Being super prepared
Back in school, I had a classmate who put an unbelievable amount of work in preparing for exams, reading mountains of books. I remember one
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I’m just going to turn my problem into your problem
I can’t find a parking lot so I have to park in the middle of the street. Not my fault! I gotta park somewhere, right?
A tough decision
Sometimes, we need to make a tough decision: Who do we leave behind? As a customer. In our messaging. It might sound like a cliché,
More than one priority
Having more than one priority is one of the reasons why decision making in some companies feels so difficult. Imagine we are SuperSafe Corp and
A million ways to tell our story
Today, we’ve got a million ways to tell our story. We can tell it on video, audio, or write it down. We can publish it
The tell-a-friend impulse
How do you scale a magazine from 0 readers to being Europe’s best selling magazine? You need three things: Great writing. That resonates. And gets passed along.
All the things we’re not
Many companies are quite good at explaining what their product is not but not at all good at explaining what it is instead. When you
When we care deeply
When we care deeply, we’ve got a problem. Because often, we find ourselves competing with others who don’t care as much. Or, to be more
Just a minute more
Just a minute more can make all the difference when we reply to a mail or posting. It can make the difference between a harsh
Thoughts on outlines
In the corporate world, outlines are still pretty much mandatory at the start of a presentation. Also, they are pretty much wasted time. Outlines have
The problem with meetings
is not that we meet but how we meet. And that starts with why we meet. Many meetings feel like a waste of time because
Great communicators make you feel smarter
They are happy to rise your status by helping you see things for yourself that now you are proud of having uncovered. They are happy
False promises
Getting attention is easy. Make it bigger, faster, louder, or crazier. And if in doubt, throw money at the problem of making it even more
That’s better!
But better than what? What does better even mean? Is it faster? Or is it more reliable? Cheaper? More pleasant to look at? “It’s better”
The art of digging deep
TED has popularised the art of presenting big ideas. What gets easily overlooked is how another art is even more essential to a great TED
How to find out whether you’re doing it?
Conductor Benjamin Zander has a simple rule to find out: “When their eyes are shining you know you’re doing it.” – Benjamin Zander I have
Living a life worth telling
“Great stories happen to people who tell them.” – Ira Glass Ok, you might not have climbed the Mount Everest. And you might not have travelled
I seldom have time to practice
That’s what more than 12% of executives who were surveyed by Distinction Communication answered when they were asked how much time they spent practicing for
Interview: The principles of organisational excellence
What an inspiring story Kathy Letendre shared with me in the newest episode of the “Leaders Light the Path” podcast. In 2020, she decided to
Managed Dissatisfaction
Did you know that Blockbuster used a business model called managed dissatisfaction? E.g. late fees were a major contributor to Blockbuster’s DVD rental revenue. At
We need a hero but it’s not you
… and that’s good news! Here’s why: Trying to play the hero is one of the major causes why people feel uncomfortable on a stage
Pushback
Back in the days when I was still offering design services I recall a meeting with one of my clients. We had sent them a
Keeping it simple
… is often confused with scratching the surface and leaving out the difficult parts. But that’s not what keeping it simple is about. Quite the
If there was no fear …
If there was no fear, everyone would just be courageous enough to do anything. But there is fear. In real world, our actions have consequences. And
Are you testing enough?
When we build a product it’s quite obvious that we need to test what we build. Will it do what it’s supposed to do? Will
Skip that meeting?
“I’ve got more important business to do so I’ll cancel this meeting.” Of course, you’ve got more important business to do. That’s out of the
If I only had one sentence
… I would point out that if you nail that one sentence, one sentence quickly becomes first sentence. (Because if you truly nail it, your
What if you did one thing differently the next time?
Only one thing. But it needed to be one thing that requires some courage. What could it be? What would need to happen so that
Saying what you mean
Is actually quite easy: Just say it. It’s amazing how much time we spend with looking for fancy ways of phrasing what we mean when
The stories we make
“I don’t tell stories.” the restaurant owner said, “so that’s not relevant to me.” Which is half the truth. Because while he doesn’t tell stories,
These fascinating communicators who have their audience glued to their lips
Some people believe that tension is something you have to create artificially. Something that needs to be added to your story. Something that only Hollywood
Who are you pitching to?
“I like it”, he said. “Maybe just one thing. Could you add a small overview of the other products that we offer? Just in case
Thou shalt not bore thy audience
You shouldn’t. But as a goal, that’s unambitious. And misleading. Not being boring is relatively easy (though not necessarily cheap). Make a speech during a
Just sayin’
If you could just let go of the judgement of others and tell your story just like you feel it, what would you say? If
Do I need slides?
Short answer: No. Long answer: If it helps to make a stronger case than without slides, then go ahead, make slides. If not, don’t. Make
History vs. Story
It’s spelled “story” – without the “hi” at the beginning. Still, many people approach telling stories as recounting historical events. In a chronological order. Even
Applause is seductive
Getting applause for your talk and having an impact are two very different goals for a presentation. A good round of applause feels great. That’s
What perfectionists care for
Perfectionists care about not embarrassing themselves. They will go all the way to avoid embarrassment, even if that means not shipping their work. What that
Interview: Unleashing the potential of leaders and their teams
The world has changed. Leadership has changed. A lot. Not only in the last year, but fundamentally. And it won’t stop to change. I’ve had
Smile!
Do it! And while you’re at it think about a beautiful interaction you had. Stay with that thought for a while! … Good. How do you
You talkin’ to me?
“You tellin me I’m wrong? I gotta do things differently? Who are you? I know damn well what I need to do. Don’t you dare
What people do during a presentation
A few of the things that people do during a presentation: listen carefully to what’s being said plan their next vacation answer emails apply what
The jumping CEO
A big difference between startups and established companies is how they speak about their product. Where in startups people show their pride openly, in established
Using up trust
We tend to think about sales as a competition. About winning the pitch, making the sale, and getting the deal. And when we do get
Football is boring
… unless we root for a team. At which point a whole range of emotions kicks in: hope, joy, sadness, anger, … When we don’t
It’s called giving a speech – but do you actually give it?
It’s called giving a speech, but for many, a speech is about taking. Taking the audience’s time and attention, their money, their vote. These people
There are no dry topics
“Yeah, but my topic is boring.” To which I replied with a surprised stare. “Well, it’s just paragraphs and dry stuff.” I was baffled. What
If only we could fix our customers
… so that they finally see what they are supposed to see and buy from us. Or cheer for us. It can be super frustrating
Today’s a good day to say …
“Well done!” to someone who did a great job. “Thank you!” to someone who was generous to you. “I hear you.” to someone who needs
Making our people and our customers proud
When Howard Schultz ran a meeting at Starbucks, he mentally added two seats to the table for people who usually didn’t have a regular seat
Are you still using the carrot and the stick?
For our grandparents, the predominant leadership model was command & control. Leaders told their team what to do and the team was pretty much expected
Who is your presentation actually for?
Most people would answer that it’s for their audience. But more often than not it turns out that that’s a rather fuzzy term. Often it’s
The after show ad
YouTube shows ads before and during the video. Here’s a challenge for your next ad: Can you make it so relevant that people would still
4 design principles that help you to layout your ideas visually
Here are four principles that will help you become better at designing almost anything. They won’t magically turn you into a pro designer and they
Simplifying decision making
“I try to make one decision that removes 1000 decisions.” – Tim Ferris Rather than to struggle each time you’re standing in front of the
Looking from the other side
Quick, in one sentence: What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you see … … the McDonald’s logo?… the Red Cross logo?… an
What to build
There are things that everybody needs but nobody wants. And there are things that everybody wants but nobody needs. Both might earn us a fortune
The people changing business
When we write a report about something, our task is not to write a text but to inform the reader. We must not stop at
Lazy empathy
“What’s in it for them?” is in my top 3 of most misleading speaking advice. It sounds perfectly reasonable. Of course our audience wants to
What’s the ideal number of slides for a presentation?
Martin Luther King didn’t need a slide at all. Dick Hardt used 50 slides – per minute! Both used the ideal number of slides – for the
The joy of figuring things out
If you enjoy puzzling, the worst thing that can happen to you is when someone else solves the puzzle for you. The joy is in
Keeping the best for last
… is a great way of finishing strong. But what would happen if you turned that upside down and started with the best? Would people stay
Bad presentation habits
The thing with habits is that they are unconscious. Our brain is on autopilot and so we don’t even recognise when we follow a habit.
Perfectly aligning to your audience
When you perfectly align to the expectations of your audiences, they will follow you wherever you go. Like in this beautiful example by Bobby McFerrin
The shift in smart leadership
“The smartest person is usually the person in the room who knows how to tap into the intelligence of every person in the room” –
How far will you go when you know that you’re doing the right thing?
If you’re absolutely sure that something would be the right thing to do but you also knew that it’s against the norm, then would you
Starting not so strong
How good you were at something when you began is a pretty useless measure for how good you can become at that thing. I mean,
Wait, but why …
… do we have this meeting?… do we develop this product?… do we post this stuff on social media?… do we sacrifice what matters most to us?… don’t we
Is “42” Really the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, Universe and Everything?
This year, Douglas Adams’ novel “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” happens to turn 42. As you might know, 42 plays an important role in
How much preparation you need …
Some experts seem to appear on TV all the time. Whenever something happens, these people pop up in TV shows to explain what happened. It’s
A speech begins long before you say your first word
How you walked up the stage …How you interacted with audience member during the break before your talk …How you treated the staff during the
First things first
How can I surprise my audience? How can I make my slides more punchy? How can my gestures reinforce what I’m saying? How can I
Change as a measure of relevance
Most social media platforms measure engagement in order to determine relevance. Basically, the more people interact with a piece of content and the more time
Brain to brain
Speaking is a sequential process. We can only speak one word after another. However, thoughts aren’t sequential. When I think something – let’s say the
“We need this chart to have more bang”
And so the graphics department makes a 3D version of the chart. Because 3D looks cool, you know. But the problem is that the cost
The ruthless audience
Audiences are ruthless. When, after a talk, someone asks an audience member: “What was the talk about?” they are going to answer with a short
Loosing sight of why we communicate
Elon Musk [on his priorities] as a CEO: Spend less time on finance, spend less time in conference rooms, less time on PowerPoint and more
If in doubt, focus on relevance
If our story isn’t relevant, it doesn’t matter how beautiful our slides are, how elaborate our body language is, or how eloquent our wording is.
About a happy man – Donald Knuth’s approach to email
I have been a happy man ever since January 1, 1990, when I no longer had an email address. I’d used email since about 1975,
New podcast: Leaders Light The Path
I’ve started a new podcast called “Leaders Light The Path”. It’s two minutes, twice a week that get you the influence and impact you deserve.
2 kinds of businesses
There are two kinds of businesses. Those that set out to make a great product. And those that set out to make a great profit.
Trespass
Here’s a random piece about my teenage years. It’s about trespassing. In fact, it’s about the album “Trespass” by Genesis. I bought the album back
Ironoia
Ironoia, according to Ian Bogost, is a modern disease that prevents us from taking anything seriously. It also prevents us from taking responsibility for the
“I’m going to make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
While that makes for one of the greatest movie quotes, it’s certainly not the kind of business we strive for. I don’t know about you,
What’s at stake?
If I didn’t follow your advice what would happen? Where would I be missing out? Because why would I listen if nothing’s at stake?
Easy to copy! Or is it?
This is easy: to copy the looks of a great presentation. This is hard: to copy the passion that went into crafting the story, the
Talking to a crowd of one
A speech is one person talking to a crowd. Right? Yet, an interesting shift happens when you switch your thinking from “crowd” to “people”. When
What are sales pitches for?
“We are awesome!” That, in essence, is the summary of 99% of all sales pitches. Yet, that’s not what decision makers care for. At all.
The real experts
Asked about which kind of feedback he values apart from the audience feedback, stand up comedian Jerry Seinfeld answers: “There is no other feedback that
Stand out!
That’s what they tell us: Stand out! And so we see more and more people tell their story bigger, faster, and louder. Brighter colours. Fancier
The selfish speaker
The selfish speaker is still the standard approach to speaking. Selfish speakers want us to get them. As opposed to them getting us. They speak
Misunderstanding is the norm
We tend to assume that our audience understands what we mean and that misunderstanding is an anomaly in communication. I think it’s much more helpful
Guaranteed winners
There is no guarantee in sports. When Roger Federer entered the center court he could never be 100% certain to win the match. No matter
We tell stories on behalf of our audience
The power of stories is that it’s us who re-live the life of the story’s hero. That’s true even in a business context. A story
A true story
Many people have a strong distaste for selling. They neither like to be sold to nor to sell themselves. To them, selling has the smell
A short story
Think of a room somewhere in a house. Maybe there’s a sofa inside. Someone’s reading a book. What do you see?How does her hair look
The house is on fire
Think of a great book you enjoyed lately. How did it begin? Mine started with a burning house. Great authors know that once the reader
The things we see
The only reason to give a talk is that there’s a gap between what your audience sees and what you see. The purpose of a
Turn on the light
You see things that I don’t. The beauty of communication is that for most things I don’t need to be you to see them as
2020
Be helpful. That’s my summary of 2020. I feel today should be a day to thank all the people who put being helpful front and
Remote speaking takeaways
After a strange 2020 and lots of remote speaking, here are a few takeaways: It’s still story first. A great story with low tech beats
What do they say?
Look around and pick one thing that you see lying in front of you. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind about that