6:21
Saint Paul
People love to think humans are persuaded by facts, that we’re rational beings, willing to weight the information in front of us, and even if we don’t like the outcome, we’re willing to change our minds in the face of truth.
This pretty much never happens. Emotions… our tribe’s position… and what we want to believe… are far more important to us than boring old facts. (more…)
Andrew Carnegie was a business tycoon in the late 1800s… and the richest
man in America.
During an ‘afternoon interview’ —one that stretched into three days— journalist Napoleon Hill asked Carnegie,
What makes for a successful life?
With a twinkle in his eye, Carnegie invited Hill to research that exact question— (more…)
This weekend, many of my experiences seemed to revolve around the ideas of mirrors, mimicry, and imitation. It felt like a convergence of the universe onto this topic, something I like to call…
The late Jim Camp, one of the worlds “most feared negotiators,” was a big fan of the word No.
Camp even wrote a few books around this idea, No and Start with No.
No, Camp reasoned, allowed people to hold on to the status quo. No didn’t require action, No didn’t force someone to do something they weren’t prepared to do.
730am
Saint Paul
Hey there!
Yesterday we discussed the importance of your tone of voice, specifically how being monotone works against your ability to hold someone’s attention.
If your voice has no texture, basically, there’s nothing to hook your listeners’ ears.
But… I mentioned that maybe you want to be boring and monotone, on occasion.
What might that occasion be? (more…)
5:59am
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Have you ever sat through a presentation, and it could barely hold your attention?
The speaker drones on…
“…and in this chart you can see the market share projection…”
Ug take me out back and shoot me.
Vocal tones, speed, and silence are the punctuation to our spoken words. But most people —you and I included— forget the importance of (more…)
Donald A. Norman knows good design.
The author of “The Design of Everyday Things” (Amazon link) (PRL Summary link) tells us that the objects we use are improved when they share common characteristics.
Reinventing the wheel, in other words, is not only unnecessary, but it can actively work against brain patterns and muscle memory people have developed. (more…)
7:15
Saint Paul, Minnesota
I’m still pumped about my upcoming book, Change State, and what it might be able to do for you.
I have to be honest — sharing the book with my family and friends has been a bit nerve-wracking.
Because, like you… (more…)
Yesterday I wrote a bit about Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay, Compensation.
In the essay, Emerson argues that everyone is compensated, for the good or the bad, in relation to the good or bad they bring to others in the world.
Good, or bad. These are relative terms, of course, defined by their polarizing nature. You can’t have one without the other.
Emerson’s Compensation opens with a discussion of the polarity of nature, (more…)