Beth

About Beth Nyland

Beth refuses bland and boring. She's a communicator, leader, advisor, teacher, illustrator, and entrepreneur who gets results through creativity, good questions, and active listening. She’s also a daily practice junkie who takes on insane creative challenges, like writing a poem or drawing a picture every day for a year.

Metrics worth measuring for our messages and ourselves

By |2023-09-28T18:21:48+00:00September 28, 2023|Categories: Everyday Communication, Writing|

Last week Jeff Herrington told me about a clever set of metrics he created to help businesspeople master the lessons he teaches in his writing workshops. His approach is so smart, I’ve been thinking about meaningful metrics ever since. After Jeff coaches a group to create strong, action-oriented content, the client sends him periodic samples of [...]

Your slides don’t have to suck

By |2023-08-30T18:01:29+00:00August 30, 2023|Categories: Presenting, Visual Communication|

I hate PowerPoint. More accurately, I hate the materials so many people produce with PowerPoint. Most slide decks are dumping grounds for all that’s known on a subject. They’re encyclopedias of facts, figures, and far too much info. Newsflash: A dumping ground does not inspire understanding, belief, or collaboration. And an encyclopedia is not a favored [...]

Are you having fun yet?

By |2023-07-30T18:29:09+00:00July 30, 2023|Categories: Creativity, Visual Communication, Writing|

Last week my husband took his camera on an image-seeking adventure across the plains. Since starting his full-time gig as a professional photographer earlier this year, he’s experienced a full range of highs and lows. On the best days, he’s exhilarated by the hunt for a new vista, proud of a sharp and well-composed image, and uplifted [...]

6 online marketing lessons from smart businesses in my small town

By |2023-04-25T22:08:57+00:00April 25, 2023|Categories: Everyday Communication, Learning, Storytelling, Visual Communication|

About a year ago, I relocated to a small Midwestern farm town called Geneseo, Illinois. It’s a picturesque little community full of Victorian-era homes and tree-lined streets. Straight out of a Hallmark movie, you know? You really should come and visit us sometime. When my husband suggested we ditch the Chicago suburbs and move to Geneseo, [...]

We edited “story” out of our stuff, and I’m sorry about that

By |2023-03-30T14:48:46+00:00March 30, 2023|Categories: Creative Confidence, Creativity, Everyday Communication, Storytelling|

Whenever I tell people what I do for a living—helping people bring storytelling and creativity into the workplace—I’m met with immediate interest. “Wow! Cool! That sounds like so much fun.” It is! And not just fun, but useful. The ability to craft and tell a good story is oh-so-valuable to any business. My livelihood depends on [...]

Your quest to be more creative starts here

By |2023-02-28T14:24:20+00:00February 28, 2023|Categories: Creative Confidence, Creativity, Everyday Communication, Learning, Life|

How To Be Creative is a theme that surfaces again and again when I sit down to write. Not because people flock to me asking, “Oh Beth, you creative wizard, will you please publish your wisdom?!” Nope, that’s not the spark that lights my blog-posting flame. Most of the time, my creativity-focused posts begin from a [...]

Want your point to have power? Here are 7 things NOT to say.

By |2023-01-27T03:32:22+00:00January 27, 2023|Categories: Presenting, Storytelling, Visual Communication|

Lucky you! You get to speak at an industry event, corporate conference, or team meeting.  No doubt, your presentation will include a set of slides. Slides are a de facto requirement for most business presentations. You gotta have ‘em, right? Incidentally, Jill and I have decided we don’t gotta have ‘em. In Story Mode, we avoid [...]

How to turn “I don’t know” into a conversational advantage

By |2022-12-30T18:44:49+00:00December 30, 2022|Categories: Creative Confidence, Everyday Communication, Learning, Life|

As 2022 drew to a close, several of my friends announced that they were stepping away from social media, at least until January. To detox from the digital noise, they chose to disconnect. Stepping away can be good practice for analog conversations, too. In tense situations, sometimes the best response is no response at all. Step [...]