From your business point of view – how do you see the wood from the trees? That is, when there’s many different ways you could tell the world about what you do or sell, and why this is important, how do you narrow it down to one message? It’s blimmin difficult. It’s also why it’s … Continue reading Unearthing a business first story…seeing the wood from the trees
Category Archives: Persuasive message
Amid the sound and fury of the recent American elections, an eloquent acceptance speech by Joe Biden was missed by many. Unlike the bombastic ‘us versus them’ utterances of Donald Trump, Biden’s speech was a uniting ‘we’ – paraphrased from a term he used in it talking about the ‘Soul of America’. It contained a … Continue reading Some little lessons in rhetorical oratory
Finland has a National Day of Failure. Yes, seriously…and as a country we often compare ourselves to, is it an idea we should embrace? For the past 10 years, October 13 is celebrated for failure, because (not unlike New Zealand?), screwing up is frowned upon by Finnish society. It was started by university students who … Continue reading Should we have a National Day of Failure?
…like requesting a picture framer to paint your portrait? There’s a reason we contract specialists to carry out specific jobs. We know they know their stuff. We back their expertise within their domain of knowledge. We’re confident their proficiency will deliver the best result the quickest. For example a General Practitioner doctor can help correct … Continue reading Is asking a designer to uncover your story…
How do you counter bullshit? Around the world, attacking such hoaxes head on has repeatedly been shown to be hopeless, counterproductive. Well, there’s lessons for all of us in the way Taiwan’s dealing to Coronavirus misinformation. Instead of tackling fake news directly, the 23 million people country, (one of the few to have shoved the … Continue reading Fighting Covid fake news by being funny
Ernest Hemingway was once apparently challenged (now believed to not be true) to write a story in six words. His supposed answer was: “For sale, baby shoes, never worn”. We fill in the dots, we figure out what must’ve happened, we feel a surge of sorry as we empathise with the parents. My partner brought … Continue reading A perfect story in four words – a true Million Dollar Message
One of the roles in Toastmasters (I’m in Wellington’s Collider group) is Grammarian. I had that function recently and was asked to introduce the word ‘lexophile’, an expression I’d never heard of before. A lexophile is a lover of words, finding enjoyment in word play, anagrams, palindromes and the like. While researching the term, not … Continue reading A lexophile…probably many worse afflictions to suffer from!
A brand name by association can be a useful thing. Which is where Duckworth Lewis Accommodation has been clever in its nomenclature. This boarding house (formerly a pub) could’ve called itself Adelaide Road, Te Aro, Hospital Visitor Accommodation, or any number of lesser names. But, being located right beside The Basin Reserve (the home of … Continue reading A brand name that many will get…though some will go ‘huh’?
Perhaps it’s indicative of alcohol’s margins that they often have great advertisements. That is, they can afford to get their words right. So, and in no way condoning or encouraging alcohol consumption (though I do drink), here’s a very clever way to remind people Stella Artois has stood the test of time. “600 years of … Continue reading A more than beerly acceptable way to promote yourself
As an individual, we are all many stories. From our sex to upbringing, religious and political affiliations, likes, food preferences…you name it, depending on your start point we can tell different yarns. Our businesses too are many stories. You could focus on many different aspects of what and how you provide a product or service. … Continue reading Why you can only tell one story (initially)