Rob Biesenbach's Blog, page 12

Your Presentation Sucks. Here Are 6 Reasons Why.

I came across this cartoonthe other day that showswhat happens when a presentation goes off the rails. But I submit that the presentation as planned was doomed from the start anyway.

Take a look at the “How You Planned It” section. If that looks to you like a solid blueprint for a speechthen it just may be that your presentation sucks, too.

How does itsuck? Let me count the ways (below the graphic).

Don’t Start by Talking About Yourself

Your audience doesn’t care about you; they care about themse...

How to Introduce a Speaker: 8 Essential Steps

Most presenters—the professional ones, at least—work hard onpreparing a speech that will delight and enthrall their audience. Unfortunately, the people assigned to introduce them don’t always put in the same effort.

Having been there myself, I really feel for the speaker who suffers a bad introduction—onethat’s uninspired, poorly written and carelessly delivered.

If you ever find yourself with this responsibility, here is how to introduce a speaker the proper way. (First, though, check out thes...

5 Way to Promote Audience Interaction in Your Next Speech

When it comes to public speaking, the age of the one-sided lecture is dead. Audiences today expect more of a conversation. Here are five ways to spur the kind of audience interaction that will bring your speech or presentation to life.

1. Take Questions

The most obvious way to create a conversation is to set aside some time for Q&A. Unless it’s absolutely not feasible for some technical or other reason, you should always take questions.It gives your audience a voice, makes you more accountable...

10 Immutable Laws of Email Marketing

Everybody’s into email marketing these days, from big businesses to entrepreneurs, from musicians to writers.

It’s no wonder—it’s one of the most effective marketing tactics there is. And with tools like Constant Contact and Mail Chimp, anyone can do it. And that’s the trouble—many people aren’t doing it right.

Are You a Spammer?

In fact, they’re spammers. They don’t think of themselves that way, but they are. Maybe you’re one of them.

Now I’ll be the first to say that I am no email marketing exp...

How to Recover From Mistakes During a Speech

Source: Dept. of Energy, Public Domain

Last week I was giving a really important speech and it almost went completely off the rails, due to technical and other issues. The only thing that saved me was my acting experience, which taught me how to recover from mistakes on stage.

When you’re giving a speech or presentation, you have to be prepared for absolutely anything. You have to control everything that’s within your control (your content, your attitude, your energy, etc.) AND you have to be r...

What is a Story? Here’s What It’s Not

Storytelling has become one of the most overused, misused and abused concepts in business today.People play fast and loose with the definition of story.

So what is a story? The first step in figuring that out what a story is, is understanding what a story is not.

A quote from Winston Churchill is not a story. An anecdote, by definition, is not a story. A customer testimonial may or may not be a story.

Only a story is a story. And only a real story has the power to really move and affectaudiences...

Worried About the Competition? Get Over That Foolishness

I’m amused by old-fashioned notions about competition and how to deal with competitors.

The old approach of putting up walls, guarding secrets and drawing strict lines between “us” and “them” may still work for companies holding truly proprietary information (like patents and such).

But for service providers, where the difference in offerings among competitors is measured in degrees and often people-driven, that way of doing business has become increasingly pointless and even counter-productive...

A Lesson in Career Planning from Steve Jobs

Are you feeling lost or directionless in your career? Like you’re on the wrong track or you’re wasting your time?

I can assure you you’re not alone. Practically everyone has felt that way at some point in his or her life.

I can also assure you that it’s going to be okay.

Take it From Steve Jobs

If you don’t believe me, let’s go to the one source that’s cited on every subject under the sun, from creativity to leadership: Steve Jobs.

He had something really smart to say on planning your career and f...