It’s a time of year- moving into winter, and an economic season- bloody cold- that can combine to make anyone with a new business responsibility feel like staying in bed. When even the weather is against you feeling sunny, it takes a few simple truths to get you out there doing what you’ve got to…
Paul had just finished his presentation and the room was dead. His boss, a notorious bully, said, when asked, if he had any questions, “Yes, I’ve got a question for you. What was the last half hour about?” Paul said “Er, what do you mean? I’ve just told you haven’t I?” Boss said, “No, you…
In retention and memory studies conducted by professional psychologists, (too dull and detailed to be listed here) in esteemed places of learning they’ve learned a few really interesting things about the pointlessness of presenting too much information. Here are a few highlights- 1. If you spoon-feed facts and figures to an audience for 20 minutes…
I love ‘Masterchef’, a televised cooking competition in the UK, where would be Michelin starred chefs are brought in, placed under lights and lightly grilled until they explode. It’s great telly and I’ve learned a whole new language too. I thought reductionism was what Marxists did in argument. But no, in cooking, as I’m sure you…
I’ve been running my own businesses since I was 25. I didn’t choose to but I was made redundant in the last big recession in Europe (1989-’92) and the consulting firm I worked for went bust in week 2. Brilliant! What’s a boy to do in that position? I just fell into doing small pieces…
PowerPoint slides, jokes, data, Waffle, jargon, handouts (paper), Anecdotes with no punchline, Or point to help you underline, Music, graphics, sound effects That do not support the text, Images that make no sense Or patronise the audience Graphs and charts of pie or venn The thoughts of Chairman Mao or Zen Buddhists when…
You’re going to look around a new house on a Saturday morning. You’re making a commitment already. You’ve given up 2 hours of your valuable time, and you’ve left the kids with Grandma. The details of the property looked good enough, the price seems right, and the sun is shining as you pull up outside…
Focus is important throughout our lives. It’s important in conversation, in writing, in story-telling and the visual arts. The ability to make your point and move on is incredibly rare and undervalued. Though you can be successful without the first clue how to do it I’ll admit. Movie makers in Hollywood have the largest budgets and greatest…
Focus is important throughout our lives. It’s important in conversation, in writing, in story-telling and the visual arts. The ability to make your point and move on is incredibly rare and undervalued. Movie makers in Hollywood have the largest budgets and greatest amount of talent in the film-world to choose from, and even they get…