This week I got a call to help someone with an investor pitch, but it was too late. They were pitching in 48 hours… the deck was final – they’d had to send it to the organizers already. Our schedules didn’t align quite enough. And we hadn’t discussed a general budget nevermind drafted any agreements. Not Enough Time I was bummed. I wanted to help them “Nail It!” And they wanted – likely needed – a “spit shine” so they could pitch with no regrets. So they could say, “We prepared the best we could.” But there just wasn’t time. Not…

ON POINT COMMUNICATIONS: OUR CORE VALUES Curious to know what On Point Communications is all about? Look no further. Find out in 60 seconds or less by reading below.  1: The “I Nailed it!” Feeling. This is the feeling I seek for every client I coach. Our coaching is theory-based. That’s right, Aristotelean Rhetorical Theory (Cindy’s graduate degree), is our foundation and centers on Speaker-Audience-Message. It’s the recipe for achieving the “I Nailed It!” feeling. When you finish an investor pitch, when you find out the Executive Summary you sent to a VC group was exactly what they were looking for,…

I am lucky to have extended family in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. That means that during our visits, we don’t have to explore the jewels of this Civil War town in one fell swoop. We get to discover it piece by piece, one visit at a time. Each year, the week before we travel, I watch Martin Sheen and Jeff Daniels in the film Gettysburg, to refresh my memory about the pivotal events that took place here more than 150 years ago. It makes my visit mean more. There is absolutely a sacred and hallowed ground here in Gettysburg. As you know,…

I recently finished Steven King’s masterpiece, The Green Mile. He did an interesting experiment when writing it – releasing it as 6 “novelettes,” one at a time. After all 6 parts were in circulation, he sold it as a box set. So I am following King’s Example. (in this case Steven, not Martin Luther) If you’re a self-starter, have no or low budget, and like to learn on your own, this is an excellent “starter set” as you craft your message. You can apply immediately what you learn in this ‘virtual classroom.” LIsted below: 3 key posts, right here, in one place.…

  For as long as I can remember, I have been passionate about all aspects of communication and message development. Whether I was watching a commercial, reading a news article, or dissecting nationally televised talks like the State of the Union, I have always looked at messages as intricate puzzles. I take the message apart, look closely at each piece, inspect its persuasive function, and evaluate its effectiveness. “Do I need this part? How does this sentence fit amongst the others? How should it be phrased for maximum persuasive impact?” Every piece of a message – spoken or written –…