Don’t fill your allotted presentation time just to fill it!

I often coach people that we need to tell stories to make a point rather than creating an endless and forgettable list of Bullet Points. Storytelling is what we’re “wired” to remember. So that I might be someone who practices what he preaches, I joined an on-line group that teaches storytelling. The following essay is my response to their assignment: Write about a moment in your life when you learned an important lesson.

I’ve been researching work on a documentary film I hope to produce: Why The Divide. We will look at the science behind why some people become conservative while others become liberal. If you have any thoughts or points you think should be covered, please let me know. For more information about Why The Divide go…

In the age of connectedness the question for business leaders, entrepreneurs and even freelancers is this: What story will you tell to get people talking? You can tell a story of success; of someone coming to realize the essential “tipping point” that made them successful. You can use or not use metaphors and analogies or…

Early today, NPR reporters were skeptical about how well Mary Barra, the “new” GM CEO, would fare in speaking before Congress. Stories posted later by NPR make me think that she approached this critical appearance with much more than a little training and foresight (as you’ll see in the story below). One more interesting point:…

This week on TED talks, Julian Treasure gives an 8-minute presentation about the skill of listening. His claim: We are losing our ability to listen. Is he right? One observation I have is that many interviewers don’t listen to the people they’re interviewing. In their rush to impress the viewing audience (and their producer/boss), interviewers…