By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD “I need to find a good manager.” This statement is simple and its occurrence common. I’ve heard it many times over the years, including when I worked in call centers, when I consulted for call centers, and now that I write about call centers. Despite the straightforward nature of this […]
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Buy One Book, Get Two Free
At the Breathe Writers Conference, I attempted to follow my self-imposed limit of one book per conference—a practical step given my proclivity to acquire books faster than I can read them. I bought the latest book by our keynote, Caryn Rivadeneira. Her book, Grumble Hallelujah, was just released in August. I classify it as a […]
Last weekend I attended the Breathe Christian Writers Conference in West Olive Michigan. It was my second year and the conferences’ fifth or sixth. Breathe is a value-packed conference that is priced right. Although most attendees were from southern Michigan, some came from out of state, as far away as Texas. Interestingly, Breathe was founded […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I remember reading a notable case study in my college marketing class. It was about cereal rivals Kellogg’s and Post. Prior to the Great Depression, their marketing efforts and corresponding market share was comparable. But when hard times hit, Post reacted by pulling their advertising, whereas Kellogg’s doubled their efforts. […]
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My Friend, the Author
Do you ever read a book and feel the author is your friend? This can be especially true if the book includes self-disclosure, as in a memoir styled account. After reading this type of book, I wish I could sit down and talk with the work’s creator: asking questions, sharing observations, and nurturing the budding […]
Last week, I recorded the headlines of press releases that I received—not the ones I used, but the ones I didn’t use (and many more were screened before they reached me). Many don’t even address the industry I cover, so make sure you only send your press releases to those who actually cover your industry, […]
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A Logline Writing Contest
A logline is a brief summary of a story that is designed to hook the reader. Ideally, it is one sentence long. I recently entered another writing contest, where the challenge was to write a logline. Not just any logline, but a really bad logline. The rules were it had to be one sentence and […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. We’ll never know if there was any connection, but when my son, Dan, was playing college hockey, he began experiencing lower back pain. The common advice to “take it easy and rest” was not helping, so we embarked on a more intentional course of action, pursuing every nonsurgical recommendation provided. […]
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Phone Failure Fiasco
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Last month I shared that our house took a minor lightning hit, resulting in the need to call our satellite television provider and telephone/Internet provider. The satellite provider understands how to provide great customer service; the phone company does not. Though my business line was unaffected, our home phone had […]
Each weekday I’m treated to a new vocabulary word that arrives via email. It is called “A Word A Day” and is provided by author, speaker, and linguaphile (word lover) Anu Garg. Starting 1994, the subscriber list is now over a million strong. Although the words shared have little chance of being added to my […]