I overthink so you don’t have to.

The Red Thread® Newsletter

Stories, examples, images, and data you can use to help bring your ideas and messages to life.

The best ideas aren’t found — they’re built. Get a weekly dose of strategies, studies, and stories — direct to your inbox from me — to help you make your ideas strong enough to build change on.

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The Red Thread Workshop

Does one of these sound like you?

You’re an author looking to pull your ideas together into a single concept for your next book
You’re a founder that needs a better way to quickly explain, in plain English, your start-up’s big idea
You’re an individual or solo entrepreneur looking to use the power of storytelling to talk about yourself in a more engaging way

If you’ve been curious about taking a deeper dive into learning about how to use the Red Thread, but aren’t quite ready for one-on-one consulting, I invite you to join your peers and me in these special laser-focused-topic Red Thread Workshops.

This workshop is designed to not only deliver an overview of components that make up your Red Thread but also give you the tools and structure that can make sure your message not only stands out—but is built to last.

The 3 things you need to get the investment you want

The goal for a lot of my clients is to get people invested in their ideas and initiatives. Sometimes that’s an emotional or intellectual investment, sometimes that’s an actual investment (which requires the other two). Securing that investment requires written or spoken communication of some sort. After all, words are the currency of ideas.

How to stand out? It’s unexpectedly obvious.

My mouth is a dental paradise. Not for me, mind you, but for legions of dentists and orthodontists over the years, whose houses my mouth has helped renovate and whose children I helped put through school.

How to destabilize the status quo

Welcome to the second-and-a-half installment in your step-by-step guide to building The Red Thread® of your message or content.

Why start-ups should start messaging now

First things first: I’m not Tamsen. I’m Alex Denniston. I’m a senior strategist who often works with Tamsen to design messages for our founder and thought leader clients.

Give them something they can’t unhear

Three years ago, when I was mired in the midst of not-writing my last book, I asked my friend Ann Handley for advice. After all, she wrote a book called Everybody Writes.

The best positioning persuades. Does yours?

You probably already know that “positioning” is key to creating any kind of change, whether it’s at the organizational or market level.

The best place to start your message

If you’re trying to figure out the best place to start or anchor your message of change, the answer is always, “start with the question you exist to answer.”

Why your core message comes first

When you’ve got a big change to make—in your organization, in the market, in the world—one question comes up over and over again: Where should you start?

Building a new message? Answer 3 questions first

When you’re building a new idea (or new content, like a pitch or presentation to support it), it can sometimes be hard to figure out where to start.

Is your idea built for buy-in?

It’s new worksheet time! I love me a good worksheet, don’t you? They can make a complicated process clear or get all your ideas together where you can see them—both of which are particularly important when you’re designing a new message or building a new idea.

The Red Thread® Newsletter

Stories, examples, images, and data you can use to help bring your ideas and messages to life.
The best ideas aren’t found — they’re built. Get a weekly dose of strategies, studies, and stories — direct to your inbox from me — to help you make your ideas strong enough to build change on.