Messaging

The Art of Persuasion

    Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

    Most of us engage in some form of persuasion multiple times every day. Relationships require persuasion, as do politics, Santa letters, and of course advertising and marketing. Ideas are the currency of the twenty-first century. The ability to persuade, to change hearts and minds, is perhaps the single greatest skill
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    It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Or Is It?

      Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

      “Each year, the Great Pumpkin rises out of the pumpkin patch that he thinks is the most sincere,” Linus Van Pelt famously says each Halloween. “He’s gotta pick this one. He’s got to. I don’t see how a pumpkin patch can be more sincere than this one.” Every year Linus
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      Beware the Communication Death Spiral

        Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

        My roses have wilted, my violets are dead. Demons run circles round and round in my head. In my case, demons don’t sport pointy horns. They don’t hold pitchforks. No, they are businesses that simply won’t provide a way to talk to a real, live, person. We are all frustrated
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        Communicate As If Your Life Depends On It

          Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

          By now you’ve probably expressed what you are thankful for. It’s that time of year. As Thanksgiving rolled around, each of us was encouraged to take a moment to pause and reflect. We are, in fact, prompted time and time again throughout the entire holiday season to embrace gratitude and
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          They’ll Remember How You Made Them Feel

            Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

            Growing up I heard my Dad say, “INAM” a lot.  He meant, It’s Not About Me.  That’s how he ran his life, and he tried hard to impress this on me, and others.  I’ve been thinking about this lately.  Seems like a lot of people tend to believe “IAM”, It’s
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            The Art of Persuasion

              Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

              I took a break from social media recently. I grew weary of the divisiveness and vitriol contained in many messages. Rather than seeking to persuade, propaganda was ruling the day. Social media provides great platforms for reaching many people, and properly done, it can greatly impact businesses and organizations in
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              What Do They Really Think?

                Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

                “That’s what everyone thinks,” the speaker stated with authority. “I know there’s support for this initiative because everyone in the community agrees.”  Really? But just suppose that everyone doesn’t agree and that they just aren’t speaking up?  That’s not effective communication. Obviously, not everyone thinks the same thing about anything.
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                Establishing Common Ground Important for Effective Communication

                  Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

                  I sat down to carefully consider the message. Delivery would be everything. Even though I loved him dearly, he had a problem. One that needed to be addressed collectively, by all of us, or change wouldn’t be possible. I had to make everyone see the error of their enabling ways.
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                  Driving While Under the Influence?

                    Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

                    My dad knew the answer to anything – he really did. Long before people consulted Google, dad was always on the other end of the phone, ready for whatever came his way. Want to know who a certain actor was in an ancient long forgotten movie? Call Dad. Having a
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                    Look for Intersections of Commonality

                      Originally published in the Boulder Daily Camera and the Longmont Daily Times-Call.

                      What are the white rocks called? The question puzzled me. For several summers I worked at the tourist information facility located at the highest point on Interstate 80 from New York to San Francisco. Interstate 80, known as the Lincoln Highway, reaches an elevation of 8,642 feet at the Lincoln
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