The Washington Post-ABC News poll showed that Obama’s approval ratings on key issues are slipping. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071902176.html?wpisrc=newsletter My response, is two fold 1. The media gets to spin the statistics however they want 2. We need to be patient because it was our need for instant gratification that got us in to this mess. “Barely more […]
During the confirmation hearings of Judge Sonia Sotomayer those opposed to her nomination are claiming that she will judge cases based on gender and ethnicity. She keeps defending that she will rule by law. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/us/politics/15confirm.html?_r=1&th&emc=th First, good for her for staying so consistent in her messages. Second, the sides are arguing about either/or, when it […]
The WSJ published an article on perfecting the pitch to venture capitalists this morning. It is all stuff we’ve heard before and I’ve been coaching for years, but it is a good reminder. http://tinyurl.com/mkw84r Since the WSJ seems to be the one paper that refuses to join the rest and offer their content for free, […]
An article in today’s NY Times reports that intelligence wire tapping of Americans did not aid in the thwarting of terrorist activity (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/11/us/11nsa.html?_r=1&th&emc=th). Quotes from the article: “Most intelligence officials interviewed “had difficulty citing specific instances” when the National Security Agency’s wiretapping program contributed to successes against terrorists, the report said.” “. . . intelligence […]
“I suspect that the reason mind maps works so well is that they engage your visual intelligence and provide a way to navigate a much larger space of ideas in a smaller visual field.” In his article relaying the benefits of mind maps, Forbes guest reporter Dan Woodsis, uses examples from Evolved Technologist to show […]
Good Morning Silicon Valley debates whether or not we can ‘turn off’ the electronic connectivity that is pervasive in our lives. http://tinyurl.com/raysqc Personally, I am glad to have the option to be connected and “on” and I feel I have the power to disconnect and be “off” when I want. I discuss this social issue […]
The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the ruling that stations can be fined for ‘fleeting expletives’ aired prior to 10 pm. The justices indicated their decision was based on their belief that the FCC did not violate policy when changing the rule on expletives back in 2004. They state that the First Amendment is not […]
Facebook took a vote. Of course, only 640,000 users cast their vote, but at least the opportunity was there. In an example of the new social media effecting society, Facebook opened up to its users a business decision on how to handle user information. http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/24/facebook-social-networking-technology-internet-facebook.html?partner=technology_newsletter “The new governing principles state that users own the content […]
That is a question I have been pondering as I try and adopt the communication tool, but find myself with little to say to the general public, or that portion who has decided to follow my tweets. Twitter founder, Biz Stone, puts it succinctly in a San Jose Mercury News interview by reporter Elise Ackerman. […]
The Federal Reserve floated the idea of holding press conferences, reported today in the Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123975237751018765.html#mod=djemalertNEWS “The Fed’s policy makers already make and disclose economic forecasts four times a year. The Fed chairman gives detailed reports on the economy and monetary policy to congressional committees twice a year. And Fed officials speak regularly […]
Ever stop to think about how the design of an office effect communication? April’s issue of Wired had a story on the history of office design starting back in 1904 with Frederick Taylor, the father of efficiency, who first recommended the open bull pen with the overseeing boss. This would seem to allow for open […]
At the risk of sounding left of left, I say to the financial industry executives who made millions last year as the economy tanked — “GIVE IT BACK.” Wall Street Journal reports, “As Merrill Lynch staggered last year, 11 top executives were paid more than $10 million each in cash and stock, and 149 more […]
Thanks to Greg Wise of Arizona State University for my new favorite word to describe communication technologies: assemblages. Greg shared his concept during a panel on the convergence of television and the computer at Western States Communication Association annual conference this morning. He defined an assemblage as technology that has physical pieces, plus functions, plus […]
Just being an average consumer in the year 2009, we are all aware that mass communication is changing. Most of us are just as likely to find news on the Internet as we are to find it on the television. AlwaysOn and KPMG have some numbers to back up the trend. KPMG surveyed 200 media […]
“Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis succinctly captured the power of openness and transparency when he wrote that Sunlight is the Best Disinfectant.” This quote is from a story on AlwaysOn from Irving Wladawsky-Berger. Irving is a member of the TIGR (Technology, Innovation & Government Reform) transition policy group focusing on innovation and government. Today he […]
Brittany Spears and Guy Kawasaki — now there is a pair for you. What do they have in common? They both top the list of Twitter users. Brittany is the Top Celebrity user of Twitter and Guy is the Most Influential Twitterer — sending over 30 tweets a day. This news comes from a Forbes […]
The new administration is communicating to the country that $819 billion is the answer to the recession. I want the economy to turn around, really I do. I am just having a hard time imagining $819 billion dollars. I am generally a fan of low government spend, free markets and all. But I know that […]
From the Washington Post this morning “Soon after the November election, al-Qaeda’s No. 2 leader took stock of America’s new president-elect and dismissed him with an insulting epithet. “A house Negro,” Ayman al-Zawahiri said.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/24/AR2009012401703.html?wpisrc=newsletter I laughed when I read it. Maybe not the best response, but it sounded so pathetic to me. Could al-Qaeda […]
“Now is an opportunity we have not had in decades” These are the words of Robert Reich, Obama economic advisor and former U.S. Secretary of Labor, who I heard speak today at the Commonwealth Club of California. He was a very effective communicator. He warmed the crowd with humor, previewed his key points, used language […]
My wish for PowerPoint in 2009 is we apply what we’ve learned from research. Everyone has an opinion on what makes PowerPoint the best, but opinions vary widely. Research confirms what actually works for most people. There is not much, but there is some research that we can rely upon as we create PowerPoint. My […]
GigaOm reports that WebEx is now accessible from the iPhone. http://gigaom.com/2009/01/06/webex-on-your-iphone-finally/ Appreciating all the information I can access and ways I can communicate with my iPhone just increased with this announcement. This news supports the ‘communicate-on-the-go’ trend. Our geographical locations are becoming less and less relevant to our ability to communicate with others. I like […]
This Sunday NY Times had an inspirational article about a blind engineer creating technology for blind users. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/business/04blind.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Going%20Where%20No%20Guide%20Dog%20Can&st=cse T.V. Raman works for Google and specializes in developing technology for when people are not looking at the screen. This is great for blind people, and for people multitasking — say driving and making a call. Of […]
This story about a doctor in LA who used his patient’s body fat to fuel his SUV has so many interesting communication angles, I don’t know where to begin. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/12/21/fat-fuel-biodiesel-tech-sciences-cz_pcb_1222fatfuel.html?partner=technology_newsletter Lets start with why Forbes is covering such a sensationalized story in the technology section. Could they not find any other example of bio fuel? […]
Not surprizingly a new study shows that groups brainstorming come up with better ideas than individuals. The individuals are more efficient and create more ideas because they don’t spend the time communicating with others. But, the groups come up with better ideas because as they communicate, they get to play off each others’ ideas. http://sloanreview.mit.edu/the-magazine/articles/2008/summer/49408/where-the-best-and-worst-ideas-come-from/
Carmine Gallo, author of “Fire Them Up!” offers a 7-letter acronym for creating presentations. The seven letters spell the word INSPIRE. You can find the article at http://learn.gotomeeting.com/forms/G2MC-WP-INSPIRE-TY I Ignite Your Enthusiasm N Navigate the Way S Spell the Benefit P Paint a Picture I Invite Participation R Reinforce Optimism E Encourage Potential It is […]
Guy Kawasaki gives us a lesson on how to use Twitter as a tool http://alwayson.goingon.com/permalink/post/30340 I’ll tell you, I need that lesson. As much as a want to communicate on Twitter because I think it is a cool 21st century communication technology, I have a hard time. I have trouble thinking of something short enough […]
Beet.tv (http://www.beet.tv/2008/12/video-search-mo.html) shows a video of the CEO of Blinkx (http://www.blinkx.com/executive-team), a video search engine company, talking about how companies can monetize video on the web. I would like to point out that this whole conversation could not have happened 5 or even 3 years ago. The prevalance of video on the web in the […]
Yesterday I heard on KCBS radio about a study that showed people tend to lie more when communicating via email then they do when writing a letter. I discovered the studies came out of Lehigh University in Pennsylvania led by Liuba Belkin and co-authored by Terri Kurtzberg of Rutgers and Charles Maquin of DePaul. In […]
In Inc. Magazine’s (http://www.inc.com) Year in Review there is a side bar on entrepreneurs crafting thoughtful emails. All of the examples are bad news being communicated, such as company layoffs. Reading these examples, I was less interested in the artful words and more interested in why these leaders decided to communicate bad news via email. […]
The use of the Internet and, in particular, YouTube was well utilized by the Obama campaign. Wisely, the President-elect will continue to utilize 21st-century technology while in office. He just gave his first weekly ‘radio’ address and put it on YouTube. Some say he is trying to woo the younger generation. I say he is […]
Just finished listening to Obama’s acceptance speech. It is hard to find words to describe this historical moment. Inspirational is the closest I can come. My favorite part was his story about the 106 year old woman in Atlanta and all she had seen in her life. What a wonderful way to use narrative to […]
Oh, what I love so much about Halloween is the freedom to be whomever you wish. Tonight I watched goblins and fairies come to my door and I rewarded their beauty with candy corn. Little do these tiny humans know that when they grow up people will judge them based on how they dress and […]
From the WSJ today: Politico: John McCain hung his final presidential debate performance on an Ohio plumber who campaign aides never vetted. A day after making Joseph Wurzelbacher famous, referencing him in the debate almost two dozen times as someone who would pay higher taxes under Barack Obama, Mr. McCain learned the fine print on […]
Watching the 2nd Presidential debate tonight I was reminded of the art of answering your own question. Both candidates displayed it quite well. No matter the question, the answer always contained the key message the candidate wanted to state. Asked about retirement, Obama suavely commented that we can’t get to retirement if we don’t deal […]
Picking up a prescription yesterday I was reminded that communication is required for every job. The ability to communicate well with others is a must (or at least an asset) in almost every job I imagine. After I had purchased the medication, the very friendly sales person told me that the pharmacist would ‘consult’ with […]
Check out the recently launched website, Unigo. http://www.unigo.com/ The site’s purpose is for college students to share the low-down on their university with other students. Students directly communicating with other students. According to an article in the Sunday New York Times Magazine, the Unigo editors let pretty much anything fly. Students post thoughts, pictures, video […]