Rob Biesenbach 
In my writing classes at the Second City Training Center, we were assigned to come in each week with a 5-to-7-page sketch to present for the class and instructor’s dissection. (That was every week for nearly a year-and-a-half, by the way.) One day the instructor had us take the first two pages of our sketches … Read more
Some might say that the very least of Michele Bachmann’s problems in her run for president is her command of the English language and rules of grammar. To that, grammar purists the world over say “nay.” Or possibly “pish.” I was alerted to this fundraising letter by the people at the political blog Balloon Juice. … Read more
When I started writing the book, I thought about crowdsourcing it. There are sites where you can put up a chapter at a time, invite comment, ask questions and start debate. I quickly realized that that’s never been the way I write and decided to just do it the traditional way. But I’m learning so … Read more
As I’ve said, I feel a ton of pressure to practice what I preach in my presentations by defying the conventions of tired old PowerPoint templates and creating something really exciting and interesting visually. I learned a lot in the process about finding good images on the Internet, and here are some tips that can … Read more
Listening is not a one-way process. It’s not just about hearing. Listening often requires you to dig so you really understand what’s being said. I was reminded of this in the webinar Friday. Which went great, though the Q&A portion was a little difficult to manage. Normally in a live situation, an audience member asks … Read more
Tomorrow I conduct my first webinar. I’ve attended them before but never starred in one. Yesterday was the final dress rehearsal, and while we’ve managed to master the technology (this particular platform is new to the hosts, too, so we’ve been learning together), it’s still an odd and disconcerting experience. I’m looking forward to advances … Read more
When you think about Hemingway’s writing style, certain things come to mind. Spartan prose, free of excess modifiers. Short, choppy sentences. A distinct masculine bent. For me, Hemingway is about honesty. One idea that has influenced my writing more than any other is this one from Papa himself: “All you have to do is write … Read more
This is one of my favorite stories about the power of stories. Every organization has a vast, untapped reserve of great stories with compelling characters at the center of them. As I say in the video, people don’t care about programs, they care about people. So finding someone relatable who embodies that program is essential … Read more
Tonight I deliver my first speech based on the book. Being acutely aware of the importance of practicing what I preach, here are 10 rules I’m adhering to in the development and presentation of the material: 1. Dump PowerPoint and templates I did this in KeyNote instead of PowerPoint, which pretty much enforces mediocrity. And … Read more
“Quick, I need a joke for this speech!” No you don’t. The last you thing you need is to shoehorn some tired, contrived quip into your presentation that has no relevance to your material. All for the sake of “breaking the ice.” Better to let the humor flow naturally and organically. And to respect the … Read more