Rob Biesenbach 
If it’s the holidays, then it’s time for the inevitable last-minute emergency projects from clients, bosses and others who are eager to clear out their outboxes at the expense of others’ inboxes. In honor of the tradition, I whipped this video together a couple of years ago during that 20-minute period when xtra-normal videos were … Read more
Just a few days before the Petraeus scandal blew up, I bookmarked this story from the New York Times. It’s your basic puff piece — the kind that frequently follows those who inhabit that rarified “hero zone” in popular culture. Heroes have taken quite a beating lately, from Lance Armstrong to Elmo, and I could … Read more
A blimp crashes in Florida. If it doesn’t fit the narrative, does it make a sound? To say you’re a big believer in the power of stories is like saying you believe sunshine is important to life on earth. But I am a big believer. We are raised on stories. We’re immersed in them, through fables and … Read more
Wanna know the super-secret magical ingredient that can make or break your presentation? It’s energy. Without it, your speech is doomed. With it, you may be able to compensate for a talk that’s light on insight. It took me a while to figure out what energy is. I remember a rehearsal for my very first … Read more
I spoke at a big conference this week of PR professionals and was frankly appalled at the poor presentation skills of some of the presenters. These are, after all, communications pros! I realized many speakers were picked on the basis of their substantive expertise and credentials. And that is not enough. It just isn’t. I … Read more
I honestly don’t know how some social media “stars” keep up with it — tweeting, blogging, Facebooking constantly throughout the day. I’m fortunate to work for myself, and on days when I’m not in meetings or on a hot deadline, I can keep up okay. But in the past couple of months I’ve been traveling … Read more
SNL producer Lorne Michaels once famously said, “We don’t go on [the air] because we’re ready, we go on because it’s 11:30.” I cited that in my book as a lesson for business: big public events drive accountability. Too often it’s easy to let deadlines slide, but when you’re standing up in front of shareholders … Read more
When I went searching for Hemingway’s fabled Two-Hearted River in 1994, there was only one paved road in all of Luce County, Michigan. My poor little Honda bounced along rutted dirt at 15 mph, with huge pickups blazing past, their drivers wondering what the hell a little white sedan was doing up in that country. … Read more
Marketing, of course, is all about knowing your audience. And there’s probably nothing that takes more sensitivity than marketing to families who have lost a loved one. This is a solicitation I received promoting video/photography services at Arlington National Cemetery, where my father will be buried next month. I can’t figure out if it offends … Read more
My father died last week, after a heartbreaking, years-long battle with Alzheimer’s. It was not unexpected, yet it hit me a little harder than I thought, even after all this time to prepare. My sister and I delivered the eulogy, and it was both the writing and public speaking job of a lifetime. As I … Read more