Boosting Business Performance

Influencing Cooperation Is This Season’s Hot Topic
Today, I’m continuing the discussion of behavior and the fascinating research on influence. You might recall from prior newsletters that Dr. Robert Cialdini has published many groundbreaking findings on this subject over the past few decades.
Many of these studies appeared in his original [...]

This newsletter issue focuses on using effective presentation design and persuasive story-telling to communicate compelling and convincing ideas to your colleagues, clients, customers, employers, personnel, and students.

Start off This Year’s Meetings on the Right Foot
What are the consequences of holding ineffective meetings? Meetings held for the wrong reasons, that don’t involve the right participants, or that don’t use a disciplined meeting process can waste the time, resources, and funding of the business.
Not only do they have the potential to make [...]

Today’s newsletter completes a series of special editions on the design of slide presentations, which has spanned an entire year. This is the fourth and final look at this important topic.
This crucial skill set affects people in nearly every industry on most every continent of this planet, since so many people [...]

A Process for Creating a World-Class Production
Today’s newsletter carries forward the conversation from my previous newsletter with one more valuable angle on designing compelling slide presentations: your needs assessment. This important first step can make the difference between a world-class presentation with global impact and just another forgettable slide show.
Before you go to all [...]

Savvy Communication Matters More Today than Ever
Around the world today, the stakes have never been higher for business, technical, scientific, social, philanthropic, and academic endeavors. We’re all looking for better ways to inform our audiences and inspire them to act!
That’s why today’s theme continues the thread of an earlier newsletter edition on how [...]

Do You Always Get Your Way? 
Today’s newsletter revisits the topic of persuasion, whether it occurs in a spoken or written format. This issue contains a review of three classic books on this subject, as well as a terrific article by guest author Dr. Kath Straub.
Kath is the Chief Scientist and Executive Director of [...]

A few weeks ago, our local chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) enjoyed a very special treat: hearing a presentation by a highly sought-after and world-renowned speaker, consultant, author, and trainer, Dr. Tom Sant, principal of Hyde Park Partners.
Tom spoke on one of his foremost areas of expertise, writing business [...]

Practical Strategies for Our Challenging Economic Times
While we continue to watch our global economies “rock and roll,” a frequent topic of conversation in my consulting circles is whether organizations are still seeking help with their technical, business, marketing, and personnel needs.
The answer is yes! The smartest enterprises realize that the most strategic investments [...]

A Prescription for Pumping Up Productivity
In my last newsletter issue, I introduced several of the tools and scenarios I’ve designed to help organizations diagnose the frustrating obstacles they face, which can compromise employee and customer success.
While consulting with organizations over the years to eliminate “burning hassles,” I have [...]