Rob’s blog
The (drawing) pen is mightier than the contract
This is my favourite news story in a long time. At a concert last Saturday in Quebec City, the Foo Fighters demanded that news photographers sign a contract allowing news outlets to print their photos exactly once, after which over all rights to those photos would...
Hi, this is your passion. I’m not available right now, but if you’d like to leave a brief message…
The best 12 words of speaking advice I’ve seen in a long time came from this article: WRITE your speech from the heart. DELIVER your speech from your skill. Your passion is real—but it isn’t always available on command. To convey the passion behind your ideas every time you speak demands skill and practice. Filed … Continue reading →
See you at the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival!
Big news: Noise to Signal is going to be one of the exhibitors at the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival next weekend, May 23-24 at Yaletown's Roundhouse. I'll have prints, stickers and other goodies for sale, so swing on by! The festival is the best thing ever. The panel...
In which I barf up a ton of advice on getting real value from your blog
I've been updating my series from a while ago about getting tangible value from your blog. You can follow it on LinkedIn; I'd love to know what you think! Introduction 1: Making your organization human 2: An alternative to the news media 3: Fighting fires 4: Spinning...
Oh! The Things That You’ll Tweet!
To celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday today, HootSuite has posted a really clever Dr.-Seuss-inflected guide to Twitter, and invited their friends and followers to share their own rhymes, hashtagged #HootSeuss. Naturally, I found myself helpless to resist. (P.S.—I have...
Why I cartoon
https://vimeo.com/118851150 I delivered this short presentation to last November's Interesting Vancouver event, sandwiched between some of the most, well, interesting people around. This is the first time I've ever told an audience why I started cartooning; how my...
That whole Barbie fooferaw
Instead of repeating what many others have said, and better than I could (holy crap, that book was sexist!) I have a few thoughts on BarbieBookGate that touch on Mattel's response. I've posted them over at Medium; the gist of it is that "when Barbie does a better job...
Why hot-button issues can go so wrong in online conversation – and what you can do about it
What do you do when your social networks explode into polarizing debate? How do you participate without hurting others?—?or yourself? How can you engage in divisive conversations so that you actually learn from them, and maybe even change your views? [....] This post...
Interesting Vancouver: November 7
I'm going to be one of several folks on stage on November 7 at Interesting Vancouver. Check out this lineup: A seven foot tall drag queen obsessed with bingo An indigenous multidisciplinary artist working to reverse the decline of Squamish language speakers A...
What makes a speech’s call to action powerful? A theory of change.
Inspiring speeches don’t just persuade people of a point of view; they urge the audience to action, and show them how that action will produce meaningful progress toward a better world. Here’s an example. After I tweeted this column by the Vancouver Sun’s Daphne Bramham (“We need citizens, not just taxpayers and bookkeepers“), Ryan Merkley … Continue reading →
About that presentation…
Originally posted on Key Messenger:
Recently I attended a luncheon speech by a senior executive from one of the world’s leading technology firms. I even sat next to be guest speaker. During lunch, his colleague indicated that the presentation had technological issues: the file wouldn’t speak to the laptop, which was angry at the projector…
The truth, a story and pictures: Dan Roam on powerful presentations
If we tell them the truth, tell them that truth with a story, and tell that story with pictures, our presentations will be extraordinary. ‘Show and Tell’ Author Dan Roam Talks to Marketing Smarts I’m a fan of Dan Roam’s. He delivered a fantastic presentation to the Nonprofit Technology Conference a few years ago (you … Continue reading →
Why, yes — I’d LOVE to speak at your event
Public speaking and speechwriting: the essential guides
Looking for advice on public speaking, speechwriting and leadership communications? Here are some of my most comprehensive posts, on topics that people ask me about most often.
