Let me introduce you to Polysyndeton, a Reinforcing Figure of Speech. It is part of a series on figures of speech and story elements. I share them as the English…
When faced with the choice between waiting in line or leaving, here’s a tip that works most of the time, to start an email conversation with the conference speaker. The…
I attended a conference today. And the executive introducing the keynote speaker repeated his name and title, not 30 seconds after he was just introduced. This reduced his communication effectiveness…
Carol, one of my clients, called today. She asked about how to invite a business acquaintance to lunch. Before answering, I asked a few questions to probe a little bit…
The adage, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” is true every moment. It is especially relevant when you are sending out email to visit your…
With one of our newer clients, I was talking about the importance of a compelling and inspiring elevator speech or elevator pitch. Brian is the SVP of sales and his…
Anxious is a word all too often misused. You’ll hear people, whether in the workplace or socializing, saying, “I’m anxious to meet Julie.” Or “I’m anxious to tell you about…
"Tom, Would You Like to Help this Gentleman?" with gentleman referring to me. Can you believe, "Not Really," was his response. The story below... PART 1: BRAND NEW CAR My…
Just the other day I went to Bagels n' Grinds for a breakfast meeting to catch up with one of my clients. After ordering my bagel and egg sandwich, the…
When I was an undergraduate marketing student at Fairfield University, my English professor would remind us of this simple admonition: "Can't spell, can't sell." I didn't appreciate the power of…