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A C-suite that’s looking to elevate itself should look no further than its public speaking coach. Why? Because executives and others who learn how to be better public speakers can improve their value by as much as 50 percent, according to billionaire Warren Buffett. That’s the nugget he gave to a roomful of Columbia University […]

When you tell a corporate story — no matter what it’s about — do you delight with details? Details can turn a boring story into an intensely interesting one so that readers are intrigued enough to keep on reading. Here are excerpts from a corporate story about a company planning a major move to a […]

Stories that make readers feel something are more likely to be remembered. So check your corporate storytelling for basic human emotions. Noted psychologist Robert Plutchik said there are eight primary emotions along with secondary and tertiary emotions. The eight primary emotions are: Joy Trust Fear Surprise Sadness Disgust Anger Anticipation Let’s look at an example. In a […]

Corporate storytelling must have a business purpose and a business context. Do you know your story’s WHY or reason for being? Try this formula:  Fill in the blanks of the following sentence to create a purpose statement that will guide your corporate storytelling from start to finish.   The purpose of this story is to show how […]

Corporate stories are no different than any other story. They simply have a business purpose and a business context. When it comes to corporate storytelling, it’s important to know and apply the basics — whether you’re writing B2B articles, interviews, content, collateral, websites or white papers. Here are five corporate storytelling fundamentals you should know. Who are the characters in […]

If you’re an executive, you’re likely giving speeches and presentations with important messages related to your company’s mission, vision and expectations for your team. But how effective and efficient are your speeches and presentations? Take this simple quiz to find out. First, think about the last speech or presentation you gave on mission, vision or […]

If you deliver a keynote as part of a larger meeting or conference, sending out a quick survey right afterward is a great way to begin judging whether your message has begun to resonate with your audience. After the surveys come back, it’s well worth your time not only to review the quantitative results but […]

Speakers deliver motivational speeches for one reason: to provide the insight, guidance and encouragement people need to achieve a defined goal.  For a B2B company, that goal might be taking risks to innovate and then launch an exciting new product – or responding fast to build on momentum gained in a niche market. But unless […]

When is a corporate story more than just a story? When it’s conceived and written with purpose: to help a CEO advance his or her top priorities for the organization. This month I ran a little experiment by reviewing corporate stories written for an organizational client over the last 16 months. I wanted to take […]

Executives who need speechwriting services will typically approach the engagement in one of two ways: They’ll either have a rather clear idea of what they want to say — or they won’t, so they’ll begin by sharing ideas that are literally all over the place. It’s the speechwriter’s job to help their speakers vet their original […]