Writhe What You Want To Know
Questions come in all sizes. There’s the age-old: where did I put my keys? The hometown fav: are you really going to wear that? And the esoteric: who would I be if I could be anyone? I’ve been pondering questions and how, as a writer, I can use them [...]
Smile! You’re on Camera
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 [...]
Does this count as a story?
We tried not to talk about work. It was Saturday, for crying out loud! But over coffee this weekend, my new friend Jane and I couldn’t help ourselves. We both love what we do. And we’re still getting to know each other. So eventually our stories turned [...]
Why Can’t I Focu…SQUIRREL!
I am a writer who has earned her living writing and teaching storytelling for many many years, so you would think I would be a whiz at getting my work done. Work being, writing. Sigh. I so envy those creators who can sit at [...]
Metrics worth measuring for our messages and ourselves
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 [...]
Your slides don’t have to suck
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 [...]
Is Storytelling now C.R.A.P.?
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 [...]
Are you having fun yet?
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 [...]
What it means to be a writer: Pay Yourself First
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 [...]
Work like an artist on your business content
Earlier this month on a cold rainy Sunday, my husband and I were out “glamping.” Our RV is well-stocked with diversions to keep us occupied on just such a day. I read for awhile, took a short nap, then pulled out a bulging box of [...]
Love Affairs Come and Go. A Good App is Forever
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 [...]
What Do You Say “Yes” To?
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 [...]
Strength in numbers: how community can become your superpower
As a small child, I didn’t get out much. I grew up on a farm several miles outside a small town, to parents who were 45 and 52—old enough to be grandparents. I did not go to preschool, and my parents’ friends didn’t have kids [...]
Are You a Writer Who Waits?
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. [...]
6 online marketing lessons from smart businesses in my small town
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 [...]
Tools of the Trade: Where did I Put That List?
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” [...]
We edited “story” out of our stuff, and I’m sorry about that
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 [...]
Don’t Get Mad. Make It Up.
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 [...]
Your quest to be more creative starts here
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 [...]
How Long Is Too Short?
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 [...]
Want your point to have power? Here are 7 things NOT to say.
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 [...]
How to turn “I don’t know” into a conversational advantage
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 [...]
Happy Holidog: Always Changing, Always Staying the Same
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 [...]
Eliminate acronyms from your vocabulary (except the ones I invented)
So much workplace communication is just crap. Big words trying to sound smart and important. Vague words trying to obscure the specifics. Jargon trying to belong with the insiders’ club. And OMG the acronyms. Several years ago, I invented an acronym to illustrate just how [...]