Biesenblog
Riveting Insights on Communication, Storytelling and Presentation Skills
Now on Sale: Unleash the Power of Storytelling
Today's the day! Your guide to using stories to advance your career, build your business and get more of what you want out of life is here! Unleash the Power of Storytelling is now available in ebook and paperback (and soon, on audiobook, narrated by me). I loved...
Your Presentation is Like a Train, Not a Car
One of the most important keys to a successful presentation is forward momentum. Few things are more frustrating than listening to a speaker who zigs and zags, stops and starts and takes forever to get anywhere. I tell my clients to think of their presentation as a...
New Year, New Website, New Me
Ahhhh, nothing beats that new website smell! Take a look around. I hope you like what you see. It's the product of eight months of blood, sweat and tears. Well, maybe not blood. At least none of mine. I can't speak for the programmers and designers. But I think it...
Why You Should Tell Personal Stories (and How to Do It)
In my last post I talked about the importance of telling original stories. One of the best ways to be original is to tell personal stories derived from your own experience. Some of my clients are reluctant to do this. They'll say that nobody wants to hear their...
Is the Tide Turning on Death by PowerPoint?
I was meeting with a new client the other day who was about to show me his PowerPoint deck for a presentation we'll be working on together. He prefaced it by saying he tried to follow the recommendations in my book to emphasize images over words. My expectations in...
5 Things I Hate About Facebook “Stories”
Through their constant tinkering, Facebook has foisted a lot of unpopular features on us over the years (Ticker, anyone?). But to me, the worst is the new Story function. Excuse me, "story." Those should read as air quotes. The biggest, most sarcastic air quotes...
What I Did on Summer Vacation
Oops, we did it again! Biesenbaby 2 (aka, Lily) arrived on the scene at the end of July, which has put a serious dent in my productivity this summer, especially with helping run interference on Biesenbaby 1. Getting Teddy ready in the morning and taking him back and...
Tell Original Stories to Set Yourself Apart
Everyone wants to stand out from the crowd, but you can't do that by telling the same old stories people have heard a million times. That's why it's important to tell original stories. Our stories are what set us apart as individuals. They communicate who we are and...
7 Ways to Bring the Love in Your Communications
On this Valentine's Day I'm reminded of an important principle of improv comedy: come from a place of love. That's also useful advice for our everyday communications (and for life in general, of course). So here are seven ways you can bring the love in order to become...
Learn How to Tell Your Story
Have you ever been caught tongue-tied when someone says, "So tell me about yourself" in a job interview or asks, "What's your story?" at a networking event? This Friday I'll be conducting a free webinar that will help you tell your story in a way that makes a strong...
Why Storytelling is Like a Tree (Stick to the Point!)
Few things test my patience like listening to a meandering story that wanders from tangent to tangent without ever getting to the point. Learning to focus your story on the essentials may be the hardest part of storytelling, which is why I compare storytelling to a...
Why Do Smart PR Pros Give Bad Presentations?
Last year I attended a conference breakout session on a topic that really interested me. The room was packed with like-minded people, all hoping to get something of value from the program. Then the presenter kicked things off by talking about himself, and only...
