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Last strategic storytelling workshops of 2024! Dec 16, 2024

…and you probably guessed it, I’m flying back to… 
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TEXAS!


In fact, my travel calendar this year started and will now end with Texas. 

This time, I’ll be going to San Antonio. 

My goal for the audience: massive change. 

If they utilize the concepts...

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5 Storytelling tips I know now that I wish I would have known 5 years ago... Dec 16, 2024

1 Building a Story System: Treat storytelling like a financial investment. Just as you build a bank account for stability, create a "Storybank" to accumulate and refine your stories for future use. It's all about strategic storytelling!

2 Repetition and Practice: Practice makes perfect,...

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Information Crisis | Stories With Traction Podcast Dec 13, 2024

 

SUMMARY: In this episode, Julia Soplop and Matt Zaun discuss Julia’s book, Information Crisis.

JULIA SOPLOP: Julia is an award-winning author of four books: Information Crisis: How a Better Understanding of Science Can Help Us Face the Greatest Problems of Our Time, Equus Rising: How...

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How to Know if Your Story Is Working Dec 12, 2024

So, you’re ready to dive into the world of storytelling—awesome! You’ve crafted some great stories that reflect your brand, but here’s the big question: how do you know if your stories are working? Are they resonating with your audience? Are they helping you achieve your...

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๐Ÿ˜ผ ๐˜ฟ๐™ค ๐™ฎ๐™ค๐™ช ๐™ก๐™ž๐™ ๐™š ๐™˜๐™–๐™ฉ๐™จ? Dec 11, 2024

I don't, but I've found that C.A.T. is a powerful acronym for posting content on LinkedIn. Here's the concept...

C - Connect
A - Appreciate
T - Trust

Whenever you post something on LinkedIn, ask yourself...

Will my network connect with this?

Will they appreciate this?

Will it help me build...

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A mouse was placed at the top of a jar filled with grain. ๐Ÿ‘‡ Dec 10, 2024

Overjoyed by the abundance of food, it no longer needed to search for sustenance. It could happily live its life, munching away.

But after a few days of grain-filled bliss, the mouse reached the bottom of the jar. Suddenly, reality hit hard: it was trapped. 

No more grains. No way out. 

...

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I had a boss several years ago tell our department... Dec 10, 2024

“If you're early, you're on time; if you're on time, you're late, and if you're late, you're an abomination.”

Then he had children.

His perspective changed real quick.

The archaic 9-5 clock-in, clock-out idea is not good business.

When I led a team, I told my staff, “I don't care...

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Iโ€™m a huge failure. Dec 10, 2024

It took me 200+ talks before I felt comfortable speaking.

It took me 100+ articles before I felt comfortable writing.

It took me 50+ podcast episodes before I felt comfortable podcasting.

Want to feel more comfortable? 

Find excellent people like  John H. Wilson, PhD,  Vicky...

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The gamification of embarrassmentโ€ฆ Dec 06, 2024

…has been my secret weapon for 10 years. 

Alright, hear me out...

This might sound a little weird, but I made a game out of embarrassing myself. Yep, you read that right—on purpose.

Here’s the thing: If you want to be a phenomenal communicator, you know it takes...

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December 5th, 1901, Walt Disney was born on the second floor of this house. Dec 05, 2024

Walt was the 4th child of Elias and Flora Disney. 

Elias was the carpenter, and Flora was the architect of their home. 

It cost Walt Disney’s parents $800 to build. 

Talk about humble beginnings?! 

You never know where the next great titan of industry will come from.

Happy...

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Several years ago, I went to a bachelor party at the Borgata in Atlantic City. Dec 04, 2024

Everyone in our group sat down at the Blackjack table.

One of my friends, who was playing Blackjack for the first time, won a ton of money.

While getting up from the table, the gentleman next to me said, “that's the worst thing that could happen to a rookie gambler.”

“What do you...

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Just hit 500 blog posts on my site! Here are 5 things that I learnedโ€ฆ Dec 03, 2024

Ever wondered why some websites are lead magnets while others seem stagnant? The secret sauce is often a well-maintained blog. 

Here's why you should consider diving into the world of blogging:

1) Lead Magnet: Every blog post is a new chance to post strategic, intentional stories on your...

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Conducting a strategic storytelling workshop at the... Dec 02, 2024

...old, iconic Hamburger University in Oak Brook, Illinois, was awesome!

For those who may not know, Hamburger University is McDonald's legendary training facility. It was founded in 1961 in the basement of a restaurant with just 14 students. 

Today (now at a different location), it’s...

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3 things I didnโ€™t know about Rosa Parksโ€ฆ Dec 01, 2024

First, yes, I’m sitting in the exact seat Rosa Parks sat in that launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which happened 69 years ago today. 

Ok, here are three things I learned that I didn’t know.

1. The iconic picture of Parks you’ve seen in mass media does not show the seat...

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1 thing I learned while touring Mark Twain's house...๐Ÿ‘‡ Nov 30, 2024

A few months ago, I shared my Powerfully Persuade Through Storytelling workshop with business leaders in Connecticut. 

I had to stop by the house of one of the best storytellers America has ever known.

While there, I saw firsthand something that many people talk about but don’t make...

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Wanna build a story right now? Answer this questionโ€ฆ Nov 30, 2024

“What excites you to get out of bed in the morning?”

Here, I’ll go first... 

My kids motivate me beyond what I could ever imagine. 

Especially since they know my goals, they constantly remind me of what I need to do. 

Whenever I hit a business goal, I take all three...

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โ€œ๐˜ผ๐™ข๐™–๐™ฏ๐™ค๐™ฃ ๐™๐™–๐™จ ๐™– ๐™ฉ๐™š๐™ง๐™ง๐™ž๐™—๐™ก๐™š ๐™—๐™ช๐™จ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™š๐™จ๐™จ ๐™ข๐™ค๐™™๐™š๐™ก.โ€œ Nov 30, 2024

Back in 2008, I was at a conference where a “thought leader” gave a presentation on how “Amazon will be out of business soon.” 

If I would have invested $10,000 in Amazon stock right after that talk, today I would have $626,668.80. 

Just because some people...

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Hope you like your hit of dopamine. Nov 30, 2024


So many content creators on LinkedIn want “likes.”

No strategy. Just fluff. 

I know someone with 1,000,000+ LinkedIn followers, and their business is struggling. 

I also know someone with 10,000 followers, and their business is thriving. 

The difference? 

One...

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Teddy Roosevelt once said, โ€œcomparison is the thief of joy.โ€ Nov 30, 2024

It’s incredible how many people compare themselves to others. 

No wonder we have a society that’s so depressed. 

This phenomenon is only magnified through social media. 

Do the best with where you are. 

Have you grown more as a person? 

What small successes have...

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He was sobbing and had to hug me. Nov 30, 2024

Recently, after one of my strategic storytelling workshops, a gentleman in the audience pulled me aside. 

60-year-old man. CEO of an extremely successful company. 
He was sobbing and had to hug me. 

For the first time in his life, he realized he had to start telling people his...

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๐Ÿ‘‡ Do any of you know what this โŒ is doing in the middle of the road? Nov 22, 2024


This is the spot where John F. Kennedy was assassinated. 

61 years ago today. 

I had the honor and privilege of speaking in Dallas a couple of months ago.
 
After I flew into DFW, I had to stop by the JFK assassination spot. 

For years, I studied our 35th president. 

How could...

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Are you a fan of business history? I sure am! Nov 22, 2024


There’s something incredibly fascinating about how massive companies often have the humblest beginnings. 

I love diving into their processes and discovering what makes them stand out in the marketplace.

Take McDonald's, for example. While I might never crave a Big Mac, I can definitely...

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๐Ÿ“ ๐ˆ๐๐ž๐š๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐š๐ฎ๐๐ข๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐จ๐ง ๐‹๐ข๐ง๐ค๐ž๐๐ˆ๐ง... ๐Ÿ‘‡ Nov 22, 2024


๐๐ฎ๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ก๐š๐›๐ข๐ญ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ซ๐ž๐ ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐š๐ซ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ . (I haven't missed a single day of posting in 4 years) Russell Brunson inspired me to post on LI everyday. He said, “do something every single day without fail, and you’ll see radical growth in your business.” He was more...

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๐—ฌ๐—ผ๐˜‚'๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜ ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€? Nov 22, 2024

You're not focused on S$&%#. 

No, not that s-word. You're not focused on... 

STORIES! 

Say it, “s-t-o-r-i-e-s!”

Your clients don’t want to be read a slide deck; they want a reason to believe in your product/service and YOU!

You’ll connect with them over...

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