Mid-Course Corrections

Please help me improve the usefulness of this newsletter by answering six brief questions.

Brains Need Stories

Evidently story-loving is a function of our brain's development.  We're biologically wired for them.

In a Washington Post story I learned: "Roughly around age 4, psychologists say, a child develops a 'theory of mind.' The child suddenly grasps that other people have feelings, thoughts, just like the child's own. From this great mental leap comes a secondary, almost accidental talent: We can get inside the heads of people whom we never actually meet except in stories. This is why fiction works. Huck Finn and Harry Potter seem real enough."

Is this why Steve Jobs is the world's greatest keynoter? Because he's a great storyteller?  In the new book The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs we learn his three-act methodology:

•  Act1 is to create a story with seven tips (chapters or scenes) in crafting a great story behind the presentation
•  Act 2, delivery of an experience with six scenes for adding appealing visuals to a presentation.
•  Act 3, refine and rehearse and rehearse some more with five scenes discussing body language, verbal delivery, and using appropriate dress

I wrote a post on presentations a couple of months ago that got excellent traction with readers. Join the discussion.

Reuse & Recycle Your Content

Professionals need to produce content out to "stay in the game." Take a deep breath -- it's not as tough as it seems.

Yes, you need to produce content.

No, it doesn't have to be daily.

Yes, you can "recycle" YOUR content from newsletter to blog and elsewhere.

No, you shouldn't recycle someone else's content or slap your logo on a newsletter service's content.

Here's a belt-and-suspenders approach to being heard across several media channels.

Working with a Ghostwriter

Used to be the word “ghostwriter” conjured images of a wily hack with a battered Olivetti sitting at a Hollywood swimming pool coaxing confidences from a star.

Today, rappers and politicians make well-publicized use of ghostwriters and businesspeople are catching on.

Here's a quick Q&A on working with a business ghostwriter:

• What kind of work can you give to a ghostwriter?
• What do I look for in a business ghostwriter?
• Where do I look for a qualified ghostwriter?
• How much will a ghostwriter charge?
• Will ghostwriters work at a fixed rate?
• How will a ghostwriter price my project?
• Do I have to work with a ghostwriter face-to-face?
• How to proceed?