http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog en mike@mikeconsol.com Copyright 2010 Mike Consol 2010-09-07T06:31:07+00:00
http://www.mikeconsol.com/img/logo_mc_hdr.gif http://www.mikeconsol.com/ http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/3-steps-toward-conscious-workplace-conversations/ http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/3-steps-toward-conscious-workplace-conversations/#When:06:31:07Z Miscommunication between executives and managers and managers and employees are as much a fixture in the office as cubicles and water coolers. Still, there’s hope. It’s a three-step verbal communication technique that vastly improves workplace conversations. Here’s how it works… Verbal communication 2010-09-07T06:31:07+00:00 http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/15-corporate-blogs-worthy-of-imitation/ http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/15-corporate-blogs-worthy-of-imitation/#When:06:27:09Z If you want to publish a great corporate blog, read the best corporate blogs and learn from them. There is certainly a paucity of top-flight corporate blogs. They’re hard to find. But we’ve been given a valuable assist by the American Express’ Open Small Business site, which published an article about 15 of the best corporate blogs. Each is spotlighted for a different reason, which underscores the many options to be considered when bringing a blog into being. Here’s the rundown… Marketing, Blogging, Writing 2010-09-03T06:27:09+00:00 http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/writers-come-to-your-senses.-the-human-senses-that-is/ http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/writers-come-to-your-senses.-the-human-senses-that-is/#When:00:17:00Z Readers become fully engrossed when writing ignites all five of their senses – sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. The good writer thinks in terms of engaging one or more of the reader’s senses with each sentence, paragraph, anecdote or scene. Business writing tends to give us fewer of these opportunities because of its empirical nature. Still, those opportunities do exists. Allow me to pose a hypothetical… Writing 2010-08-31T00:17:00+00:00 http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/think-facebook-is-a-waste-check-out-these-numbers/ http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/think-facebook-is-a-waste-check-out-these-numbers/#When:03:21:10Z Many business people and marketers have come to the considered conclusion that Facebook is a teenage wasteland, unfit for promoting one’s career or company with “business” or “fan” pages. For most professionals and companies, that’s exactly right. But there are many exceptions, especially among companies with powerful brand names. Some companies have become so successful on the 500-million-member social media site they have a bigger and more meaningful following on Facebook than on their own websites. Take a look at the number of Facebook fans that have been racked up by these big-name brands… Marketing, Social Media, Web 2.0, Websites 2010-08-26T03:21:10+00:00 http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/presenters-meet-your-audience-at-the-door/ http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/presenters-meet-your-audience-at-the-door/#When:23:16:41Z Last week I wrote about the imperative that presenters arrive early to their appointed venue (5 reasons presenters MUST arrive early). I ended that post by saying there is yet another key reason to get to your destination early that I would write about in this post. And key is: To personally greet your audience members as they arrive. Several benefits come from this, including… Interviewing, Presentations, Verbal communication 2010-08-23T23:16:41+00:00 http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/the-most-powerful-word-in-the-english-language/ http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/the-most-powerful-word-in-the-english-language/#When:17:03:24Z When we use the language we want to do so with power. One strategy for doing that is to brandish powerful words that cut through our prose like sabers. But which words constitute the most powerful in the vast English repertoire is a matter of some debate. You would know that from a chat with Christy Miles. A couple of weeks ago Ms. Miles dropped this question on LinkedIn: “What do you think is the most powerful word in the world and why?” There were around 150 replies from people whose answers ranged from the flippant to earnest to philosophical. Here is a sampling of those replies, and an invitation to cast your own vote… Marketing, Verbal communication, Writing 2010-08-19T17:03:24+00:00 http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/5-reasons-presenters-must-arrive-early/ http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/5-reasons-presenters-must-arrive-early/#When:16:41:52Z I have a saying that I’ve repeated to many people in recent years: “If you’re not early you’re late.” This principle has served me well for business meetings, airline flights and all-manner of business-related engagements. It’s most critical to adhere to this principle when you’re heading to a venue where you’ll be making a presentation of any kind. Here are five reasons why it’s essential in those circumstances to arrive early – and what goes wrong when you don’t… Presentations, Verbal communication 2010-08-16T16:41:52+00:00 http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/turning-simplicity-into-your-guiding-business-principle/ http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/turning-simplicity-into-your-guiding-business-principle/#When:03:48:16Z I’ve said it before on this blog – simplicity is always more powerful than complexity.  Some firms are better at putting simplicity into practice than others. One of them is an award-winning branding firm out of New York. Its motto is “simple is smart.” Take a look at how it brings simplicity to bear and what a powerful force it can become in your life… Marketing, Websites, Writing 2010-08-12T03:48:16+00:00 http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/three-ways-to-emotionally-connect-and-influence-your-audience/ http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/three-ways-to-emotionally-connect-and-influence-your-audience/#When:00:31:09Z Anytime we do any type of public speaking we want to be persuasive. To do that, we must intellectually and emotionally connect with the audience. Logic makes people think, emotion makes them act. But how do we emotionally connect with our audience? That requires these three actions… Marketing, Presentations, Verbal communication 2010-08-10T00:31:09+00:00 http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/why-we-write-why-it-hurts-why-it-pleases/ http://www.mikeconsol.com/index.php/blog/why-we-write-why-it-hurts-why-it-pleases/#When:16:33:30Z People are writing their heads off these days. More people than ever have joined the writing life. Why we write was the topic of the July 29 edition of the National Public Radio program Talk of the Nation. It featured a few published authors as guests, but quickly opened the phones to callers who write, whether as a vocation or avocation. So why do people write? For many different reasons. Here are some of the musings and reasons offered by guests and callers to the program… Writing 2010-08-04T16:33:30+00:00