|
January 28,
2010
 Ladder
or Jungle Gym?
What
do you say to sound fascinating and unique when you are asked to
introduce yourself at a quasi-business, quasi-social event? If
you are Barbara Marks, graphic designer turned painter, you say,
�My life to this point has been less a ladder and more a
jungle-gym. Many people have linear careers, knowing exactly
what direction they always wanted to pursue, but mine has had
many more lateral moves, swinging from one branch to another,
maybe more like a jungle, to mix metaphors.�
Interested to hear more?
We were. Barbara was a guest recently at a
Boardroom dinner and
she immediately garnered everyone�s attention with her metaphor.
We listened with great interest as she led us through her
jungle-gym career starting as an anthropology major at college
to becoming a graphic designer which turned into her role as
entrepreneur. An interest in painting and drawing then took her
to classes at the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts, which she
loved so much that she ultimately gave up her business to become
a full time painter. Sometime later, the idea of graduate school
popped up. She thought, �Why not?� and off she went to get her
MFA. Now, she is exploring the relationship between painting and
poetry�and has talked herself into a poetry course at Yale.
There were eighteen of us at that dinner. Nearly everyone did
the usual�forgettable--vanilla-type resume bio. Barbara�s is the
only short description that still remains with me.
Lesson
You network, you attend business events, you talk to seatmates
on airplanes and trains. Use the power of metaphor and analogy
to engage your listener to want to know more about you and to
remember you. You never know where that can lead.
See you next month!.
Anne
Miller
Make What You Say, Pay � With Metaphors.
Metaphors in the News...
The business press is rich in metaphors to add
interest to what could be dry business and financial stories.
Recent examples...
�The four bankers of the apocalypse strode
into the Congressional hearing room and formed a crooked
line....The bankers�Lloyd C. Blankfein of Goldman Sachs, Jamie
Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, John J, Mack of Morgan Stanley and
Brian T. Moynihan of Bank of America�joined a gallery of
titans who have suffered this ritual: tobacco
executives, automakers and baseball�s steroids users, among
other." The Wall Street Journal, 1/14/2010
�[You] sound like [you] are were selling cars with faulty
brakes and then buying insurance on the driver.� Phil Angelides,
Chairman, Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, speaking to Lloyd
Blankfein." The New York Times, 1/14/2010.
The drier the subject, the more complex the issue, the more
metaphors help hold interest and make your points.
Glad to Help...
��You surpassed our expectations.�
Chief Marketing
Officer, Regent Atlantic Capital, LLC
�You (literally) changed my life.� Partner, Leading Tax and
Accounting Firm�
Partner, Leading Tax and Accounting Firm
Let me help you make your presentations pay off as well.
Call Today: 212-876-1875 or Email:
amiller@annemiller.com
 PLANNING
A SALES OR
ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING?
Give your group a program
they will thank you for!
Call today to
guarantee your preferred dates and let�s plan a lively, high
pay-off speech or workshop for your organization. Call 212 876 1875
or email:
amiller@annemiller.com |
