Fix this blog
I’m redesigning this blog. The top header is coming off (wasted space). I’ll be highlighting the book and the blog posts. What else needs fixing (from a design perspective)? Your comments appreciated.
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Donald Trump, negotiator or brinksman?
Donald Trump says he is a great negotiator. But he’s actually a brinksman — a master of brinksmanship. This works great in business, where the government can bail you out. But if you crash the government, there’s no one to save you. I’ve studied negotiation with the Harvard Negotiation Project (the originators of “Getting to…
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Today, statements from US and European leaders on Brexit
My heart goes out to the people of the UK in the wake of the Brexit vote. They face the uncertain task of navigating a post-European future with, very soon, a new prime minister to succeed David Cameron. Turmoil and suffering are inevitable. But of course, here in America, we think only of ourselves (America…
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The hypocrisy of the gun-control sit-in in the House of Representatives
When our blood is boiling, we love to cheer on our causes and shout down the opposition. Is this you? “Guns — bad! Gun control — good! U.S. House of Representatives staging a sit-in to get a vote — very good! Periscope streaming to C-SPAN — great!” But hang on a second — have you really…
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Why did Lexus nav systems crash? Passive voice hides the answer.
Earlier this month, owners of late-model Lexus vehicles found their navigation systems flailing. Lexus eventually apologized, but its statement is a classic example of how to use the passive voice to evade blame — or even a clear explanation. According to Forbes, an unknown number of 2014-2016 Lexus vehicles experienced the glitch, which caused the center…
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tronc’s employee video is the opposite of inspiring
Tribune corporation produced a video to excite employees about its transformation to “tronc” (Tribune online content). The video vividly shows why it’s unlikely to succeed. Newspapers are in bad shape. And Tribune — which owns the Chicago Tribune and the LA Times, and has stumbled from owner to owner — is in particular trouble. Hence…
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Problematic oversharing in a post from Buffer CEO Joel Gascoigne
Joel Gascoigne, CEO of social media tool startup Buffer, shared a 3500-word post in which he explains why he’s laying off 10 of his 94 employees. In contrast to bloodless posts from the likes of Intel and Microsoft, it indulges a different sin: oversharing. A lot of my correspondents forwarded Gascoigne’s post to me, hoping…
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Fixing the impotence and corruption of the weight loss industry
If the weight loss industry really worked, it would put itself out of business. But there is a way out of this contradiction. It’s not easy, but the problem of weight loss is fixable. You could even help fix it. Two out of three adults are overweight or obese. Some of us are happy to…
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Ask Dr. Wobs | Corporate | Marketing | Tips
Tips for an effective executive summary (Ask Dr. Wobs)
Executive summaries are crucial for long documents. Keep them spicy and write them early, late, and often. Dear Dr. Wobs: I suspect Executive Summaries became a thing mainly to compensate for bad writing. Do you prefer to write the Summary first, or after writing the rest of the document? And if the Executive Summary is good,…
