The $1.15 trillion opportunity we’re blowing
If you search online for information about a “skills gap” in the US workforce, you will find ample evidence, such as an article last year from Fortune. It is easy to conclude that jobs and the very nature of work are changing much faster than the way we educate children to take on those 21st century jobs. Search further for solutions to close that skills gap, and you will probably come to the conclusion – as I have – that the primary problem is not money. The federal, state
Obituaries are fascinating. When you really get down to it, your last impression is very much like your first impression: you only get one chance to tell this story, so make it a good one. Sure, it’s a gloomy topic, but it is a universal truth that there are two realities we all ultimately face: death and taxes. Beyond any personal losses we many have suffered lately, or our passionate awareness of war or crime or other sad affairs, it is undeniable that the first six weeks o
Politics provides lots of possibilities to witness the power of words and stories. What happened this week at the Iowa caucuses in the US presidential election was no exception. In a late night interview, a reporter asked an official from the Bernie Sanders campaign why they had not emphasized his personal background, upbringing, and immigrant family history. “He has a good story to tell,” the reporter said. “We’ll get to it,” the official responded, or something to that effe
Why Outsourcing Blog Posts is the Best Decision Your Company Can Make
When I was a high school teacher, there were never enough hours or minutes in a day, much less week, month, or year to get everything done. Ask any teacher: the line between work and home blurs often, leading to tired, overworked professionals. More and more “asks” are coming from all different directions and although they are “musts”, they invade the much needed and much desired goal of making a difference in students’ lives. With many teachers frequently asked to do seeming
5 myths about writing books … and why you should start writing yours
A book can be an invaluable marketing tool for yourself or your business. By book, I don’t the mean the proverbial Great American novel, that half-finished pile of fiction that so many people supposedly have stored in the cloud somewhere. I mean a focused, well-crafted non-fiction book. Whether in e-form or physical form, books are a very efficient way to transfer knowledge with enough depth and detail to establish and enhance the author’s reputation and give readers useful i
This is the latest in a series of blogs on what we at Present Tense LLC call a “Master Story”. In this installment, Frank gives us the next steps in the process of story creation: using your words to provide a consistent story across your content. Sure, we have all heard it said: our actual words make up only a small part of effective storytelling. This saying dates back to the early 1970’s and the work of UCLA psychologist Albert Mehrabian, who derived a famous formula (verb
This is the latest in a series of blogs on what we at Present Tense LLC call a “Master Story”. In this installment, Frank Luby looks at the role the Master Story plays in helping professionals use storytelling to establish their name and reputation. Read the first part of the series, on why you need a Master Story, here. The next time you have a few minutes to fill, start a list. Write down a few things you wish your customers knew about you. Don’t sort it yet, and don’t over
Honing Habit: Creating a Master Story
This is the first in a series of blogs on what we at Present Tense LLC call a “Master Story”. In this installment, Chris Thunder looks at the role the Master Story in creating mindful habits and routines in business. Many people disparage habit as this soul-crushing addiction that leads to mindless routines, sapping the marrow of life. But think of how much habit helps you. What would your life be like if you had to think intensively and consciously about each and every task