We are all good at some things and need work on others. Body language is no different. Use the principle of compensation to bring the weaker skill up to par.

I was at an event this past weekend during which the title sentiment of this post was driven home to me. The event featured entrepreneurs delivering their business pitch to a panel of experts and receive feedback.

Steve Jobs received a standing ovation at the event pitching Apple’s new iPad. People were happy to see him, of course, especially because he is in the midst of a significant and indefinite medical leave. But people also have come to expect the type of presentation that it seems only he can deliver. It’s a phenomenon.

Bieber is 15! How good could he possibly be? Pretty good, it turns out. In watching him embrace his sudden fame, I’ve been very impressed. Not with his talent so much. Nope, I’m floored by his media savvy.

Congress decided to “mix it up” for the State of the Union address, to sit together instead of opposite sides of the aisle. It was even referred to as “dating,” and fraught with the same social complexity and awkwardness teenagers encounter. This seemed like an empty gesture, but I was quite surprised by the outcome.

In the wake of the horrific shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, I’ve been thinking a lot about how the words that we’ve been using in our political discourse may have impacted the situation.

Every year, I compile a list of who’s been naughty and who’s been nice as a speaker or communicator. Following is the 2010 list of winners and losers.

I don’t have the time, inclination, or energy to wrangle another 300 or so holiday cards, signatures, and stamps. Nor do I want to send the message of impersonal, mass-delivered inauthenticity. Thanks to the pervasiveness and ease of modern video technology, there is another option.

When you’re trying to persuade people to take action, identify a simple, powerful message and return to it as many times, and as emotionally, as you possibly can.

What was Priceline.com co-founder Scott Case doing speaking at Greenwich (CT) High School’s commencement? It so happens, Case is a Greenwich High School alum and obvious success story. On June 29,, 2010, he returned to where it all began to impart words of wisdom to my daughter, Lily, and 690 of her fellow seniors.