7 Tips to Sell Your Ideas Like a Motivational Speaker
“You don’t listen!” All of us have likely heard these words spat at us in frustration at some point in our lives. And guess what, it’s true! The fact is that no one listens. In a previous OPEN Forum article, I wrote on how to more effectively hear what others are really trying to say. By recognizing how you listen […]
Innovating Water Treatment
In my latest American Express OPEN Forum article, I talked about how designing to handle the exception, not for the exception can improve efficiency and reduce costs, while increasing overall performance. [If you didn’t read that article, please do so before proceeding] When I first wrote that article, I included a potential use of this concept as […]
Design to Handle the Exception, Not for the Exception
While going through security at the airport the other day, I was reminded of an important design and innovation concept. Things were going smoothly until a bag was flagged during the X-ray procedure. The luggage was held on the conveyor until an authority could conduct a manual inspection. At the same time, a similar problem […]
Selling Your Ideas
Innovators know that great ideas that don’t get implemented are worthless. So how do you convince people that your solution is a good one? Consider the case for “business casual” in the workplace. What are the traditional selling points? People will be more creative. Employees will be happier. A more casual environment improves communication. All […]
What It Means to Really Listen
…and guess what, you don’t really listen. In fact, while reading this article, you are not really reading what I intended it to mean… Last month, I was on a flight from Orlando to Boston that had a bit of a problem. An hour before our scheduled landing in Boston, the pilot announced the […]
My Travel Tips
Over the years, I have traveled over 1 million miles to nearly 50 countries. Given that I fly so frequently, I am often asked for my suggestions for traveling more comfortably, efficiently, and cheaply. Here is a VERY short list: Subscribe to TripIt Pro – TripIt is an awesome website/app that makes life easier for all […]
Work with People You Don't Like
When asked by a Fortune 20 company to boil down Personality Poker into a 350 word article for their intranet, this is what I created… We all have heard the expression, “opposites attract.” But in fact there is irrefutable scientific evidence that in relationships, opposites repel. We prefer to be around people who are similar to […]
High Tech Presentations
When I give speeches, there is always an interactive component, regardless of whether the audience is 10 or 10,000 people. I like being able to draw, but flip charts do not work well for large groups. Therefore, I use a pretty cool technological set-up to run my presentations: I run my Keynote presentation off of […]
Different Questions = Different Solutions
I recently had a conversation with a colleague who is a professional speaker. She and her husband are debating if they want to have a child in the near future. She said, “Right now my life is easy and I know if I have a child, it will be a lot more difficult.” The implied […]
Two Recent Interviews
If you want to hear my voice talk about innovation, here are two recent interviews for podcasts: I had a blast with Karen Keller when we addressed how women (and men) can be more innovative. This was a no holds barred conversation where I said what was really on my mind: Power Influencer Series (interview not […]