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
When my family lived in the UK, one of my fondest memories came from watching Liverpool take on West Ham at Anfield. I’ll never walk alone (as the song goes). LeBron followed in my footsteps some 10 years. By the time we moved back to Silicon Valley, I was quasi hooked on futbol. I checked …more
I shared five of my favorite posts from the past six months on Monday. Today, I roll out the second half of the list. New York Times Story on Journalism in China Is Much Ado About Nothing It doesn’t make for provocative copy, but the gray area of what constitutes “undue influence” exists everywhere. Apparently, …more
It’s hard to believe we’re already past the midway point of 2012. Time flies when you’re applying storytelling techniques to communications (or something like that). Here are my favorites from the first half of the year. Sony shows storytelling guts in Vegas wedding Big companies always seem to do two things, take themselves too seriously …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
Really? Here’s the lead from the story. “Got innovation? Just about every company says it does. Businesses throw around the term to show they’re on the cutting edge of everything from technology and medicine to snacks and cosmetics. Companies are touting chief innovation officers, innovation teams, innovation strategies and even innovation days. But that doesn’t …more
It’s tough to beat The New Yorker when it comes to storytelling. Starting with Malcolm Gladwell, the writers who grace these pages aren’t just good. They’re gifted. That’s what I was thinking as I tucked into the essay “Can Science Explain Why We Tell Stories” by Adam Gopnik. What could be better than the combination …more
The media vetting of Facebook and its IPO makes applying for Supreme Court judge look tame. So how does a media property find that one unique angle on Facebook’s IPO day when thousands of journalists are essentially writing from the same script? By digging out storytelling standards like greed, cheating, sex and sticking it to …more
I find these grab-bag posts work as a way to share information and thoughts that individually aren’t rich enough to justify a standalone post. Three quick vignettes: Corporate Blogging: Not a Field of Dreams Between our corporate blogging workshops and consulting on the topic, we find this visual makes a good springboard into discussions. USA …more
