Category: Voice/Tone/Trust Building

Add Meat to Your Bones

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9 COMMENTS

I live in a fairly new neighborhood. Four years ago, when we moved in, there were just 10 houses. Today, all the construction is over and there are 60. If you’ve never “built” a house before (this was our first time), it definitely has its ups and downs. The good news? You get to choose everything: the countertops, the light fixtures, the tiles, the faucets, the flooring, etc. The bad news? You have to choose everything: the countertops, the light fixtures, the tiles, the faucets, the flooring, etc. Whoever said choice is […] Click to read more…

Crystal Blue Persuasion

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33 COMMENTS

I ordered the Vegetarian Stir Fry: “Linguine tossed with sauteed broccoli, mushrooms, onions, finished with sesame ginger sauce and homemade sriracha aioli.” It seemed like a safe choice. Only it wasn’t. One bite and I knew that it was WAY too spicy for me. My bald head began sweating immediately (TMI?). Was the description of the dish on the menu accurate? Absolutely.  After all, as anyone can tell you after they return home, dip their tongue in a bowl of ice water, and google the word “sriracha,” this is a sauce whose claim to […] Click to read more…

Profanity in Your Newsletter?

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33 COMMENTS

Here in the twenty-first century, everyone claims to “have no time.” The accepted wisdom, therefore, is that if you want anyone to read your newsletter, watch your video, attend your presentation, etc., it’s got to be super short. Busy, busy, busy – none of us has even a minute to spare. Unless … it’s a podcast. In that case, we all suddenly have three hours available. I don’t understand it, but I admit that I am not immune to this trend. Like you, I now have a handful of podcasts that I […] Click to read more…

Voices Carry

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20 COMMENTS

We just got back from a terrific, two-week family vacation in beautiful Colorado. We covered a lot of ground, making a big loop from Denver to Durango to Ouray to Golden to Boulder and back again to Denver. Along the way, two things stood out to me: Thing #1. The state of Colorado does not care whether you live or die. Want to ride a motorcycle without a helmet? Go right ahead. Feel like swimming in a raging river? Hop on in. Have the urge to drive along a two-lane mountain […] Click to read more…

Make Your Stories Better

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12 COMMENTS

I had dinner last night with two of my oldest friends. Rick, Terry, and I first met in 1982, when we all belonged to the same karate school on Commonwealth Avenue in Boston. For the next several years, it was a central part of our lives; we saw each other, in and out of the school, all the time. Thirty-nine years later, we still get together. Not often – about once a year – and always for dinner at the same restaurant. Interestingly, our dinner conversations are almost entirely confined to […] Click to read more…