I delivered my Writing Without Bullshit workshop and seminar this morning to 72 people at the Content Marketing Conference. When you are in front of an audience, you can immediately tell what resonates — you hear laughter, see heads nodding, and hear a warm murmur of sympathy. So what resonated with these writers? “81% of…
On April 21, 2008, ten years ago, Charlene Li and I celebrated the publication of our Harvard Business Press book Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies. It was the first book for each of us. It made an impact, selling over 150,000 copies. Ten years later, I’d like to talk about how…
It is very exciting to work with your company. As a one-person operation, I work with other individuals, small businesses, and huge companies. When I work with big companies, there is a lot of potential for growth. I am just wondering, is there a requirement that I must go through some sort of pain before…
I have been relentlessly focused on accomplishment. Reaching for the top is fun, but I need to pay more attention to what’s happening as I’m climbing. I don’t know where in my youth I developed the obsession to always reach for more, but it has always been there. SAT scores, graduating top of my class,…
When you’re reconnecting with someone you haven’t seen in a while — months, years, decades — what do you say? I’m changing the way I make conversation. There are basically three ways to answer the question “So, how have you been?” Brag You can start ticking off the accomplishments. Since I am an accomplishment- and…
Starting today and for at least the next year, I will focus my work on this question: What is the evolving dynamic between truth and influence, and what should you do about it? What do I mean by truth and influence? Here’s how I define these terms: Truth refers to the insights that research creates….
It’s been a hell of a year, and every month was filled with its share of bullshit. So let’s review 2017 through the lens of the most popular Without Bullshit posts in every month. January: “What’s really wrong with millennials?” asks Simon Sinek Simon Sinek has it all figured out. Millennials are screwed up because…
Sometimes you can’t call bullshit by its name. To avoid repetition, to write in places that prohibit curse words, or just to be more descriptive, you need synonyms. Thanks to Stephen Chrisomalis on a site called The Phrontistery, I now have a useful list of synonyms for bullshit. Here are some of my favorites. Descriptions…
I write every weekday. Christmas day is no exception. Today’s story is what happened to me on Christmas morning in New England, which didn’t quite turn out as expected. I was raised in a Jewish family and married a woman from a Christian family; as we have celebrated both traditions I’ve learned to love the…