From Speechwriter to Zoomwriter
A lot of my friends from politics still think of me as “the speechwriter.” It must be how William Shatner feels — no one talks to him about TJ Hooker, or Boston Legal or Rescue 911 or his albums or books — everyone thinks of him as Captain Kirk. It doesn’t matter what else he accomplishes in life, he’s always going to be the “to boldly go” guy. I feel for him. At the same time, it’s a darn good thing I’m not (just) a speechwriter right now. Because, frankly, there aren’t a lot of speeches being delivered to live, in-person audiences during COVID.
What The West Wing Can Teach Us About Business
In politics, issues move fast. You can come back from lunch (that is, if you can get away from your desk) and find out a cabinet minister has resigned, there’s been a shooting and somehow the world has changed.
Is Video Conferencing Putting Your Reputation on the Line?
Whenever a new technology becomes widespread, it takes a while for the social rules to catch up. The same is true for Zoom and other video conferencing tools.
Sometimes, Being Good Means Saying Nothing
In a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, I argued that a lot of businesses are communicating the wrong way during the COVID-19 crisis. Frankly, just because I gave you my email when I bought a product from you in 2012, that doesn’t mean I want to hear from you now.