Rob Biesenbach 
It’s easy to forget in our lawyered up society that some lessons are timeless and based on basic rules of fairness. Like the matter of intellectual property and what is and is not “free” on the Internet. I was reminded of this during a visit to a reconstructed Mandan Indian village in North Dakota. (Yes, … Read more
I consider certain truths to be self evident. Like the power of stories to move and persuade people. So I’m surprised when I have to justify this principle to someone. A while back I was interviewed by a grad student doing research and he wanted to know what facts and evidence I use to support … Read more
I bet that’s a headline you never thought you’d see. Ringwald has apparently written a novel, and in this New York Times piece she draws the connection between acting and writing. (Which I, obviously, find very astute. Right down to the headline: “Act Like a Writer.”) It’s a pretty thoughtful essay, and though it’s geared mainly … Read more
I cite David Mamet’s “master class memo on writing” so often I’ve probably worn a groove in the Internet. It’s must reading if you haven’t seen it — witty, insightful, profane … terribly punctuated. I was reminded it of it again by, of all things, a Spiderman comic. Now I don’t read the newspaper comics … Read more
One of the hardest things in public speaking is maintaining your focus — keeping your mind free of unnecessary distractions. I was helping out with some speaker training for a group of young engineers the other day and observed one participant after another losing their train of thought and grasping for words — that familiar … Read more
It was three minutes to the hour and 260-plus people from around the country were waiting online for me to begin a webinar. And after an hour of wrestling with technology, I still wasn’t close to being logged in. My pulse was probably at about 160 beats per minute. The presenter’s nightmare, right? Only it … Read more
I’ll be on the radio this morning (Thursday the 26th) talking Act Like You Mean Business on All Sides with Ann Fisher (WOSU Columbus Public Radio). We’ll be going for an hour and taking questions from callers. You can listen online and hear some of the best lessons from the book brought to life. Tune in at … Read more
I remember reading The Sun Also Rises in high school and wondering why Hemingway insisted on taking readers on an intricate, turn-by-turn journey through the streets of Paris, literally naming every Rue and Place and Cafe along the way. (And wouldn’t it be awesome, by the way, to have Papa’s voice on GPS, offering directions … Read more
Why do we tend to blame ourselves first? I’m at an offsite workshop for a couple of days and yesterday a fellow participant mentioned to the group where he went to college. It happens to be an ACC school, something you don’t often hear in these parts (the Midwest). So, being a UVa. alum, I … Read more
Like Jerry Seinfeld, I grew up watching old Abbott & Costello re-runs on TV. Here he deconstructs the classic “Who’s on First?” routine to demonstrate why it’s so funny. But the lessons he draws are just as useful for anyone giving a presentation or speech: 1. Edit to the bone Seinfeld notes that “all the … Read more