Pace Your Prose With The One-Sentence Paragraph
(5/31/2022) Search for “one-sentence paragraph” on the Internet and you’ll mostly find questions about whether writing them is even an acceptable practice. The one-sentence paragraph is not only legal, it’s a useful and powerful literary device for writers and speakers. One-sentence… READ ON

Your Unique Value Story
(5/18/2022) Imagine an event where each attendee is given a puzzle piece and directed to connect one-at-a-time with others in the room to see whether their pieces fit together. Though such a laborious process sounds absurd, it describes exactly how most… READ ON

Confirmation Bias: Storytelling at Your front Door
(5/3/2022) We give more weight to evidence that supports what we like—a phenomenon called, “confirmation bias.” Belief is often based as much on what we want to be true as on what we determine to be true through direct observation. Data,… READ ON

Storytelling and Your Mission Statement
(4/19/2022) Anyone who questions the relationship between business and storytelling need look no farther than the humble corporate mission statement. The goal of this article is to teach the value of storytelling so you can develop engaging mission statements that… READ ON

Reading Aloud Doesn’t Have to Be Boring
(4/5/2022) Keep your listeners’ attention while reading aloud. The host announces the next author. She walks to the lectern, offers a synopsis, and begins reading aloud. It’s not bad prose—and I can’t say that for every writer here—but after three pages… READ ON

Another Customer Service Horror Story
(3/29/2022) Do you have a customer service horror story to share? What stories are you telling about yourself before you even show up to do business? A Customer Service Horror Story A friend of mine sailed his boat up on some… READ ON

Advertising, Business Strategy, and Storytelling
(3/15/2022) If you’re skeptical about the connection between business strategy and storytelling, consider the challenges faced by advertising agencies and marketers. Ad agencies’ storytelling challenges are complex because they must consider how the stories of their individual team members dovetail with… READ ON

Shipwrecks, Reefs, and Stories About You
(2/17/2022) Shipwrecks are the ultimate symbols of massive failure. Building and operating a ship is an enormous enterprise that requires people, money, teamwork, and skill. Whether a vessel was sunk in battle or lost to a navigational blunder, every wrecked ship had… READ ON

Thoughts on Clichés
(2/1/2022) Since time immemorial, clichés have sneaked in the door when we least expect them to. They’re low-hanging fruit for writers who abscond with them quickly instead of striving for excellence. But to the trained eye, writing clichés stick out like… READ ON

The Virtuoso, the Teacher, & the Centipede
(1/18/2022) One Sunday morning not long after I had been introduced to sailing, I was enjoying a cup of coffee in the cockpit of my friend Strider’s boat. The sounds of rustling canvas alerted me to watch a bronzed man on… READ ON
