An interview by Kaylee Holland -

Q: What drew you to storytelling as the core of your work?
Rob Biesenbach explains that storytelling has always been embedded in his career as a communications and public relations professional. However, his passion intensified in the early 2000s when he began taking improv and sketch comedy classes at Second City. “That just was so mind-expanding and enriching,” he says. “It really deepened my understanding of storytelling and my passion for it.” Through that experience, Biesenbach realized that storytelling principles drawn from performance could be applied to help people communicate more effectively in professional settings.

by Diane Streleckis - Ask a communication professional the ultimate goal of any message and they’ll likely say creating trust. Former two-star Navy Admiral and current Fortune 100 aerospace company VP Mike Manazir agrees. 

“Effective leadership is founded on trust,” he said. “Communication portrays that trust.” Most importantly, he noted, people follow those that they trust.

By Diane Streleckis - This highly charged election cycle can be particularly fraught for communication professionals. Leaders often want to share their policy perspectives or feel pressured to do so by expectant employees or stakeholders. But the risks to the company’s public perception, as well as a leader’s individually, can be high if a message goes awry.

by Diane Streleckis - Communicators excel at shining the spotlight on others. But they often can be reluctant to seek it out for themselves, according to Kathryn Kneller, founder and lead consultant at Internal Comms Mastery.