Author: leadgen

As seen on BigSpeak.com

As a keynote speakers bureau, we hear a lot of speeches. We’ve become pretty adept at weeding out those who are disingenuous, speaking for a paycheck rather than a cause or the spread of knowledge. We work with thousands of speakers whose messages we feel deeply, but it’s rare we come across a speech so moving our office stops what we’re doing to listen.

Jon Stewart’s speech in front of Congress on behalf of the 9/11 first responders, arguing for their Victims Compensation Fund, was one of those moments.

After Stewart left The Daily Show in 2015, his fans and followers thought they lost their political guardian. He spent 16 years at the forefront of political commentary, working tirelessly to uncover misdoings and turn even the worst news into something bearable.

Little has been seen of him since his departure from late night TV. Occasionally, he will make an appearance on a comedy special as an almost unrecognizable version of himself—a long salt and peppered bear in clothes that are too comfortable to mean business. He’s steered clear of the political spotlight at a time when it felt like we needed him most.

That all changed as he sat suited, beard trimmed neatly in front of Congress. We were reminded he is still here to speak out against our country’s injustices.

Stewart used his status and power to draw attention to the inadequate healthcare our nation’s first responders are receiving. He began by addressing the empty chairs where Congress members should have been sitting.

“Behind me, a filled room of 9/11 first responders and in front of me a nearly empty Congress. Sick and dying they brought themselves down here to speak to no one. It’s shameful.”

He reminded the few members of Congress who were present these men and women took five seconds to respond to their call of duty; then questioned why Congress is taking so long to respond to their cry for help, wasting the one thing they don’t have—time.

When someone so eloquently expresses an entire nation’s sentiment, his voice is heard and echoed. Stewart called for change, specifically for healthcare reform for our first responders, but also on a larger scale demanding that the leaders of our nation take accountability for the mistreatment of our heroes.

The very next day, Stewart’s words brought about tangible change as Congress passed the bill providing the victims with the proper healthcare they deserve. We want to thank Jon Stewart and everyone using their voices to bring attention to the issues and the people in need who are swept under the rug in our convoluted political system.

Keep raising your voices and keep on fighting for what’s right.

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Jessica Welch is the Content Marketing Associate at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Anthropology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her business thought articles often appear on Business 2 Community, Born 2 Invest, and YF Entrepreneurs.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

Building your own company from the ground up is no small feat. Most people do not have what it takes. Those brave enough to try face a world of financial uncertainty and minimal sleep with no promise of success. But for the true entrepreneur, their belief in their idea can carry them through the roughest patches.

Our top 10 entrepreneur speakers have risked it all and dedicated their lives to making their dreams reality. These experts have built empires from the ground up, turned industries on their heads, and coached others to do the same. Harness their energy and inspiration to make your next idea come to life.

• Marc Randolph

Marc Randolph is the co-founder of Netflix and an active angel investor and mentor. He has taken on Silicon Valley at the height of its tech boom and created an industry-changing startup from it. His new book THAT WILL NEVER WORK takes you through the birth and growth of Netflix in the midst of the chaos of Silicon Valley.

• Jonas Kjellberg

Jonas Kjellberg revolutionized the telecommunication industry when he co-founded Skype. He attributes his success as an entrepreneur to finding an innovative way to piggy-back on the processes already in place. He shares how you can find a similar situation.

• Bethenny Frankel

After Bethenny Frankel founded Skinnygirl, she transformed her enterprise from a low-cal cocktail company into a lifestyle brand. She branched out into everything from books to clothing to food. She also founded BStrong, a nonprofit working to alleviate crises from natural disasters and appears on ABC’s Shark Tank as a “shark” investor.

• Peter Guber

Peter Guber is an entrepreneur’s entrepreneur. He is a partial owner of the Golden State Warriors, the LA Dodgers, the LA Football Club, and Team Liquid, an Esports organization. He is also the CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group and former CEO of Sony Entertainment.

• Kevin O’Leary

Kevin O’Leary is best known for his role as “Mr. Wonderful” and a keen “shark” investor on ABC’s Shark Tank. After making a name for himself when his first business Softkey Software Products was acquired by Mattel, he has gone on to invest and counsel over 22 startups.

• Josh Linkner

Josh Linkner is the CEO and founder of five tech startups worth a combined value of over $200 million. He is now a bestselling author, a founding partner of Detroit Venture Partners and co-founder and chairman of Platypus Labs.

• Chris Barton

Chris Barton co-founded Shazam from nothing more than a good idea. At the time, no technology existed to make music identifying a reality. It took him years, but eventually, Shazam was transformed from a flip-phone, dial-in service to an app that transformed the music industry and was bought out by Apple.

• Daymond John

Daymond John is the CEO and founder of FUBU Clothing and a “shark” investor on ABC’s Shark Tank. From turning his garage, startup clothing store into a million dollar company, John knows about hard work and dedication. He now acts as an angel investor and advisor for entrepreneurs looking to do the same.

• Bobbi Brown

Bobbi Brown founded Bobbi Brown Cosmetics in 1991, offering women a more natural selection in a time of flamboyant makeup. Brown forged her way into the male-dominated industry and became a success, writing nine beauty and wellness books and going on to found Beauty Evolution LLC.

• Tan Le

Tan Le founded her company EMOTIV on a technology she created that allows you to control objects with your brainwaves. She is currently the CEO of her company and works with others to use her technology in everything from autism research to paraplegic mobility.

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The content writers at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau are Experts on the Experts. They hold doctoral, masters, and bachelors’ degrees in business, writing, literature, and education. Their business thought pieces are published regularly in leading business publications. Working in close association with the top business, entrepreneur, and motivational speakers, BigSpeak content writers are at the forefront of industry trends and research.

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Amazon just announced their top picks for Best Books of the Year So Far. Guess who made the top of the list? BigSpeak’s managing expert Julie Zhuo. Her first book The Making of a Manager came in #1 for Business and Leadership books.

Julie Zhou, VP of Product Design for Facebook, wrote the manual for transitioning between team member and team leader. As she climbed the ladder at Facebook, she was thrown into a managerial role with no prior experience.

In her book, she explains the subtleties of being a new manager. While she thought her role would be more project managing, it turned out she needed the tools and training to be an effective leader. Bringing her team together to work as a cohesive unit was a much bigger focus and more difficult task than the administrative portion of managing.

Across ten chapters, Zhuo guides the reader through the transition from newbie to strong, supportive leader. For anybody who is a new manager, or looking to lead, this book is your handbook.

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Jessica Welch is the Content Marketing Associate at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Anthropology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her business thought articles often appear on Business 2 Community, Born 2 Invest, and YF Entrepreneurs.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

As seen on BigSpeak.com

BigSpeak works with the leaders of brands who have changed not only the way we do business but the way we live. From Amazon to Google to Starbucks, our brand-leading keynote speakers have shaped businesses that are changing the world. Learn directly from the men and women leading the most innovative global brands by booking a BigSpeak keynote speaker for your next event.

Check out the brands changing lives and the leaders behind them. 

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The content writers at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau are Experts on the Experts. They hold doctoral, masters, and bachelors’ degrees in business, writing, literature, and education. Their business thought pieces are published regularly in leading business publications. Working in close association with the top business, entrepreneur, and motivational speakers, BigSpeak content writers are at the forefront of industry trends and research.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

How do you reach the next level in today’s business world? In the updated edition of From Impossible to Inevitable, keynote speaker and sales expert Aaron Ross shows companies what they need to grow faster and sustain their hypergrowth. The key, Ross says, is for companies to find and exploit their niche to help consumers.

There’s too much noise in today’s business world, Ross says. There’s too much choice for consumers to sort through and too much information for companies to keep up with. While many argue consumers are better informed and with more choices than ever before, Ross says that’s not the case. In reality, consumers are more confused than ever. Company employees aren’t much better. Workers are overwhelmed with all the information they must keep up with.

Ross says one of the solutions is for companies to better focus on defining their ideal customer. They need to find out how their customers think and then speak their language, reaching out to them by video to cut through the clutter.

If you wish to learn more about how your company can grow faster, check out the revised edition of From Impossible to Inevitable. It’s well worth the read for companies wishing to handle their hypergrowth.

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Have you ever traveled to a faraway place expecting to become someone entirely new only to realize when you return home you’re still the same person? Books, movies, and television are filled with stories of men and women traveling the world to find themselves. The secret, most people discover, is you don’t have to travel the world to find yourself and become happy. You just have to pay attention to what’s around you.

Motivational keynote speaker and host of Bridge The Gap Chris Bashinelli learned this lesson in his early 20s. He traveled to Tanzania to help make the lives of the locals better, only to learn they didn’t need his help. People in Tanzania had wonderful lives. It was Chris who needed to change the way he saw things.

After coming back, Chris realized we can all live better if we learn to embody the three principles of being a global citizen.

1) Be present in your life

Many times, we spend our time focused on the future. We think: I’ll be happy when I…get my dream job, promotion, married, have children, retire.

We spend all our time focused on a future goal and forget to focus on the here and now. Chris learned that joy resides in being present in our lives, in the moment we are in now. Goals give us direction but they should not take us away from focusing on the present and those around us.

2) Connect authentically with others

In business, we are taught to network to get ahead and promote our careers. Books, podcasts, and videos teach us how to make connections. The only problem with this type of connection is it often self-serving; often, it does the opposite of what we intend. It distances us from people.

To be more joyful, you need to authentically connect with others. Chris suggests you ask questions, listen with an open mind, and always have someone else’s best interests at heart. When you do this, you will find common ground with all people. You will make friends everywhere.

3) Find a mission greater than yourself

Part of being a global citizen is recognizing we are all connected. Advancing your own interests will make you happy for a spell, but advancing the interests of others will make the world around you a happier place.

Chris believes we need to stop listening to the noise of people telling us what we should do and who we should be. Instead, listen to your own voice and do whatever it is YOU want to do. Find that passion and connect it to a greater mission. You don’t have to cure cancer or join the Peace Corps to be part of a grand mission. You could be a singer who brings joy to the world through his music or an entrepreneur who donates her profits back to helping the environment.

When you learn to embody these three principles of being a global citizen, you will find that by bringing joy to other people’s lives, you have brought joy to your own.

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Kyle Crocco is the Content Marketing Coordinator at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, and the lead singer of Duh Professors. He regularly publishes business book reviews and thought articles on Medium, Business 2 Community, and Born 2 Invest.

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Your industry is always evolving. If you’re not disrupting someone else’s business, then someone is trying to disrupt yours. Disruptive innovation hasn’t just changed the markets for entertainment (Shazam and Apple) but also for information (Google) and communication (Skype). If you’re dealing with disruption or changes to your business landscape, you’ll want to hear from experts who have had first-hand experience handling it.

These disruption and change management keynote speakers have disrupted markets or guided companies who have been disrupted by teaching their change management skills. If you need a top keynote speaker, check out our list of the top ten disruption and change management speakers.

Mitch Lowe

As a C-Suite executive for Netflix, Redbox, and MoviePass, Mitch Lowe has a knack for disrupting the entertainment industry. Learn from his experience.

Kevin Surace

Kevin Surace can teach you about disruptive innovation from his own business ventures. He created the first smartphone and virtual assistant, soundproof drywall (QuietRock), and building materials with lower carbon footprints, such as EcoRock and ultra-energy-efficient windows.

Nancy Giordano

As a strategic futurist, Nancy Giordano helps companies navigate change in dynamic and complex environments.

Jonas Kjellberg

Jonas Kjellberg helped disrupt the communications industry as a co-creator of Skype and now helps companies understand digital transformations.

Lisa Bodell

If you need a change in your organization, Lisa Bodell is a globally recognized expert on leading change and the author of the bestsellers, Kill The Company and Why Simple Wins.

Frits Van Paasschen

Frits Van Paasschen has helmed many industries from Nike to Coors to Starwood Hotels and shares his insights on disruption from his book The Disruptors’ Feast.

Steve Donahue

A popular and entertaining speaker with audiences, Steve Donahue teaches audiences how to use narrative as a way to thrive on disruption, inspire innovation, and create new opportunities.

Peter Sheahan

Peter Sheahan uses fascinating case studies to help companies find opportunity in disruption and reverse the downward spiral of commoditization.

Josh Linkner

As a bestselling author on innovation, Josh Linkner uses real-world examples, funny stories, and practical takeaways to teach audiences how to thrive in a world of change.

Dr. JP Pawliw-Fry

Approaching disruption and change from the view of emotional intelligence, JP Pawliw-Fry shows how successful change efforts in your company start by understanding your people.

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The content writers at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau are Experts on the Experts. They hold doctoral, masters, and bachelors’ degrees in business, writing, literature, and education. Their business thought pieces are published regularly in leading business publications. Working in close association with the top business, entrepreneur, and motivational speakers, BigSpeak content writers are at the forefront of industry trends and research.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

James Clear’s business book Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones has made the New York Times bestsellers list for the eighth consecutive month. Clear’s business-advice book is only growing in reach, ranking #3 in the month of May.

Since its launch, the book has held a top spot on the bestsellers business book list and repeatedly appeared on the NYT bestsellers Advice/How-To list. In the first 3 months of publication, it sold  over 300,000 copies.

Atomic Habits is making waves in the business community with advice in improving productivity by changing the systems we use. Clear has studied the science of habit-forming (and breaking) and applies practical theories to changing the way we view, form, and break habits. He uses research and personal stories to help his audience understand and implement the science of small habits.

Everyone knows that change comes in small steps, but Clear gives you strategies to avoid failure and temporary gains, and instead make sustainable, lasting changes. His book is geared towards becoming more efficient in business, but the tools and lessons can apply to everyday life as well.

Clear shares his continual learning and insights on the topic through his blog and company The Habits Academy, as well as his keynote speaking. He brings his expertise to businesses and organizations, speaking on making motivation last, leading in an uncertain world, executing your goals, and making small changes that lead to big results.

His book is accompanied on the New York Times Bestselling Business Books list by inspiring and intriguing reads like Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead, Abby Wambach’s Wolfpack, John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood, and Jocko Willink and Leif Babin’s Extreme Ownership.

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Jessica Welch is the Content Marketing Associate at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Anthropology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her business thought articles often appear on Business 2 Community, Born 2 Invest, and YF Entrepreneurs.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

There was a moment when Joey Coleman was on tour with the University of Notre Dame Glee Club where the importance of customer experience became crystal clear. His choir was on the start of a European tour, Coleman was first tenor, and the group’s first gig was booked in a huge, magical cathedral in Rome, Italy. Everything was great except for the audience—there were only seven people who came to the performance.

At this moment, the choir could have gone through the motions, treated it as a “practice” concert, and moved on to the next city. Instead, a senior member of the group gathered the singers around for a quick pre-performance talk. He said even though there were only seven people in the audience, these people would never get a chance to see the University of Notre Dame Glee Club perform again. This would be the only impression the choir would make and what did they want these people to tell others about the Notre Dame Glee Club?

The choir went on stage and performed a standing-ovation worthy performance.

Concentrate on the human experience.

Ever since that moment, Joey Coleman has been learning about the importance of human experience as part of the customer journey. As a criminal defense lawyer working in Iowa, Coleman knew the human experience was important. How people felt could mean the difference between his client going home free or spending a life behind bars.

Though the law presumes the innocence of an accused, most jurors come to court thinking a person on trial must be guilty of something. Coleman learned how to help the jury think differently about his client, to feel differently about his client, and to act differently towards his client. He treated the jury as his customers, giving them a personal experience. He did everything from designing exhibits to building dioramas of crime scenes to standing in front of juries using his persuasive skills.

Since his days as a trial lawyer, Coleman has continued to learn about the human experience in vastly different fields. He learned how to please audiences as a member of the Grammy-nominated Washington Men’s Camerata choir. As a legal advisor in the White House during the Clinton administration, he helped shape people’s view of what the Office of the President should represent. Then he moved on to help companies create brand identities to connect with their consumers as Chief Experience Composer for his company Design Symphony.

Never lose a customer again.

Now Coleman has distilled his years of experience into a must-read book and keynote experience called Never Lose a Customer Again.

Coleman’s Wall Street Journal bestselling book covers the 8 phases of the customer journey from the first interaction to making them a loyal fan. In his keynote experiences and book, Coleman covers each step of what a company can do to improve the customer experience, showing companies how to connect to customers on a personal level.

Getting personal has helped companies dramatically reduced churn and attrition rates among customers. The typical business Coleman works with sees an increase in profits of 25-100% and an increase in customer referrals of more than 30%

The biggest unintended effect from focusing on customer experience has been improved employee morale and engagement. Now that employees are spending time engaging with customers on a personal level, employees have been reconnected with the reason they go to work: their customer.

If you’re interested in reconnecting with your customer base and improving the customer journey, contact BigSpeak Speakers Bureau today to learn more about Joey Coleman or to book his keynote experience.

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Kyle Crocco is the Content Marketing Coordinator at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, and the lead singer of Duh Professors. He regularly publishes business book reviews and thought articles on Medium, Business 2 Community, and Born 2 Invest.

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You take a seat in the audience. The lights go down. The speaker bounds out on stage to a burst of applause. The presentation is smooth, polished, funny—but something is off. You’re not laughing and the material feels stale. This is a big name, New York Times bestselling author.  Yet, somehow, you’re not feeling it.

Then it hits you. You’ve seen this exact presentation before on YouTube. The only difference between this keynote and the speech the speaker gave at the last conference you attended is the company name and logo in the Powerpoint deck. If you feel had, imagine how the rest of the audience feels. Wonder what those “smile sheets” will reveal in the post-session surveys?

Don’t panic. There’s a cure for keynote déjà vu: moderated sessions.

This format is great for showcasing big-name celebrities. While your typical celebrity gives a great performance on film—after 14 takes, great lighting, and a bunch of editing—they usually don’t knock it out of the park with a keynote. Part of it is their performance and part of it is your expectations of perfection. BUT…imagine, if you will, a magic potion that makes it all better.

The fireside chat

I have to admit when I first started in the speaker industry, I wasn’t a big fan of the moderated session (also known as the fireside chat). I thought, why do you want to sit in on someone else’s conversation when you can see a speaker bang out three points you need to know to “shift paradigms for a pivotal game changer” (gag!).

But after seeing hundreds of keynotes, I now understand moderated sessions not only liven up a conference, but they can also be more powerful than the classic three-point presentations. Unlike your standard keynote, moderated sessions are customizable, smooth, conversational, and intimate, no matter how large the crowd.

Intimate setting

Take your typical keynote: In the middle of the stage sits a lectern and a huge screen. During the talk, the speaker either stands behind the lectern or paces back and forth across the stage, clicker in hand, gesturing to the screen. There is a clear separation between the role of speaker and audience and, usually, no interaction.

Moderated sessions, on the other hand, have a cozy feel. Instead of a lectern, there are two comfortable chairs facing each other as if the speaker and the moderator were in a living room together. The intimate feel puts the audience at ease, makes the speakers relaxed, and produces a much deeper and personal experience.

Role of the moderator

Another big difference of moderated sessions is the control the moderator has. The moderator can be someone from inside the organization or another expert in the field, as long as he or she has insight into the industry and the speaker.

Having the right moderator changes the dynamic. The best moderator is someone energetic, funny, and quick with the wit. It’s their job to control the pace of the session, to give enough time for answers, and steer the conversation in whatever direction best engages the audience to keep everyone involved. They are a friend, storyteller, and emcee rolled in one.

The key is in the questions

The biggest difference in terms of the audience experience are the questions. In your standard keynote, you get great ideas packed into a short time frame. Questions, if any, come at the Q&A and are usually rushed as the speaker has other obligations.

A moderated session, on the other hand, allows the questioner to unpack those ideas and go much deeper than they would in your standard canned speech. These questions yield details and stories relevant to the audience. The conversational nature also allows for surprise insights or an exclusive story not delivered in a standard session.

The moderator can ask very specific questions about current events, the industry, the company and even how it relates to the exact attendees sitting in the audience. Audiences come away feeling they have learned something relevant and unique.

If you’re interested in moderated sessions, BigSpeak works closely with our speakers to create insightful questions and to coach speakers on giving smooth, conversational answers that will delight and entertain an audience more than the standard keynote.

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Ken Sterling is the executive vice president at BigSpeak?, the leading keynote and business speakers bureau. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of California and an MBA from Babson College. Sterling teaches entrepreneurship, marketing, and strategy at UC Santa Barbara. He is a serial entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and hypergrowth sales and marketing expert.

As seen on BigSpeak.com

Co-founder and the first CEO of Netflix Marc Randolph has been more myth than man in the speaking world lately. Everybody wants to hear how Randolph created the industry-changing company Netflix, but between writing his book and advising numerous startups as an angel investor his calendar has been full…until now.

His book THAT WILL NEVER WORK: The Birth of Netflix and the Amazing Life of an Idea, is almost here to bring inspiration to your company. When you book Marc to speak at an event before September, he will include a pre-order of his book.

This inside look at the creation of Netflix and its journey from a skeptical startup to a one-of-a-kind company is essential reading for entrepreneurs and creative thinkers trying to do more with their ideas. You will get a look into the realities of Silicon Valley’s “era of irrational exuberance” in the early 90s and be inspired by Randolph’s perseverance.

Ideas don’t get started in an instant. Luckily, you can nurture your idea with the guidance of a seasoned Silicon Valley veteran. Book Marc today and get a jump on all the other entrepreneurs with “the next big idea.”

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Jessica Welch is the Content Marketing Associate at BigSpeak Speakers Bureau, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Anthropology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Her business thought articles often appear on Business 2 Community, Born 2 Invest, and YF Entrepreneurs.