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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
“What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you are saying.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Shhhh! I’m trying to hear you. I really am. I know you’ve put serious thought into those words you’re trying to share right now. Whether your message is written or spoken, I know you want me to “get” what you’re [...]
As a kid on the playground, one of my favorite attractions was the teeter-totter. Maybe you called it a seesaw. A teeter-totter is a dangerous apparatus, not to be shared with anyone but a friend you can trust to keep the thing in balance. I still recall the pain and humiliation of thudding to the ground [...]
(inspired by Laura Numeroff, one of my favorite children’s book authors; illustrations by yours truly) If you give a creative entrepreneur a moment—say, a few months of no travel and reduced client demand due to a global pandemic—she’s going to get an idea. Maybe even a bunch of ideas, thanks to her relentlessly creative partner-in-brainstorming. Let’s [...]
You have something to say. Well, you’re supposed to have something to say. “They” expect you to have something to say. You sit down to write. Nothing comes. A few words finally trickle out. They’re awful! &#%!@?! You are stuck. And being stuck sucks. Being stuck sets off a cacophony of mental commentary. The harder you [...]
“What are you reading?” It’s the question I love to ask when I meet others who value great stories, good writing, and creative thinking. When the answer strikes a chord, I add the title to my Goodreads “want to read” list. And when a friend turns the question around on me, I’m happy to share my [...]
I’m sitting in a coffee shop at F and 7th NW. The sound is deafening, crowds of people and every seat taken. Because I am a stranger here in D.C, I have to ask where the line is to order. Shockingly, there is no one in front of me. At home in Chicago, I get my [...]
To the delight or (more accurately) dismay of participants, when Jill Pollack and I are leading Story Mode workshops, we routinely challenge students to compress their messages down to micro length. This activity can take a few minutes, an hour, or the better part of an afternoon. But our instruction takes just a moment: You’ve compiled [...]