Karen Cortell Reisman

The 2010 Football Hall of Fame class is one to remember. The combined achievements of Dick LeBeau, Floyd Little, Russ Grimm, John Randle, Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith and Rickey Jackson make this group arguably the greatest overall class in Hall history according to Alex Marvez - a Senior NFL Writer for FOXSports.com.

But, how about their induction speeches? They do not, collectively, stand a chance as the best in class.

We're not swinging on a hammock waiting around for your internet-clogging MP3 audio file to grace our company in-boxes! Heed the following:

• Keep it short. We are inundated with information. So make your email fetching, organized and as short as possible.

When you make people laugh, they listen. When they listen, they remember you and what you've said. That makes you a communication genius.

Your least favorite word must become "assume". The less you assume, the better you'll communicate.

You blow it when you assume she's pregnant, he's too old to buy the Jaguar, the couple can't afford the house because of the way they're dressed, the overweight child is lazy, the misspellings mean he's stupid, or the male, rather than the female, has the final purchasing power.

One of my beloved uncles recently passed away. I asked my cousin-in-law, "How is Beth coping with the  loss of her dad?"  He replied, "She's doing fine. She's already gone through the grieving process." I later asked Beth, "How are you coping with your loss?" She sighed, "I haven't processed it yet. I can't believe it's happened. I'm sure it will hit me soon."

The same question about the same issue to two different people yielded two vastly different responses. And they're even married!

Last week I met with Gary Kelly - the CEO of Southwest Airlines. He spoke to our group, the CEO Club, about Southwest's flight plan, so to speak. Southwest Airlines (SWA) has had 37 years of profitability, even with a doubling of fuel costs.

Two incidents, same suggestion - "Let it go." The first situation was in my yoga class. As we were lying on our mats, deeply breathing in and out, our instructor said, "Breathe in light, energy, abundance, and joy." That's a nice image. Then she said, "Breathe out anything that you need to let go of." That's another nice image. But how do we really do this?

I recently had the honor of being on the selection committee for the next Executive Director/President of a non-profit organization. My group of 8 professionals culled the list down to 5 incredible finalists. Each candidate exemplified leadership and communication skills, or so I thought.

John Cranham dreamed of becoming a successful and respected dentist. Early in his career he sought out the best teachers and traveled to Florida to attend a class taught by an expert in his field. The only hitch - he didn't have enough money to pay for a hotel room. He barely had enough income to register for the class. He spent the nights in his car.

Remember Peter Falk? He's an actor best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the TV series Columbo. As the star of that 1970's show, he was "everyone's favorite rumpled television detective", writes historian David Fantle. The beauty of Columbo was watching how he unraveled the mysteries and crimes.

No, this double-ratio is not a question on an IQ Test. Yes, it is the solution for attracting business.

Nothing Equals Nothing
When it comes to marketing and selling - if you do nothing, nothing happens.

Imagine you are living on a park bench....... you've dropped out of college. You had the lowest scores in the history of your high school.....you have no incentive and no money.

Rose was full of surprises. At first glance you wouldn't expect this woman in a wheelchair to travel where she traveled or say what she said.

So began Rose's eulogy - eloquently written and told by her business partner.

About a year ago my husband and I fulfilled his dream - to purchase this land "in the country". Read between the lines - what's missing in the prior sentence?

My dreams.

The reason I haven’t written this book about staying healthy is that it would only be 6 words. The dedication would be much longer – there are many role models and mentors who have taught me in principle and action that these 6 words prove the point.