Listeners like lists. But how many points should you include in the list?
Three is the magic number.
Comedians know that three is funnier than two. Writers know that three is more dramatic than four. Jobs knows that three is more persuasive than five. Every great movie, book, play, or presentation has a three-act structure. There were three musketeers, not five. Goldilocks encountered three bears, not four. There were three stooges, not two. Legendary NFL coach Vince Lombardi told his players there were three important things in life: family, religion, and the …

Goals can be fun. Matt Cutts (Google’s Search and spam czar) shows this in his inspiring TED Talk about making short 30-day goals.

Amy Cuddy was one of the highlights of my TEDxCambridge experience, along with Priya Parker and Caldwell Esselstyn. Listen as she teaches about the effects of body language on the mind and performance in an interview.

The best summer of my life was spent as a camp counselor at Navajo Trails Adventure Camp. The camp is an amazing and unorthodox place for kids. Camp headquarters are in Bicknell, UT, near Capitol Reef State Park. If you show up on a Wednesday, however, you’ll find the camp practically deserted. Each week, the youth embark on a different weeklong adventure: horseback riding, backpacking, mountain biking, waterskiing, rock climbing, kayaking, etc.
My official title was “Backpacking and Mountain Biking Counselor”, but we all wore a lot of hats. One week …

I’ve attended several web development conferences over the past 2 years and each time I’ve left thinking, “I could present at one of these.” It’s not that I have an immense depth of knowledge, but you don’t need that to give an effective presentation. You just need the ability to clearly communicate complex ideas in a simple manner. When the call for speakers for WordCamp Boston 2012 came, I decided to apply. The rest, as they say, is history.
Here’s the video of the talk I gave at WordCamp Boston 2012 …