After the first TEDxColumbus event in 2009 at the Wexner Center, I remember thinking the day after: why aren’t I doing more of “THIS?” This being helping speakers architect their story and find their voice. And deliver what I am now calling “The Talk of Your Life.” It is what lead me to create ar.tic.u.la.tion […]
The journey to give a TEDx talk: A documentary. Read More »
We were invited into a major financial institution this week to help check the pulse of their culture. And we did it thru stories. A few years ago I was inspired by a training group in Australia who talked about their anecdote circles. Playing on the idea, yesterday we facilitated ‘story circles’ for 100 associates
Corporate Values and Culture Revealed Through Stories Read More »
I just finished reading one of the most compelling stories I think I’ve ever read: Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden. It is the incredible tale of Shin Dong-hyuk, the only person to have been born in a North Korean work camp and to have survived a harrowing escape. He was about 24 when he escaped
Finding your authentic self through story. Read More »
I just finished a six week assignment with a major health corporation in town, helping them to cascade their 10 year vision into a repeatable resonant story for their 16,000 associates to understand. The experience was a familiar one — take two years worth of strategic planning work and find a way to get it
Yesterday morning I delivered a keynote address on influential storytelling to 80 executives at the company DSW, headquartered in Columbus. They sell shoes and lots of them. In attempting to find the perfect metaphor to begin my talk, I made them each take off their right shoes. To a group of shoe execs, the energy
It takes both sides. Read More »
Last week, we suggested an outrageous idea to a client who was addicted to PowerPoint (as in she had sent at least 200 pages of slides in 4 decks). While we were helping her to narrow down a presentation to 15 slides, we also suggested they use a black slide when one of the 5
Dare to fade to black Read More »
Last week we re-launched our Influential Storytelling class. Like all good motors, it needed a tune up, and just in time too. These 15 participants came together from 7 different organizations to get down to the business of “story.” One of the attendees in his evaluation said: “It is rare that one experiences something
Our Influential Storytelling Class Read More »
As I was dropping my son off in his kindergarten room he was quizzing me about how and why rental cars worked. I don’t know where the question was sparked; I know better than to ask. As I was unpacking his bag and helping him shove his oversized lunchbox in his cubby, I attempted to
An analogy please with some sprinkles on top Read More »
Today I began a six week journey with about 15 elementary school children toward a final destination of a TEDxKids event. Yes, I’ll take your luck as I’ll likely need it. “NBCC” is North Broadway Children’s Center where my two children have attended pre-school and now aftercare since they were 18 months and 10 weeks,
TEDxKids@NBCC Journal Entry 1: Teaching kids about story. Read More »
Let me thank the panelists from last week’s Women and Marketing event at TECHColumbus :Joan Manter,Nancy Bohman,Amy Marshall and Padma Sastry. I won’t repeat the content of the panel discussion since Nancy has a wonderful recap on her blog. LXLMS But what I do want to explore for a moment is the notion of the panel
The problem with the panel Read More »
announcing
the motivated speaker
six principles to unlock your communication potential
In this book you will discover the six essential threshold concepts needed to give talks like the best TED speakers and Fortune 500 leaders.
The book will deliver May 2025.
Stay tuned for the launch!
