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Super Bowl Victory Starts with Words

“You find out life’s this game of inches. So is football. Because in either game, life or football, the margin for error is so small – I mean one-half a step too late, or too early, and you don’t quite make it. One-half second too slow, too fast, you don’t quite catch it.” – Any…

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Speaking of 2013: The Language of Innovation

As 2013 comes to a close, lists of the “Best of 2013” fill our news feeds and dominate the covers of magazines in the check-out line. This year, CNN’s Ten Thinkers of 2013 caught our attention. CNN picked ten innovative people in the fields of science and technology that are considered “visionaries whose ideas are…

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Nelson Mandela: Confidence to Inspire

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” – Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela passed away at the age of 95 last Thursday, December 5. Before becoming the first democratically elected South…

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And the Award for the Least Government Gibberish Goes To…

Clear writing is essential in business. Whether you are writing an email, memo, speech, or developing a presentation, it is vital that your intended audience be able to fully comprehend what you are trying to say the first time around, without having to wade through unnecessary and complicated language. More importantly, the ability to write…

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walter cronkite

“The Most Trusted Man in America”

Walter Cronkite, the legendary broadcast journalist on CBS Evening News for 19 years, has often been described as “the most trusted man in America.” He reported on major historical events such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the moon landing, and the Vietnam War. It’s been said that his authoritative speaking style was what…

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Is Siri the Perfect Voice?

Last week, voice actor Susan Bennett came forward as the voice of Siri, Apple’s voice-activated virtual “assistant”. Bennett says that in 2005, she sat in a recording booth for four hours a day during the month of July, reading phrases that would be put together to create a synthetic voice. Her voice has been used…

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Not All Tweets Are Created Equal: What Language Makes Tweets Matter Most?

There is no denying the growing power of Twitter. More than 200 million monthly active users send out 200 billion tweets per day, allowing tweeters to reach massive audiences in real time and for free. And Twitter matters for businesses. Market research found that Twitter users who see tweets from a retailer are 1.2 times…

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Is Tim Cook a Better Presenter than Steve Jobs?

Steve Jobs was known as one of the most charismatic public speakers in history. He successfully created such a buzz around new products during his keynote speeches that it became common for people to line up for hours outside an Apple store to purchase the latest products. With the passing of Steve Jobs, many people…

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The Yelp Review Filter is Broken

It is no secret that user reviews greatly influence consumers’ purchasing decisions. According to a study from Harvard Business School, a one-star increase on Yelp, a popular rating website, led to a 5 to 9 percent increase in revenue for businesses. How do you know when a review is fake? Many of the largest user…

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