by Franklin Wordsmith | Aug 16, 2019 | Persuasion
I remember the first time someone told me I had RBF — which I’d love to reframe as “resting judgment face.”That day I was working as a “mic runner” at an event: getting a handheld mic to audience members so they could ask questions,...
by Franklin Wordsmith | Jul 24, 2019 | Persuasion
Maybe you’ve stood in the doorway to a meeting, conference or networking event—and wished to be anywhere else on earth. No matter how accomplished you are, suddenly you’re back at a middle school dance. You can almost feel the pimples erupting on your forehead. Your...
by Franklin Wordsmith | Jun 24, 2019 | Culture, Persuasion
It happens to us all. Maybe this is your boss. Or the chairman of the board. Or a client.You want, need or deserve something you believe the other person probably doesn’t want to give.Maybe you’ve been putting off this conversation for a while, hoping for...
by Franklin Wordsmith | Feb 27, 2019 | Persuasion
When I joined the Financial Relations Board, then the world’s largest investor relations agency, one of my jobs was going to new business meetings with the VP of sales: Bill.He would inundate the potential client with paper. For example, Bill would make a...
by Franklin Wordsmith | Jan 25, 2019 | Culture, Persuasion
We all dream of inspiring and motivating the people around us — at work and at home. And sometimes we just need to inspire ourselves.Research, based on neuroscience, has revealed what you already knew: some words are more inspiring than others when we want...
by Franklin Wordsmith | Oct 5, 2018 | Persuasion
I was lucky enough to talk with business students at the University of Illinois at Chicago about ways to become the most persuasive person in the room.After we finished, a young woman told me she had a job interview the next day. “What advice do you have to do a...
