The 7-38-55 Rule, Properly Understood
Many communication courses stress the importance of the 7-38-55 rule. The rule, as it’s usually cited, states that “7 percent of communication is conveyed by our words, 38 percent comes via our tone of voice, and 55 percent comes through body language.” An article from Inc Magazine suggests that the rule may have been misapplied, but is still […]
15 Tech Trends
Before long, many companies will begin strategic planning for 2025. No matter the industry, technology considerations are strategic across the board. How well informed are you and your team in this area? McKinsey Technology Trends Outlook 2024 offers a broad overview of what business can expect, culminating in 15 Tech Trends that may impact your business. Each is presented […]
Selling in the Rain
Warren Buffett once remarked that “Only when the tide goes out do you learn who has been swimming naked.” Even a mediocre salesperson can do well in an expanding economy, but what about in a recession when the “tide goes out?” If you’re concerned about the coming recession and coaching your sales team to success when the sun […]
Is Your Problem the Solution?
Businesspeople see themselves as problem solvers. For most, success in so doing is usually about overcoming the cause of the problem or coping with its effect. Vistage-St. Louis member and communication consultant Les Landes suggests that many times the solution to the problem can be the problem itself. In a short blog post, Mr. Landes offers some […]
The Stoic Test
The most important person we ever manage is ourselves. Those around us whom we lead and manage watch our reactions and make judgments about us. Fortunately, we have some control over this. Daniel Pink (“The Power of Regret”, “To Sell is Human”) suggests that we look to a few philosophers from antiquity for tips on alternative […]
Econ Recon: Car Wrecks and Economics
One writer once remarked that “The news media are, for the most part, the bringers of bad news… and it’s not entirely the media’s fault, bad news gets higher ratings and sells more papers than good news.” Economic news is no exception (especially in an election year). After all, newspapers don’t write about safe drivers; they […]
Bad Day at the Beach
Last week I shared an article from Vistage Speaker and IT Security Expert Mike Foster on the false sense of security that VPNs create in your team when they use their portable devices on public wi-fi like airports, hotels etc. If you missed it, I suggest here again that you read ( and share with your IT team) […]
The Forever Transformation
Throughout history, various disciplines have been transformed from “art” to “science.” Medicine (though still referred to as an art by some) was transformed by the acceptance of the germ theory. One at a time, copied by hand, book production was revolutionized by the printing press….and if you hadn’t yet noticed, marketing has become much more of a […]
7 Losing Learnings
When watching the amazing performances of the world’s best athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics, it’s important to remember that most of those we see on our screens are the winners. There are many other athletes there who have prepared for years for this event to whom we will not be introduced and who go home […]
The Olympics: It’s a Business
The only human invention that has done more than the printing press to put content in front of the average person is, of course, the internet. Gutenberg’s invention and then radio and TV brought the world to the masses but in portions that would fit in a newspaper or in the time a person could […]
