“Allen, we’re looking for something beyond the ‘basics.’ Can you put together a workshop for more advanced persuasion and influence skills?” Yep. I can. But be careful what you’re asking. Those skills take some practice. Here are just a couple examples: Use two forms of the same word in one sentence. “If more alignment needs to be built, this team will build it.” Whatever the last word in your thought is, use it as the first word in the next thought. “We’re seriously

I want to take a minute to discourage all of you from using hyperbole, exaggerated words not to be taken literally. You could have said, “The team did a great job,” but instead you said, “The team was fantastic.” You could have said, “You’ve got to be careful if you go down that road,” but instead you said, “Going down that road will lead to disaster.” The other day I heard a pundit call Trump a narcissist. The interviewer said, “You’re not a psychologist.” The pundit c

I’ve been thinking about taking a “framework” for writing, a framework learned in law school for analyzing cases, and showing you all how to use it in your day to day. Here it is: Issue Rule Analysis Conclusion The law school folks call it by its acronym IRAC. In an email, or just talking in a meeting, you’d say something like: “The issue on the table is _______. The traditional way we’ve handled these kinds of things is _____. Here’s some current data on it: My conclusion i

Season 42. Episode 3 Let’s say someone at work encouraged you to start explaining things using the “Pyramid Principle.” That person is giving you good advice. He or she is saying, “You should always ‘cascade’ your ideas from general to specific. Or another way to put it is to start with your main point or idea. The next thought (writing or speaking) would be your sub point(s) and the final thought would be your data point. Imagine you had a PowerPoint slide to show Jeff