Communication Articles
The Comfortable Camouflage of Bad Communication
June 12, 2019

Recently my wife sent me a text that said, “You’ve ruined me.” In the pantheon of spousal communication, this didn’t seem great at first glance. However, as I came to discover, it was intended as a compliment. In fact, it’s … Read More
Body Language Lessons from the 2020 Presidential Candidates
April 14, 2019

“I’m not sure what to do with my hands,” confesses Will Ferrell as the titular character in the NASCAR parody Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, as he awkwardly moves his hands during a TV interview. These words ring … Read More
Overcoming Stage Fright to Share Your Story
April 8, 2019

Earlier in the year, I had the honor of keynoting the Iowa City Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet in my hometown of Coralville, Iowa. While I speak at conferences and corporate events throughout the world, I don’t do a … Read More
7 TED Talks That Will Help You Be a Better Speaker
February 13, 2019

TED talks are amazing. At a time when our communication is increasingly digital, it’s a spoken word format that’s sort of a throwback to the classic oral tradition when we gathered around the campfire to listen and share stories. The … Read More
Stop Lying About Communication
December 13, 2018

Stories are transformative. They’re powerful tools for accomplishing our objectives. Studies have shown that stories are more memorable than bullet points in communicating ideas. However, a story in the wrong hands can be a dangerous thing. In fact, there’s another … Read More
What Does Your Writing Look Like?
September 14, 2018

As a communication instructor at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, I look at a lot of writing. Recently, while grading an executive summary assignment (students were asked to summarize an article for a fictitious superior) a couple … Read More
6 Books to Help You Improve Your Public Speaking
July 13, 2018

This past year, I began teaching MBA business communication at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business. The focus of the curriculum is writing and presenting. This skillset is unique in that employers consistently cite it as important while … Read More
3 Nonverbal Tricks to Level Up Your Public Speaking
March 21, 2018

It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. How often have you heard that classic turn of the phrase? When it comes to public speaking and presentation, “how you say it” introduces several factors like vocal tone and … Read More
7 Books That Will Help You Be a Better Writer
February 12, 2018

Communication is an in-demand skill set. It consistently tops lists from employers of skills they desire most in new hires. Ironically, it also tops lists from graduating MBAs of skills they wish they’d had more of in business school. Recently, … Read More
3 Questions to Answer Before Your Next Presentation
January 16, 2018

We all want to communicate better. Yet we often fail to answer three simple questions that could help even the most basic presentation.