Recently I was walking past a popular bar near my house and the ad in the window said: ‘Over rated Beer too cold No empty seats’ The tag line: ‘Come in and see why 7% of people don’t like us’. I love it – taking a negative and crafting it into a positive narrative, using humour and authenticity. An anti-ad …
The immutable law of storytelling success
I am an economist by training (please don’t stop reading here!). One of the most famous laws in economics is The law of diminishing returns. In everyday language the law tells us that, after a point in time the more you put into something the less you get back. The law of diminishing returns has broader applications not just in economics but across …
Beyond Binary: How to grab your audience’s attention
“We work with people who only want the data; the facts. Do I just stick with facts or tell stories?” This is a frequent statement I hear from leaders all over the world. Most leaders stick with just the data, often stemming from their subject matter or technical expertise. Unsurprisingly, this results in little or no audience engagement and very …
Sorry, I have bad news…
Recently an oncologist friend shared how the hardest part of his job is giving patients bad news. It’s the toughest communication that anyone has to impart or receive. Leaders are often the bearers of bad news. Not life and death but job losses, restructures, demotions. So how can we deliver bad news and leave people with their dignity intact and …
HA HA! – 3 top tips to using humour in business
Humour can help you stand out in a crowd and influence positive outcomes in business. As with any skill, humour can be taught and learned. And no – it is not joke telling! To help you on your journey here are my top 3 tips. It all begins with you Humour starts with you. You have to manage your state …
Why so serious?
When was the last time you felt giddy with excitement at attending a business meeting or presentation? a. All the time b. Sometimes c. Never If you chose c) you are in the majority. Somewhere along the road, business has become burdened with a gravitas that borders on funereal. To paraphrase bestselling Irish author Marian Keyes, or rather her wonderful …
Gormless in the city
A few weeks ago I was standing on a busy, windy street corner in Melbourne: no handbag, arms akimbo and no phone to keep me busy. No, I haven’t taken up busking (god forbid!), nor was I lost. I was simply waiting for a video shoot. As the shoot was being set up, I had nothing to do. So there …
What’s love got to do with it?
Talking about love in business might make us uncomfortable. Isn’t business all about head, not heart? When we talk of love at work, we don’t mean romantic love. It is love for what we do (passion), love for the people we do it with (teammates) and love for the people we do it for (customers).
Have you put your garbage out?
A few minutes before I was to go on stage recently, the MC who was introducing me glanced at the printed sheet in front of her, looked up and said: “You look so much younger in the photo here.” OUCH! I made a joke in response and then stepped on to the stage. Shaken but not stirred, as Mr Bond …
Start with fire
When selling fire extinguishers, start with fire, advises an old adage. Yet I often see charismatic leaders who the minute they have to present morph into boring ole’ Clark Kent instead of Superman! One way to channel Superman mode when presenting is to start strong. Why is this so important? Your audience is tough on bad starts: Sixty six percent …