Telling Stories. Here's a link to a blog that's worth reading from time to time. This particular entry relates to what I've been saying about telling stories as a way to sell people on your ideas.
I some of you might be interested in a piece I wrote about it earlier this year. You can find it here.
Here's another piece I wrote about business and the community connection.
Here's one on the fusion culture and retrieval.
More on blogs--culture of participation.
It helps if you have a good story:
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Here are some more free stock photo sites:
You can also use your own photos.
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Clips of the Day: Gary Kawasaki
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The Memory Palace. JH talks about it in his book on p. 256, but he calls it a "memory villa". This article does a nice, succinct job of explaining how it works. I've never tried it, but maybe I should. Read about it here, try it out, and see if it works for you. (h/t Teo Stoica)
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Quote of the Day: Getting to 'No'
Liz quotes a friend who sold expensive business to business products in Texas, "It's not a no until they call security!" This salesperson has no intention whatsoever of helping the folks who reject her do the rejecting.
I'm not sure you have to go that far, but I know that many marketers work hard on behalf of the rejection committee. We sabotage our college applications or email pitches or websites, predicting in advance that we're not going to make it, not good enough, not worthy. So we set out to save them the trouble of having to think hard about the no.
If someone wants to say no, let them. But no need to help them get to no before they get the chance. Let them do their job. --Seth Godin
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Here is a short video on Power Point presentations that supports the Presentation Zen approach (h/t Teo Stoica):
And here's another one that makes similar points in a different style (h/t Ashley Matsumoto):
Greg Elting sends a reminder that free versions of up-to-date Publisher and Microsoft Office are available for UW students at this site.
And Aurora Alexander told me today about something I was unaware of. You should check out Google images for free photos before you go to iStockphoto. com. There are lots of them there, and they are free, and you can get them in different files sizes so you can avoid some of the resolution problems of working with image files downloaded from the web. Here's the page for "puppies", and you can see in the column on the right Google gives you different image size choices. The bigger the size the better the resolution when you size and project it to the screen.
Monday, Novermber 15, 2010
Yes We Can. This is one of Obama's best rhetorical moments, if for no other reason than it came after a signficant loss. Can you identify the figure of speech that he uses "repeatedly"?
Most of you are probably familiar with what will.I.am did with this speech. It's interesting how effective rhetoric has musical qualities. You can see it here if you want. The 'yes we can' in the will.I.am version becomes a different figure of speech, though, because of its placement at the beginning rather than at the end.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Using photos in your slides. Best, cheapest source is iStockphoto.com. Presentation Zen has a page that will get you ten free photos and a 20% discount on future photos. See the last page in the book, but here's the link. You should be able to get enough pictures for free if each group member contributes his or her share.
In general avoid cheesy clip art, unless you use it ironically.
In class I'll be stressing the importance of what GR calls "Picture Superiority Effect", which essentially means: use mostly graphic elements in your slides, with verbal elements secondary. But there are exceptions, and linked below are two examples a of a presentation style that effectively uses verbal content as the primary element. The first is by Dick Hardt and the second by Lawrence Lessig .
Lawrence Lessig, "Free Culture"
Friday, November 12, 2010
Business Plan Parts. I'm slowly processing clips from previous student presentations to provide models of handling the different parts of the presentation. None of these will be flawless, but each has virtues that I hope you can learn from. I'll be making live links as the clips become ready to upload.
Midterm Info
Part 1 will be a fifteen-minute quiz given on Thursday 11/18. You will be responsible for Presentation Zen chapter 1-7.
To study for the sentence revision section, review the material presented in the coursepak on pp. 36-40 and work with the drill sheets on this site.
There won't be a special focus on the who/whom thing, since we covered that, but I do what you to be able to flip passives to active and vice versa, and I want you to strengthen static sentences that have hidden verbs in them.
Spelling and usage needs to be solid. You can bring a dictionary to class, and I'll make one available for those of you who forget. (Dedicated electronic dictionaries are ok, but not laptop dictionaries)
Part 2: I will give you the prompt in class on Tuesday (and I'll post it on the website as I do the other prompts), but it is a take-home that you will hand in on Thursday 11/18 typed--this time using a double spaced format.The grading rubric can be found here.
It's obviously open book/open notes, and I expect you to work effectively with the various ideas and techniques we discussed all quarter in class.
Use the material in JH, GR, and the material I've posted on the website as resources to write a lights-out persuasive talk.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Bill Gates: After and Before
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Clip of the Day: John Cleese on creativity:
Friday, November 4, 2010
Quote of the Day
"Centrism in accommodation of nihilism is no virtue." Blog Commenter.
One way to make your messages more memorable is to take cliches and famous quotes and flip or twist them. This quote is clever because it takes a famous quote by Barry Goldwater and fllips it. Goldwater's quote:
"Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice."
An example of cleverly taking a cliche or adage and flipping it is the famous quip by Dorothy Parker:
The adage: You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
Parker's quip: You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think.
(There's also the pun: horticulture = 'whore to culture'.)
Thursday, November 3, 2010
Quote of the Day:
“This lamentably common use of comprise as a synonym for compose or constitute is a wanton and indefensible weakening of our vocabulary.”--H.W. Fowler
Clip of the Day:
Usage Tip: Compound Adjectives
A compound adjective is an adjective that comprises more than one word. Usually, hyphens are used to link the words together to show that it is one adjective.
Examples:
Please request a four-foot table.
It is a 6-page document.
Her fifteen-minute presentation proved decisive to the outcome of the case.
Claire worked as a part-time keeper at the safari park.
That is an all-too-common mistake.
The student decided to attend a school with a good legal-research-and-writing program.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
Well-written paper, ok; badly-written paper, not ok. No hyphens after 'ly' adverbs.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Good example of 'demonstrative' rhetoric: Jon Stewart's closing speech at the "Rally to Restore Sanity".
Speech text can be found here.
What are aspects of this speech that make it demonstrative? Who's the enemy here? What's the ethos of this event? What's his goal? Can you relate his goal to our discussion of the Aristolelian mean in class the other day? See if you can identify other rhetorical techniques he's using here. What's the point of the video of the cars near the end?
Friday, October 29, 2010
More Dr. Reed Tips:
- Remember that I don't want to hear anything about the network and how it works until you established clearly why it was necessary to create it.
- Remember that your approach is to ease into the request that he join the network. You want to build toward it.
- Remember to use carrots and not sticks.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Clip of the Day: Moving from self-pity to action--from Up in the Air.
Rhetorical virtue is no-b.s.-trustworty; it looks for a way to move forward into the future; and it is grounded in practical wisdom. The Clooney character in this clip exhibits rhetorical virtue in spades.
Quote of the Day: Jay Heinrich:
“A great Bushism is a work of art--neither an accurate representation of reality nor an appeal to logic, but a series of impressions that bring Bush closer to the group he wants to appeal to.”
Monkey grooming. It doesn't have to be logical; it works if it builds group cohesiveness and a sense of belonging.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Clip of the Day: Rally to Restore Sanity Announcement
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Syllogisims & Fallacies. I put together a sheet to try to explain more clearly what I discussed in class today regarding syllogisms and fallacies. You can find it here. I expect you to know what the parts of a basic syllogism are, what an enthymeme is, and to be able to analyze an ethymeme by breaking it up into a syllogism to check for it for a fallacy.
If you want to get into fallacies in a big way, there's a website devoted to it. You can find it here.
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Dr. Reed Letter. I started the discussion of persuasion with a sales letter because you need to start thinking about persuasion as different from argumentation. There is a place for argumentation, but in the business world 95% of the time persuasion is about motivating action. That's why the problem/solution dynamic is so important to learn how to work with effectively.
Regarding Strategy, the key words are Problem/Solution. Key to understanding Problem development is motivation. Key to understanding Solution is benefits, primary and secondary.
The first thing I will look at is whether you work effectively with the problem solution/strategy. In class I will have spelled out very clearly approach I think you should take. You're free to do it anyway you want, but make sure you develop the problem sufficiently and that you present the benefits effectively when when you develop the solution.
You'll also be graded on your fluency and sentence style.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Hilda Black Final Draft Hints:
- Remember that this assignment requires that you use the indirect approach. Rememer the Cheeseburger strategy and you'll be fine.
- Watch your tone. Remember, your goal here is to deepen your relationship with her as a client. Work on your sentences.
- You should assume that there is an archive with recordings of conversations with clients to prove that your version of the conversation is factual.
- Remember, you are an accountant, and she is a client who has used your services in the past to prepare her taxes, but not this year.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Be prepared for a Thursday quiz on Jay Heinrich's book, Thank You for Arguing. Finish reading the chapters assigned through today--i.e., chapters 11 &12; review the 'words of the day' posted on this site, review the movie clips watched in class for which have links below. Know how to define a particular rhetorical term, and have some examples from the film clips or from our discussion to show you can identify them.
Words of the Day
Irony: When the connotation of what you say is the opposite of the denotation. In other words, You say one thing, but mean the opposite. Sarcasm is a form of irony. Marc Antony uses irony in his funeral oration in the clip below, even though at first it seems as though he is being quite straightforward and sincere.
Commonplace: It’s a verbal tactic to strengthen the ethos dimension of your argument--it seeks to evoke the “pre-fab consensus.” Uses code phrases and buzz words that work to identify you as a member of a particular tribe or group.
The Advantageous. A tactic for deliberative argument in which you focus on what is good for the audience. Your audience doesn't care about what you want need; they care about getting its own needs and problems solved. Prove you have the best solution. This argument is not based on what is right or wrong, but on pros and cons on a practical level.
Redefinition: Accept your opponents language, but redefine what it means:
Roommate: You're just talking like an egghead.
You: If talking like an egghead means knowing what I'm talking about then I'm talking like an egghead.
Use of irony can help here, too. Mark Antony's use of the word 'honorable' gradually redefines what that word means in this context.
Today's Movie Clips
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Brando does Mark Antony--The "funeral oration" from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Best way to keep problematic words correctly in mind is to have some model sentences that use the words correctly as a template when they come up.
It may rain today. (looks lilkely)
I might get a raise. (not likely, but not without hope.)
The dog often lies here by the fire.
The dog is lying by the fire.
The dog lay by the fire for over two hours.
The dog has lain by the fire since breakfast.
The counselor's advice affected my thinking about dropping out of school.
The CEO effected significant changes in budgetary policy within a week of taking office.
His chewing me out had quite a negative effect on my motivation.
I don't like your affect, you ill-tempered, surly grump.
The team comprises fifteen members.
Fifteen members compose (not comprise) the team.
The team is composed of (not comprised of) fifteen members.
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Film Clips used today:
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Words of the Day
Backfire: Use screwup as opportunity to strengthen relationship. Similar emotional dynamic to the 'aporia' and 'dubitatio'. Use only if you already have a good reputation for competency and confidence.
Passive Voice: We'll get into this more next week, but essentially it has use in disconnecting the actor from the action. It can create a more objective, less accusatory tone. "You waste my time" vs. "Time is being wasted." Use sparingly because it undermines the more active pro-active style I've been emphasizing.
Eristic: derived from the ancient Greek word 'Eris', meaning wrangle or strife, often refers to a type of dialogue or argument where the participants do not have any reasonable goal. The aim is to win the argument, not to potentially discover a true or probable answer to any specific question or topic. Eristic dialogue is arguing for the sake of conflict as opposed to the seeking of truth. Pretty much describes standard mode of political discourse these days. (Sources: Wikipedia)
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Subjunctive Simplified
Wish & Were
I wish I were (not was) home in bed.
If & Were
If I were (not was) a rich man. . .
But:
If I was rude, I apologize.
Necessity
It is necessary that these questions be (not are) answered at once.
It is necessary that he answer (not answers) these questions at once.
He must answer (not answers) these questions at once.
Demand:
I insist that I be (not am) allowed to present a minority report at the next board meeting.
It is imperative that he allow (not allows) me to present a minority report.
Request/Suggest:
They have asked that you be (not are) notified at once if matters do not proceed according to plan.
They have requested that he notify (not notifies) you if matters. . .
Friday, October 8, 2010
Analysis Hints for Tuesday: Use the Problems, Goals, Audience format I put up on the board and just fill in the blanks.
- When you are trying to define the issues, look at them in this case as being arranged concentrically, with some issues more at the periphery influencing the most important issue in the center.
- When defining objectives think about them in two categories: reactive--what you have to do at a minimum to put out the metaphorical fires--and proactive--what possibilities are there to go beyond the status quo ante.
- When defining the audience, the most important element is to define the need, because what you choose to include in your summary should be determined by its usefulness in meeting your boss's need.
Outline hints: You need to have at least two major subtopic headings structuring the body of your outline. These subtopics should be equal in importance. The biggest challenge in this part of the assignment is envision how you will make this document into a useful tool. I'll have more to say about that on Tuesday.
Remember, your goal in this assignment is to create a document that will be more useful or helpful for your boss than the original article.
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Can you find the mistake?
It's certainly possible that there was some other motivation --- there is such a thing as palace intrigue --- but for the most part it's safer to assume that in a crisis a president isn't going to appoint someone whom he thinks is making things worse.
Whomever from The Office
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Me, Myself, and I. "Don't say myself if you mean me or I. Me is a perfectly good and acceptable word. I think myself is misused so often because as people are speaking, they become uncertain about whether the word they want to use is me or I. They retreat into myself because they think that's correct in every circumstance." Read more.
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Rhetorical Words of the Day
Aporia: Admitting that you don't know. Establishes that you're not an arrogant know-it-all, that you have doubts, that you're sincerely seeking answers. It invites the audience to start coming up with its own answers:
"I'm not sure what to think. I was really taken by surprise."
Or sometimes it can be used to express exasperation:
"I have no idea why he did that; it boggles the mind."
"I don't know about you, but I can't understand a word he's saying."
Dialysis: A yes/no figure of speech. Examples:
Husband: You seem a little put out with me this morning.
Wife: Put out, no. Furious, yesCo-worker: She says they’re using a new system.
You: New, yes. Systematic, no.Litotes. Ironic understatement: She doesn't look a day over two hundred.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Clips used in today's class:
- Vinny & lawyerly decorum
- Amare Stoudemire & celebrity jock ethos
- Gordon Gecko's virtue
- Is is about chocolate or about liberty?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Proactive with Mr. Goodwin
Dear Mr. Goodwin:
I am writing to you in response to your August 15 email questioning the $108.00 in overdraft fees charged against your account. Upon receiving your email, we investigated and learned that apparently a miscommunication between you and United Oregon led to our imposing this charge. Enclosed you will find a credit for this amount, but we would like to take this opportunity to explain what happened.
In your August 15 email, you mentioned that you had instructed the United Oregon Bank of Portland to transfer $45,000 to your account here on August 1. Unfortunately it did not make the transfer until August 10--which explains why on August 8 we charged your account for the overdraft.
We value your account with us, Mr. Goodwin. You have been one of our most reliable and valued customers, and we understand that miscommunications like this happen from time to time. On this occasion we are happy to refund to you the $108. But please contact United Oregon to be sure that they send future transfers on the date you specify.
Perhaps an overdraft line of credit would be appropriate if you anticipate this kind of miscommunication in the future. You might also consider consolidating your accounts in such a way as to make these transfers unnecessary.We’ll have one of our personal bankers contact you in the next week to see if we can help you to meet your banking needs in a more streamlined way.
Sincerely,
Words of the Day
Commonplace: accepted values of a community summarized in adages, and cliches. "The children are our future." "Freedom isn't free." "Everyone has a right to choose." "I'm living the American dream."
Amplification: Word pile on: “Entertaining, thrilling, completely addictive, and a little scary.”Adding detail after detail to make your case, and when the audience thinks you're done, you say, "And that's not all--I'm just beginning to tell you how wonderful X is.
Tactical Concession: Instead of challenging your opponent's facts or assumptions, you concede that he is right. This has a disarming effect, and makes him feel that he has been heard and is well understood. You then either change the subject or use those facts or assumptions as the foundation for the argument you want to make. Good example: In Up in the Air, the Clooney character concedes that his brother-in-law-to-be is right about marriage being pointless. He changes the subject to focus on the real issue, which is whether he wants a future in which he is alone and scared. He changes the tense. This is how you felt last night when you were lonely; How do you want to feel tomorrow and the next day and the next?
Chiasmus: A figure of speech that structures elements cleverly in an ABBA pattern. You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy. Boy = A; Country = B.
Syncrisis: Figure of speech that compares opposites."Not that, but this." It can be used to redefine terms, change the subject, or reframe the discussion on terms more favorable to your argument: "It's not manipulation; it's instruction." "It isn't just a matter of faith; it's a matter of science." Also: "We support the victory; they decry the cost."
Prolepsis: Anticipating your opponent's counterargument: "Some will say . . ., but I say . . ." In the movie "All Quiet on the Western Front," a militaristic German schoolteacher tells a class of boys, "Perhaps some will say that you should not be allowed to go yet - that you have homes, mothers, fathers, that you should not be torn away by your fathers so forgetful of their fatherland...by your mothers so weak that they cannot send a son to defend the land which gave them birth."
Monday, October 5, 2010
Links to today's movie clips:
Bonus clip: Al Pacino's locker room speech in On Any Given Sunday
Last Thursday's clips: