We recently came across a terrific post on flip charts on the always-enlightening Presentation Zen blog. Flip charts? Yes, friends, in this PowerPoint-addled world of ours, the quaint, down-to-earth flip chart harbors untapped powers you just might want to harness in your next presentation. These websites show you how to get the most out of this oft-overlooked communications tool:

Using Flip Charts

Flip Charts: Low Tech Powerhouses

Make the Most of Flip Charts

11 Tips for Using Flip Charts

Basic Flip Chart Guidelines

Like many ex-journalists, I pride myself in being skeptical. But my Lou Grant exterior is sometimes defeated by my inner Pollyanna. When that happens, I enjoy reading a blog by Love Is the Killer App author Tim Sanders.

In an April 3 entry, Tim argues that simply being kind is one of the keys to success. "A 2002 study on customer service found that if you are likeable and competent," he writes, "you have a threefold increase in the likelihood of getting satisfactory service."