The phrase ‘cut to the chase’ appears to have originated in early Hollywood, where (silent) romantic films and comedies would often culminate with a chase. If the studio felt that the script they were reviewing was moving too slowly and would lose the audience’s interest, this phrase was a simple instruction to move immediately to […]
I’ve been to a few pitching events recently, and I still see the same old stupid mistakes being made again and again. They may be innocent errors, unnoticed by most people, but each one makes me contort in my chair with painful frustration, because they’re so easily avoided yet so damaging. What are these stupid
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My communication philosophy is based on a latin phrase ‘utile dulci’*. Literally: ‘useful and enjoyable’. Here’s how you can do it. Make What You’re Saying Useful This can be tricky; you just have to do a bit of homework: Find out the pain point of your audience. You can do this beforehand and state it at
The Problem When Writing a Novel Robert McKee’s book ‘Story’ describes all the elements for creating a good story. Near the end he gives the ideal way to actually write it: ‘from the inside out’. Writing ‘from the outside in’ is the common, flawed method where the writer starts with dialogue before they’ve nailed all
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I believe that the British instinct for business phone calls is to enjoy these elements: No eye contact Convenience And to feel distinctly uncomfortable about these ones: Making rapport Tackling the important stuff like asking for business However, phone calls can be productive and enjoyable. Here’s how to achieve both: Before you even start, work out WHY
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