Blaise Pascal was a 17th century French mathematical genius who spelled out the laws of probability more clearly than anyone before him. This was a watershed moment, because for the first time humanity had a systematic way of thinking about… Read More »Pascal’s Wager and Public Speaking
Blaise Pascal was a 17th century French mathematical genius who spelled out the laws of probability more clearly than anyone before him. This was a watershed moment, because for the first time humanity had a systematic way of thinking about… Read More »Pascal’s Wager and Public Speaking
Ford Harding has lifted his pen to engage with me on a subject of profound importance to sales professionals, leaders, and anyone who seeks to influence others. That subject is the emotional sea on which all decisions float. FUD (fear,… Read More »Presentation Training: FUD, GOG, Ethics and Rhetoric
FUD is Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. I first heard the term when consulting at Gartner. I was working with the analysts in preparing for a Gartner Symposium, and several of them used FUD at the start of their talks to… Read More »FUD in Public Speaking and Persuasion
What makes smart people dumb? Elizabeth Newton, a psychologist, conducted an experiment on the curse of knowledge while working on her doctorate at Stanford in 1990. She gave one set of people, called “tappers,” a list of commonly known songs… Read More »Communication Skills: Why Mr. Smarty Pants Has His Knickers in a Twist
I once had a colleague who said that everyone is in two businesses: their own, and show biz. He didn’t go far enough. Every business is show business. Business would be impossible without acting skills. Theater artists have the talent… Read More »Communication Training: The Show in Business