Tag Archives: communicator
Sunday, June 17th, 2012
Be an Athlete!
Years ago, I had a client who didn’t pay me for six months after my work with him was complete. It wasn’t a huge sum of money, but it was compensation for completed work that he, apparently, couldn’t afford to have me do in the first place. Anyway, he finally paid and we both moved on. Three months later he gave me a call asking me to serve as a character reference for him, in some personnel matter he was going through at work. REALLY?! Exactly what would I say? I politely declined, wished him no harm, and moved on again. Earlier this week, the same man called and asked me to invest in his new business venture he was trying to launch, and promised a high return on my investment.
I ask again…REALLY?!
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
A funny thing happened on my way to the podium…
I have just returned from one of the most enjoyable facilitation experiences I’ve had in a long time. I conducted a brief workshop on crisis communication for the Cooperative Communicators Association Institute in San Antonio. The Annual Conference was packed with more than 130 communicators from coops around the country. Every industry from financial to farming, power to produce.
A funny thing happened to me on the way to the podium, so I couldn’t help but change my open:
“You know, when I lead presentation workshops, I always tell clients to ‘lead with sexy.’ Not the Congressman Weiner kind, but definitely something that grabs the audience’s attention so you start with a bang! Of course, I wasn’t planning to start a fire as my open, but how appropriate and convenient is it, when the conference is called Caliente! Hot Ideas for Cooperative Communicators, and the opening workshop is Crisis Communications: Staying out of the Hot Seat?! A little crisis, with a fast clean up is the perfect way for us to get started!”