articles on writing for voice and voice optimization. After you’ve completed your search…I have three questions for you: …
I went for a walk in the park. As I walked, I talked. I attached an $11.99 lapel mic to my phone, and talked for four minutes straight. With Google Docs Voice Typing on my phone, my words were instantly transcribed into a document. When I got back to the studio, I had a 552 …
Sometimes, voice typing can come in handy for really unexpected reasons! It’s October 1, and it’s freezing. My poor fingers are now cramped from typing in a cold room all morning. Google Voice Typing to the rescue! I’ll open up Google Docs, activate voice typing, and talk through a first draft. I can always go …
Hey remember third grade? You got up and you did show-and-tell and you loved it. ❤ You didn’t feel nervous or anxious. So what changed? What made you thrilled about public speaking when you were eight… and anxious about it as an adult? Three things: One: you’re more inhibited as an adult. You now know you stand the risk …