TGIF – Presentations – Oral and Written

As the week winds down, we wind down with some tidbits for your information, education, health, and enjoyment.

Quote of the Week: “Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” Benjamin Franklin

Humor Break:

Bev: Al, it says here in this article that when you give a public speech you should follow the “4-S Rule.” What’s that?

Al: Stand up. Speak out. Shut up. Sit Down.

Stat of the Week: Today you get a bonus. Two articles on communication for the price of …free. First, Five Presentation Mistakes Everyone Makes. Read this article only if you have ever sat through a truly boring presentation. Or if you have ever given a public talk and afterwards someone said to you “Oh, that was a very, err, interesting presentation”. Second, 5 more tips aimed at better writing skills: Don’t Anesthetize Your Colleagues with Bad Writing

Action Tip: Most of us could do with better speaking and writing skills. We tend to underutilize the former and way overestimate our skills in the latter. For those who are interested in an honest evaluation of their writing skills, read the newly published HBR Guide to Better Business Writing. It is an easy read (as one would hope considering the subject matter and title). And, as the author warns, don’t let your writing be a career derailer.

Self-Development Corner: Coming up next week on Coursera, the free online university: Most appropriately for this week’s post (and a terrific class if you have a teen at home): Crafting an Effective Writer: Tools of the Trade (May 13, 5 weeks, Mt. San Jacinto College); or if you are old enough to remember the “good old days” and you want a touch of nostalgia, History of Rock, Part One (May 13, 7 weeks, University of Rochester).

También, para nuestros lectores en México, el resto de Latinoamérica, España y otros hablantes de español, Continuidad y desarrollo de la empresa familiar (May 13, 6 weeks, Tecnológico de Monterrey).

Bill Bradley

Bill Bradley (mostly) retired after 35 years in organizational consulting, training and management development. During those years he worked internally with seven organizations and trained and consulted externally with more than 90 large and small businesses, government agencies, hospitals and schools.