Carmen Simon Is Here to Make Your Marketing More Memorable

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Marketing and leadership keynote speaker and branding/sales expert, Dr. Carmen Simon, researches and teaches cognitive neuroscience at Stanford University to bring the most cutting-edge findings to her Silicon Valley startup, Memzy. As the founder of Memzy, she helps corporations use brain science to create memorable messages that influence customers’ decisions.

Her most recent book, Impossible to Ignore: Creating Memorable Content to Influence Decisions, has been promoted on several book lists as one of the top international books on persuasion. In the book, Carmen explains how you and your company can use memory hacking tricks to market better, tell a significant story, and make sure your brand is remembered by your consumers.

Carmen has two doctorate degrees, one in instructional technology and another in cognitive psychology, and is a recognized expert in applying neuroscience to leadership, communication design, and customer engagement.

Her sought-after keynote speeches unveil science-based techniques for getting others to see your way, remember your way, and go your way.

Carmen speaks on…

The Neuroscience of Being Memorable:

Carmen offers strategies for transforming yourself and your message into something worth noticing and remembering. To help us understand how people pay attention, remember content, and ultimately act on it, we look at the field of neuroscience, which reveals insights on how the brain processes information and tends to remember it – or, more often – forget it.

The Neuroscience of Engagement:

What does it really take for the brain to be engaged? This keynote offers four evidence-based, practical guidelines, which you can use immediately to create meaningful engagement for your internal and external audiences.

The Science of Storytelling for Leaders:

To become true leaders and influence others’ action, we must ask: what makes a memorable story? And what is the optimal amount of narrative we can use when we speak about technical or scientific content? Carmen shares the latest brain science research on storytelling and how to best apply it to your own leadership style to inspire and influence others.

The Neuroscience of Humor:

The most successful business professionals are the ones people remember. Join this session to hear a cognitive neuroscientist’s view on how you can create communication at the corner of humorous and memorable. You will learn practical guidelines and reconsider preconceived notions about using humor in business communication and interactions.

The Neuroscience of Decision Making:

Join this keynote to discover strategies for transforming your message into something worth noticing and remembering. To help us understand how customers pay attention, remember messages, and ultimately act on them, we look at the field of neuroscience, which reveals insights on how the brain processes information and tends to remember it – or more often – forget it.

Could a Robot Replace You?

We can look at the “human vs. machine” as a symbiotic process: The computer and the human need each other to make each other better. Unfortunately, when we rely too much on automation, the computer seems to take over. Automation may free us from that which makes us free. Carmen looks at ways to balance the human and the machine and create better engagement with your customers.

Crisis Equals Opportunity: Why You Should Dive In When Everyone Is Leaping Out

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Do you remember where you were when the housing market crashed? Were you out weeding the garden, at dinner with close friends, or maybe just listening to a pop song on the radio when the news came on?

If you don’t remember where you were, what you were doing, or who you were doing it with that’s because the housing crash didn’t happen in one day. Mostly, the market collapse was a slow-motion train wreck with a few precipitous cliff drops during an 18-month period between October 2007 and March 2009.

The aftermath is probably the only part you remember. Your investments had lost half their value. Your house was valued at less than your mortgage. Plans for early retirement had to be postponed or canceled entirely. And the last place you wanted to put your money was in stocks.

But if you were a value investor, like Sir John Templeton, you were probably smiling. Not because John was a cruel, heartless bastard. Rather it was because the housing collapse represented the singular best buying opportunity in several decades. If you had invested after the crash (or kept investing all along), you would have seen momentous returns over the next decade.

Investing when no one else will is at the heart of what value investing is all about and the subject of top financial speaker Lauren Templeton’s book Investing the Templeton Way, based on the successful market-beating strategies of her uncle, Sir John Templeton.

How to Beat the Market and Make Millions

If you want to beat the market and make millions, the principles are quite simple. Executing those principles, however, is difficult. Here are four ways to become rich over time.

1) Buy stocks that no one else wants

You have to go against the crowd and all the conventional wisdom. You have to purchase stocks in companies or countries that don’t look attractive, that no one else seems interested in, whose price is undervalued.

While your friends are buying Amazon, Google, Apple, and whatever stock seems sexy, you will be buying stocks no one has heard of or have had a recent downturn. People will think you are stupid and tell you that you are making unwise choices. Except it’s these undervalued ugly duckling stocks that will make you the most money in the long run.

Sir John Templeton invested in Japan in the 60s when no one thought Japan would amount to anything. In the 70s, all those bets paid off.

2) Buy when no one else wants to buy

Volatility is a bargain hunter’s best ally. Crisis spells opportunity. When everyone is selling stocks because of a crash or crisis, this is the time for you to dive in and start buying.

Buying when prices are going down takes a strong stomach and a lot of courage. As Sir John Templeton said, “The best time to buy is when there’s blood in the streets.” Sometimes that blood may be your own investments.

You should also be prepared for a coming crisis. Have a wishlist of stocks of good companies you want to buy when their prices fall low enough to make a good company’s stock undervalued.

When the dot-com bubble burst, Sir John Templeton had his list of companies he was waiting to buy when the stock price was just right. For example, if a company was overpriced at $100 a share but a bargain at $60 a share, he already had the buy order in place for when the stock price fell to $60.

3) Do your homework

What separates the successful investor from the mediocre investor? It’s not luck, but the ability to do the extra legwork. Bargain hunters research companies thoroughly, find the information no one else can be bothered to look for, and seize the opportunities that no one else has spent the time to discover.

This means going beyond stock reports. The information in public stock reports is already figured into the stock price. If you do the extra work, you can find opportunities no one else sees and profit once everyone figures out that the company’s (or country’s) stock is a good deal.

Before the housing crash, a small group of investors read the fine print and realized that collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) were filled with subprime mortgages that were going to fail (Go see The Big Short for a digestible lesson on this from the late Anthony Bourdain). They did their homework, saw what no one else saw, and profited.

4) Have patience

As a value investor, you must have patience. You will make sound decisions based on research that will yield results in the long term. These results may take years to materialize. While everyone is making money in the next big tech stock, or bitcoin offering, your portfolio may be underperforming. People will say your methods are wrong, out-of-date, and we are living in a new paradigm.

Take the 1970s, for example. The U.S. stock market was virtually flat for a decade. You would have seen no gain in your investments for ten years. By the end of the 70s, there were articles that declared stocks were dead and the future was real estate and gold.

However, had you ignored those nay-sayers and stayed in stocks, you would have seen everything in the market was vastly undervalued. You could have bought lots of bargains, bode your time, and experienced a tremendous rebound when Reagan was elected into office.

So if you want to be rich, it’s quite easy. You just have to go against the crowd, have a strong stomach, do your homework, and be patient.


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.

Top Political Speakers

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Are you looking for a top political speaker, politician, economist, or expert on national and international issues for your conference or event? Knowing and understanding the political climate is imperative in making business decisions. Whether it’s the upcoming election, predicting the state of the economy, or national security concerns, these keynote speakers can give you the insights you need.

Peter Zeihan

Top geopolitical keynote speaker Peter Zeihan specializes in global energy, demographics, and security. He will guide your company through the tumultuous future of global economics. He’ll cover everything from why China may be irrelevant in the near future to how Europe will aid in their own demise to steps to take to avoid the whole ordeal. You need Peter on your side if you want your company to stay alive.

David Dreier

David Dreier, former congressman and current Chairman of the Annenberg-Dreier Commission of Sunnyland, is a top keynote speaker focusing on trade and foreign policies. In this globalized marketplace, every move made by even the smallest countries affects you and your company. His behind-the-scenes insights into free trade and foreign involvement will keep your business a step ahead of your competitor.

Tan Le

Technology and Innovation speaker Tan Le has a unique perspective on global politics. As a refugee with an unbelievable story of escape, she used her outsider’s perspective to influence the framework of her company. Her talk focuses on the struggles of immigration as a refugee and how it shaped her into the entrepreneur who created world-changing brain control technology.

Larry Wilmore

Larry Wilmore, better known as the “Senior Black Correspondent” on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Host of the Nightly Show, brings comedy and humor to the often painful political climate of today.

Wilmore’s first book, I’d Rather We Got Casinos and Other Black Thoughts by Larry Wilmore, was published in fall 2008 and displays “an ability to convince, confound and compel in equal measure,” according to Publishers Weekly. He has been nominated and received numerous awards including an Emmy, a Peabody, Humanitas, TV Critics, and NAACP Image Award.

Dambisa Moyo

Dambisa Moyo is a global economist keynote speaker, author, and macroeconomy and international affairs analyst. Her work has taken her to more than 70 countries over the last decade, during which time she has developed a unique knowledge of the inherent conflicts facing developed economies, as well as the interaction between politics, international finance and developing markets.

Ian Siegel

Technology and entrepreneur keynote speaker and founder and CEO of ZipRecruiter, Ian Siegel analyzes how changing laws affect the job market to give you deeper insights into your hiring and retention, as well as possible integrations and alternative routes for your business.

Carl Bernstein

Carl Bernstein made a name for himself as one the most influential investigative reporters when he broke the Watergate story that aided in the impeachment of former President Richard Nixon. Since then he hasn’t slowed down. His insights into the dark and hidden world of politics are as intriguing as they are informative and helpful to your business. Book an evening with Carl to hear about the underbelly of America.

See Below For More Top Keynote Speakers:

Top Financial Keynote Speakers

All Top Keynote Speakers

Colin O’Brady Sets New World Record:

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50 Highest Points in 21 days 9 hours & 48 min

Motivational and Adventure Keynote Speaker Colin O’Brady took on the 50HP Challenge on June 27th at 4:06 pm Alaska Time at the summit of Denali. In 21 days, 9 hours, and 48 min O’Brady climbed the 50 highest points in each of the U.S. states. He shaved 20 days off the previous 41-day record and ended his trek on July 19th at 2:45 am PST at the summit of Oregon’s Mt. Hood.

Here are the highlights:

The Final Week July 12th-19th:

  • 8 peaks (CO, CA, UT, WY, ID, MT, WA, OR) back to back through the night with time for fewer than 3 hours of sleep each night
  • The climbs amounted to 150 trail miles and totaled 55,000 elevation gain, nearly two Mount Everests from sea level.
  • O’Brady climbed four of the highest points with his father on his 60th birthday. The climb was a reminder to Colin to always stay adventurous.

Check out Colin O’Brady’s Instagram page to see highlights from his 21-day trek across America’s highest points: https://www.instagram.com/colinobrady/

 

We Won’t Let You or Your Business Get Punked Like Palin

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You may have heard about Sasha Baron Cohen’s latest prank—the one where he used a speakers bureau to fly Sarah Palin across the country for a fake interview he planned to feature on his new show Who is America. Regardless if you’re a Borat fan or not, no one would be happy about a 14-hour round-trip-travel to be punked for a TV show.

While such trickery is rare in the speaking business, something much more common and equally as frustrating is a last minute cancelation from a ‘big name’ celebrity. Most organizations working with a celebrity keynote speaker put all their eggs in Liam Neeson’s basket, and then when his daughter is taken and he can’t make the event… there’s no one to fill in.

We’d never put you through that. When you book (or are booked) through BigSpeak, we guarantee we have safety nets to catch you from even the biggest tumbles.

Our Speakers…

Will only ever be contacted about the most qualified events. We have a rigorous vetting process that starts as soon as a company reaches out to find a speaker.

All companies are immediately verified through database searches upon initial contact. From there the company works directly with a member of our sales team to fully understand the purpose of the event and the event’s requirements, restrictions, and needs.

After the contract is complete, our event staff organizes every detail alongside the company’s planning team to ensure there are no miscommunications… unintentional or otherwise.

It’s not rare for one of our experienced Agents and Consultants to scope out the event before the speaker even arrives. Often a member of our team will arrive early to an event, work out any foreseen issues, and fully prepare the event to the specified needs of each individual speaker. Our Agents and Consultants attend events to personally ensure our speakers receive only the best and that any complications can be handled on the spot, ASAP.

Your Organization…

Will never be left hanging. When booking a celebrity or “big name” speaker, you always run the risk of last-minute cancellations—it comes with the territory. But when you work with BigSpeak, you’re ensuring no matter how Brad Pitt’s schedule changes you’ll have an A-list speaker to replace him.

We also take the time to fully flesh out our speakers’ needs, so you’ll never be surprised with a speaker walking out on you because you forgot to separate all the green M&M’s.

Our Agents and Consultants attend events to advocate for you as well. We are dedicated to creating a copesthetic relationship between you and your speaker.

When you use BigSpeak, we guarantee commitment to you and your needs. We know that each event is unique and requires different customizations—that’s our specialty. BigSpeak isn’t just a speakers bureau. We’re peace of mind for you and your team.

Can Your Company Overcome Technological Changes in the Workplace?

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Technology is changing your business but not always in the way you expect. While some new technological methods increase your productivity and collaboration, other methods have the opposite effect, slowing down your workflow and inhibiting your interactions. When technology is so important for a competitive edge, what can your company do to get it right?

Whether you’re interested in how technology is affecting your business today or what will happen to your business tomorrow, future-of-work and organizational change expert Paul Leonardi provides insights to help your business understand and overcome these new challenges. Through his research, Leonardi has identified the best practices for businesses to improve collaboration, innovation, and the sharing of knowledge.

Paul knows first hand how technology is affecting the dynamics of your workplace. He has studied the effects of technology for years in over eight countries and in firms ranging from engineering to finance. He has examined how new technologies such as AI, digital simulations, machine learning, and social tools have affected the way your work gets done.

Paul’s groundbreaking research on work and technology has earned him awards from a number of prestigious groups, including the Academy of Management, the National Communication Association, and the National Science Foundation.

Paul is the Founding Director of the Master of Technology Management Program (TMP) at the University of California in Santa Barbara. He is also the author of two books, Technology Choices and Car Crashes Without Cars, where he examined the effects of technological change on high tech firms and companies going through a digital transformation.

Paul’s most recent research has focused on how companies use enterprise social technologies, such as Slack and Jive.

Paul speaks on the following topics:

Preparing for The Future of Work, Today
What changes can your company make today to position itself for success in the digital future?

Leading Digital Transformation
How to prepare your managers, employees, and customers for the digital future by leading cultural change.

Going Social @ Work
How to use enterprise social media tools like Slack, Yammer, Chatter, and Microsoft Teams to increase collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation within your workplace.

Innovate With What You’ve Got
How to manage the social capital in your organization to generate and implement new ideas.

The Art and Science of Distributed Collaboration: Remote work and more
Learn the art of building successful collaborations across multiple geographies, time zones, and cultures.


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.

The 8 Rules of Learning You Need to Know to Thrive in Today’s Learning Economy

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Throughout Bradley Staats long career he’s jumped from industry to industry—from investment banking at Goldman Sachs, to strategic planning at Dell computer, with a detour in venture capitalism in Tampa, to becoming a business professor at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Along the way, he kept earning new degrees in different fields, papering his wall with a BS in Electrical Engineering from UT Austin, an MBA, and a DBA in Technology and Operations Management from Harvard Business School.

His wildly different career choices—from engineering to investing to academics—and multiple degrees probably don’t shock you because career changes have become the norm in our society. When the Bureau of Labor tracked people from aged 18-48 between 1978 to 2012, it found people had changed jobs on average more than ten times. Very few had the same job they started with.

This is because we now live in what Staats calls a “learning economy.” Due to changes in the demand for nonroutine cognitive labor, the rise of specialization, increasing globalization, and the need for scalability, we all must become dynamic and constant learners to survive and thrive.

The rise of nonroutine cognitive labor
With the rise of technology, work has gone out of our hands and into our minds. Literally. Over the past century, the U.S. (and the world) has witnessed a shift from agricultural labor to manufacturing to cognitive tasks. While the number of manual labor (manufacturing) and routine cognitive jobs (sales) have remained flat, nonroutine cognitive jobs (software design, content marketing) have exploded.

The rise of specialization
Specialization has also exploded. Specialization has been around for a long time, but never to the degree we see it now. For example, in the past, a doctor could know almost everything about medicine. Now there are 37 specialties and 132 subspecialties in medicine, which require years of training to master.

The rise of globalization
When the world was less connected, our competition didn’t feel as close. Companies might compete within a state or across the nation, but only the biggest companies had to worry about global competition. With the Internet, people can sell their goods and services to anyone and anywhere. Your competition for your next software assignment might be someone across the nation or across the world.

The rise of scalability
Work used to be limited to what one person could do. One salesperson could only sell to so many people. One doctor could treat only so many patients. Now one person with a website can reach millions of people.

With all these factors affecting the economy, how can one person stay relevant? According to Staats, in order to not only remain relevant but also thrive in this new learning economy, we must learn how to become better learners. In his book, Never Stop Learning, he outlines the eight concepts you need to embrace so you won’t fall behind.

  1. Value failure: Be willing to fail in order to learn. People don’t learn by playing it safe.
  2. Focus on process rather than outcome: Don’t focus on the end because with nonroutine challenges you won’t know how to get there. But if you focus on the process, you will eventually find a solution.
  3. Ask questions rather than rush to answers: It’s okay not to know the answer to a new challenge as long as you can ask the right questions to find the answers.
  4. Reflect and relax: Instead of always acting, take time to rest, recharge, and think. This will give you new insights for nonroutine tasks.
  5. Be yourself: Progress comes when you stop conforming and are willing to stand out. People don’t find new answers by doing what everyone else has done.
  6. Play to strengths: Instead of trying to make your weakness a strength, concentrate where you can get the most benefit. Playing to your strengths will help you overcome more challenges.
  7. Specialize and practice variety: Go deep in one area and stay broad in others. This approach will help you find your own niche but also be able to adapt it to other fields.
  8. Learn from others: People often don’t solve problems alone. You will learn more if you learn from the diverse expertise around you.

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.

How One Child Became An International Brand by Age 14

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Business keynote speaker Henry Patterson started his first business when he was four years old. It was a spin on the old lemonade stand, but instead of serving up refreshing drinks he was selling horse manure from his family’s ranch because there was a greater need for horse dung than for sweet treats.

After he got tired of shoveling poop, he started business after business until one took off. He was 10 years old when his children’s book The Adventures of Sherb and Pip was turned into a brand called Not Before Tea. He brought his book to life with toys and home goods, creating a wildly successful company and making him a local legend.

But his intense success made a bigger wave in the entrepreneurial world. He was featured in Forbes magazine, named One to Watch by the Independent, appeared on The BBC’s Show with Richard Branson, and was the youngest person to ever be interviewed on CNBC’s business show Squawk Box.

He is continuously growing his business. His products are sold internationally and he recently secured an investment to further develop Not Before Tea.

At 14 years old he launched his first business book, Young and Mighty, where he shares his story and the lessons he learned in his jam-packed, 14-year career with young people looking to pursue their dreams. Sir Richard Branson and Mike Krieger both contributed to the book and strongly believe in Patterson’s drive to help others facing big issues like money, self-esteem, finding your voice, education, and creativity.

Henry Patterson speaks on…

  • Finding your voice: Henry’s story from selling manure to battling with a stutter, being excluded from school, then going on to build a children’s brand, write a book with leaders such as Richard Branson, getting investments, and everything in between.
  • Lessons he learned in business: Business advice as you have not heard it before. Sometimes all it takes is to see things through a child’s eyes to find the solution. You certainly will look at things from a different perspective!
  • Sometimes you just have to jump: Overcoming adversity and breaking through barriers. What to do when everyone says you can’t? What to do when you get bullied so much you physically lose your voice? How do you cope when you read thousands of comments from people personally insulting you?

He now speaks to crowds of hundreds addressing workplace issues and providing his unique and fresh perspective. He’s delivered keynote addresses Lego, Clarkes Shoes, Company of Master Jewelers,  Avarto, Retail Week Live, Success Summit, Wealth Summit,  NatWest,  and Potential Plus. With the experience of a seasoned keynote speaker, he’ll wow any crowd with his tailored keynote addresses and fireside chats. Bring business keynote speaker Henry Patterson to your next event and see your company from a new perspective.

The Five Traits You Need to Inspire Your Team Like a Hero

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To inspire your team like a hero, cultivate the five movie hero traits Matthew Luhn’s discusses in his new talk, “Effective Leadership, As Told by Movie Heroes.”

All stories—no matter what culture—have two things in common: a hero and a journey. A hero with a goal, overcoming obstacles, learning lessons and transforming in some way by the end. Mostly for the better, if it’s an upbeat movie with a Disney ending.

Matthew Luhn, former Pixar storyteller and animator, knows what it takes to create a great hero. For over 20 years, Luhn worked on Academy Award-winning Pixar films, such as Toy Story, Up, and Ratatouille, among dozens of others blockbuster films.

In his exciting new talk, “Effective Leadership, As Told by Movie Heroes,” Luhn teaches businesses and leaders how movie heroes show the same five traits time after time— vulnerability, likability, vision, structure, and teamwork—and how to cultivate these traits.

Cultivate your likability

Of these five traits, the most important for a great leader is likability. If we don’t like a hero within the first 10 minutes of a movie, we’re going to lose interest and stop watching. Likewise, if a team or client doesn’t like their leader, they won’t feel inspired to follow them or produce great work.

Luhn explains, for us to like a hero (or a leader in business), a hero has to do one of three things to create empathy: Perform an act of kindness for a lower status character, share a story of when they were a child, or position oneself as the underdog.

Perform an act of kindness

In the first 12 minutes of a film, heroes must perform an act of kindness for a lower status character to inspire audiences to like them. In Hollywood, they call this act of kindness “save the cat.”

For example, in the film Aladdin, Aladdin is an arrogant, cocky, street rat. We watch him steal bread and easily outwit his pursuers. But right before Aladdin takes a bite of his stolen bread he spots two starving orphans, and hands them the loaf. Now we know that Aladdin is not just an arrogant thief, but a good person who looks out for the little guy. He performed an act of kindness towards lower status characters and now we like him.

Businesses can also commit small acts of kindness by helping the environment, working for social causes, or advocating for the local community.

Show yourself as a kid

Another great way to get an audience to like a hero is by sharing a story or image of when they were young. We were all kids once, so seeing them brings a hint of nostalgia to the scene. From Brave, Monsters University, UP, and dozens of other Pixar films, many storytellers use this small trick to get the audience to like the main character.

If you really want to play it up, make them an orphan. When George Lucas wanted to create likability for Darth Vader in The Phantom Menace, he showed Vader as a young Anakin Skywalker who loves to build robots and podracers. And then right after you decided all you ever want to do is pinch his cheeks, Lucas orphans him.

As a leader, you can do the same. Whenever you share a story about something that happened when you were a kid, it shows you as being open and vulnerable, and thus, more likable.

Play up your underdog status

One final way to create likability as a hero is to be seen as the underdog. We always root for the underdog and empathize with this hero because we too see ourselves as underdogs at moments in our lives. This is why we like Remy the rat in Ratatouille. As a rat getting chased out of kitchens we see Remy as a vast underdog, so we root for him.

We also like businesses that are cast in the role of underdogs. That’s why many people rooted for Apple against IBM, Pixar against Disney, and Uber against taxi drivers.

If you want to learn more about how to lead like a hero, contact BigSpeak today to book Matthew Luhn to get the secrets behind the five steps on effective leadership as told by movie heroes.


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.

What Does Trade, Cyber Security, Healthcare and Marijuana All Have In Common?

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They’ll be shaking up your business in 2018. 

The political landscape here and abroad is changing faster than you can update your twitter feed. High tariffs with China and Europe, threats to trade agreements in North America and big data breaches across the globe have everyone on high alert. Not to mention that countless industries were indefinitely changed from the recent healthcare reform and the legalization of marijuana 29 states and Canada.

Wherever you look, the business playing field is changing from drastic domestic and international changes. If you want to find out how to not only keep up with but stay two steps ahead of the political game, BigSpeak has top keynote speakers who are experts in the trends that are affecting you and your business.

Trade

Peter Zeihan is a keynote speaker with 20 years of experience, working and studying international issues and their effects on policy and business, such as our trade relationship with Mexico.

Why Mexico is important– Mexico has 130 million people, a $1 trillion economy, and is America’s top economic partner. We not only have a trade relationship with Mexico but integrated supply chains.

Areas of concern: Changes in policy between the United States and Mexico can impact immigration (and therefore labor), financial stability, supply chains, manufacturing attractiveness, wealth levels, drug policy, water rights, and agricultural markets.

Cybersecurity

Eric O’Neill is a cybersecurity keynote speaker who helped bring down the most notorious spy in U.S. history, Robert Hanssen, and helps protects others from cyber threats.

Why cybersecurity is important– As more and more of our lives and business are being shared online, our data becomes more vulnerable. Spies have learned to exploit this data in order to steal identities, intellectual property, and more. Furthermore, from 2015 to 2016 ransomware attacks increased 2,500 percent and cost consumers over $1 billion in 2016.

Areas of concern: Businesses and individuals need to be aware of how social media usage, phishing scams, email hacks, and ransomware can place them at risk and the steps needed to guard against them.

Healthcare

Vijay Govindarajan is an innovation keynote speaker and one of the world’s leading experts on strategy and innovation, who also speaks about changes in healthcare.

Why healthcare is important– Healthcare is at the center of every election cycle debate because changes to health insurance coverage and the cost of prescription medications can affect the bottom line of every business.

Areas of concern: Rising health care costs, overpriced medications, aging populations, and a shortage of medical professionals are just a few of the challenges facing the medical industry. However, there is good news. There are “bottom up” answers to healthcare issues coming from India that do not require a grand plan out of Washington, DC nor any agreement between entrenched political parties.

Marijuana

Ian Siegel is a business keynote speaker and CEO of ZipRecruiter, who has noticed the change in job trends affected by changes in politics and demographics.

Why marijuana is important– Since becoming legal in 29 U.S. states and Canada for either recreational or medical use, the marijuana industry has exploded. In 2017, the growth rate for marijuana jobs grew 445 percent compared to 245 percent for technology and 74 percent for healthcare.

Areas of concern: Jobs in cannabis are growing in all sectors from retail, marketing, agriculture, management, all the way to joint rollers. Many legal challenges still remain, not the least of which is cannabis businesses must use cash in most instances.


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.

6 Ways Harvard Teaches You to Approach Business

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A Harvard education isn’t just about earning a degree, it’s about gaining a positive and challenging approach to life and business.

Harvard is famous for many things—its 75-year study of adult development, research on leadership, and the Harvard Business School, which has prepared many successful entrepreneurs. But Harvard can teach us so much more than just their research.

I met with Paul Moya, a thought leader on the future of work, CEO of Millennial Labs, and Harvard business speaker, who explained the successful mindset that Harvard instills in its students. He says the school teaches its future entrepreneurs to make a great impact by applying these traits–

Look to the future

“When the rest of the world was looking at the latest, greatest idea, we were always thinking, ‘Okay, but what comes next?’ Harvard taught me that you should always be looking around the corner, to spot trends, to determine where everything was leading.”

Be holistic in your approach

“At Harvard, we were very interdisciplinary. We looked at all fields for ideas: behavioral economics, psychology, finance, innovation, etc. You should take a holistic approach to business and industry. This cross-functional perspective has helped me to find solutions for many companies and determine what comes next.”

Take responsibility

“One word that I hear thrown around about Harvard is ‘entitlement,’ but when I arrived there, I didn’t find entitlement. I found humility and a sense of responsibility. We felt a responsibility to do more in the world. So don’t be successful just for yourself but be effective leaders that help change the world around us for good.”

Make an impact

“At Harvard, we didn’t measure success by the amount of money we could make. Success is about using your knowledge, skill sets, credibility, and platform to make an impact. The measuring stick is really about who have you impacted, what societies, what economies?”

Execution is everything

“The one thing I learned from Harvard is that ‘ideas are useless.’ Everyone has an idea about the next venture, fund, or disrupting the next market. What set my classmates apart wasn’t their ability to think of good ideas, it was their ability to execute them. If you want to have an impact, you need to put that idea in the marketplace, test it, revise it, and try again. Don’t be afraid of failure or worry about if you go in this direction, it gets shot down. You need to be bold to have an impact.”

Ask the hard questions

One of the tenants we lived by at Harvard was ‘the best solutions start as the hardest questions.’ Leaders always want to jump straight to solutions and outcomes. The trick to having an impact is to be willing to ask the bold questions that no one will ask, so you can find the solutions no one else can get to. Ask the hard questions of your team, your clients, and yourself.”


Kyle Crocco is the Content Marketing Coordinator at BigSpeak speakers bureau, and a frequent contributor to Born 2 Invest,  Business 2 Community, and Medium.

Top Booked Customer Service, Experience, and Loyalty Speakers

As seen on BigSpeak.com

“Customer satisfaction is worthless. Customer loyalty is priceless.”

Jeffrey Gitomer

When the customer is king, customer service and experience experts are crucial competitive resources to help your organization stand out and rise to the top. Today’s customers are savvier than ever. They research, reconnoiter, and report on everything you do. With our interconnected world of social media channels, a bad review goes a long way…fast.

BigSpeak’s Speakers Bureau has Customer Service Keynote Speakers who are experts at identifying consumer trends, behaviors, and how top organizations keep customers singing their praises. Turn your workforce into advocates and your clients into evangelists with the help of a top booked customer service expert.

Molly Bloom

Top customer experience speaker Molly Bloom started her career hosting poker games by accident. Molly turned zero years of industry experience into a multimillion-dollar company by transforming her poker game into an unbeatable customer experience worth buying into. Her talks provide insight into customer retention through experiential customer service.

Ken Schmidt

Ken Schmidt is the legendary former Director of Communications at Harley-Davidson Motor Company and is widely known as one of the business world’s most outspoken and provocative thought leaders on customer loyalty and has partnered with many of the world’s most successful brands.

Joseph Michelli

Joseph Michelli has studied top companies like Starbucks, Mercedes-Benz, and Zappos to develop the best practices for reaching ultimate customer service. Michelli shares the five principles that allow Starbucks to connect with its people, product, and customers and adapts them to fit your company. He also focuses on Zappos methods of internal and external engagement and inspiration, as well as Mercedes-Benz’s luxurious, world-class customer experience.

Soulaima Gourani

Soulaima Gourani is the author of Take Your Career Into Your Own Hands and The Courage to Succeed, as well as being a customer loyalty expert. She uses internal cooperation and the fluidity of change to help your company sculpt a more committed customer base. Your company will turn customers into promotional fans with her empowering keynote.

Robert Richman

Robert Richman is a keynote speaker, company cultural strategist, and co-creator of Zappos Insights, an innovative program focused on educating companies on the secrets behind Zappos’ amazing customer service. As a cultural architect, Richman specializes in digging deep within a company to help the team take ownership of its customer experience.

Daymond John

Daymond John, founder and CEO of FUBU Clothing and marketing/branding genius, believes that gaining loyal customers is all about putting yourself in their shoes. He built his clothing empire by targeting the right audience and shares his insights into customer targeting to ensure lifelong clients.

Simon T. Bailey

Simon T. Bailey is one of America’s top 10 most-booked professional speakers on change, leadership and customer experience. Simon is the CEO of Simon T. Bailey International, a premium education company specializing in creating learning and development content for individuals and organizations. His keynotes focus on bringing out your personal brilliance, as it will reflect in your customer relations. A Simon T. Bailey keynote will inspire and invigorate your team to create a brilliant customer experience.

Seth Mattison

Seth Mattison is an expert on workforce trends, generational dynamics, and customer experience. He uses this expertise to connect the corporate world with its customers in the changing digital age. When making a true connection means cutting through the fake news and social media, a customer experience speaker like Seth Mattison is key.

Amanda Gore

Amanda Gore is an award-winning keynote speaker, bestselling author, and emotional intelligence expert. Gore focuses on the latest verbal and non-verbal techniques to create partnerships–not just relationships–with your clients and customers. Partnerships are the next level to aspire towards. While everyone else is just working on relationships, you can be focused on creating true long-term partnerships.

See Below For More Top Keynote Speakers:

Top Sales Keynote Speakers

All Top Keynote Speakers