Vanilla, as an ice cream flavor, is delightful. But vanilla as a concept meaning bland and boring, is not delightful. Vanilla = mediocre, average. Vanilla doesn’t take up space. Vanilla is invisible. When you’re speaking to a group, do you aspire to vanilla? Do you want to blend in, to be unremarkable? Or do you … Read more
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It’s easier for me to stay engaged for a longer period of time on a video meeting than on a phone call. There’s more to look at and more signals to read from the other people in the meeting, so my mind is less likely to wander. But I’m definitely not immune to Zoom Distraction … Read more
There are good reasons to have a virtual background: the space you’re using isn’t one you want to share with the people on your call other people will be visible in your space you don’t feel like arranging what’s behind you differently you want to create a uniformity of look when a team is presenting … Read more
When you’re preparing a presentation or a speech, imagine your audience. Not a faceless mass of people, but one person. Who needs to hear what you have to say? How can they understand it best? How do you want to make them feel? What should they walk away remembering, and thinking about? Create your talk … Read more
This is true in my experience, and it can also be misleading. Let’s say I measure: sales year over year social media engagement (likes, comments, and clicks) time I spend at work the minutes I meditate the number of books I read in a year my mile time the grams of protein I eat I … Read more
Last week, I was participating on a call with about 30 people when the host unexpectedly asked me to contribute a thought. I had a basic idea of what I wanted to say…and I took forever to get to it. I told the group who I was (unnecessary since the host had introduced me), gave … Read more
A sign of commitment to excellence in your work: taking care of details that elevate the experience, yet that no-one would exactly notice if they were gone. I was watching a movie with my family a couple of nights ago, the film adaptation of the play “The Last Five Years.” In the movie, there is … Read more
Today is the start of a new school year for the students in the district where I live, including my son. The usual trappings of the beginning of the year are somewhat lost right now. No new backpack—he doesn’t need to carry books from one class to another. No school clothes—he can wear the same … Read more
We can’t be great at everything. It is reasonable, and smart, to decide to focus our skill and resources on getting really good at just a few things. But in the process of specializing, it’s worth taking look at what we have decided goes in the “it’s fine to be ‘good enough’ at this” column. … Read more
When you write out your speech word for word, and then memorize it, you’ve ensured there is only one way to deliver the speech well. When you immerse yourself in your content, and you know it inside and out, you have given yourself a million ways to deliver it well.
