The Elements of Story (6/11/2018) I never thought I’d learn about business while sailing alone on a small boat at sea, but here’s the story: When I was a young man still in college, I found myself—quite through happenstance—in the company of an odd band… READ ON
Find the Music in Your Words (9/19/2023) Find the music in your words! A speechwriting colleague told me she always guaranteed her clients that her work would be well received by the audience. “That’s a big risk,” I said. “No matter how good your writing is, you… READ ON
Take the Twerking Out of Networking! (9/5/2023) Another agonizing networking event! You walk around the room, introduce yourself to the next stranger, ask them what they do, and pray they'll offer anything remotely relevant to you. Great! Another realtor! Wow! Another financial manager! Nice to meet you… READ ON
The Essential Absurdities (8/21/2023) Watch a sunbeam Magic! The light reveals swirling dust, a hidden universe Slip a jar under it Close the lid What do you have? Nothing   Take a picture of a sunset. Can you capture the grandeur of the frameless… READ ON
Why AI-Generated Marketing Copy Misses the Mark (8/8/2023) Is AI-Generated Marketing Copy the powerful shortcut we've been told it is? The explosive growth of online content has done little for the evolution of graphic design or copywriting. Publishing has never been so easy, and the demands of producing… READ ON
Never Play the Victim Card (7/25/2023) Keep your poor me stories off the stage. My friend Tony showed me a video of a speaker who told the story of her escape from alcohol and depression and her long, hard road to personal and professional success. “It’s… READ ON
An Interview with Voice Artist Humphrey Bower (7/11/2023) Find Your Voice … And Someone Else's! Do you enjoy a good audiobook as much as I do? Australian actor Humphrey Bower voices hundreds of characters—men and women with accents from around the world. I've listened to over 350 hours… READ ON
Survive and Thrive in the Land of Clocks & Calendars (6/27/2023) Is your digital calendar robbing you of the time you need to be productive? Maybe the problem isn't your calendar. Back in my carefree boat bum days, my course was governed by the world’s natural rhythms. I rose and retired… READ ON
Jazz and the Dangerous Magic of Creative Flow (6/13/2023) Perhaps you’ve experienced flow writing. You sit down, watch your fingers tap away at the keyboard, and wonder, Where did that come from? Did I write that? That’s really good!  Sometimes the experience of flow can be as simple and… READ ON
How Good is AI at Writing Stories? (5/30/2023)   AI Storytelling - Is it any good? I entered a simple prompt into ChatGPT. Yes, I could have been more specific about what I wanted—better prompts make for better output from the AI—but my intention was to analyze the… READ ON
What is “Dynamic Speaking?” (5/16/2023) We often hear about "dynamic speaking," but what does that mean? The dictionary defines "dynamics" as "the forces or properties which stimulate growth, development, or change within a system or process." Essentially, "dynamics" means "change," and if you want your… READ ON