At least, that’s what hundreds of people said early on. 

Countless bankers rejected the Mickey Mouse concept!

But guess what? Walt Disney is hailed a genius today.

In fact, this year is the 101st anniversary of Walt Disney Studios!


Just because some people don’t understand your idea doesn’t mean t...

1️⃣ 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐬 (*especially ones with Abraham Lincoln 😂) Every time I post a selfie, I get 3x the reach of a normal post.

2️⃣ 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞

Sharing an authentic story where you position someone else as the hero will get you lots of traction.

3️⃣ 𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬

The first few lines of text are extremely ...

…Chicagoland!

Excited to speak at Creeden & Associates tomorrow.

We’ll be talking about how to…

-boost sales
-enhance internal communication
-and create a vibrant company culture

…all through the power of strategic storytelling. 🗣

The next few days will be awesome!


Have a great week, everyone!

It got me thinking about what separates winning organizations.

How do some crush their sales goals and create a vibrant company culture?

Business teams that go the distance know how to utilize storytelling.

Wanna score major wins? Get good at sharing stories…

👉 Talk about your failures because peop...

Years ago, Meyer Friedman (a cardiologist) recommended something to his highly stressed patients who were at greater risk of developing heart disease.

He told them to take the longest line at the grocery store to practice inner peace.

Sounds simple, huh?

A peaceful mindset comes with practice.

I’m se...

SHOW NOTES:

SUMMARY: In this episode, Evan Sparks and Matt Zaun talk about CRG, executive search, and the future of work.

EVAN SPARKS: Evan is the Director of National Search at CRG.

For more info: Website and LinkedIn

MATT ZAUN BIO: Matt is an award-winning speaker and storyteller who empowers organ...

In 2016, a good friend told me to be more active on LinkedIn.

I laughed at her since I always viewed this platform as a glorified resume site.

I was wrong.

By using LI with a specific strategy, my business grew more in the last few years than I ever thought possible.

Don’t make the same mistake th...

In this post, I share methods for crafting a robust and impactful story and how to use your real-life stories by considering your story's intention, timing, relatability, and structure. 

Intention 

Consider your intention when telling a story and recounting your life experiences. Are you simp...

No, not his 200,000,000 house in Beverly Hills.

The house he started Amazon in.

I was speaking at a company in Bellevue, and his old house was literally down the street, so I had to see it for myself.

This garage is where Amazon was launched.

Today, it’s the 5th most valuable company on the planet....

President Reagan possessed a fascinating capability...the ability to command the attention of his audience.

I used to spend countless hours studying how Reagan was able to be the orator he was. 

Whether you loved or hated him, there is no denying that his public speaking skills were off the charts...

It took me 2 years to book him, and I spent weeks preparing.

20 mins into our virtual interview, everything was going great.

Then, my 5-year-old barged in.

I muted my mic and waved my hands, trying to tell him to leave my office!

Nope.

He started throwing legos and got louder and louder.

I couldn't fin...

So far, I've been to:

-Thomas Jefferson
-Rutherford B. Hayes
-Warren G. Harding
-Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Lyndon B. Johnson
-Richard Nixon
-Jimmy Carter
-Ronald Reagan
-George H. W. Bush
-George W. Bush

...museums.

Each one fascinates me because they’re all steeped in interesting stories and history.

You lea...

…Chicagoland!

Excited to speak at Normandy Remodeling tomorrow.

We’ll be talking about how to…

-boost sales
-enhance internal communication
-and create a vibrant company culture

…all through the power of strategic storytelling. 🗣

The next couple of days will be awesome!


Have a great week, everyone!

Blood, sweat, maybe some tears...

I love learning about the player's stories and how they got to where they are.

So much work. So much consistency.


When it comes to great stories, we need a foe.

People love struggle/victory stories.


In business, we want it to be easy, but that doesn't give us a good ...

Jan 5th - How to be a Great Storyteller with Claire M. Davis

Jan 12th - Intentional Storytelling with Terence Farrell 

Jan 19th - Flip the Script with Lyndsay Dowd 

Jan 26th - The Story of Westcliff with Dr. Anthony Lee

Episode number 113 (FAQs regarding storytelling) with Claire Davis launches on Feb 2...

SHOW NOTES:

SUMMARY: In this episode, Dr. Anthony Lee and Matt Zaun talk about the founding of Westcliff University and where Dr. Lee learned his leadership skills.

DR. ANTHONY LEE BIO: Dr. Lee is the President and CEO of Westcliff University and has led the institution through incredible growth for...

1. Share powerful stories that relate to your target audience

2. Consistency wins

3. It's a long, long game, but once you get results, you'll know

4. Treat LinkedIn like a big networking event, not a social media site

5. Offer tremendous value, and people will look forward to giving ...

The companies that fully implement the concepts that I teach in my Powerfully Persuade Through Storytelling workshop tell me that the results are astounding.

They crush their sales goals.

I started making my clients promise me that they will use the concepts I teach for inspiration and not manipul...

You're nuts for not focusing enough on your ideal clients.

In 2007, Joshua Bell (one of the best musicians in the world) played music in the NYC subway on a violin worth $3,500,000. 

Out of 1,097 people who passed by, only 7 actually stopped and listened.

Two days before this experiment, he sol...

…and it was all worth it.

The audiences were incredible and committed to implementing the strategies.

The food was delightful.

The winter wonderland was breathtaking.

Next stop: Chicago. 🌭

Even though she's been gone for a while, I still regularly think of the lessons she taught me. 

She was one of the most empathetic individuals that I've ever met. 

-Her empathy was forged in struggle since she experienced tremendous financial pain during the Great Depression.

-She got pure joy out of...

Before my son, Elliot, turned 6-years-old, I had him listen to all of MLK’s speeches. I told Elliot, “If you can become a great orator, you can change the world.” This doesn’t just go for my son but for all of us.

I’ve spent a lot of time researching how MLK was able to connect with his aud...