Archive for the ‘Creativity’ Category

Storytelling In Business: Tension Makes Your Story Interesting

Monday, March 8th, 2010

If you understand how to apply story structure, the next step is to build the action and sequence of events in your story. You will need some type of conflict or tension to keep your story interesting. Here are some things to think about.

Storytelling In Business: Elements of Story Structure

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

Good stories don’t just happen. An audience really connects with your story when the plot, characters and other elements fade together to create a unified narrative. This idea of “unification” was first discuss in Aristotle’s Poetics.

Storytelling In Business: How Can It Benefit You?

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Take a moment and think back to the last time you read a book that you simply couldn’t put down? How did you feel? Do you remember the story? The characters? u Were you ever inspired to work hard or keep going after reading a or success story?

The Art of Business Storytelling

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Even though we are exposed to stories every day, learning to tell them isn’t easy. While we are comfortable with the role that stories play in television, film and writing, we don’t always understand the power of storytelling in business.

Lesson From The Emporium: Your Life Is An Occasion

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

If you know me it’s no secret that Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is one of my favorite movies and has even inspired a presentation or two. This is by far my favorite scene from the movie because it is the intersection of the movies two main characters. One, who is at the end of his [...]

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 [...]

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.

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.

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.