Content about Donald Knuth

March 7, 2012
Why People Don’t Remember You
The reality is that if you sell complex solutions, for example, it’s difficult enough to get people to understand what you do in the first place, much less enable them to remember what you do a few days later. That’s where your “unique sales stories” come in. They not only enable people to understand what you do, they also enable them to repeat your story to others.

By Mark Satterfield

To set the stage for what I’m about to share, let’s focus on something that would appear to be “a blinding grasp of the obvious.”

In order to get more referrals, people need to know who you are and what you do. You need to be top of mind when opportunities arise for people to send business your way. Now, if you sell a tangible product, this may be relatively easy. Need tires? Go to Bob. But what about when you sell services, especially high-value services that don’t lend themselves to a 10-second elevator pitch?

February 3, 2012
What a Synergist Is and Why You Should Care

The single, most basic difference between an ineffective group interaction and a highly productive one lies in the existence of a single component—the role of the Synergist, says Les McKeown, author of “The Synergist.” Introducing the Synergist role to your people interactions, he says, blows past the lengthy and complex list of all possible symptoms of team and group dysfunction, and instead concentrates on just one thing: the single root cause of team and group dysfunction.

By Les McKeown

If you’re involved with any group of people who are trying to achieve common goals—whether by leading a Fortune 500 company or volunteering part-time at a kid’s soccer league—you soon become acutely aware that those goals will be achieved only through the work of the people in the group.

Put simply, organizations don’t succeed in and of themselves—they succeed only through individuals,working in groups and teams.

November 23, 2011
It’s All in Your Head

Verizon Wireless’ Critical Thinking training program helps leaders make better decisions and stimulates new thinking that can drive breakthrough innovation.

By Lorri Freifeld

November 10, 2011
Supercompetent Speaking: Pre-Presentation Preparations

Good presenters spend time preparing for speeches, both in the long and short terms. Earlier columns have reviewed long-term preparation; here we’ll discuss the practical steps you can take immediately before an event to maximize impact and value for the audience.

By Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, NSA President

Good presenters spend time preparing for speeches, both in the long and short terms. Earlier columns have reviewed long-term preparation; in this article, let’s discuss the practical steps you can take immediately before an event to maximize impact and value for the audience. As your presentation comes down to the wire, keep these tips in mind:

October 7, 2011
When You Meet for the First Time

When you’re meeting with someone—for example, a new customer or a potential vendor—you will get more from that meeting if you understand learning preferences.

By Jason W. Womack, MEd, MA

When you’re meeting with someone—for example, a new customer or a potential vendor—you will get more from that meeting if you understand learning preferences. During a discussion, I once heard a client say, “I have a clear picture of what you’re talking about.” I did not understand—we were on the phone, and I hadn’t sent anything to look at ahead of time.

October 5, 2011
7 Steps to a Drama-Free Office

Reflect on the last week and think about all the infighting, water-cooler talk, meaningless meetings, turf wars, pouting, rants, and other behaviors that blocked positive, productive interactions in your organization. By following seven steps, you can shift yourself (and your team) away from drama to more enjoyable and productive tasks.

By Kaley Klemp and Jim Warner

If you work with other people (and who doesn’t?), reflect on the last week and notice how much time you wasted in drama: the energy-draining behaviors or exchanges that keep you from what you really want to be doing. Think about all the infighting, water-cooler talk, meaningless meetings, turf wars, pouting, rants, and other behaviors that blocked positive, productive interactions in your organization.

August 11, 2011
Supercompetent Speaking: 4 Tips to Maximize Vocal Skills

Your voice creates an immediate impression—and needless to say, that impression must be a good one. Among other things, it’s a powerful indicator of your emotional state, including how you feel about your topic and the people you deliver it to. It follows, then, that you must learn to use your voice as a musician would use an instrument, to deliver your message with precise, positive emphasis.

By Laura Stack, MBA, CSP

As a speaker, you communicate your message through your spoken words and your body language. However, the characteristics of your vocal delivery will have a tremendous impact on whether your message lands. The most brilliant message can come across as dry and boring if delivered insipidly, whereas a dull message can come alive if delivered with enthusiasm and energy.

July 6, 2011
Negotiating the Employment Contract

If you’re a corporate executive trying to recruit top talent, and your prized candidate says, “Show me the money,” and you don’t have it, you need to know a smart way out of the box. It’s increasingly important to know how to use the employment contract as an attractive recruiting tool without giving away your company.

By Robert A. Adelson, Partner, Engel & Schultz, LLP

If you are a high-tech, marketing, or life sciences executive changing jobs, you could lose a lot of money or “crater” your career if you aren’t aware of opportunities in negotiating your new employment contract. If your skills and experience are what the company needs most, then you deserve—and can negotiate—terms commensurate with your value.

June 22, 2011
How Attitudes Toward Change Affect Decision-Making

Change style assessment creator Chris Musselwhite knows firsthand how personal change style preferences can not only make you more effective in times of crisis or change, they also can help you make better decisions on a daily basis. “Depending on whether people see change as a danger, a challenge, or an opportunity,” he says, “they have corresponding individual preferences that reflect their relationship and reaction to structure, rules, and authority when dealing and making decisions involving change.”

By Tracy C. F. Brown

Change style assessment creator Chris Musselwhite knows firsthand how personal change style preferences can not only make you more effective in times of crisis or change, they also can help you make better decisions on a daily basis.

October 13, 2010
What’s Your ROR (Return on Relationships)?

To create an organization with a culture that’s steeped in relational competence—that is committed to deep, meaningful relationships—you need to start with each individual within the organization. These types of relationships and customer service will change you and your life for the better. They’ll change your career. And they’ll change the organization you work for. And by doing that, they can—and will—change the world.

By Tommy Spaulding

We were heading to the airport in a heavy snowstorm, but that didn’t matter because sunny Mexico awaited! A weeklong pre-Christmas vacation at a friend’s home in Cabo San Lucas—what could be better?

Well, one thing could have been better: Driving to the airport withour airline tickets, passports, and my wallet.