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Be Enchanting
Enchantment – turning cynics into believers, causing voluntary change of hearts and minds, winning over true fans – isn’t just for slick salespeople and charismatic leaders. If you want to make an impact, change the world, or give a great presentation, you need to learn how to enchant your co-workers, clients and audience. Guy Kawasaki…
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Ears
Several years ago, a wise old preacher friend was giving me some advice about public speaking. “I want to keep doing it,” he said, “as long as my ears are good.” Although this sounded wise, it also seemed illogical, coming from a man whose main job (in my mind) was to talk. But I think…
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The Human Element in Design
As kids on family vacation, our mom would make us stand in the picture when she took photos of the sites. As much as I disliked being in photos at the time, I understand the value of capturing memories of the people, not just the places, on vacation. Putting people in the picture is not…
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The Delicate Power of Stories
This beautiful talk by writer Elif Shafak has had me thinking about stories. As with any good story, Shafak’s talk is filled with humor, nuance and symbolism, as she gracefully describes her family background and experience of living as a child of a divorced mother in Turkey, going to international schools when her mother became a diplomat,…
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What Jip en Janneke Can Teach Us About Storytelling
As I mentioned before, I’ve been admiring children’s books lately. Since coming to Holland we’ve been spending a lot of time in the kids’ section of bookstores, looking for books that will help Olivia learn Dutch language and culture. Lots of fun! I’d like to introduce you to one of this country’s favourites. Jip en…
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The Importance of Passion
Tuesday was a good day for my mailbox. Not only did my Computer Arts mag arrive, but I also received a package of print samples from Moo. Moo got me excited about printing business cards from the day my wife introduced me to them. Many websites offer business card printing, and many do it with…
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LOST, spankings, and what?
My good friend, Chris, has just released an eBook on how we read the Bible, called “More To The Story: What LOST, spankings, and doing laundry have taught me about reconciling Jesus and the God of the Old Testament”. He dives right in, looking at some of the questions that have kept church-folk squirming and…
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Dick Bruna: The Art of Simplicity
My wife’s been ordering Dutch children’s books for Olivia (they’re supposed to help her learn Dutch, but I can guarantee you she won’t be the only one in the house learning from these). In the process I’ve been learning about the classic books that Anna and many other Dutch kids have grown up with. There are…
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Lost: Two confessions and a Mystery Box
Confession #1: I’m hooked on Lost. I never thought this would be me, eagerly awaiting each Tuesday, joining in discussions following each episode, mulling over key lines, speculating, wondering what might happen next. I’m hooked, and I’m loving it. But I must confess one other thing: I haven’t always been hooked. No, I’m a fair-weather…
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The Master Storytellers of New Orleans
I spent last week in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. While walking the streets of the French Quarter, I took note of some incredible communicators: the city’s tour guides. The Challenges Tour guides in New Orleans have at least two huge challenges: battling distraction and telling a compelling story. The French Quarter during Mardi Gras…