Archive for August, 2009

Do You Have A Reasonable Career?

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

When I was preparing to graduate from UH I was fortune enough to have a really good mentor who was always willing to help me learn valuable lessons that I would be able to use in my career. One of those lessons happened one day when he asked me what I thought I needed to [...]

Slide:ology

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

Most people will have to create a slide deck  at some point in their career. Odds are that when this happens they will start by opening Powerpoint and putting lots of bullets on the page.  This approach makes your slide deck more of a crutch than an aid to communicating your message. If this is [...]

Thinker Toys (2nd Edition)

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

I own a pretty large library of book related to creativity and creative thinking. Some of those books I end up going back to quite often because they contain really good practice material or make a great reference source for training classes and workshops. Thinker Toys by creativity expert Michael Michalko is definitely one because it is full of practical exercises intended to help the average person build their innate creative abilities.

Give Your Speech Change The World

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

How much do your remember about the last presentation you attended? Not much? Don’t feel bad because the majority of people are in the same boat. In fact most audiences remember only 10% to 30% of speech or presentation content. Lot’s of times when people get up to speak to an audience it becomes more [...]

The Experience Economy

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

What happens when people began to value the experience of receiving a service or product more than the tangible item that was delivered? In The Experience Economy Joseph Pine & James Gilmore explore how companies have begun to successfully  use goods and services as components for delivering experiences that engage customers in a personal way. [...]

What A Great Idea 2.0

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

Author Chic Thompson knows that everyone wants to be more creative—and he knows how to make it possible. That’s why the Harvard Business School released a case study on him. Thompson has had unparalleled success teaching readers how to harness their ingenuity to generate new product ideas, resolve difficulties in the workplace, and overcome bureaucratic language and “killer phrases” that stifle innovation.

Madcon – Beggin

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

Tshawe Baqwa and Yosef Wolde-Mariam are Madcon, a rap duo from Norway.I have to admit I was surprised by that a group from Norway would produce this type of sound with clear hip hop and Caribbean influence. This group is also unique because it can’t be easy to come to the birth place of hip [...]

The Story Factor

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

This is one of my favorite business books, period. It has been a foundational piece in how to teach, speak and explain complex issues. I would recommend the book for anyone who speaks on a regular basis, whether it be to an audience of 200 or an 1. I think most importantly the book illustrates that facts don’t always tdo the best job of winning people over or persuading them. In fact (no pun intended) emotionally based stories can have a much bigger impact than a traditional argument or plain facts.

A Whole New Mind

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009

In his latest book, bestselling author Daniel H. Pink offersa unique perspective on what it will take for individuals and organizations to move from the Information Age to what he calls the Conceptual Age. He believes that there are six essential aptitudes — Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning that will be meaning as [...]

Everyday Genius: 9 Steps to Awaken Your Creative Genius

Saturday, August 22nd, 2009

Human being are gifted with an unlimited potential for learning and creativity. The problem is that we spend most our lives living and working in a flawed system that results in many people never really learning to embrace creativity.