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
As President Trump continues to use the “fake news” mantra to whip the masses into a frenzy, it causes one to wonder what publications people do trust. The University of Missouri set out to answer that question based on a survey of over 8,000 consumers. Before jumping to the results, it’s worth noting that respondents …more
Virtually every national and global company desires coverage in the business media. For B2B players, this quest presents an additional hurdle in shaping a story that the average Joe will understand, much less care about. For those who toil in the B2B arena, the pursuit of business media is not a job for squeamish. Often, …more
That’s the point from last week’s Wall Street Journal column, “The Way Trump Talks,” by Daniel Henninger. Henninger believes that language, specifically conversational language, could turn the election in Trump’s favor and that people have responded to Trump’s blunt language to the point of being oblivious to the content. “Many people today think food isn’t …more
I’ve been thinking about The Wall Street Journal article, “Why Good Storytellers Are Happier in Life and Love.” The story cites new research from the Journal of Personal Relationships — when my wife says I subscribe to everything, I now have a credible retort — that shows women find men who are good storytellers more …more
Here’s another “grab bag” with a smattering of observations, updates and snarky remarks. Psychoanalyzing The New York Times Twitter Description It seems logical to assume publications pay attention to the words in their own outbound communications. If that’s the case, does the NYT Twitter description reflect a greater emphasis on engaging readers than The Wall …more
Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal carried the story, “A Kenmore Fridge, at Costco?” No, I’m not tracking the white goods sector with a keen eye. It’s the sourcing of the story – Sears plans to sell its Kenmore brand of appliances through other retailers – that got my attention. How does the Journal know this? Check …more
We’ve discussed how storytelling techniques can open doors in the business and mainstream media. HP provides a good Exhibit A. By packaging a story on how the University of Minnesota took proceeds from licensing the “code” from Honeycrisp apples to help pay for a supercomputer, they secured interest from Ashlee Vance at The New York …more
We’ve talked about the star power of the anecdote in storytelling. Here’s yet another example. Sarah Needleman at The Wall Street Journal sent out the following query on HARO: I’m seeking small-business owners who struggle or used to struggle with reprimanding employees for poor performance or bad behavior. But I need more than just someone …more
