Remember the woman who was burned by McDonald’s coffee and then sued and won? Nearly 20 years ago and the myth lives on; a good example of why media training and specific goals are needed to control messages before the media takes erroneous reports and makes them legend. If you watch for about a minute starting at 4:35, you’ll see some horrible images — you are forewarned — and understand what the media didn’t report.
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…
I’ve been reading a fascinating and well-written corporate “self-help” book, “Lead With A Story” by Paul Smith. For anyone who wants to reach employees, managers and top executives with messages that resonate, inspire and “stick”, I suggest you pick up a copy (see amazon link below). Storytelling is embraced by several Fortune 500 companies because…
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.
The next time you’re planning to be recorded on-camera, remember to apply the same rules for a good presentation to your video appearance. Whether you are speaking to a live audience or straight to camera, open your presentation with the “Headline” or — in TV parlance — “Tease” your audience. Give them a reason to…
The New York Mets’ young pitching phenom, Matt Harvey, recently had an embarrassing interview on The Dan Patrick Show. What the story tell us, is that if you’re planning on making a “pitch” (no pun intended) during an interview, you and your media advisor(s) had better discuss it with the interviewer — and/or his 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:…