YourCommunicationsEdge

  For our generative AI-obsessed times, the most provocative chapter in Walter Isaacson's  Elon Musk   may be "Artificial Intelligence: OpenAI, 2012 - 2015.”  Here is a line to think about: "[In a conversation with Larry Page and other guests at his 2013 birthday party] Musk argued that unless we build in safeguards, artificial intelligence systems might replace humans, making our species irrelevant or even extinct."  In particular, Musk, Isaacson documents, puts extreme value on human consciousness.  Yet, as was widely known even before the publication of  Elon Musk  at his core the richest man in the world tended to treat human beings without deference, never mind respect. Early in this career, before he had acquired the power to run the show, he had been forced out of two enterprises. In the late 1990s researchers in Italy discovered that  mirror neurons  were the mechanisms for human connection, particulary empathy. Could Musk has a deficit of those? In contrast

  With so much legal, political, economic and public opinion change - frequently abrupt - it's difficult to figure out the "right thing to do." All that ESG intensity is mutating into a return to old-line capitalism, that is, one-dimensional focus on maxing return to shareholders. A sign of the new times is that diversity no longer signals a progressive value in business or higher education. Or might even be legal. Last June, as you recall, SCOTUS ruled against race-conscious admissions.  Shifts and the confusion those create provide fresh opportunities. Large law firms are no slouches at spotting them and developing new practices. The most recent to do that is Paul Weiss, which also had been a prime mover in ESG guidance for business. Heading a new practice to guide business about diversity will be Loretta Lynch, Jeh Johnson and Brad Karp. The latter chairs the firm, embedding the practice with the aura of power.  Meanwhile, business would be wise to conjure up a lexic

She had no presence.  She gushed over the boss (Elon Musk).  She talked in platitudes about the big revenue subject, that is advertising on the social network platform.  She also gushed about the platform.  And she wasn't able to neutralize contentions by surprise presenter former Twitter executive Yoel Roth. He asserted that the situation related to advertising safety had gotten worse, not better. That's the story of Linda Yaccarino's presentation at the Vox Coding Conference. And, how the  media outlets  positioned and packaged that presentation was as THE story of the conference. Yes, it was so aberrant. All this is about CEO of X, formerly Twitter. For years presentation coaches such as myself can detail what went so wrong. BTW, she also cancelled the plan to answer questions, although Q&A is standard at the conference.  Given her level of what I label "fear" and the inability to bounce back in real time from a curve ball (Roth's unannounced appe

"[Michael] Wolff’s book [The Fall] is packed with mountains of juicy gossip on the Murdoch media empire, the succession fight that may follow his death, and the inner workings of Fox News. But some of his claims read as fantastical. Indeed, as the Daily Beast  noted  last week, the book includes 'absurd anecdotes that occasionally strain credulity.'”   Mediaite,  September 26, 2023 Looping into gossip drives content consumption. Wolff even admits that he hadn't officially fact-checked lots of the material in "The Fall." What the hell. On  Amazon  it ranks in the three digits - 252. That signals brisk sales.  However, Wolff probably isn't considered a thought leader. So far only six customer reviews have been posted. The big kahunas in analysis, stock picks and media aren't informing the world if they took a peek at the gossip.  Meanwhile, we are bearing witness to the falloff in demand the nerdy management consulting industry is having (reasons for la

  When hard times came, those in corporate communications were usually sized up as expendable - and laid off. They also were without a "seat at the table." That's changed - radically.  The new Edelman report documents that the function has gained power, influence and a direct channel to the CEO and the rest of the C-Suite.  For example, 91% of Chief Communications Officers (CCOs) surveyed indicate that they directly participated in decision-making with CEOs about strategy at the front end. Only 9% noted that they were only consulted after everything was already in-place. In addition, that role has become a stand-alone. It is less likely to be folded into marketing or legal.  The career implications are huge. This path becomes more attractive to the ambitious who might have gone to law school or for the M.B.A. If you land the right internships in college that could be all you need to start out in communications. You have the knowledge base, experience and network. The res

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  In the sandbox many financial planners play in the concept of investing-for-retirement continues to buzz. However, down here on Main Street and even in elite zip codes "retirement" has lost any meaning.  Sure, some have tried it, reports Yahoo Finance.  But more of them have "unretired," the new buzz word. According to T. Rowe Price, 48% of them do that for financial reasons and 45% for emotional and social reasons.  The oldest of the boomers, no one in my current circle and only a handful of those I coach introduce the term "retirement" in talk.  Once you label yourself as "retired" you can be perceived as not at all interesting. Also you're of no value in professional networking. You don't know if, for example, Home Depot is hiring right now. Its signature is for recruiting the aging. You cannot provide input how to launch a micro business. Of course, you don't know how to effectively comfort those who have been rejected for a job

  At one time, notes Financial Times , Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser was known for approachability. Now that she is pulling out all stops to restructure that financial institution whose stock is not doing so hot she has shifted into another leadership style: harsh and non-transparent.  For instance, Fraser told those not committed to the new direction to "get off the train." She also is holding her cards close to her vest in the particulars of her plan, especially about chopping headcount. Meanwhile the CEO of distressed Disney Bob Iger, whose signature had been the charm offensive, is not so much of a me-to-you connector any more. The tone of his communications seems to be border on brittle. The tension is palpable. And we are careful about that force field.  Also known for charm the head of law firm Paul Weiss Brad Karp has unleashed stunner moves such as three raids on giant law firm Kirkland & Ellis. Rather than thinking about that guy as someone you'd like to have a

  Schlep Chutzpah Gelt Goy Klutz There was a time in urban neighborhoods on the East Coast when those Yiddish words were embedded in Americana.   That's the way we talked.  Then the growing affluence of the post-WW II economy made us more white-bread in how we jaw-jawed. We strived to be middle-class to have access to those goodies. After all, we wanted to get out of downtown Jersey City, New Jersey and relocate to the suburbs. So we talked the way they did on the medium of television, especially the 6 o'clock news. In addition, given the time was the WASPing of American institutions Yiddish came across as way too ethnic. Try to get ahead in large corporations if you didn't look, walk and, you bet, talk like a WASP.  That was then. Currently, reports The Washington Post , Yiddish as a language is having a comeback. What's driving that is a pushback against the increase of antisemitism. Way back in 2021, influential law firm Paul Weiss went up against that bias.  However

The buzzy way to refer to frugal lifestyles is "LCOL." That is in contrast to "HCOL" ones.  However, at this time of raw angst about money and the fear of actually becoming homeless even the most linguistically sensitive are defaulting into using the term "cheap."  For example: It is cheap to live in northeast Ohio where even access to the lake and its beaches are free and that includes the parking. This isn't Long Island.  There are also the situations when folks gush about my cute little Smart Car. What I come back with is: It is cheap to run - 40 miles to a gallon. Parts are cheap too. The new hood was 200-something. Peanuts. However, in much of professional services, despite the slowdown in a large number of practices, there is no concept of "cheap." That would denigrate the branding. At Boies Schiller law firm David Boies charges a bit more than $2k per hour. Not cheap. The Kirkland & Ellises, Skaddens, Paul Weisses and Cravaths requ

“Institutions are living too much in a two-ice cream world of chocolate and vanilla, of publicly traded debt and equity. They’re about to move to Baskin-Robbins.” -  Told by Apollo CEO Marc Rowan when discussing private debt in an interview with  Yahoo Finance , September 2023 Another metaphor Rowan uses is alluding to the seismic discovery of the technology of fire. When discussing his strategy for transforming what was a private equity firm into a leader in private debt he muses: "I don't think I discovered fire." Obviously he knows his Greek mythology. Prometheus was known for stealing fire and handing it over to humanity. To finance that shift from PE Rowan took on the risk of taking over the part of insurance player Athene  Apollo didn't already own. Its long-term law firm for handling its M&A Paul Weiss oversaw that pricey transaction. Some watchers gave it the thumbs-down. But it is spilling off the funds for Apollo's 16 teams to go after and pounce on

  The 20th century was a different time. Back then as post-war affluence took hold and we went to college cheap, learning to speak our minds being a smart aleck could be an edge. Corporate clients of elite law firm Jones Day loved partner Micky Pohl's quips.  Offbeat Harvey Milk, despite being openly gay before that was okay, was ranked by TIME Magazine as among the most influential players of the century.  Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, Buddy Cianci, who carried a massive chip on his shoulder, ranted endlessly about the "lucky sperm club."  Among the highest paid niches in writing was creating humor, especially for the Fortune 50 speeches.  That was then.  From the 9/11 terrorist attack which triggered a recession to the current perfect storm of inflation, global economic slowdown and generative AI threatening jobs the mood in America has hardened into earnest, conformist and scared. Not one of my clients starts the session with something light or ironic. A sign of t

  You use, without thinking, the phrase "getting our ducks in a row." Generation Zers in the office might roll their eyes. But not because they size you up as "old." Their dismay probably is that you sound so old-line "corporate." They don't welcome looping into that kind of linguistic set. However, what does make you a target for being classified as "yesterday" is referring to a slide deck as "PowerPoint."  That elicits cringe. Talk is a fluid medium, always changing. So, how can you keep on top of all that so that you don't present yourself as aging, therefore irrelevant and soon enough on the list for those who need to be encouraged to exit? One way is to run your key phrases by the youth in your personal networks. Ask their candid input. Some call that "the giggles test." You will quickly know what to leave out, based on if they treat what you're saying and how you're saying it as a joke. Public affairs gur

A bird in the hand beats one in the bush. A perfect storm. Getting our ducks in a row. Socking some away. The bottom line on that. Cliches stand the test of time because they are useful. Through years and years of repetition they take on a universal meaning. There is no ambiguity. You and your audience are on the same page. Yet, somewhere along the line you were told: Avoid cliches.  Forget that. The more you use cliches the more easily you will connect and get your point across. I help with all your communications. That ranges from coaching to strategy and research to writing and editing. Complimentary consultation. Please contact Jane Genova at 203-468-8579 (texting and phone) and janegenova374@gmail.com.