We seem to be stuck in a world of the Lowest Common Denominator. There is an effort today, that ebbs and flows, to “simplify” spelling so that “thru” for “through” and “ruff” for “rough” would be acceptable. It is said that this derived from the efficiency of text messaging. And many claim that English is so irrational. Well, try to conjugate an irregular Spanish verb. Or check the declension of some French nouns and adjectives. But, then again, there is …
Well, I’ve certainly riled the waters with my comments about social media. Virtually no one, except a few enlightened posters, have understood that I am talking about consultants reaching senior executives (buyers) in major firms, and they are talking about either companies reaching out to consumers or consumers talking to each other. Now, here is an item of some interest. Ezra Butler wrote me what I considered a vituperous and inappropriate post, which I did not permit to appear. But …
How do you create a speech from scratch? Alan, who is also a member of the Professional Speaking Hall of Fame, discusses the components of a successful speech. And finally, what exactly should you tell the audience? Click on arrow below for podcast to start Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents © Alan Weiss 2008. All rights reserved.
I can guarantee you one resounding success: If you insist on being a victim, you will be one. I’ve written of varying instances of this phenomenon: • The woman in a wheelchair who deliberately did not announce her presence behind me as I had to move backward, so that she could chastise me for treating her as if she weren’t there (anybody else would have said, “Excuse me, I’m right behind you”). • The African-American parents in an uproar because …
David Newman of my Mentor Program has forwarded me the announcement below from the Institute of Management Consultants, sent to its members via email: “One quick way to lower your expenses is to take advantage of hidden deals on office supplies. Because some technology supplies are pretty pricey, taking a few minutes to uncover these deals can save you several hundred dollars a year. “Your professional association, business organization or credit card may offer discounts on office supplies from a …
Paraphrasing Dickens and the Chinese, thank goodness we live in interesting times. The market took a major hit yesterday, unemployment is up, and the price of a barrel of oil is at a record level. Yet, last night after two films at the packed film festival in Newport, I had trouble getting into a packed, first-class restaurant at 9:30 in the evening. Fortunately, my second choice had one table available. And, I know a lot of consultants in my mentoring …
What does that have to do with transitioning from preparing to doing or talking a good game vs. playing a good game or giving sage advice vs. doing it yourself. And finally … Click on arrow below for podcast to start Click Here for entire podcast series table of contents © Alan Weiss 2008. All rights reserved.
Seth Godin was kind enough to leave some comments, which I appreciate. I’ve heard him speak, and he’s provocative and quite good. I think “The Purple Cow” is his best work and I highly recommend it. (It’s within a couple of thousand copies in Amazon’s rankings behind “Million Dollar Consulting,” sorry, couldn’t resist!) The fact that a few people whom I’ve never heard of have had “huge changes to their lives” doesn’t disprove my point that most blogs are crap. …
I’ve just invented a new law firm, as you can see by my title. They specialize in obscure technical torts. Someone posted a commentary here asking my opinion of the world of linked-in facebook, YouTube, and other assorted means of mass mischief. I’m not high on them from a business standpoint. Now, I know, that there are “experts” all over the place claiming that social networking is going to replace traditional marketing, and customers talking to customers will determine the …
I’m a science fiction devotee. One of the classic films of the genre was the 1956 “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” starring Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter. A poor remake emerged in 1978 with Donald Sutherland and Jeff Goldblum. The original was rife with the tenor of the times: metaphors for the House Un-American Activities Committee, Communism, Big Brother, et. al. I tell you this because I was channel-surfing on Saturday before our dinner with friends, and wound up purchasing …
