UC-Berkeley research shows that when you’re embarrassed you appear more trustworthy, according to a story in Discovery News. Remember this the next time you have a “flub” during a speech or presentation. Roger Ailes tells a great story about an overweight man on the old Mike Douglas TV show; the man fell out of his chair when it tipped back off a 6-inch platform. But because his embarrassment was genuine and light-hearted, he became a “TV darling”.
All 7 candidates for Mayor of New York City were asked 4 questions starting with an easy one, “Which NY team do you root for: Mets or Yankees?” Take a look at the second question: “What makes you angriest about New York?”. All the candidates knew enough — probably through coaching — to not actually…
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…
Through a post on LinkedIn, I recently came across a terrific speech by Steve Jobs; his 2005 commencement address to Stanford University graduates. The reason the speech is so good? He used just three personal stories to relate “lessons learned”. If nothing else, this tactic makes it easier for people to relate to and —…
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…
I’ve written before about the skill of listening and how important it is for interviewers. Here’s a terrific article that takes a deeper look at other aspects of this over-looked skill. How to Listen – NYTimes.com.
On this day, the 50th anniversary of Doctor King’s immortal speech, the following article asks, “Why does Dr. King’s “Dream†speech exert such a potent hold on people around the world and across the generations?” In reading the article, what was striking to me is the work and preparation that allowed him to “riff” in…