Mastering the Room: Give Great Performances, Beyond Just Presentations
This week, I had the honor of being invited into a setting where aspiring entrepreneurs were pitching their ideas to venture capitalists. I don’t envy the pressure they were under one bit at that particular moment of truth, when they were given a center stage and a captive audience. One by one, they were given …
Building Your Brand While Working For Someone Else
There’s a school of thought that when you work for someone else, you stop building your own brand. After all, being under a company’s roof means their name is on the door, not yours. It’s not like you have employees in that circumstance, either – you have a boss and co-workers. And they have people …
Are We Wrong In Creating “What The Client Likes”?
A few years back, when I was working in a 900-person ad agency, a new Copywriter entered our group. As he set up shop in the office next to me, he asked:
“So…this Creative Director. What kind of stuff does he like?”
“Excuse me?”
“You know, what kind of copy does he typically approve? What’s …
Drink More Than The “Be Remarkable” Kool-Aid.
“The key to success is to make your content remarkable.”
I’ve heard this many times by people in blogs, TED videos, books, webinars, etc. I get it. But can I tell the Gurus and Visionaries something?
Duh.
Of course you have to be different to help yourself stand out from others. Easily said. Not easily …
Do You Have An Intern Or A Team Member?
As a follow-up to my post a few weeks ago defending the practice of unpaid internships, I thought I’d speak about how changing the mindset of how viewing interns can make all the difference for you and them.
What do I mean? Seeing them as team members. Not just interns.
If you’re not willing to …
Building Captivating Conversations In A “One And Done” World
Let’s assume that your website is a place where people visit once and leave. I’m not saying it’s bad. It might be great. But it has little to do with how many links you have on your site, whether it was designed in an “L” or “Z” eye pattern, or whatever other rationalization might exist …
10 Things Learned About Yourself After 100 Blog Posts
I had to take a moment to pause and reflect on the first 100 posts of my personal blog. When I think about what I’ve learned, and how those will influence my next 100 posts, 10 things come to mind that may also be helpful for you as you chart the course that lies ahead …
Found My Klout On Empire Avenue While Staring At PeerIndex
The other day, someone bought 200 shares of me. I was flattered, but would’ve been even more excited had it been real money. Still, the virtual game that measures your influence, Empire Avenue, had shown that in my brief period of time on it, my shares were going up and up. Mind you, I’m not …
Don’t Be A Channel Changer Over Facebook Timeline
I’m hearing some reaction to the Facebook changes that have to do with its Timeline feature and frankly, I think the hysteria is quite overblown.
Whoa. Let’s slow down and remember a couple things.
1) You don’t own Facebook.
They can do whatever they want, and it’s your choice to participate in it for free. …
Unpaid Internship Opponents Miss The Point – And The Opportunities.
After my Freshman year of college, I had an internship during the summer at a radio station writing copy for station commercials. After my Sophomore year, I had an internship at a radio station’s promotions department, having a voice in the direction of the promotions the station created. And after my Junior year, I had …