Why Story Power
While on vacation in 1986, a future legend bought a coat in Jackson, Wyoming that changed his life. John wasnāt a legend yet. He was a sales consultant, vacationing in cowboy country. The coat was a full-length āduster.ā The kind of coat real cowboys wear. John saw the coat, hanging in the back of Schaefer…
In aĀ recent Monday Mash-Up, I told you about the author Cheryl Strayed and the advice columns she wrote under the pen name āSugar.ā Her friend and fellow author Steve Almond described Strayedās Sugar columns as āradical empathy.ā I canāt get that phrase out of my mind. Radical empathy. Powerful business storytelling is all about radical…
In aĀ recent Monday Mash-Up, I shared Tim Ferrissā podcast interview with Annie Lamott. Her book Bird by Bird is one of my favorites about writing. In the interview, Annie tells Tim how she came up with the book title. This story alone is a priceless lesson for writers — especially those struggling to get it…
Powerful storytellers embrace and conquer stage fright. Take Darden Smith. Heās a singer-songwriter who has released 15 critically acclaimed albums and performed around the globe — including a concert in February 2019 at the venue I run, (ware)HOUSE Concerts in St. Louis. Heās an author, too, who wrote a book I love called The Habit of…
I heard a speechwriter describe why her boss — the First Lady of the United States — connected so well with audiences. āShe would have things that she’d want to tell the audience,ā the speechwriter said. āShe wanted to make sure that she was honoring their stories. She’s always wants to learn about her audiences (āWhat…
In 2017, I jumped from an airplane 15,000 feet above New Zealandā¦ …on purpose. Here’s a picture at the moment of truth. Those are MY legs, hanging out of the airplane, 2.84 miles above Lake Wanaka. Here’s another picture… …after I jumped, freefalling at about 200 feet per second. The plan: Freefall for 60 seconds,…
I listened recently to my friend Dan Rubright describe how he created a song. Danās a great jazz guitarist and composer who appeared on the Songs Out Loud podcast and dissected his tune āPrepare for Departure.ā This podcast blew me away — not just because I love great musicā¦ …but because I love to createā¦ …and I help…
When Instagram was new, I opened an account and thoughtā¦ …now what!? I wasnāt into selfies. Instagram marketing wasnāt a thing yet. I didnāt know what to photograph or why. Then I decided to look for interesting images that surrounded me. I was at home so I looked for interesting stuff in my house. I…
A few years ago, my friend skipped his high school reunion because he was between jobs. He didnāt want to face his classmates while down on his luck. I get it. He dreaded that āwhat are you up to?ā conversation. He didnāt want to tell his story of dreams deferred. He wanted to be the…
Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who peppers their speech with big, fancy words — just to show the world how smart they are? Yeah. I run into that person a lot. And, I have to admit (gulp!) I used to be that guy. I used to love big, fancy words —…