Dahle Communication

One Year Down - A review of my favorites

 One year ago today I published my first post on communication here at Dahle Communication. I wasn't quite sure how much I was going to be able to spend posting articles or what I would talk about all of those times. After one year though, I have realized that there is a great deal to talk about and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon!

With that said, here are my top 10 posts from the past year. They are not the top ten in views or comments, but what I feel are the 10 bests posts. Best can mean a variety of things, but to me it represents a post that was thought provoking, got some good feedback and has continued to attract interest not only from everyone out there, but me as well.

10. Presentations to watch: xBlog: Did You Know 4.0 - I put this post in the top ten because of how good the video from xBlog is. Its a great presentation that has given me some inspiration and has also gotten me to think about the world.

9. Prezi - A Revolution in Presentations or Just Another Program? - Prezi is a presentation application that has made me re-think the way presentation CAN be done. However, much like anything new, its novelty has worn off some for me. However, I think it is still a great presentation tool that can be added to any successful presenters repertoire.

 8. A Good Story Helps Propel Supreme Court Nominee Sotomayor - Justice Sotomayor's profile has decreased quite a bit since she was nominated and confirmed as the most recent Supreme Court justice. Her rise to fame however allowed the Obama administration to show all of us how to use a story to get your audience on your side.

7. Watch the context of your language - why MSNBC should learn slang - The reason I put this up on the top 10 list is that I am a political junkie. I follow politics a lot and like to follow how candidates and activists use communication - either to their advantage or disadvantage. Sadly, a lot of people apparently need to learn slang, because this issue is still around. Besides, this has quite possibly the funniest clip from The Daily Show ever!

6. Macworld 2009 Keynote - Minus Steve Jobs - All of us know how good of a public speaker Steve Jobs is. So when he didn't present at the Keynote address of Macworld people were concerned - about Steve and the status of Apple. Apple is so tied to Jobs and his ability to present eloquently that unless his successor can follow in his footsteps as a confident speaker, Apple might be in trouble.

 5. Pearl Jam Ten Redux CD - Addition by Subtraction - I put this post up simply for the fact that music is a big part of my life and I have used music on several occasions to prove a point. Other posts include one talking about Allison Krauss & Robert Plant, The Watchmen Trailer, Alice In Chains, Chris Isaak and Muse. Music can teach us a lot about communication.

4. Destroying a Brand the Tiger way - This has turned out to be a huge story. What's more amazing is that is it still unfolding in front of our eyes. By the end of 2010, we might know everything - but I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't.

 3. Are things like Twitter, Texting, Facebook and Blogging hurting communication? - This was one of many posts regarding communication and how it is being affected by on-line media. A lot of people have simply forgotten how important effective communication is.

2. Twitter vs Facebook - Why Simplicity Matters - I have posted several times about Twitter because of its impact on our world as communicators and on society as a whole. 

 1. Mantras versus Mission Statements? How about a Passion Statement - This post got a lot of responses from people about the idea of a passion statement. While reading Guy Kawasaki's book Reality Check, I liked his idea of a mantra instead of a mission statement. However, I like the idea of a passion statement even more - which is why you will find one of our pages on our website titled "About Our Passion"

These were just 10 of the 88 posts I had over the past year. I can't wait for the next year and what communication will have in store for us.

Stay true to yourself when speaking - a lesson from Alice In Chains

Growing up in the 1990's meant that I grew up with certain music: Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains. Each band had their own distinct sound but were lumped together into the "grunge" genre because of their timing and where they came from. I was never a big Nirvana fan but loved Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice In Chains. Over the years, I saw Soundgarden break up and with the death of Alice In Chains lead singer Layne Staley they broke up as well.

Much to my surprise though, Alice In Chains has re-grouped with a new singer and put out a new album. I wasn't sure what to make of that idea and was pretty skeptical at first - then I heard the album. It is a fantastic piece of work. Even with their new lead singer, you can tell this is an Alice In Chains album. The guitars, rhythm section and harmonies drive the sound of Alice In Chains - and all are there.

Alice In Chains decided to stick with who they were. They weren't going to change their sound to try and "modernize" themselves. While this can be dangerously seen as just re-treading old material (see almost any 80's band like AC/DC, etc) they actually do themselves justice. They created a great album with some new twists that was at its core - Alice In Chains.

Unfortunately when it comes to public speaking, people tend to not be true to themselves. They might have been told to do something differently or that they needed to be something they are not. When this happens, more often then not, it doesn't look good! When you are giving a speech, you have to do what is comfortable for you. If you try to do something that you are not comfortable with or try to be something you are not, it will just end up badly.

Take a note from Alice In Chains - stay true to yourself. Does that mean you shouldn't get some tips to improve your speeches? Absolutely not. What it does mean is that when you are improving your speeches and getting some tips from a speech coach, make sure those improvements stay true to yourself. 

Pearl Jam Ten Redux CD - Addition by Subtraction

I started high school in the fall of 1991. During that school year I discovered the following albums: Pearl Jam's Ten, Nirvana's Nevermind, Soundgarden's Badmoterfinger and Alice In Chain's Facelift (and Dirt the next year). Before that time I listened to my share of hair metal bands like Poison as well as early hip-hop/rap music from NWA, Too-Short and Ice-T. Needless to say, 1991-1992 was an awakening for me regarding music. I am not, however, someone who thinks that the greatest music ever written was when I was in high school. In fact, I'm constantly on the lookout for new music (like Your Vegas and The Parlor Mob which I have found recently). I do still follow Pearl Jam, U2 and Chris Cornell from Soundgarden (except his last album which I thought was awful from the 30 second clips on iTunes). For the most part, they have put out some music that runs the range between good and bad. However, what Pearl Jam has done with their first album, Ten, not only impressed me, it made me appreciate it even more.

The release includes a re-mastered copy of the original recordings - which is nice, I guess, but since I already have the album it isn't a big deal. The second CD is what makes this package great. It includes a re-mixed version of Ten from their long-time collaborator Brendan O'Brien. The re-mixes do more than just change things around so they can make more money from completists.  Rather, they add so much to the recordings as to re-define them. I have listened to the original recordings so much that I know them by heart. So, I could really tell the difference between the two. What I was struck with is how much better the re-recordings are over the originals. There is more intensity to the songs, more clarity, and it doesn't sound like it was recorded in the early 90's. The new mixes have improved Ten so much, that whenever I listen to it in the future, it will be the redux verion that I play.

There is a lesson here if you are in communication and presentations. The original Ten utilized a lot of re-verb and noise in an attempt to make it sound "big." The new, cleaner version got rid of a lot of that abstraction and filler so the actual music could fill that space. The result is a much better album. You should do the same thing when it comes to your communications. Once you think you have finished your presentation, take a break from it. Let a little time pass. Then, later, go back to it and fix all the things you missed before. Are you including things that are just adding noise to your slides? Can you eliminate some things that will actually add impact to your presentation? My guess is that you can. All of us think that we can't go wrong by including too much. In all actuality, it is probably just creating noise to your speech which prevents your presentation from having its full impact.

I was very impressed with the Ten Redux CD and am glad that I picked it up. In terms of simplification, do what they did for yourself and your presentations. Don't just put it together and think it is good enough. Revisit it to see if there is a way you can eliminate some of the noise to make it better. Create a demand for your speeches and presentations.

Travis