Guy Kawasaki Explains A Simple Way To Help You Focus On Your Message Instead Of The Slide
Former Apple Macintosh evangelist and author Guy Kawasaki has given at least 2,000 speeches since 1987. Many of the presentation techniques he uses to captivate an audience he learned from the most influential boss he's ever had--Steve Jobs.I recently had...
The Power In Remembering Names
Southwest Airlines took out a full-page newspaper ad to honor the late company founder, Herb Kelleher, who passed away in January. The first line of text read as follows: Dear Herb, thanks for always remembering our names. Kelleher was credited for turning...
5 Ways To Keep Your Audience’s Attention
Cognitive scientists have a reasonably good idea of when audiences will stop listening to a presentation. It occurs at the 10-minute mark. According to molecular biologist, John Medina, people seem to get bored after approximately ten minutes—and it occurs...
Warren Buffett Captures His Readers Through Story
Warren Buffett has two people in mind when he drafts his annual letters—his sisters, Doris and Bertie. They’re smart, he says, but they are not active in business and they don't read the business pages every day.How does Buffett communicate a big idea to...
Bill Gates Used Adorable Squishy Toys To Illustrate The World’s Most Complex Problem, Climate Change
Over the past decade, I've met with senior leaders at big energy companies and solar, wind, and renewable energy firms, and with government leaders weaning their countries away from fossil fuels. I've always been left with one thought: Solving the climate...
If Want To Be An Innovator And Leader Like Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Make This A Daily Habit
Long before he joined Microsoft and decades before he became its CEO, Satya Nadella was passionate about two things--cricket and books. Nadella shares a habit with Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates. Both leaders are voracious readers who apply what they...
Guy Kawasaki Reflects On The Lessons He Learned From His Famous Boss, Steve Jobs
Guy Kawasaki has so many memories of Steve Jobs, a memory card in my video camera ran out of room to store them all. Fortunately, I had a second one because I had a lot of ground to cover with the bestselling author of 15 books and former Apple Macintosh...
Best Selling Author Tim Ferriss Took These Simple and Unusual Steps To Overcome His Fear of Public Speaking. You Should Try It.
Investor and bestselling author, Tim Ferriss, traces his breakthrough success to a presentation at South by Southwest (SXSW) in 2007. The presentation was the tipping point for his book, The 4-Hour Workweek. It went on to become one of the most successful...
IBM’s Advanced AI Machine Debated An International Debate Champion- Here’s What Happened
Aristotle broke ground by claiming that the art of persuasion—rhetoric—can be learned. Although Aristotle was right, he may never have envisioned a day when a machine could also be taught to argue. It took 2,300 years for it happen, but it happened. On...
Comparing the Polar Vortex to Antarctica or Everest Explains Why Analogies are Powerful Teaching Tools
Just how frigid is the polar vortex dropping a blast of cold air on the Midwest this week? Depending on who you listen to you, it's colder than Alaska, the North Pole, or even base camp on Mt. Everest. Jimmy Fallon opened his Tonight Show monologue on...
How Practice and Letting Go Will Help You Succeed in Clutch Situations
New Orleans Saints fans were instructed to make some noise whenever the visiting Los Angeles Rams had possession in the NFC championship game. They did and it worked--until Greg "The Leg" Zuerlein took the field. How Zuerlein maintains his focus and keeps...
200 Years Of Human Progress In An Infographic
The story of progress is complicated and that’s why Bill Gates is always looking for a better way to communicate it. Recently, Gates shared an infographic that tells the story simply, clearly and visually. Gates is part of a group of thinkers, authors,...
Ads Featuring Robots Reflect Our Anxiety, But Can Also Teach Us How To Thrive In A New World
Robots had a starring role in at least five brand ads played during the Super Bowl. The commercials mark a creative trend that “reflects the mood and anxieties of a society confronted with new, life-altering technology and artificial intelligence,”...
This Simple Mind Hack Backed Up By Science Will Help You Keep Your New Year’s Resolution
Today marks a major milestone in the yearly calendar: most people have broken their New Year's resolutions and won't be attacking them again--at least for another twelve months. Gone are the goals to lose weight, get more exercise, or learn a new skill. If...
Katelyn Ohashi’s Viral Video Teaches That When You Change The Way You feel Inside Your Audience Benefits
After writing nine leadership books and interviewing hundreds of entrepreneurs, I'm convinced that you cannot inspire others unless you're inspired yourself. And inspiration comes from the one emotion that's the most contagious of all--joy. By now you've...
Yes, Artificial Intelligence Can Replace Jobs But Here’s How You Can Still Thrive
"AI is going to the change the world more than anything in the history of mankind," Kai-Fu Lee told Scott Pelly in Sunday's edition of 60 Minutes. Lee, a pioneer in artificial intelligence, predicted that artificial intelligence will automate and...
A “Super Blood Wolf Moon”? Now You’ve Got My Attention!
A remarkable event is happening at my house this weekend. My two daughters are excited about astronomy. If you think their sudden interest has been sparked by the lunar eclipse on Sunday night, you’d be partly right. “It’s a super blood wolf moon,” one of...
Your Imagination Fuels The Creative Process And Is The Human Edge In The Digital Age
A machine doesn't have imagination. Computers don't have a heart; humans do. If you understand this one simple fact, you can learn to unleash your creativity to spark your best ideas in a world increasingly dominated by robots, automation, and artificial...
The Investing Revolution That Started With John Bogle’s Power Of Words
“I love the English language,” Vanguard founder John Bogle once said. “Words have power." Yes, words do have power and Bogle’s powerful words launched an investing revolution that changed the lives of millions of individual investors. Bogle, the pioneer...
Two Stories Of How Great Things Can Happen When You Dream Bigger Than Other People
Clemson coach, Dabo Swinney, doesn't just have a goal--he has a dream. And not just any dream. "If you're going to dream, you might as well 'be extravagant' about it," he once said. Swinney's Clemson Tigers put on an extravagant win against Alabama to win...
Some Of The Most Successful Pitches In Business History Fit On A Napkin. Here’s Why Your Pitch Should Too.
After 20 years of studying persuasion, I'm convinced the best pitch should fit on the back of a napkin. After all, some of world's most successful brands started out that way. A simple vision is the spark that attracts interest. Southwest Airlines...
An AI Machine Machine The Human Art Of Persuasion? IBM Thinks So.
IBM Research has built an AI system that can analyze 300 million articles, papers or records on a given topic and construct a persuasive speech about it. It would take a human—reading twenty-four hours a day—about 2,000 years to get through the same...
Southwest Airlines Founder Herb Kelleher Built A Successful Culture Based On Employees First
The official announcement from Southwest Airlines on the passing of its founder, Herb Kelleher, describes him as a pioneer, maverick and innovator. Yes, he was all three. I’d add one more quality that turned Kelleher’s company into an iconic brand:...
This ‘Soft Skill’ Can Give You A Competitive Edge In 2019
The hard data show that "soft skills" are in high demand. In a new LinkedIn analysis, "persuasion" was one of the top skills "most worth learning" in 2019. "Strengthening a soft skill is one of the best investments you can make in your career, as they...
Three Persuasive Communication Techniques Tim Cook Uses To Answer Tough Questions
When Tim Cook took over Apple in 2011, many critics predicted Apple’s demise. One headline famously read: Why Apple is Doomed. The critics turned out to be wrong, and Cook navigated Apple to a one trillion dollar value. Cook was underestimated because he...
Nick Saban’s Secrets To Recruiting The Best To Play For Alabama’s Crimson Tide
“Every minute of every day you’re selling something. You’re either selling positive, or you’re selling negative,” Nick Saban once said. His pitch is to sell Alabama’s football program to the nation’s top recruits. Saban's strategy is a master class in...
Transformative Find Ways Of Bridging The Divide To Bring People Together
I recently visited with former Cisco CEO, John Chambers, at his Silicon Valley home. In his office he had four massive books filled with letters from U.S. presidents, prime ministers and business leaders thanking him for his advice and friendship. The...
Presentation Skills Are Fundamental To Success So Kids Should Be Taught Early
One of my daughters knows me cold. Since I'm always on the lookout for great presentations, she created one to convince me to buy an iPhone. I was reluctant at first. By the end of the presentation, I was sold and she got her gift last Christmas. She's...
Your Goals for 2019 Are Achievable With The Help Of This Tool.
Companies from Google to Intel will start 2019 with audacious and measurable goals called OKRs, detailed in investor John Doerr’s bestseller, Measure What Matters. The goal-setting strategy is a tool Doerr first learned while working for legendary Silicon...
How The Empathy Effect Will Help You Shine As A Leader
Empathy is the ability to understand how another person feels. According to new Harvard research in The Empathy Effect, it's a trait that can be taught and developed. Build empathy and you'll be a more effective entrepreneur and leader. Author Helen Riess...