Our infographic that contrasted storytelling with corporate speak seemed to resonate with the outside world. People recognize that gluing together facts and figures makes for dull information. Since publishing the infographic, we’ve seen talk – and chatter in social media channels – evangelizing the value of storytelling in business accelerate. Dare I say, storytelling has …more
I’m always interested in the science behind storytelling. What makes it such an effective part of our social being and communications? This video by Paul Zak is a good watch. It shares his study on the topic, which revealed a change in a person’s blood chemistry before and after hearing a story. The storytelling caused …more
Do you remember the controversy when the book “Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman came out?” The idea that variables other than pure intellectual horsepower could have the same or even more impact on one’s success triggered quite a dialogue. So when Goleman recently penned a post on the relationship of storytelling to leadership, I paid …more
Yes. But before diving into the topic at hand, it’s worth a visit to your Google Analytics. This doesn’t require a lengthy analysis. Click on the site content and pull up the pages with the most views. If you’re a B2B play, it’s likely that your contact page is a top producer of pageviews. It …more
I like to reverse-engineer news announcements and study how companies time the flow of information. Specifically, it’s interesting to scrutinize how companies play the use of an embargo. As I embarked on such an exercise involving the recent IBM mainframe news. I’m baffled by this riddle. Look at the date stamp from the Google Search …more
The verdict just came down in the Apple/Samsung legal skirmish. Apple won ($1,051,855,000 in damages seems like a win to me). Rewinding the tape, it’s interesting to look back at how Apple initially framed its case. It stands to reason that Apple’s legal team wanted to grab the judge’s attention right from the start in …more
The language in most job descriptions is deadly dull. It’s as if 99 percent of companies borrow from the HR playbook, “Vanilla Job Descriptions.” Companies may tout people as their valuable asset, but they pay scant attention to the crafting of job descriptions for recruitment. I have a theory on the disconnect. The best writers …more
I am an unabashed fan of The New York Times Dining section. Whether it’s a donut drama or a importing mom to shape tagliatelle, some of the best storytelling in journalism takes place on these pages. I love this example because few things are more unfulfilling than doing the laundry. Yet, the Times manages to …more
It’s hard to beat the TED Conferences when it comes to oral storytelling. It turns out the speakers – or the folks helping the speakers behind the scenes – craft the titles of their talks with the same quest for attention. Ten of my favorites: Do schools kill creativity? Greening the ghetto Designing the Seattle …more
