Blog

February 15, 2017

The Best Brainstorming Techniques

In 1942, advertising executive Alex Osborn laid the foundation for cooperative group-thinking when he coined the phrase “brainstorming.”  His work as a creative theorist was unprecedented in American enterprise, and landed him advertising work with some of the era’s biggest industries including General Electric, Du Pont, and Chrysler.  However, 21st-century psychologists have caught up to Osborn’s original technique, stating many shortcomings in his problem-solving strategy.  What they found was rather than triggering cooperation to “think up”, group-thinking can be restricted into converging on one idea rather than diverging into multiple ideas.  It took over half a century for scholars to agree that the outlines for brainstorming have changed, and executives everywhere are reinventing Osborn’s original design.  Here are five modernized practices for resourceful collaboration that go beyond brainstorming.

Read More
February 14, 2017

The Power of a Shared Experience

In a study conducted by Yale University, it was observed that when two people ate a piece of chocolate, they each described it as more flavorful and enjoyable than either of them did when one person was eating the chocolate and the other person was doing something else. Experiences, both pleasant and unpleasant, are more intense when shared.

Read More
October 19, 2016

From Garages to Gorgeous; The Story of Boston's Modern Redevelopment

What do the handsome Boston office buildings at International Place, 75 State Street, 222 Berkeley/500 Boylston, and State Street’s world headquarters at One Lincoln Street have in common?

Read More
January 04, 2016

10 Tips for Pitching the Media

During my 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Boston Globe and then as business editor at NECN, I have read thousands of pitches. Here are some tips for getting your pitches noticed.

Read More
January 02, 2016

Reputation Risks: Government investigations

When the government comes knocking, are you ready? It happens every day.

Read More