My latest essay for Forbes.com is now up – it’s called the importance of what you say.

Many are surprised to learn that for centuries many of the great writers in history, from Emerson to Mark Twain to Peter Drucker, made much of their incomes not from their ideas alone, but from the interest people had in hearing them talk about those ideas in person. A different level of understanding comes from seeing someone explain his ideas to you, before your own eyes, in real time. You can’t shake hands or share some beers with an idea, but you can with its creator.

Read the full article here.