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.

You are the Focus of the Presentations - not the PowerPoint - Why it might backfire for Apple

  One of the main tenents of any presentation is that YOU as an individual should be   the focus, not the PowerPoints.  If you are the focus, then the audience is more engaged; they will not be sitting there reading the text and ignoring you, but will genuinely listen to what you have to say.  No one portrayed this better than Steve Jobs of Apple.  While most of us have applauded Steve Jobs and his successful presentations, in an ironic twist, it may end up hurting the company.  Unless you've   been siting in a hole somewhere and haven't heard, Steve Jobs is taking a leave of absence from Apple to focus on his health.  First off, I wish him well and hope for a speedy recovery.  Secondly, as an article from the New York Times points out: 

Still, there are those who worry that Mr. Jobs’s absence will have an impact even beyond Apple.  “The whole world is concerned about Apple. I’m concerned about Silicon Valley,” said Mr. Perlman, the entrepreneur. “I need Apple to be harrying Microsoft. We need someone stirring the pot. God forbid that there is no one stirring the pot anymore. We’ll become Detroit.”

I think it is a rightful concern for everyone.  Design is very important in ALL businesses, that is why we as communication coaches are trying to help people become better speakers and presentors -- it is central to being a successful person, a successful small business and a successful company.  Apple has been a pioneer in quality design that is simple and effective.  We need people who are in front of millions of people to be leading the charge in quality presentations and Jobs was a great one -- Bill Gates should not be! 

So, while we usually say that YOU should be the focus...if you are the head of a company, you might not want to become the sole focus as Jobs did with Apple...unless you are going to live forever.

Macworld 2009 Keynote -- Minus Steve Jobs

The Macworld Keynote speech has become one of the most anticipated speeches over the past few years that it draws in stars to the event (the video on the Apple website showed Al Gore in the audience).  A big part of this was the way that Apple presented their new products and how good of a speaker Steve Jobs was.  Steve Jobs was so good that even presentation guru's such as Garr Reynolds in his blog Presentation Zen used him as an example to emulate. 

However, in 2009, because of some health issues, Steve Jobs wasn't able to give the Keynote speech.  Instead, Phillip Schiller, the Senior VP of Worldwide Product Marketing, was given the task of following the high standards that Jobs has set in his speeches.  What I wanted to do was to see if it was Jobs who was a great presentor or if it was just because he had some smart people working with him to create some great slides and help him with his speeches (if you want to watch the keynote, click here).

I'm not sure if I am being biased, but it seems that Phillip Schiller doesn't seem as comfortable as Steve Jobs was.  That is key to presenting, you have to be comfortable being in front of an audience.  However, his start wasn't too bad and he didn't appear to be in over his head giving this keynote.  Unfortunately, he kept looking back at the slides instead of focusing on the audience.  He almost wanted to be a part of the audience and enjoy the presentation.  One thing that I did notice is that the slides themselves were still clean, simple and had good design.  This was not surprising, Apple has always prided itself on having good design.  Another area that Phillip needs to work on is his fidgeting.  A lot of times when he changed slides, he looked down to his clicker or was moving his hand forward like he had to touch a mouse, which was a little distracting.  He also liked to fidget with it while he as speaking, which is something we should all try to avoid.

His voice was okay, but he seemed to be like the little brother who just got the keys to the car, saying things like "this is cool" and "I'm so excited to tell you about these things."  While it is good that he is excited about the new products like face recognition with iPhoto, you could really tell the difference between Steve Jobs and Phillip Schiller.

Overall, I thought that Phillip Schiller did a good job with the Macworld Keynote speech.  He was not as effective or engaging as Steve Jobs, but I don't think he fell on his face either.  It is a tough spot to follow and there are some things he needs to work on if he is going to continue giving this speech.  The good news is that he doesn't have a long way to go.

One note, I really want a new mac after watching all of the, as Schiller would say, "really cool things" on iLife '09.

Travis