mercoledì 29 dicembre 2010
martedì 28 dicembre 2010
How Twitter Can Engage And Grow Your Presentation Audience
By John Rode on August 19, 2010
Twitter is having a growing impact on presentations and you really have two opportunities to use it to greater effect. The first is to use Twitter to better engage your immediate audience, and the second to engage your larger audience beyond your webinar or conference.
In 140 characters or less: How Twitter gets you a larger, more engaged presentation audience
Twitter Tips To Engage Your Immediate Audience
Invite people to Tweet to their followers
Create a #hashtag
Dish out 140 character sound bites
Have a “friendly” monitor the Twitter back-channel
Take breaks for Twitter feedback – or put a Twitter feed right in your presentation
Invite people to Tweet their questions to you
The objective is to surprise your audience with innovative use of Twitter and juice engagement by enabling them to actually participate in and influence your presentation. In case you get any wisecracks or tomatoes, prepare yourself with a self-deprecating one-liner and a knockout comeback. Positive, negative or humorous, this interaction will only deepen audience engagement.
Put a Twitter feed directly in your slide presentation. Register for a SlideRocket Free Trial on the right to get started
How To Expand Your Audience With Twitter
We all know the effort involved in creating effective presentations, getting people to sign-up, and getting them to actually show up. And with 50% of people frequently tweeting about presentations (thanks to Hubspot’s Dan Zarrella for that stat) it behooves you to take advantage of this channel to get the greatest return on your marketing effort. Getting people to send the tweet is only the beginning. Put the right infrastructure in place ahead of your presentation and you’ll amplify the effectiveness of your Twitter efforts:
Create a landing page
Enable easy social media sharing
Post your presentation beforehand
Record a voice overlay
The landing page gives your Tweeters a place to point their followers, while enabling sharing for Twitter, Facebook, etc. on your landing page boosts the viral effect. Posting your presentation ahead of time to your blog or website ensures that you don’t have that inevitable delay between the presentation and making it available – Timeliness is critical! The voice overlay is essential to give your larger, non-attending audience a chance to hear the context behind your slides. This also frees you up to create clean slides with stunning imagery without having to fall back on bullets and dense text to get your message across – your voice will do it for you. Plus, it’s a great occasion to practice!
http://www.sliderocket.com/blog/2010/08/twitter-engage-grow-presentation-audience/
Twitter is having a growing impact on presentations and you really have two opportunities to use it to greater effect. The first is to use Twitter to better engage your immediate audience, and the second to engage your larger audience beyond your webinar or conference.
In 140 characters or less: How Twitter gets you a larger, more engaged presentation audience
Twitter Tips To Engage Your Immediate Audience
Invite people to Tweet to their followers
Create a #hashtag
Dish out 140 character sound bites
Have a “friendly” monitor the Twitter back-channel
Take breaks for Twitter feedback – or put a Twitter feed right in your presentation
Invite people to Tweet their questions to you
The objective is to surprise your audience with innovative use of Twitter and juice engagement by enabling them to actually participate in and influence your presentation. In case you get any wisecracks or tomatoes, prepare yourself with a self-deprecating one-liner and a knockout comeback. Positive, negative or humorous, this interaction will only deepen audience engagement.
Put a Twitter feed directly in your slide presentation. Register for a SlideRocket Free Trial on the right to get started
How To Expand Your Audience With Twitter
We all know the effort involved in creating effective presentations, getting people to sign-up, and getting them to actually show up. And with 50% of people frequently tweeting about presentations (thanks to Hubspot’s Dan Zarrella for that stat) it behooves you to take advantage of this channel to get the greatest return on your marketing effort. Getting people to send the tweet is only the beginning. Put the right infrastructure in place ahead of your presentation and you’ll amplify the effectiveness of your Twitter efforts:
Create a landing page
Enable easy social media sharing
Post your presentation beforehand
Record a voice overlay
The landing page gives your Tweeters a place to point their followers, while enabling sharing for Twitter, Facebook, etc. on your landing page boosts the viral effect. Posting your presentation ahead of time to your blog or website ensures that you don’t have that inevitable delay between the presentation and making it available – Timeliness is critical! The voice overlay is essential to give your larger, non-attending audience a chance to hear the context behind your slides. This also frees you up to create clean slides with stunning imagery without having to fall back on bullets and dense text to get your message across – your voice will do it for you. Plus, it’s a great occasion to practice!
http://www.sliderocket.com/blog/2010/08/twitter-engage-grow-presentation-audience/
The Ultimate Guide to Presentation Resources
The Ultimate Guide to Presentation Resources
By John Rode on November 11, 2010
We all want to tell an engaging story and captivate our audience with stunning slides. But it’s not always an easy thing to do, which is why we’re providing a free guide to creative presentation resources. Use these to get inspired, liven-up your presentation technique, and create fantastic visuals. Tell us about your favorite source for presentation help and we’ll include them in future editions!
Creative Stories and Anecdotes
Nothing will help your audience relate to you and your message more than stories and anecdotes. But sometimes it’s a challenge to find ones that relate to your topic and draw your audience in. Here are some creative presentation resources for developing anecdotes:
Awesome Stories – countless fictional and non-fictional stories in a variety of categories such as famous trials, biographies, movies, history, religion, and sports.
Anecdotage.Com – home to the largest collection of celebrity anecdotes and quotes on the Internet.
Story Arts – an educational Web site with stories to enhance speaking and facilitate improved listening.
Choosing Your Method
Many presenters, particularly novices, struggle to find a presentation style that works best for them. Use the methodology of these leaders as a presentation resource – Incredible Presentations – Presentation Methods. If you’re short on time, here is a summary of the 5 creative presentation methods:
The Takahashi Method calls for simplicity resulting in clarity and attention to the speaker—the use of very large type and few words, or a single image or photo with no accompanying words.
The Lessig Method calls for multiple slides (even hundreds)—each with only a brief quote, a short sentence—delivered in rapid-fire pace to prevent the audience from growing bored.
The Godin Method focuses on selecting striking accompanying visuals to enhance messages appropriately.
The Monta Method emulates the game show style of posing questions and hiding answers to build audience participation and engagement.
Visually Awesome Fonts
Tired of Arial, Times New Roman, and other boring, over-used type styles? Here’s a variety of Web sites and other helpful presentation resources devoted to the creation, sharing, distribution, and use of unique, visually appealing fonts.
Free Internet fonts at Dafont with over 10,000 free fonts matching themes and celebrating holidays; and 1001 Free Fonts is a primary source of free new fonts with more than 30,000 commercial fonts.
Fee-based Font Sites
1.Adobe Type Library
2.Bitstream
3.MyFonts
4.Ascender Corporation
5.FontMarketplace
6.FontSelector
Get the full scoop on fonts from this blog post: Incredible Presentations – Awesome Font Resources
Amazing Video
Many presenters look to audio to enhance their visuals and stimulate the senses. Music and a variety of sounds can help make a presentation memorable. Here are some great presentation resources for adding audio.
Musicshake – allows users to easily create their own music clips using more than 80,000 copyright-free samples.
Royalty-Free – other royalty-free audio presentation resources offering a wide variety of music and other audio include Royalty-Free Music, Presentation Magazine, Audio Micro, and Sound Ideas.
Make Your Own Audio – create your own unique sound using any of several software apps, including Sony, Adobe Soundbooth, Dexster Audio Editor, FX Audio Editor, or Acoustica, which all run about $40 to $60 each. For studio quality sound, try Adobe Audition or Sony Vegas Pro which will cost you several hundred dollars. For free audio programs, try Aviary’s Myna, Audacity or Wavosaur.
Find more audio presentation resources at Incredible Presentations – 5 Amazing Audio Resources.
Getting Inspired
Visual communications, especially presentations, are an opportunity to distill complex information into digestible pieces. Here’s a collection of visual communication blogs to inspire your next great presentation.
Vision Jar – Johanna Rehnvall has a heck of a design eye and a knack for spotting innovative trends.
Duarte Blog – The best collection of storytelling and business communication tips out there.
Note and Point – If you are a presentation designer, you’ve got to check this site every day. The cream of the crop from the presentation world.
Presentation Zen – Garr Reynolds dishes out practical advice so that you can realize your presentation idea in its most beautiful form.
This is Indexed – When standard graphs, venn diagrams, and metaphors just won’t do, this delightful and witty collection of infographics is sure to inspire.
Presentation Tips
And finally, here are helpful presentation resources to leverage when it’s time to give a presentation. Use these to tailor your presentation to specific audiences:
Learn how to produce effective presentations for top management
Find out how to present to venture capitalists and other investors
How to give an amazing product demonstration
http://www.sliderocket.com/blog/2010/11/presentation-resources-guide/
By John Rode on November 11, 2010
We all want to tell an engaging story and captivate our audience with stunning slides. But it’s not always an easy thing to do, which is why we’re providing a free guide to creative presentation resources. Use these to get inspired, liven-up your presentation technique, and create fantastic visuals. Tell us about your favorite source for presentation help and we’ll include them in future editions!
Creative Stories and Anecdotes
Nothing will help your audience relate to you and your message more than stories and anecdotes. But sometimes it’s a challenge to find ones that relate to your topic and draw your audience in. Here are some creative presentation resources for developing anecdotes:
Awesome Stories – countless fictional and non-fictional stories in a variety of categories such as famous trials, biographies, movies, history, religion, and sports.
Anecdotage.Com – home to the largest collection of celebrity anecdotes and quotes on the Internet.
Story Arts – an educational Web site with stories to enhance speaking and facilitate improved listening.
Choosing Your Method
Many presenters, particularly novices, struggle to find a presentation style that works best for them. Use the methodology of these leaders as a presentation resource – Incredible Presentations – Presentation Methods. If you’re short on time, here is a summary of the 5 creative presentation methods:
The Takahashi Method calls for simplicity resulting in clarity and attention to the speaker—the use of very large type and few words, or a single image or photo with no accompanying words.
The Lessig Method calls for multiple slides (even hundreds)—each with only a brief quote, a short sentence—delivered in rapid-fire pace to prevent the audience from growing bored.
The Godin Method focuses on selecting striking accompanying visuals to enhance messages appropriately.
The Monta Method emulates the game show style of posing questions and hiding answers to build audience participation and engagement.
Visually Awesome Fonts
Tired of Arial, Times New Roman, and other boring, over-used type styles? Here’s a variety of Web sites and other helpful presentation resources devoted to the creation, sharing, distribution, and use of unique, visually appealing fonts.
Free Internet fonts at Dafont with over 10,000 free fonts matching themes and celebrating holidays; and 1001 Free Fonts is a primary source of free new fonts with more than 30,000 commercial fonts.
Fee-based Font Sites
1.Adobe Type Library
2.Bitstream
3.MyFonts
4.Ascender Corporation
5.FontMarketplace
6.FontSelector
Get the full scoop on fonts from this blog post: Incredible Presentations – Awesome Font Resources
Amazing Video
Many presenters look to audio to enhance their visuals and stimulate the senses. Music and a variety of sounds can help make a presentation memorable. Here are some great presentation resources for adding audio.
Musicshake – allows users to easily create their own music clips using more than 80,000 copyright-free samples.
Royalty-Free – other royalty-free audio presentation resources offering a wide variety of music and other audio include Royalty-Free Music, Presentation Magazine, Audio Micro, and Sound Ideas.
Make Your Own Audio – create your own unique sound using any of several software apps, including Sony, Adobe Soundbooth, Dexster Audio Editor, FX Audio Editor, or Acoustica, which all run about $40 to $60 each. For studio quality sound, try Adobe Audition or Sony Vegas Pro which will cost you several hundred dollars. For free audio programs, try Aviary’s Myna, Audacity or Wavosaur.
Find more audio presentation resources at Incredible Presentations – 5 Amazing Audio Resources.
Getting Inspired
Visual communications, especially presentations, are an opportunity to distill complex information into digestible pieces. Here’s a collection of visual communication blogs to inspire your next great presentation.
Vision Jar – Johanna Rehnvall has a heck of a design eye and a knack for spotting innovative trends.
Duarte Blog – The best collection of storytelling and business communication tips out there.
Note and Point – If you are a presentation designer, you’ve got to check this site every day. The cream of the crop from the presentation world.
Presentation Zen – Garr Reynolds dishes out practical advice so that you can realize your presentation idea in its most beautiful form.
This is Indexed – When standard graphs, venn diagrams, and metaphors just won’t do, this delightful and witty collection of infographics is sure to inspire.
Presentation Tips
And finally, here are helpful presentation resources to leverage when it’s time to give a presentation. Use these to tailor your presentation to specific audiences:
Learn how to produce effective presentations for top management
Find out how to present to venture capitalists and other investors
How to give an amazing product demonstration
http://www.sliderocket.com/blog/2010/11/presentation-resources-guide/
martedì 21 dicembre 2010
Il Messaggero - the winning campaign and those alike
Check this post Il Messaggero - the winning campaign and those alike from BootB Blog: Unlimited Creativity:
All roads lead to Rome.
And that was exactly the case of the Pitch run on BootB by Il Messaggero, the reference newspaper of the journalistic landscape of Rome. The objective of the creative Brief, a very well written one by the way, was a re-launch campaign to restate its commitment towards its readers and its territory � Il Messaggero has always been the newspaper made for Rome and for all Romans.
No wonder, not one but 5 Creators had submitted Solutions with the same creative direction: the old story of Rome. This is absolutely natural, especially when the Brief provides clear instructions and the participating Creators are good professionals.
Among all 157 Solutions the Brand has chosen the one submitted by lsepartners, Solution that brings back some of the most famous episodes of the history of Rome. While having a different layout, the idea behind this proposal, was identical to the one used by 4 other Creators. Therefore we are now making them all public to clear any doubts that might have arisen.
This is the winning Solution, number 103, called �Da Sempre� (For all time) and signed lsepartners.
And here are the other proposals built around the same idea: the history of Rome and the legacy of Il Messaggero.
Solution number 5, called �Il Messaggero and Its Story� submitted by ragazzi.
Solution number 31, �We�ve always been here� signed marcosiracusa.
Solution number 35,�Messaggero for Rome� published by marcolucidiud.
Solution number 77, published by vally21 with the title �Il Messaggero, the News in Rome�.
We sincerely congratulate all 5 Creators!
Find your presentation Yoda � 7 books to make you awesome
Check this post Find your presentation Yoda � 7 books to make you awesome from SlideRocket Online Presentation Software:
Looking for inspiration, guidance and tips on how to develop good presentation skills?� We�ve provided ample presentation resources to put you on course. But we heard from the presentation community that we should have included presentation books. So, here are the 7 we recommend you explore to get the critical help you sometimes need and perhaps find your long lost presentation skills coach.What would a post about improving your presentation skills be without an actual presentation? View this creative presentation to learn more about the books we recommend. If you�re a SlideRocket customer we�re happy to share it into your account to use as inspiration or a template for you own presentations. Just follow the instructions on slide #9.
These books challenge the conventional approaches to creating a presentation. They span the creation and delivery of presentations, realizing the connection between thought, visualization and communication. Doing it right is a complex undertaking. But these books from the best presentation coaches excel at breaking down good presentation skills for us.
Slideology & Resonate, by Nancy Duarte
Nancy Duarte contributes two books to the list � Slideology and her new book Resonate. Taken together, they stretch your mind to look beyond traditional approaches to creating PowerPoint slides. The concepts are fascinating and a deep dive into building your presentation skills.
Presentation Zen, by Garr Reynolds
Garr Reynolds has emerged as the go-to presentation skills coach for those looking for a fresh approach to presentations. He advocates that the presentation should reinforce what the speaker is saying and not try to tell the story itself. What�s the risk in reading this book? Finding out how bad your presentations really are.
Boring to Bravo, by Kristin Arnold
Open this book to any page and you�ll be granted a new skill to become a better presenter. Even if you�ve read it before, it behooves you to read it again as you gear-up for your next presentation. Kristin�s practical advice and coaching is refreshing, calming, and helps you devise a solid presentation strategy.
The Back of the Napkin, by Dan Roam
Dan Roam�s presentation philosophy is that simple visual thinking helps solve complex problems. He imprints his message by using the standard cocktail napkin and stick figures to explain complicated concepts. Dan�s steps and rules give structure to the cocktail party.
Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, by Carmine Gallo
With Steve Jobs as the shining example, Carmine Gallo breaks down effective presentation skills to help us concentrate on the core of our presentation. Get at the big idea, communicate why it matters to you, and find the point of true connection with the audience. Will you drink the Steve Jobs Kool-Aid?
Beyond Bullet Points, by Cliff Atkinson
Cliff Atkinson provides the antidote for the PowerPoint and bullet point addicted. With a foot firmly planted in Microsoft�s PowerPoint, Cliff pushes the reader to flesh-out the story before dumping all that wonderful information into a presentation.
Bill Gates o Steve Jobs? Google risponde coi libri
Check this post Bill Gates o Steve Jobs? Google risponde coi libri from wired - Wired.it:
Dopo aver digitalizzato 5 milioni di libri, Big G permette di scavare nell'evoluzione culturale umana. E allora: più televisione, radio o Internet? Quale browser è il più citato? Scopritelo con noi
Social Business Forecast: 2011 The Year of Integration: le slide di Jeremiah Owyang
Check this post Social Business Forecast: 2011 The Year of Integration: le slide di Jeremiah Owyang from IAB:
Oggi vi segnaliamo le interessanti slide di Jeremiah Owyang presentate a LeWeb 2010, "Social Business Forecast: 2011 The Year of Integration", una ricerca che pone l'accento sull'integrazione, sulla pubblicit� e sulle misurazioni.
The first rule of doing work that matters
Check this post The first rule of doing work that matters from Seth's Blog:
Go to work on a regular basis.Art is hard. Selling is hard. Writing is hard. Making a difference is hard.
When you're doing hard work, getting rejected, failing, working it out--this is a dumb time to make a situational decision about whether it's time for a nap or a day off or a coffee break.
Zig taught me this twenty years ago. Make your schedule before you start. Don't allow setbacks or blocks or anxiety to push you to say, "hey, maybe I should check my email for a while, or you know, I could use a nap." If you do that, the lizard brain is quickly trained to use that escape hatch again and again.
Isaac Asimov wrote and published 400 (!) books using this technique.
The first five years of my solo business, when the struggle seemed neverending, I never missed a day, never took a nap. (I also committed to ending the day at a certain time and not working on the weekends. It cuts both ways.)
In short: show up.
MOBILE MARKETING ASSOCIATION TO BUILD MOBILE PRIVACY GUIDELINES FOR THRIVING MARKETPLACE (DECEMBER 2010)
Check this post MOBILE MARKETING ASSOCIATION TO BUILD MOBILE PRIVACY GUIDELINES FOR THRIVING MARKETPLACE (DECEMBER 2010) from MMA RSS Feed:
MOBILE MARKETING ASSOCIATION TO BUILD MOBILE PRIVACY GUIDELINES
22 Essential Resources for Android Owners
Check this post 22 Essential Resources for Android Owners from Mashable | The Social Media Guide � Mobile Feed:
If you have an Android device in need of apps, boy do we have some tools and resources for you. The holidays are fast approaching and whether you're stuck at your grandmother's house or working overtime, we've got a list of Android apps and tools to help you have a little fun, while away the hours, or get that last piece of work done and out.This list has a wide range of apps including popular games like Angry Birds, photography tools like FXCamera, and business apps like Box.net.Read through for some sweet pics for your Android device and let us know in the comments below which were the most fun (or useful).Image courtesy of Flickr, lwallenstein.Reviews: Android, Android Market, Angry Birds, Flickr, YouTube, iPhone
- 6 Essential Android Apps for Business Travel If you own an Android smartphone, you can make your life a lot easier with apps that enhance your business productivity while you're on the go.
- Access Your Business Documents from Your Android Device Cloud storage and collaboration platform Box.net has just released its Box for Android app to the Android Market.
- New Android App Controls YouTube on Your TV YouTube�s made-for-TV product, YouTube Leanback, now has a complementary remote control in the form of a mobile application � YouTube Remote for Android.
- Dr. Seuss Apps Come to Android Whether you have a little one to entertain or whether the little one within you is still going strong, you'll be pleased to know that two Dr. Seuss apps have arrived in the Android Market just in time for the holidays.
- 9 Free Mobile Apps for Exploring New York City Want to get the most out of NYC (or just find the nearest public bathroom)? These nine free apps can help you navigate the big apple.
- 10 Mobile Apps for Movie Addicts For those who want to get the most out of the movie watching experience, check out these 10 mobile apps for iPhone, iPad and Android.
- HOW TO: Start Developing for iOS, Android or Windows Phone 7 We�ve traversed the web, the bookstore and bugged our developer friends to find some of the best resources � online and off � for the beginning mobile app developer.
- 10 Amazing Android Photographs We�ve been really impressed with what people have been snapping with iPhones, so we decided to take a look and see whether Android owners were also coming up with the goods.
- 5 Mobile Apps for Finding Great Movies With hundreds of cable and satellite channels, 30-screen multiplexes, and lots of online video sites, answering the question �What should I watch?� can be difficult.
- Why You Need an Android Device This Holiday Season Got your eye on a new smartphone for the new year? Here's why we love our Android devices on a variety of carriers.
- The Mobile Photo Sharing Boom Is Here Entrepreneurs and investors are now starting to build or invest in mobile-only photo sharing applications that take advantage of better mobile cameras. Here's why.
- So You Got an Android Device This Holiday Season: Now What? Here's a concise list of the Android apps and accessories that we couldn't live without.
- 8 Best Android Apps for Photo Editing If you're looking to do a little more with your device's built-in camera, zoom in on these handy photo editors.
- 8 Best Android Apps for Health and Fitness Whether you want to get in shape or stay that way, your trusty Android and these eight apps can help.
- 5 Amazing Android Apps for Baseball Fans 'Tis the season -- baseball season of course. Keep up on all the stats, scores, and insider info with these great apps. It's like having Peter Gammons in your pocket, only way cooler.
- HOW TO: Turn Your Android Phone Into a Killer MP3 Player Just because you shun the "iMusic" lifestyle doesn't mean you can't keep an awesome tune library at your side. Check out these tips for transforming your Android phone into a music hub.
- 5 Free Android Apps for Web Developers Need to check some code or write a script on the go? Unchain yourself from the desktop with these handy and free developer apps.
- 6 Free Android Apps That Will Make You Drop Your iPhone Sure, the iPhone has thousands of great apps. But it doesn't have these!
- 7 Mind-Blowing Free Android Apps Not all apps are about utility. Some are just plain awesome. Check out the ones in here.
- Twitter for Android: The Official/Unofficial App Smackdown Which is best? The developer offerings, or Twitter's recent official release? This post puts 'em to the test.
- Free Multiplayer Android Games [3 of the Best] As the mobile gaming market grows, so to does the potential for mobile multiplayer action. Check out these three interesting offerings.
- 3 News Apps for Android Compared While news reader apps abound, official mobile apps from established news organizations are still scarce. Here's a look at some that are leading the way.
For more Mobile coverage:
- Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter
- Become a Fan on Facebook
- Subscribe to the Mobile channel
- Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad
martedì 14 dicembre 2010
Foursquare Surpasses 5 Million Users
Check this post Foursquare Surpasses 5 Million Users from Mashable | The Social Media Guide � Mobile Feed:
It's official: Foursquare has 5 million users, increasing its user base by a factor of 10 in just nine months.The revelation was made by Foursquare co-founder and CEO Dennis Crowley on the stage of the LeWeb Conference in Paris. He noted that the geosocial service surpassed the 5 million mark late last week.Compare that milestone to March of this year. At SXSW 2010, the company announced it had more than half a million users. In April, it surpassed 1 million and has been on fire ever since. Now the company has 5 million users, more than 10 times it had in March.Early last week it was reported that Foursquare had surpassed the 5 million user mark. Those reports were based on Foursquare having more than 5 million user IDs, not actual users though. Here's what Foursquare told us about the matter:"Though there are over 5 million user IDs in the foursquare community, our user IDs don't necessarily match up to our actual number of user accounts. That said, we do expect to hit 5 million next week."Crowley was also grilled by LeWeb and Seesmic founder Loic Le Meur on rumored acquisition offers from Facebook and Yahoo earlier this year. He essentially confirmed that Facebook made an acquisition offer for the company and hinted that another party (most likely Yahoo) made a $140 million bid for Foursquare as well.Reviews: Facebook, Seesmic, foursquareFor more Mobile coverage:
- Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter
- Become a Fan on Facebook
- Subscribe to the Mobile channel
- Download our free apps for Android, iPhone and iPad
The Top Ten Best (and Worst) Communicators of 2010
Check this post The Top Ten Best (and Worst) Communicators of 2010 from Decker Blog:
This Annual List of Top Ten Communicators of 2010 highlights the best (and worst) from business, politics (big this year), entertainment, sports and the professions. Take a look to see how communication skills helped make or break these notable individuals:The 10 Best
1. Sebasti�n Pi�era � Excellence above and below the surface
The rescue of the Chile miners was the miracle � and the communications orchestrated by President Sebasti�n Pi�era amplified the miracle to the world. Yes, he spoke brilliantly to the mass media at the end, showing emotion, purpose, hope � and brevity. And yes, he was there for the full 35 hours of rescue, not just the photo op. As the last miner is rescued, you can see the real joy on his face. But in addition, he orchestrated the communications from start to finish � insisting on transparency, placing video cameras in the mines when they weren�t sure they could even rescue the miners, and then he arranged the unusual, dramatic and excellent world wide coverage of the day and a half of rescue. Because of this, and more, Pi�era is unanimous choice for #1 Communicator of 2010.
2. Scott Brown � Refreshing face and voice
It seems so long ago with the November elections, but in January this Massachusett�s unknown took the country by storm in winning a stunning upset in the Senate race for Ted Kennedy�s vacant seat. He was a fresh personality, with refreshing spontaneity. And he marked the beginning of the conservative movement in this election year, but had to run a great campaign to overcome the Democratic lean of his district. He needed more than his truck, and the help of the Tea Party � he needed great communicating in situations formal and informal, and he delivered. His victory speech is a classic � expect to hear a lot more from him.
3. Sandra Bullock � Grace under pressure
From winning the Academy Award in March to responding to the press and pressure around her unfaithful soon-to-be ex-husband, Sandra Bullock made all the right moves � naturally. She is always authentic whether accepting her Award on a stage in front of millions, or keeping appropriately silent under the relenting barrage of the paparazzi. Then when it came time to speak, she did so publicly and eloquently. And naturally. True grace under pressure.
4. Admiral Thad Allen � Rock solid under pressure
In the initial confusion surrounding the BP Oil Spill in the gulf, what better spokesperson for the Government than the forthright, even gruff, Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen. His voice is tough, he is no nonsense in manner, and almost always was armed with the facts. The Admiral was experienced, as in his handling of the Cosco Busan oil spill in San Francisco a few years earlier. His press conferences and interviews may not have been interesting, but that was not his communicating role. It was to bring stability and an air of competence to the proceedings. That he did.
5. Marco Rubio � Articulate power makes a new political star
Relatively unknown, Marco Rubio was trailing Florida�s incumbent Governor by double digits and went on to beat him in the Republican primary for Senate. He went on to beat the both the Democrat opponent as well as Governor Crist as an independent in November, and by an amazing double digits in a three man race. Yes, an attractive fresh face and one who will always refer to himself as an �exile,� but a great communicator as well. Already people are mentioning him as a potential Presidential contender with this burst upon the national scene. Confident, strong voiced and articulate, he should go far.
6. Luke Russert � Chip off the old block, beyond his years
Luke is the son of Tim Russert, himself one of the Top Ten Communicators of 2008, but that�s not why Luke is here. Although he was given national exposure through his father and famous mother Maureen Orth, he took advantage of it to show his capability. Years of work in news and sportscasting has made him excellent beyond his young 25 years, and landed him a job with NBC. One highlight where he confronts Rep. Charlie Rangel and doesn�t back down. Luke Russert is worthy of filling his father�s large shoes in the years to come.
7. Buster Posey � Speaks softly, but carries a big stick
Rookie of the Year. World Series winner. And humility with homer busting power, that�s Buster. His response to the question �Don�t you realize you had an epic night?� is classic, and typical. Buster Posey is a refreshing change from athletes who are both full of themselves and can�t speak very well. We guess that his young looks help him as counterpoint to his strength and skill, but for communications � there is no one on the same par this year that represents the humble leader. Remember, he�s the catcher for the World Champion San Francisco Giants as a rookie, and the catcher is the leader on the field. Quite a feat in your first year. And he doesn�t crow about it.
8. Elizabeth Smart � Character and maturity
She walks tall, physically and mentally. Elizabeth is a remarkably mature 21 year old now, who experienced horror at 14 young years, and recently talked about it for three days in court. She gives straightforward detail of her kidnap and rape and nine months imprisonment, with no sensationalism in her candid testimony. Although the world could not see her live in court, you can envision the calm ability of this young woman. It is captured here in a powerful interview on Oprah, and now it is here in a live statement after the trial � she was just as impressive.
9. Emmitt Smith � A winner at many things
An all time Dallas Cowboys All Pro, Emmitt this year is a Hall of Famer. On top of that, he� is also a winner at communicating. Elected into the NFL Hall Of Fame this year, he gave an outstanding speech � in which he prepared well, and was emotional yet powerful. (We blogged on this in a surprising comparison to Jerry Rice, who is usually prepared�) Seems Emmitt Smith is always prepared whether in football, speaking, or even dancing! He won �Dancing With The Stars� a couple of years ago, and showed another charming facet of his communicating side � spontaneity and grace. He�s taken one career and leveraged it into a lot more with his speaking personality and preparation. Unique combination � unique individual.
10. Steve Jobs � Just has to be in the Top Ten, again
Although he has been �The Best� and on several other of our other Top Ten lists, he so stands out from the pack of public CEO�s that he rates making this year�s list too. This year he was also the subject of a book on presentation secrets, and again the most anticipated executive on a public platform as he announces some new software. Can you imagine, no new iPad or iPhone but just some nice upgrade, and he still makes the front pages of the financial sections. Jobs will go down as one of the very few CEO �rock stars� in the business world. Guess it�s deserving of the personification of the Apple brand now that they are publishing Beatles songs in iTunes this year.
The Top Ten Worst Communicators of 2010
1. Tony Hayward � Appalling
�I want my life back,� said Hayward as a complaint for his extra stress as BP CEO during the Gulf Oil spill. Unbelievable comment, when people had lost their lives, literally, and millions more were terribly affected by BP incompetence. We blogged on it back in June, and it is even worse now that all the facts come out. Even in a sponsored BP TV Ad Hayward is not believable. Terrible personal communications by this ex-CEO for dozens of reasons that go beyond deception and self-centeredness. Even after he lost his job he still continues to whine, and is now the poster child for how NOT to handle a media disaster � both in choice of words and behavior.
2. Dick Fuld � Never learned
Ex-CEO Dick Fuld was right at the top of our 2008 Top Ten Worst list for his pitiful congressional testimony about the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, of which he appeared to be a very guilty leader. You think he�d have learned some communication skills in the intervening two years, but no. He�s back this year � different testimony but same story. He never learned how to NOT be defensive, look guilty, not answer questions, show arrogance, etc. Hope he doesn�t go before congress again�
3. Christine O�Donnell, Joe Miller, Alvin Greene � Not ready for Prime Time
Shooting stars, that quickly flamed out. These three candidates were representative of many new faces in the November elections that were bright and newsworthy, but were not ready for the glare of the lights. Christine O�Donnell speaks well and with a smile, and Sarah Palin helped her cause, but she couldn�t hold it together what with the witch talk (and a very unfortunate witch ad,) poor media and, many felt, a lack of content. (You need sizzle AND steak.) Joe Miller in Alaska let controversy and mis-handling of the press stalk his Senatorial campaign, and thus allowed a very rare write-in campaign victory for incumbent Lisa Murkowski. (Good communicators don�t lie.) And Alvin Greene in South Carolina remains a mystery � little credentials and little campaign adds up to no victory. In all cases, people who initially appear as rockets fizzle out without the right fuel � substance.
4. Gordon Brown � Consistent stumbler
I suppose if this list originated in the UK ex-Premier Brown might be #1 worst, but he�s a close second. Much has been written on Brown�s poor speaking by UK author and communications expert Max Atkinson, several posts referenced here. He was made fun of on the floor and he was disparaged behind the scenes. Never very energetic or accomplished as a communicator in the first place, he proceeded to make several gaffes in his election campaign. The most notable was not only making a foolish comment when he thought he was off camera (called a lady �a bigoted woman�), but how he responded to the press about the incident. From then on his speaking was even lower energy � a degree of listlessness where he seemed to think he should lose. And of course, he did.
5. Mel Gibson � Rant after rant
Where�s a publicist with some duct tape when you need one? Mel Gibson has managed to morph himself from respected leading actor to a raving madman through his communication in a matter of years. We thought he had learned, as he was on our Top Ten Worst in 2006, but no, this year was even worse. Instead of thinking before he speaks, Mel lets venom burst out of his mouth, leaving anyone who still watches him in awe. His personal rants have damaged his professional career, and now people view him as a loose cannon with a questionable character.
6. Jan Brewer � Inconsistent stumbler
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer is not a bad communicator, usually. She gained political capital by leading Arizona in adopting a controversial immigration law. And she spoke well in interviews early on. But the lesson that she never learned was to not run the mouth until the mind is in gear. In one particularly bad news day, during a campaign debate, she first blanked out for 16 seconds, had earlier made a mistatement on �beheadings� in the desert, then handled the follow up questions very poorly. She later admitted she was wrong, and her political capital enabled her to win the election in spite of her communications errors.
7. Eric Massa � How can one believe?
Still a mystery � here�s an elected official who resigned abruptly, made a lot of communicating noise about why (�groping� becomes �tickling�,) probably to outshout the sex abuse attacks that he knew would follow. He was even subject of an hour long Glenn Beck interview as part of the brief uproar, and Beck found him talkative, but unbelievable. He remains a mystery except for his obvious obfuscation (as on Larry King) � well, probably downright lying. Perhaps his strategy worked since he was neither arrested nor fired, and he quickly disappeared from the scene.� But talk without substance will not get you anywhere in your communications, unless you are covering up.
8. Bertha Lewis � Like many under scrutiny, talks with forked tongue
Actually this Worst Communicator speaks pretty well, if you had a pure blind faith in what she said, and her leadership of ACORN. As CEO she was under scrutiny, and apparently confronts arrows of attack until there are just too many to ward off. Then, like most CEO�s, politicians and government officials who are accused of misdoing, she becomes unbelievable in what she is saying. She still says it well, but in the end it is rare that misrepresentation and bad content can overcome a good style of delivery � particularly in the long run.
9. Harry Reid � This politician is no stem-winder
Nevada Senator Harry Reid should have won in a landslide � long time incumbent and Majority Leader of his party in Washington he was running against and inexperienced and mistake laden candidate. Yet he barely eked out a victory because of his lack of communicating ability. It�s a wonder that he won before � soft voiced, monotone, unfocused messages. Even his own President Obama said made fun of his speaking, and said, �Let�s face it, Harry�s not the flashiest guy�� And perhaps the icing on this non-communicating cake was his recent loooooong story about football � on the Senate floor no less (5? AND boring.) His focus could have been a lot better when he was supposed to be leading the Senate in serious business. We hate to have so many politicians on the list this year, but since it�s an election year we couldn�t leave Harry out.
10. Obama � Cadence, teleprompters and arrogance gets him here
The President almost always has to be somewhere on the Top Ten list. And President Obama has gone a long way, the wrong way, after landing the #1 Best spot in 2006 and 2008. He has actually regressed as a communicator since taking office. Needing to give numerous ghost-written speeches a day has left Obama disastrously reliant on the teleprompter � a tool he has not learned to use effectively. (Funny parody here.) His vocal tone and facial expressions no longer convey the passion and enthusiasm that rallied Americans to elect him in 2008. Often, his style is professorial, his content purely informational, and he�s adopted a sing-songy cadence that is only amusing when spoofed by SNL. It�s no accident that his slide as a communicator parallels his slipping popularity. Communications can carry, or bury, a presidency.
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