When Jessica Curry took her daughter Parker to the National Portrait Gallery to see the recently installed portrait of Michelle Obama, a fellow museumgoer was struck by the little girl’s expression. Ben Hines snapped a photo with his cell phone and later posted the photo on Facebook.
Many clients have told me that when they make presentations, they feel as though they are facing a pack of lions waiting to pounce on every word. When observing these leaders in action, the reason becomes clear. More often than not, the issue is poor communication and presentation savvy. Their demeanor or conduct lacks confidence and conviction.
The New Year is a time of recharging and starting over. For me, it’s a time for the annual purge of the files. I’m a pack-rat who never met a piece of paper I didn’t want to keep. Every year, I vow not to do this, but somehow I end up with home-office files stuffed with cable company bills, medical insurance explanations of benefits, and tons of articles I find on the internet to read later.
The first time I heard Tony Robbins’ name was watching the movie “Shallow Hal.” In it, Robbins, playing himself, hypnotizes the main character Hal so that he sees an unattractive woman as beautiful, allowing him to get to know her and see that her true beauty is inside.
In the movie, Deconstructing Harry, one of the characters, Mel, played by Robin Williams, is an actor about to shoot a scene. The cameraman is agitated because Mel looks blurry. The cameraman thinks at first that there must be something wrong with his lenses.
On a hot summer day in 1999, I was driving to a meeting that my boss asked me to attend in his stead. Traffic was bad. I was late and frustrated that I would not be showing up on time. I’m speeding along the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Virginia and someone cuts me off. Annoyed, I flipped her the bird.
Some people view TED and TEDx events to be inspired, to learn and to connect with other seekers and skeptics. This year’s TEDx Mid-Atlantic – with the theme of Superpowers – certainly had all of those components. But as a communications professional who works with executives and their teams on how to be understood to drive value and positive change, I listened to the talks with a different ear.
At the recent Comnet ’17 conference, I noticed Lenore Neier of the William T. Grant Foundation. A beautiful white scarf with a tiny gold design was draped perfectly around her neck.
Whether you are writing an email to your boss asking for more resources or preparing an article for an industry journal, the structure that Jefferson employed in the Declaration of Independence offers a frame for getting your point across.
Earlier this week, I had the great pleasure of speaking to the Society of Marketing Professionals DC Chapter about how to pitch the media. Most of the people in the room were primarily focused on marketing and business development.
