BLArticle®
The personal touch of a blog; the informative touch of an article.
The Words Between The Words
Let me set the stage for you: You are about to walk into a high-pressure situation, and there’s a lot riding on the conversation that’s about to take place. This isn’t just any conversation, but one that requires you to find the courage to ask for something from...
Finding Your Communication Rhythm
I’ll never forget the first real job I ever had. At age sixteen, I was an usher at Roth’s Seven Locks Movie Theatre in Potomac, Maryland. I proudly wore my red and black blazer and manned my flashlight like a pro. Leaning on the back wall of the theatre, I also saw a...
The Power Of “What If?”
I was raised by a salesman, and you could say that selling is in my blood. Between boy scouts, sports teams, and school clubs, I have sold a bunch of different things. I have sold light bulbs, first aid kits for cars, doughnuts, fertilizer, toothbrushes, and I sold...
The Squirrel Syndrome
It turns out you can learn a lesson or two from a squirrel. When you stop and think about it, the squirrel is a pretty amazing animal; nature thought about almost everything when putting this furry creature together. Squirrels are fast, strong, agile, clever, and the...
I’d Rather Be Up By Two Than Down By Two
It happens all the time in sports. One team is playing well, coasting along, and everything they do seems to be working. Then, in the blink of an eye, the momentum changes. Everything that was once effortless becomes strained and unnatural. The harder that team works...
With All Due Respect, Please Sweat The Small Stuff
I’m well aware of Richard Carlson’s book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff... and it’s all Small Stuff. It’s an inspirational book, and it became one of the fastest-selling books of all time. It was published in 135 countries, and it spent over 101 weeks on the New York...
Want To Crush Your Next Presentation?
Think Like A Juggler! You may not know this about me but once upon a time, I was a pretty darn good juggler. I could juggle in a weave, in a circle, off the floor, off the wall, around my back (a crowd favorite,) off my knees, and off my head. As my pièce de...
The Transition Sandwich
Through the years, I’ve upset my share of audiences by telling them how overrated product knowledge really is. Product knowledge allows you to competently provide another individual with your solutions to their questions, but it doesn’t necessarily allow you to dazzle...
Remembering Who The Customer Is
Isn’t technology amazing? We seem to have an insatiable appetite for anything designed to make our lives simpler. Apple is reporting that we've now downloaded well over 100 billion apps and climbing. The sky is the limit for just about anything… with one, unique...
Hearing Is Believing
While we were growing up, I’m guessing most of us had some rather interesting part-time jobs. I know I had my fair share. One of my more unusual and challenging jobs was during my senior year of high school, when I worked as an umpire. With my best friend Bob, we...
The Paradox of Knowledge
Years ago, I worked on a contract with the Farmer’s Home Administration to help them automate their offices. There was a lot of technical training involved, and that meant a lot of study. However, it seemed the more I studied, the more there was to know. It was a...
90 Degrees Away
Charles H. Duell, the Commissioner of the US patent office, once said this: “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” He said that in 1899. We can smile at that now, but that kind of thinking haunts me a bit. I think it’s morphed into something more like...
Running Your Race
There is no debating the fact that standing before a room full of people creates pressure. The studies continue to point out that fear of heights, snakes, drowning, and needles still round out the top five biggest fears.[1] Still, those fears do not compare to the...
The Pursuit of Imperfection
Pushing ourselves to do our best is clearly one of the keys to success. However, don’t confuse the noble act of trying our best with the noble act of pushing ourselves to perfection. They may sound similar but they are dramatically different. Doing our best...
When Is It Okay Not To Do Your Best?
Have you ever asked yourself, “Is it okay not to try my best?” After all, not every opportunity that comes our way represents a life or death situation. This question comes up more often then you think, and the temptation to do less than your best work is always...
Drawing People To Your Strengths
It sounds simple enough: If you want to influence someone’s perception of you, you must lead him or her to your particular strengths. This certainly makes a lot of sense, but doing it in a repeatable, predictable manner is a whole different story. The first step to...
Finding Your Real Voice
Are you aware that most of us unconsciously call upon different voices, depending on the situation we find ourselves in? It starts at an early age, with something as simple as volume control. When you were little and you got a tad loud, you were reminded to use your...
The Art of Disagreeing
It always amazes me how misunderstood the simple act of disagreeing can be. Many try to avoid it when, in fact, we all know that disagreement is a healthy part of any relationship. After all, would you really like to be part of a relationship where there was never any...
When More Is Not Better
Let’s face it, we’ve been raised with the idea that “more” is better, and if you really want to see this concept play out in all its glory, watch someone try to persuade another. What takes place is fairly predictable. I’m a huge fan of questions, but at some point in...
The Power Of The Pause
Part Two The Group Pause One of the greatest gifts an audience can give to a speaker can’t be found online or in a store. It doesn’t cost a penny, and anyone can offer it up at just about any time. It’s painfully simple, and yet it frequently needs to be earned....
“Rob is an expert not only in the art of influence,
but also in human nature.”
~Ken Blanchard,
coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and Trust Works!