I don’t know about you, but I’m getting a little tired of being told what to do. Just this morning before breakfast I had more than 100 people giving me advice via articles and blog posts in my RSS feeds, email subscriptions, LinkedIn and Facebook. (And...
Chit-chat, jibber-jabber, blah-blah-blah. Many of us feel awkward making so-called “small talk.” I know I do. Mitt Romney clearly does. It seems like an inescapable part of getting along in life, in the workplace, and at networking events. But it...
I came across an excellent article in a little journal known as the New York Times about the “music” of language. It really spoke to me, as I’ve always said that while I have no actual musical talent, I do seem to have a knack for understanding the...
There’s quite the tempest going on at my alma mater, the University of Virginia. And they don’t seem to be handling it well. The school’s president has been essentially ousted by the Board with seemingly no notice and little explanation. Apparently...
I talked the other day about how writers squander their most powerful words and ideas by burying them. Just as bad is the opposite problem: growing overly fond and even dependent on certain words to the point we repeat them incessantly. In the book I call them crutch...
