Conducting our storytelling workshops never gets old. It’s energizing to help the workshop participants connect the dots to a simple premise: Given a choice between “interesting” and “dull,” human beings pick “interesting” virtually every time. I have to use the adverb “virtually” allowing for the individual who sports a “math is fun” button. Similar to …more
It’s not enough that Warren Buffett has become one of the richest men in the world. He’s also a world-class storyteller. If it’s any consolation, he seems to struggle with this Twitter thing, flinging out nine missives since 2013. . Stumbling across Buffett’s Wikipedia profile, which happens to include a citation from one of …more
Communication professionals can learn a ton about storytelling from our advertising brothers. When you’re shelling out $4 million and change to create a single ad, it has a way of tuning one’s senses, a dynamic that typically doesn’t exist when PR crafts a pitch or writes a news release. With this in mind, I wanted …more
Business communicators can take lessons away from all forms of storytelling. One of my favorite go-to exercises for our storytelling workshop leans on the movie, “500 Days of Summer.” A voice with James Earl Jones-like command delivers a narration that sets the stage for the movie and what proved to be Zooey Deschanel’s coming out …more
The holiday celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. prompted me to dust off the “I Have Dream” speech. It’s a revealing exercise to read the text of the speech rather than watch and listen to the speech. King was such a gifted orator, you get the feeling he could recite the owner’s manual …more
Most of us who toil in business communications tilt toward words. We studied mass communications, journalism or English in college. When we went looking for jobs, our resumes touted writing expertise, not design. Yet, today’s world calls for equal emphasis on the visual side. I’ve always viewed my blog as a laboratory where I can …more
I’ve advocated for the use of illustration in communications for some time. No matter how outrageous the subject matter, illustration can bring it to life. For my money, the best illustrations can be found on the covers of The New Yorker, but the publication might have outdone itself with the August 28 cover art, worthy …more
The Olympics does this. As does the World Cup. We figured that our 30-year anniversary should fall in line, recognizing a select group of “sponsors.” I say select group because a democratic process — hey, it’s still a viable concept — led to the final results. With that as the stage setting, here are the …more
Hey, if Bono can assemble some of his favorites into “U2’s Greatest Hits,” why can’t I do the same with blog posts? Exactly. Tapping posts published between 2012 and 2014, here’s the latest version of Ishmael’s Greatest Hits (minus the tinted shades and tattoos). The Worst Customer Service Narrative in the History of Branding United …more
