The Blog / Archive

A structured presentation lets the audience know where they are in the experience, and what to expect. We call this “signposting.”  An obvious example of signposting is when we say something like, “I’m going to explore three points. Let’s start with this one.” The speaker is saying to the audience, literally, “we’re beginning here with point #1, and I have three points I’ll be talking about.”  Sometimes, though, we let phrases slip into our talks that mislead the audience about where we are. Any mention of a number will do it. For example, don’t say, “First off, you may be … Read more

I’m taking a sabbatical from writing new blog posts. You’ll be seeing some re-runs and old favorites for the next little while. You can always write me back with suggestions or ideas just by responding to this email! Warning: word nerdery ahead. “Poignant” is a word I love. It comes from the Latin pungere, to pierce or sting. When we describe something as poignant, we mean that it has a piercing or moving sadness. There is almost a physical pain to the emotional impact. For example, “The melody was a poignant reminder of times past.” We don’t have another word in … Read more

I’m taking a sabbatical from writing new blog posts. You’ll be seeing some re-runs and old favorites for the next little while. You can always write me back with suggestions or ideas just by responding to this email! Groups of people who spend a lot of time together develop their own ways of speaking. They have inside jokes, acronyms, and jargon that distinguish their group from others. At its best, this special language helps connect the people in the group, and those bonds are important to establish safety and trust. Unique words can even make groups more efficient. When everyone … Read more

I’m taking a sabbatical from writing new blog posts. You’ll be seeing some re-runs and old favorites for the next little while. You can always write me back with suggestions or ideas just by responding to this email! Have you ever been asked to tell your story? How did you know where to start? What to include? Which parts to highlight, or to skip, or to tweak? Did you begin at birth, or later? Did you talk about your school, your best friend, your first dog, a car accident? All of us have long, complex life stories that can be … Read more

Politicians know it. Preachers know it. Teachers know it. You have to repeat yourself. If you want the audience to really get it, to walk out of your presentation knowing the main idea or the call to action, you need to say it a few times. Tell us right up front. Create a headline, a catchy beginning that makes us sit forward, wanting to hear more. Then remind us again as you make your supporting points. “I mentioned X, now let me tell you a story that illustrates X perfectly.” Show us a chart, give us examples, and repeat it … Read more

When you watch a TV show, a play, or a movie, the set you see is carefully chosen. Let’s say the scene you’re watching takes place in a kitchen. The art director is going to select items that convey something she wants the viewer to know about whose kitchen it is, and the details are going to support that story. Crucially, she is also going to leave out any details that detract from that story. If she heaps “kitchen stuff” willy-nilly on every counter, our attention is drawn to the excess. When you are speaking—giving a talk, briefing a group, … Read more

I heard a phrase recently that was new to me. “Back yourself.” We’re more familiar with backing other people, right? Colleagues, leaders, people we admire, even sports teams. We invest in them, we give them our support. We back them. But in this case, the idea was simply to back yourself. This twist on a familiar idea—back yourself like you would back someone else you believe in—resonated with me deeply.  Take your own side. Bet on yourself. Invest in yourself. Back yourself.

The writer Stephen Pressfield has a great book called The War of Art. One concept he explores is what he calls “the Resistance.” This is an all-too-common phenomenon for anyone who is trying to make anything—the idea of making the thing is great, but sitting down and grinding it out seems impossible.  The Resistance makes up a million excuses about why now isn’t the best time, what else you could be doing instead, and has a host of clever ways to get us to put off creating whatever our cool thing may be. The most insidious thing the Resistance does … Read more

I’ve noticed lately that it’s common for people to use the word “introverted” to mean “shy,” and “extroverted” to mean “friendly.” This was underscored in a recent conversation with a friend who said, “When I’m with people, I’m totally engaged. I’m tuned in. But I’m an introvert, so it drains me. I have to recharge before I can be that engaged again.” This person isn’t shy or reserved. She’s a great communicator and listener. She builds tremendous rapport with her colleagues. And, at the end of the day, she needs time alone to build up that energy to do it … Read more