Speaking & Workshops

Teaching the craft of inspiration, building the leader in everybody.

Inspiration isn’t magic. It’s a skill.

Drawing on the ideas in Stop Making Sense and more than 25 years of leadership experience, Michael delivers high-energy keynotes and workshops that leave participants with the practical skills and emotional zing to communicate more effectively.

Typical Audiences:

  1. Executive leadership teams

  2. Marketing and sales organizations

  3. Ad agencies

  4. Corporate boards

  5. Audiences looking to sharpen their leadership skills

Representative Topics:

  1. Inspiration As A Business Strategy: How Passion Unlocks Growth

  2. The Art of Making People Move: Skills For Emotional Leadership

  3. Pitch Like Music: How To Win By Unevening The Playing Field

  4. Getting Fluent In Feelings: Building A Culture With Room For Real People

Note: Michael is represented for speaking engagements by the Washington Speaker’s Bureau. Click here for a direct contact.

Brand & Marketing Strategy

Creating ideas that turn passive consumers into passionate believers.

The strongest brands don’t simply communicate. They inspire.

Michael is one of the most effective brand strategists in the world. He helps organizations identify the ambitions, audiences, positioning, and creative platforms that create competitive advantage and inspire real action.

Typical Engagements:

  1. Brand vision and positioning

  2. Audience segmentation and strategy

  3. Innovation strategy

  4. Go-to-market and communications planning, including media strategy

  5. Creative platform development

  6. Partner agency management

Representative Experience:

Dos Equis | Arby’s | Shake Shack | Cheerios | ZenBusiness | H&R Block | Cadillac | Charles Schwab | The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas | The Atlantic | Blue Moon Brewery | Ritz Crackers | Unilever Laundry’s “Dirt Is Good”

Executive Advisory

Helping leaders build visions that make people move.

The greatest leaders do more than manage people. They inspire them.

Michael serves as a trusted advisor to CEOs, CMOs, founders, and leadership teams navigating moments of opportunity.

Typical Engagements:

  1. Executive counsel and thought partnership

  2. Organizational vision, values, and alignment

  3. Brand transformation plans

  4. Marketing leadership and effectiveness reviews and recommendations

  5. Marketing partner reviews and ways-of-working

Representative Experience:

Shake Shack | General Mills | ZenBusiness | Casper | Red’s All Natural | Acclaimed Ad Agencies | Running Competitive Pitches

Every engagement is a custom arrangement, tailored to your team’s needs. Please get in touch to start a conversation.

Here’s a sample of the kind of work we do best: