Andrew Hennigan's Blog

Back in the second world war German radio transmitters sometimes had a plaque saying "Feind hört mit!" , or "The enemy is listening!", a constant reminder that radio traffic is easy to intercept. Today you might write the same message on your email client, because email messages are notoriously insecure, often ending up in the hands of people who should not have them. Sometimes they are simply copied to a memory stick and removed from the building by an insider. Other times they are extracted remotely by hackers. Less commonly they are obtained from a lost device and occasionally by intercepting wifi traffic. Whatever method is used the result is usually the same: embarrassment. There might be people who steal emails simply to read them, but the greatest hazard for most organizations is that the contents are posted on public websites and discussed in media. High-profile hacks have revealed internal emails of Sony Pictures, the US Government and many others. A...

Reaching out to media, building relationships with journalists and creating a credible platform for the founders are all important for a startup hoping to get positive media coverage. They are important but they take time. But there are also some simple actions that anyone can take to ensure that they are not missing any opportunities that come by. Everyday there are people writing about new trends, new technologies and new ideas. Very often they reach out to a number of startups in the field, hoping to find a founder who can give them a useful insight or a valuable quote. Responding to these inquiries is simply routine for companies big enough to have a PR department or a PR agency. For many lean startups it's the founders who have to take care of this role. So how can they do it better? Be Easy to Contact . One interesting test you might want to try one day is to ask a person unfamiliar with your business to find your media contact information. This should be very easy to ...

Many conferences and events are undermined by speakers who insist on trying to sell from the stage. Very often this is banned or discouraged. even when it is allowed it is still a very bad idea. What works much better is to take a content marketing approach. Instead of simply trying to sell your product or service try instead to give a useful talk on a topic related to your business -- something that is useful for the listeners without a direct commercial message. This works because most people do not want to hear your sales pitch -- if they had wanted that they would invite you to pitch at your company -- but they will listen to an interesting talk. Say something relevant and people will listen, they will remember you and they will have a more favorable opinion of you, your company and your products. You are also much more likely to be asked to speak again. Perhaps the original speaking slot came as part of a sponsorship deal and the organizers had no power to veto weak ideas...

Not everyone who attends speaker workshops and coaching is aiming to become a TED/TEDx speaker or start a new career in politics. Quite often they just want to be able to speak more eloquently in one-to-one conversations, in meetings and anywhere else where success depends on an ability with words. Speaking eloquently, finding the right words at the right time, is a skill that anyone can learn and this learning can be boiled down into just three key activities. Building Passive Language Skills : When your brain is transforming thoughts into words it relies on ideas, words and phrases that you know already. Only very rarely will anyone coin a new expression in real time. To ensure that you have these raw materials handy in your memory you need to read and listen to quality content. Listen to TED and TEDx talks, listen to talk radio, listen to audiobooks, listen to live speakers and attend panel discussions or debates. Don't just listen to people on your side of any argument. ...