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My Generosity Experiment
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Tag Archives: communications
Three email rules and the bcc courtesy
Bcc: (“blind carbon copy”) has been with us since the beginning of email (as in this great ARPA email standard from 1977). Even before email (yes, there was such a time), written office memos would be sent to recipients without … Continue reading
Stories, Facts and Synthesis
Break down any presentation and you’ve got three building blocks: stories, facts and synthesis. Since we’re generally not comfortable as storytellers, and since it feels safe to report on the facts, lots of presentations divide up the pie like this … Continue reading
Friction
Reflecting on the last two days’ posts – one on the long, hard, stupid way and one on mobile gift giving, I’m left with the notion that if we’re going to bring on serious partners to solve serious problems, then … Continue reading
What you’re not
This sign is in the window of a great omakase sushi bar in New York. Eight words and you know what you’re in for. Saying what you’re against is a great shorthand way to describe yourself. You tap into all … Continue reading
Posted in communications
Tagged communications, no california rolls, omakase, positioning, sushi
1 Comment
Re: Question
Never let an email go out of your inbox with this subject line. Instead, answer the question in the subject line. Why? Why bother being persnickety about such a trivial thing? Maybe it’s not so trivial. The subject line is … Continue reading
The best birthday card ever?
A few years ago a good friend of mine started a greeting card business with all sorts of quirky cards for very specific events – buying a new Xbox; embarrassing faux-pas at the office holiday party; most sleepless nights in … Continue reading
Circles of humanity
Want to persuade, make a connection, motivate someone to DO something? Dive as deep towards the center of your humanity as possible, and share that. Like so many other things, this is the opposite of what we’re taught in professional … Continue reading
Getting out of Quadrant 2
When you start out in life, just get out of school, and are out there pounding the pavement for that first job or trying to make that first sales call, more often than not you’re carrying around a mental model … Continue reading
Posted in communications
Tagged communications, connection, fundraising, interviews, sales
2 Comments
I hate newsletters…
…and form letters, and customer service notes that sound like customer service notes and most anything that was obviously written by lawyers trying to sound like lawyers whenever it’s not 100% necessary. Like this note I got the other day … Continue reading
Too much nonprofit marketing?
Zeenat Potia, who now works at and blogs for Oxfam America, started her career in book publishing. In her first year in the book business, Zeenat would often be asked at parties whether she was an editor, and she’d say … Continue reading
