Rob Biesenbach 
There may be no place like home for the holidays, but these gatherings can be precarious affairs. It seems even the most innocuous remark comes loaded with extra freight — a lifetime of built-up resentments and slights. “Nice haircut! I love your hair short!” “I know, I know — you’ve always hated my long hair!” “How’s … Read more
Now that’s how to use a prop! I’ve lamented the fact before that so many executives (including chief executives and presidents) fail to make good use of physical props to illustrate their points. They’re concerned that it’s somehow cheesy or beneath them. But I love props, whether it’s a pie chart or a scale model … Read more
Conventional wisdom would tell you that doing a radio interview in the actual studio would be a more comfortable, natural experience than conducting it over the phone. But that’s just another proof point for how conventional wisdom gets its name. As I found this weekend, being face-to-face with the host is not that big of … Read more
“Don’t hire anyone you wouldn’t want to run into in the hallway at three in the morning.” – Tina Fey, Bossypants This has always been my approach when interviewing people for a job. Not that my kind of work would have me roaming office hallways at 3 in the morning. (Much. I think I did … Read more
Every time I help a client create a video, it seems someone during the planning stage brings up narration: “And here the narrator should talk about …” And I’m thinking, “No, there will be NO narrator!” But I don’t usually bring it up at that point because for some people it’s too difficult to imagine … Read more
Right now I’m reading Cleopatra: A Life, which is excellent so far. In it I found this pearl of wisdom handed down from Cicero: “As reason is the glory of man, so the lamp of reason is eloquence.” No offense to Cicero — he was clearly no slouch — but that is obviously the traditional view … Read more
I’ve now been on both ends of the webinar experience. I’ve attended my share of good and bad ones. The worst was when the moderators didn’t have master control over the microphone, so we were treated to people’s keyboard clicks, phone calls and, most embarrassingly, one group on speakerphone who provided running negative commentary on … Read more
There is an established institution in town that does good business going out to companies and using stage techniques to help them with their issues — management, leadership, creativity, etc. So I was surprised to see an FAQ on their website in which they assure potential clients that, no, don’t worry, we won’t make your … Read more
When I was a kid I visited the LBJ Library & Museum in Austin with my grandfather. One of the stories that stuck with me was that President Johnson had a voracious appetite for news. In fact, he was so driven to stay ahead of everyone else that he had AP and UPI ticker machines … Read more
I did this TV interview on Friday and learned a little something that I should have already known, since it’s something I always preach. People tend to think that their job or their industry is enormously complex and that an outsider could never possibly understand how it works. As a result, businesses often demand extensive, … Read more