A few weeks ago, my friend and negotiations expert extraordinaire, Fotini Iconomopoulos, sent me a post from Daniel Pink. Now, I adore Dan Pink. I loved his work long before he graciously blurbed my first book (Find Your Red Thread). So when I say I disagree with him here, know it comes from a place […]
Agency or Agreement? The Hidden Choice Behind Persuasive Questions Read More »
What really happens in a moment of truth? And I don’t mean Procter & Gamble’s marketing definition—or even Google’s “zero moment of truth.” I mean those internal, undeniable turning points when the traffic light in your mind suddenly flips from red to green. It’s the instant you decide: go forward, stay back, act, or change.
The Green Light of Change: How Moments of Truth Really Work Read More »
Y’all, I am officially calling foul on the misuse of a few words. And yes—if I had a whistle, I’d blow it. There’s been a lot of talk lately about talk. Specifically: “dialogue,” “discussion,” and “debate.” They’re often tossed around as if they mean the same thing. But they don’t. They fall under the larger
Dialogue, Discussion, Debate: Why the Words (and Order) Matter Read More »
It’s a familiar frustration: you explain your idea clearly—what you want someone to do and why—and yet nothing changes. The explanation is logical. It’s even compelling. But still, no shift in thinking. No change in behavior. Why? I’ve been wrestling with that question. In my work and research, I’ve come to believe that the problem
ITBA: Messaging for How Brains Work Read More »
Why do some ideas stick while others slip away? It’s tempting to credit branding—logos, colors, taglines. And while those help, they aren’t what make a message unforgettable. The most powerful ideas aren’t just seen. They’re felt—because they carry the unmistakable thread of the person or purpose behind them. This isn’t a metaphor. It’s a model.
Weaving Your Signature Into Every Message Read More »
One of the most powerful keys to inspiring internally motivated change is hiding in plain sound. Here’s what I mean. The “If–Then” Foundation Just about everything we do is based on causality (Sloman, 2005). A simple pattern: If this happens, then that will happen. When X is true, then Y will follow. This underlying reasoning
Turning Data Into Belief: The Missing Key in Persuasion Read More »
Have you ever noticed that what a person or a company says its beliefs *are* don’t always line up with what it actually *does*? (Hint: United, “fly the friendly skies”.) Best case, the mismatch is annoying. Worst case, it erodes the trust that we need to build relationships, drive action, and create sales. And if
Default vs. Deliberate Thinking: The Hidden Rules That Drive Behavior Read More »
I love a good worksheet. They bring clarity to complex ideas, forcing everything onto the same page—literally. That kind of clarity is especially important when you’re building a message that needs to not just land, but lead. That’s why I created the Message Foundation Worksheet (formerly known as the Buy-In Blueprint). It’s the tool I
Build Your Message from Belief: Introducing the New Message Foundation Worksheet Read More »
If I had to sum up 25 years of studying, teaching, and practicing message design into one big lesson—one idea I repeat to myself every time I create a new message—it would be this: Fluent Familiarity. What do I mean by that? Let’s break it down. First: Fluency By fluency, I mean cognitive fluency—how easy
Why Fluent Familiarity Builds Better Messages Read More »
