Biesenblog
Riveting Insights on Communication, Storytelling and Presentation Skills
How to Tell Stories Like Malcolm Gladwell
When I lead storytelling workshops, someone inevitably says their work or their business is too complex to capture in a story. That's when I point them to Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink, Tipping Point and other bestsellers. I once watched Gladwell keep a ballroom...
5 Essential Items for Every Presenter’s Checklist
A smart presenter is prepared for absolutely anything. There are so many details to manage, some of which can make or break your presentation. Why leave anything to chance? That's why I create checklists. Lots of checklists. I have checklists for: Things to do months...
Presentation Pro Tip #2: Keep Your Cool, Patti Smith-style
If you're a fan of Bob Dylan or Patti Smith (or both) this video is must viewing. But even if you're not, it's worth watching for some important lessons on how to keep calm when things go off the rails during a presentation. If you hadn't heard, singer/poet/artist...
Still Presenting Like It’s 1999? Fix Your Slides Now!
If your PowerPoint decks are still stuck in the last century (dull, ugly and wordy), audiences may think your ideas are stuck there, too. Don't sweat it. I've got a fix for you. This year I debuted a new talk that has already helped hundreds of conference attendees...
Presentation Pro Tip #1: Create a Stage Picture
I've been traveling the country the past couple of months training a client's sales managers on their presentation skills — by the time I'm done I'll have trained nearly 100 people. Interestingly, I've found that the more I teach, the more I learn. I'm discovering...
How to Break a Bad Speaking Habit
A speaking coach I know says 95% of her clients talk too fast. Which is a pretty understandable reaction to the often surreal experience of getting up in front of a bunch of people to speak. But talking too quickly makes it harder for your audience to understand you....
The Worst Presentation I Ever Gave
I usually kick off my presentation skills workshops with the story of the worst presentation I ever saw. But the only thing worse than sitting through a terrible presentation is being the one at the front of the room delivering that terrible presentation. So here is...
Are Your PowerPoint Slides Killing Your Reputation?
Any time I join a meeting and see dull black text projected on a plain white background, a little piece of my soul dies. Word slides are the worst. Not only are they proven to be ineffective, but they imply that you may be out of touch and behind the times. Which is a...
100 Tips for Giving a Better Presentation
Want to learn how to give a better presentation with an absolute minimum investment of time and money? Here are 100 quick tips in Twitter-sized chunks. They're collected from my #100SpeakingTips project in which I tweeted a presentation tip a day for 100 (business)...
Storytelling Requires Courage, Discipline and Trust
Storytelling is about making hard choices, having the conviction to stand by those choices and respecting your audience's intelligence. That's a particularly tall order when you're telling a story on behalf of a giant organization, where the approval process is...
New: A Guide to Creating TED-style Slides
TED Talks have changed audience expectations for what a presentation should be. Or perhaps they're merely a reflection of where audience tastes are going. Either way, there's no doubt the trend is toward speeches and presentations that are shorter, driven by story and...
This One Word Makes You Sound Like a Jerk
We're in the thick of Hollywood awards season, and with it come the acceptance speeches, which are sometimes inspiring, sometimes funny and sometimes downright pretentious. Which reminds me of a speech Madonna gave at the Golden Globes ceremony a few years ago that...
