Is my life’s pursuit of great storytelling now defunct, cast into the bin of “that used to be a good idea?” I ask this because the word Storytelling is now everywhere, used for all kinds of reasons, and thus makes me ask: has the word lost its meaning like so many other C.R.A.P. words out there? (Keep reading [...]
While you couldn’t say my father was on the quiet side, he wasn’t the type to make small talk about the weather. Instead, he spoke when he had something to say. Although, he did have a few “somethings” that he like to repeat, over and over through the years, his Dad Maxims: Measure twice, cut once. [...]
You might call me a serial dater. I fall in love quickly, get bored or flummoxed, then off to the next one I go. Love affairs happen in all aspects of life and here, it's software I'm thinking about. There are so many apps and so little time to figure them all out. Like human relationships, [...]
Are you the type of person who says Yes? The other week I was listening to extemporaneous speeches given by our students in a leadership development program. We've been working with them on storytelling and presenting skills. Their charge on this morning was to randomly pick a card that had a question. Some of them were [...]
Playing Waiting Games I’ve been a little obsessed with the idea of waiting, the joys and pains of it. Expectation and anticipation are a form of waiting that offer an element of surprise, a hint of ooh, this is exciting. Other forms of waiting just suck. Waiting for events over which we have no control, like a [...]
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t keep some kind of list, whether it’s grocery, ToDo, or “bucket” style. Entrepreneurs have become millionaires by creating methods to not just help us generate lists, but to get us addicted to the high of “checking the box” and feeling a sense of accomplishment. What's So Special About Lists? [...]
It started out as a joke, a silly way for us to blow off steam. We invented something out of sheer frustration.Ever since I started teaching creative writing, students have been asking me for the magical elixir: What is the formula for writing a story?I found this exasperating and annoying.After a deep breath to calm myself, [...]
When it comes to professional development, how long does a training have to be? The answer of course is, it depends. Imagine preparing to teach and standing in front of a roomful of quiet, nervous colleagues who don't know each other and aren't quite sure what to expect from this session. You didn't bring a deck [...]
Each holiday, my wife puts out HoliDog. This cute little bit of fluff gets gussied up depending on the holiday. Last month it was a pumpkin for Halloween. This month it will get a Santa's hat and a red bowtie. You know you're at our house when HoliDog greets you at the front door. I love seeing [...]
Video. When I watch myself in a video it's sort of an out-of-body experience; is that really me on the screen? Do I look like that? Why do I keep doing that weird thing with my eyebrows? We are forever critical of ourselves and our presentation to the public. So many of our students are nervous [...]