With today's technology it's easier than ever to talk to people. Meetings with participants calling in from numerous locations are a common occurrence. Therefore having someone physically present for a meeting is a big deal. The participants may have travelled a good distance, they may have cleared their schedule, they may have sacrificed other work … Continue reading What is the point of this meeting? →

The cool kid scoffs at the jocks training so hard and the geeks for getting dressed up in cosplay. The cool kid doesn't try and doesn't care about anything. Well I think he's missing out.  The more you care, the more effort you're willing to put in and therefore the more likely you are to … Continue reading It’s fun to care →

To see a message and not reply is considered a virtual slap in the face these days. It evokes feelings of being ignored or rejected. To avoid this some people will deliberately delay reading a message til they are ready to reply. But then the neurotic can say check the delivery report and start to … Continue reading Message seen →

Often times you see a group use shame as a tactic for compliance. Those attending make those not attending feel guilty. It can be quite effective but the problem is that this tactic is inherently negative. You can’t be sure if people are participating of their own volition or simply to avoid the shame from … Continue reading Shaming compliance →

The confidence that comes from comparison is a brittle confidence. If you only feel confident when you have the biggest yacht in the harbour then you're vulnerable. All you need is someone to come along with a bigger yacht and that's it, your confidence is shot. Your cherished identity as the guy with the biggest … Continue reading Yacht confidence →

Fred is in the market for a Star Wars Christmas jumper but not any old Star Wars Christmas jumper! He wants one that shows how much of a fan he is.  Fred can do this by the amount of money he spends, the material quality of the jumper and the Star Wars knowledge required to … Continue reading Star Wars Christmas jumpers →

Observation number 1: A friend of mine worked in a shop once and one of his duties in this shop was to wash cars. He told me that Christmas Eve was the busiest time of year for car washes. It was so busy that some years he spent the whole day washing cars.  Observation number … Continue reading Christmas car wash →

Bob unloads all the snacks he was carrying onto the til.  The cashier asks if Bob took any petrol.  Bob says no. The cashier works away scanning Bob's items. 'That's €4.35' the cashier says. 'Cool I'll pay by card' Bob replies.   Bob taps his card, it beeps. And now they wait, Bob and the cashier … Continue reading Bob’s cashiers →

The victim blames everyone else for their misfortune. They accumulate a long list of excuses for their lack of success and they cherish this list. This list is the key to staying a victim. The opposite of a victim is someone who takes responsibility. Who looks at their life in its current state and says … Continue reading Victim hood →

A slide with a lot of text presents the audience with a dilemma. Specifically, where to place their attention. There's a presenter who wants you to listen to them and there's text that wants you to read it.  Doing one well means ignoring the other and trying to do both simultaneously means reduced retention.  If … Continue reading Texty Slides →