The Lothery Blog
Monday, April 9th, 2012
Passover is not to be Passed Over
Usually when I blog, I talk about media or presentation styles and techniques. Every now and then, I like looking at cross-cultural communication and the role it plays in business relationships. After a true awakening of my own, this weekend, I decided my next blog would be just that. Recently, I went to a video equipment warehouse in New York City with the goal of upgrading all of the Lothery & Associates equipment. I arrived at 10 a.m. that Friday and started shopping. I tested and tried everything and asked no fewer than 100 questions, and the staff was knowledgeable and pleasant.
After about 2 hours of milling around, and picking out everything, I actually bothered to notice the large number of Orthodox Jewish men working in the store. There had to be about 25, at least. In New York, it’s no big deal to see an Orthodox Jew, but so many working in one store stood out for me. It was at that time I also noticed that there was a flood of customers shopping in a mad frenzy! I had never seen so many people in a store at one time. Upon check out I asked the cashier if they were always that busy. She said, “I think it’s because we were closed yesterday.”
What if I had traveled all the way to Manhattan on that Thursday and found it closed for a religious observance? Would I have been tolerant? Would I have been frustrated at the fact that I felt “I had been inconvenienced, or would I have been respectful of their holiday?”…(more)
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012
Are we there YET?
Consistency of message: It is the phrase that media training and other communication experts have preached, pushed, and presented for years. It’s the cornerstone of every campaign, political, marketing or otherwise. So why is it that the four candidates vying for the Republican nomination can’t seem to master that one? You have four multi-millionaires, with several higher degrees to boast, changing messages with every campaign stop.
If you paid attention to each candidate’s closing speech last night, Ron Paul excepted, you heard more than 20 minutes of rambling, hitting every issue from the economy and gas prices to religion and family values. All are great. All are important. But all in a campaign speech, dilutes the message.
Tuesday, February 7th, 2012
It’s Halftime…Are You Ready?
How many times have you started a presentation or interview and thought, “gosh, I wish I had a better start?” Have you started down a line of ideas and then lost your train of thought mid-sentence and hoped for the hail Mary idea to get you back on track? If so, you’re not alone!
As an enormous sports fan and former physical athlete who still feels she has some sports psychology still left in her, I found myself thoroughly inspired by the message in the Chrysler Super Bowl ad narrated by Clint Eastwood. The concept that halftime can be a game changer, and if you persevere you can get through any tough time was a powerful message of both strength and hope. The same holds true whether you’re out on the gridiron, making your winning putt on the golf course, shooting the buzzer beater basket, or standing in front of an audience hoping to sway, motivate, inspire or move them to follow your lead.
Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012
Words that May Hurt Your Image
I recently read an article highlighting 10 words that people commonly mispronounce that can make an individual appear less intelligent, professional and polished. There were some great words on that list, but I thought a few needed to be added, so I’m taking to the blog to share my thoughts to reinforce some, and introduce a few others.
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
Merry Christmas! Or is it?
Happy Chanukah? Merry Christmas? Happy Kwanzaa? Happy Holidays! What are we supposed to say in this time of year? The easy one is coming up…Happy New Year! As for the rest, we can debate that ad nauseum. I’ve decided to venture away from strictly communication tips this time, and work a little cross cultural communication into the blog.