The Monthly Memo.

Watching South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford explain his "mystery trip" to Argentina should bring back lots of memories for you. No, not because you have secretly run off to South America on a trip which led to your public downfall -- but because it follows a very...

How many times have you heard you should find your passion and then live it? That's great advice, but today what I'm talking about are those other times -- when you find yourself saddled with an assignment, a topic to present or a media issue and you know you will...

Whenever we have to deliver an important speech, a critical interview or even a run-of-the-mill Friday afternoon presentation, we usually fret about the words. Often hours are spent agonizing over just the right combination of phrases to bring your point home. Here's...

I gave the speech at my grade eighth graduation. I don't remember it like it was yesterday because I've been trying to forget it since it happened! There I was in my new red shirt and white tie, delivering a speech I had down cold. Except for the part I forgot. I...

Maybe you're NOT paranoid. Maybe everyone really IS out to get you! It's easy to feel that way these days. There are cameras and recording devices everywhere. It serves as a great reminder that everyone ... you, the people who work for you, anyone at anytime can be...

They are called crutches. Words or phrases we use when we're searching for just the right word -- and these crutches can start popping up all of the time. At the very least it is an annoyance to those who are listening to us, but it also can do long term damage to our...

There are two ends of this spectrum -- and you'll probably recognize each. The question is, do you recognize yourself? First, don't be the professional world's equivalent of a smile button. Do you ever run into people like this? They seem to be so disconnected from...

Certainly it is important to talk about bad news in the workplace in a sensitive and thoughtful manner so everyone understands all sides of what you are talking about. But that's not what I am focusing on here. I am looking at something even more fundamental. How do...

Even in the heat of an election I hardly ever talk politics. It's not that I'm tired of it because I literally "talked politics" for 20 years on TV. It's just that it seems there is little to gain because most people have decided, in the Presidential race for example,...

If you look through the stacks of books on public speaking you'll often see, close by, the latest joke books. The logic is simple. Anyone who has to appear in front of an audience will surely want to liven up their presentation with a joke or two -- or ten. As...

We've all been there. Your mind goes blank at a key moment in a conversation or while in front of an audience. Ouch! I was amazed during last month's Olympics when swimming superstar Michael Phelps said about a dozen times, "I'm at a loss for words," right after...

When you are watching someone deliver a presentation, a political convention speech or appear in the media, can you tell what's going on inside their head? I would submit you can, and you probably don't even think about it in most situations. Instead your feelings or...

The grand tradition of the national political conventions provides an opportunity for all of us to see some great moments in mass communication -- and to learn from others mistakes! In my years as a reporter I covered many of these spectacles. I recall a small state...

Who has time to practice? While many of us understand the VALUE of practice for an important interview or presentation, very often we end up winging it, or we re-live college and pull an all-nighter before that important meeting (only making it worse) to prepare those...

When you are the person at the front of the room with the microphone in your hand, you're the expert, right? Or if you're the person with the camera in your face, your natural inclination is to answer the questions that come your way. Well today I'm here to tell you...

Anyone who has agonized about an upcoming speech or a presentation knows how you can fret about saying just the right words. This Monthly Memo looks at what are often the most important words you speak: I say it's the first five. Why the first five? Your audience...

We've struck gold! For anyone who did not see last month's Monthly Memo, please check back issues at www.Clear-Comm.net. The mistakes and misunderstandings that plague our everyday life in the e-mail world have sparked a wealth of reaction from many of you. Here, for...

There is new research which shows just how easy it is to be misunderstood in the world of e-mail, and the results can be a little scary! The report contained in the January edition of the Academy of Management Review and written by Syracuse University professor...

Whether you've seen Dog the Bounty Hunter or FEMA bosses, there’s been a lot of apologies being offered lately. FEMA faked a news conference on the California wildfires and Dog tried to explain his use of the "N" word in a taped phone conversation - and there have...

When is bad news actually good news? More times than you think! This 37th edition of the Monthly Memo looks at all the good things about Bad News. It's also important for any leader to be able to handle bad news and by the time you are finished reading this column you...

How could there possibly be a problem with smart people? Employers are on an endless search for smart people to carry their companies to the next level. We like to surround ourselves with smart people to help us lift our game. And we are in such a short supply in this...

This version of the Monthly Memo offers the most overlooked and undervalued piece of advice for anyone who stands up to speak on behalf of themselves, their cause or their employer. For anyone old enough to remember, the Summer of Love overtook the USA ever so briefly...

A quick look at the headlines and you know JFK airport in New York has been the focal point of the latest terror threat. A team of people were trying to figure out how to use the fuel lines running into and around the airport as a way to kill innocent people. What,...

When I sat down to write this Monthly Memo I was thinking of you. Isn't it great to be thought of? The fact is, we all want to be thought of and it really is the key to all successful forms of communication. Speechmaking: How many times have you heard a person start...

Billionaire Warren Buffett once told NBC News, "It's taken us 37 years to build this firm ... we could lose it in 37 seconds." He meant if you say the wrong thing at the wrong time you can do yourself major damage. (Just ask Don Imus.) While everyone in the business...