The mojologic blog
Insights on communication, influence, sales and leadership
5 Techniques to Handle a Tough Crowd
Parliament is in session and I am both appalled and intrigued by the infantile behaviour of our elected representatives. Consider the challenge a speaker faces when trying to land a point whilst relentlessly assailed by verbal sucker punches from the cross benches. The speaker is hit with snide...
The Senseless Misuse of the Venn Diagram
he 19th century philosopher and logician, John Venn, may be amused by the explosion of venn diagram applications in popular culture. I personally can’t go past the Venn Pieagram.
Some of the worst offenders, the blatant mis-users of the venn diagram exist in business, politics and media. And it has to stop. So, here is my rant.
Numbers Don’t Lie. Unless they do…
Can the numbers ever lie?
Need to back up a spurious claim? Use numbers. Statistics, facts, figures and correlations. Make them impressive by using graphs, charts and tables. Be sure to add some asterisks and attribute sources. Make the attributions as tiny as possible. Don’t worry about scales or defining your axes, its visual impact you are going for.
After all, nobody can argue with the hard facts. The most impenetrable arena of empirical evidence? Numbers.
Be A Poser: build your power in 2 minutes
“Power resides only where men believe it resides… A shadow on the wall yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow.”
– George R. R. Martin, A Clash of Kings
How do you know somebody possesses power?
What does it look like?
Frank Underwood rises behind his desk in the oval office.
John Travolta struts down a New York street.
Murphy Brown squares her shoulders and stares down the lens.
Don’t Be Fooled – 3 Rhetorical Techniques Revealed
Is there any point in public debate in a society where hardly anyone has been taught how to think, while millions have been taught what to think?
-Peter Hitchens
Rhetoric may be defined as the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion. This is not a function of any other art.
– Aristotle
It’s election season and we are called upon to have our say. But, based on what?
The voter is constantly bombarded by messages in multiple forms, using multiple media. Campaign tactics abound as speeches, debates, interviews, sound bites, advertisements, vox pops and testimonials.
JUST DO IT! Procrastination: self-defense or self-sabotage?
I’m not a procrastinator, I’m a pressure prompted completer!
-JJB
Procrastination Defined
Procrastination is the act of postponing.
It is a behaviour and like all behaviours we can change it if we choose. We can act differently. We can make an immediate change. We can choose action over delay.
But to solve for the long term we need to work out WHY.
10 Presentation Mistakes to Avoid
As a presenter, your role is to manage the impression that you create. For your message to be heard, you need credibility, clarity and connection. We have compiled the top 10 presentation mistakes that we see time and time again.
They are all easily made, but easily avoided.
Here are the rookie mistakes that may be impacting your credibility. Which are you guilty of?
Courageous Authenticity Rewarded – David Morrison Named Australian of the Year
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
-Elie Wiessel
David Morrison, the former Australian Chief of Army has been awarded 2016 Australian of the Year. Morrison is recognised for his commitment to gender equality, diversity and inclusion. As Australian of the Year he will work to champion this cause on the national stage.
A Storytelling Lesson from Venus Flytrap
Storytelling is a hot topic in the field of business communication. A quick google search will reveal a glut of information:
empirical academic studies in the field of neuroscience
proclamations from experts
‘how-to’ guides and templates for creating stories
The concept, however, is as old as humanity itself. Cave paintings were created to pass on wisdom, guidance and knowledge in the form of a story. As long as human beings have engaged in communication we have intuitively understood the power of the story.
Your Argument is Invalid! – 5 logical fallacies in business, politics and media
That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
-Hitchen’s Razor
Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
-Mr Spok
It is not enough to rely on your positional power when delivering a message. It is not enough to dazzle your audience with witticisms.
