Observed

My father could have moments of self-awareness.  One of them was a recurring theme, when he would say once a year that everybody in Louisville became an expert on horse racing once a year.

Kal (my dad) was referring to springtime and the annual rites at Churchill Downs.

I’m not claiming to be an expert.   (Though I can pretty much read the Daily Racing Form.  It’s just Who cares?)  I do, however, know a thing or two about the first Saturday in May in my hometown.

So, the following is for any reader who’s never been to the race and doesn’t expect to be one of the 250,000 or so beautiful people passing through the gates at the track Friday and Saturday.  And is still reading this post. (more…)

That’s what Gen. James N. Mattis, USMC, said, according to an article in this morning’s New York Times.   He’s the Joint Forces commander in Afghanistan and was speaking earlier this month at a military conference in North Carolina.

I agree.  Less is more.

A couple days ago, I posted something about the importance of engaging your reader-listener-visitor.  This clip is the second in a series of three I produced to complement an article of mine, “The KILLER BEs:  Strengthening Your Business Development Writing.”  Larry Bodine posted it on his LawMarketing Portal.

A week from yesterday, there will be a horse race in Louisville.  A week from today, late Sunday afternoon, May 2,  tens of thousands of race fans will be regaining consciousness right about now.

Either way, thank Irvin S. Cobb.

Cobb was one of the earliest in a long line of great Kentucky authors.  OK, maybe not in the same league as Robert Penn Warren, Wendell Berry or Barbara Kingsolver.

But pretty darned good.  Good enough to make it all the way from Paducah, Ky., to the Saturday Evening Post, Hollywood and beyond. (more…)

Once upon a time, I used to know something about client events.  Actually, I used to get some very good advice from someone who knew something about orchestrating events, especially when there was a bar in the vicinity.  (Yep, she worked for President Reagan.)

One of the pieces of advice I remember best about such events was to have servers pass trays of drinks to arriving guests.  Giving a guest a drink (alcoholic or otherwise) to hold immediately helped put them at ease.

In other words, it got the new guest engaged. (more…)

“Hello.  My name is Doug, and I’m an art historian.”

“Hi, Doug.”

You may be wondering what makes me qualified to suggest in this blog or elsewhere how you might write better.  Much less to suggest how to run your business.

My defense is simple.  While I’ve never had a business course or any academic training in PR or communication, I have had plenty of exposure to the liberal arts.  First as a undergrad with a Liberal Studies major and then as a master’s grad focused on 19th-century American architecture.

So what? (more…)

While no one will end up like Actaeon, most of us know there’s a price paid for too much visual stimulation.  Particularly when we’re trying to hold a listener’s attention.

Think of it this way:  Don’t give someone something to read if you want them to hear you.

The science behind this is Sensory Integration Dysfunction.  All of us have at least a touch of this, although its acute forms are often associated with the autistic spectrum. (more…)