Why a Culture of Experimentation Matters and How to Think About it

Experiments fuel innovation, employee development and organizational knowledge. Why Now? It's a great time to create a culture of experimentation precisely because of what's happening today. People want to bring their creativity to work. And it's an innovation imperative. If we're not nurturing employees' creativity, we're [...]

By |2021-05-18T17:35:08+00:00April 21, 2020|

Business Storytelling Truth: And Nothing But the Truth!

Business Storytelling Truth in a World of Fake News I was on a podcast recently with friends and colleagues to promote our StoryCo Conf in LA on Oct 25th (note: still FREE tickets available here at storyconference.info). storyconference.info Over the weekend, someone wanted to argue with the idea [...]

By |2018-10-15T16:05:59+00:00October 15, 2018|

3 Ways to Build Storytelling Culture

How to Strengthen and Build Storytelling Culture I have written (and chatted) at length about ways to build storytelling culture over the years. In this short clip for my 'Yes And Brand' Show I give 3 specific ways to reinforce a storytelling culture in any organization. Here is [...]

By |2018-09-18T18:08:34+00:00September 18, 2018|

Corporate Innovation Cartoon: Now Go Innovate!

Now Go Innovate - Corporate Innovation Cartoon Go Innovate! Far too often, we tell people all the things they shouldn't do in the workplace. 1. Don't rock the boat 2. Don't make mistakes 3. Don't forget we need 20% return 4. Don't try new things 5. [...]

By |2018-05-13T01:04:02+00:00May 13, 2018|

Paying Women Speakers Equally – Humor

I created this chart just before Equal Pay Day... Just in case...if you know people that are confused, you can use this Flowchart for reference to help answer the question of paying women speakers equally. Hint: it shouldn't be a question or issue. Paying Women Speakers Equally Do [...]

By |2018-05-07T01:26:04+00:00May 7, 2018|

International Womens Day Tech Parody Coloring Page

A Coloring Page for Tech Dudes That Support Women International Womens Day For international womens day (IWD) 2018, I created the official "International Womens Day Tech Parody" Coloring Page. Or image, really. Still...Woot Woot!  Now, tech bros that support women can get on the coloring. Color [...]

By |2018-03-30T20:18:28+00:00March 8, 2018|

SOTU Response – Joe Kennedy’s Language of Unity

The Language of Inclusion and The SOTU Response "I, me, mine...."  Oh, brother. Queue eyeroll.... Remember the seagulls in "Finding Nemo?" Mine, mine, mine!" That scene still makes me laugh. It's not so funny when we use these things in our #marketing, #communication and our talks.   [...]

By |2018-01-31T18:44:52+00:00January 31, 2018|

Fun at Work Day: Innovation and Playfulness

Happy Fun at Work Day Fun at Work Day - Playfulness Matters Today is #havefunatworkday! Play is creative fuel. #playfulness matters. How will you play today in teams or by yourself? Play unleashes our best ideas and that is a powerful force for innovation. It does [...]

By |2018-01-28T22:37:43+00:00January 28, 2018|

Messaging Lessons From Oprahs Golden Globes Speech

Source: Ron Smith via Unsplash.com Messaging Lessons From Oprahs Golden Globes Speech - For Speakers and Brands And this is not just a message for speakers; it's a powerful message for brands - your job is to create powerful moments of hope. Here are the big messaging [...]

By |2018-01-08T18:08:35+00:00January 8, 2018|

Virgin Trains: A Viral Lesson in Humor and Customer Service

Virgin Trains: Poor Humor and Customer Service How not to handle customer service via Twitter - Virgin Trains How NOT to handle customer service complaints...this one hot off the press from my friends in London. With "honey," "love," "sweetie"....and other patronizing 'there, there' comments. Brands need [...]

By |2018-01-02T21:02:36+00:00January 2, 2018|

Playful Brands 2017: My Roundup of Fun Brands

Playful Brands I love brands that play! Here is a list of some of my fave brands online. No, I am not getting paid. I love their fun, fresh voice and playful way to approach content and social media. They are not over the top - and they [...]

By |2017-12-12T18:36:33+00:00December 11, 2017|

Livestreaming Video Predictions for 2018

Livesteaming Video Predictions One of my favorite people on the planet, Ross Brand, invited me to share my thoughts about 2018 by providing my livestreaming video predictions. Along with an amazing group of livestreamers who all add something unique to the mix, I added my prediction for 2018. [...]

By |2017-11-30T22:04:21+00:00November 30, 2017|

How Mixed Reality Will Change Business Storytelling

Mixed Reality Will Change Business Storytelling and Content: From Telling to Sharing Experiences Sharing Experiences (Source: Unsplash.com)   Lots of big brands today are experimenting with mixed reality tech – virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to create content. Forbes recently reported that 75% of [...]

By |2017-11-20T23:33:28+00:00November 20, 2017|

The Top 5 Worst LinkedIn Business Pick-Up Lines

The Top 5 Worst LinkedIn Business Pick-Up Lines   A few years ago, I wrote this post about bad linkedin notifications. I am happy to say I am getting less spam, although I think it's because I'm filtering more, or the AI bots are hard at work keeping [...]

By |2017-11-18T16:25:30+00:00November 18, 2017|

Conference Cartoon – Kathy Klotz-Guest

Friday Fun: Conference Cartoon Introducing the Friday cartoon. Today it's the Conference cartoon. I am learning to draw freehand. As a writer, comic and strategist, I think in punchlines that create a visual. I am just not a drawer.  However, I am now doodling and sketching - skoodling [...]

By |2017-11-10T23:35:51+00:00November 10, 2017|

FIR Podcast Guest – Kathy

Fir Podcast Guest Host   I was a FIR Podcast Guest Host! Last week, I had a blast chatting with Shel Holtz and Serena Ehrlich on the For Immediate Release (FIR) podcast where we discuss some hot topics in communications, PR, journalism and branding (Check out the more [...]

By |2017-11-05T22:10:11+00:00November 5, 2017|

Scary Things Bosses Say (And True Leaders Don’t)

Scary Things Bosses Say Boring content, bad storytelling and poor leadership are all scary. In time for Halloween, here are a few scary things bosses say (and true leaders don't) to employees. We've all hear crazy, scary things. If you hear these scary things bosses say, don't walk. [...]

By |2017-10-31T02:43:47+00:00October 30, 2017|

Three Ways Marketers Kill Marketing – Video (humor)

Three Ways Marketers Kill Marketing There are three big ways marketers kill marketing: jargon; lack of a compelling story; and guilt and shame tactics. I discuss all of those in more detail in this video. See the Medium article of this post. I have always joked that the [...]

By |2017-09-25T00:28:48+00:00September 24, 2017|

Putting Fun in Entrepreneurship – A Chat with Joel Comm

Putting Fun in Entrepreneurship, Passion and the Creative Process In this episode of #yesandbrandshow, Joel and I chat about the creative process and why passion must be a driver in business. We also discuss putting fun in entrepreneurship and why it matters that you do the things that [...]

By |2017-11-26T21:59:08+00:00September 24, 2017|

Beyond Product Content: A Chat with Robert Rose

Product Story: Beyond Product Content - My Chat with Robert Rose Not too long ago, I had the great and fun fortune of being able to chat with my friend and colleague, Robert Rose, of the Content Marketing Institute. It's time to go beyond the product story and [...]

By |2017-09-24T20:31:20+00:00September 24, 2017|

Five Ways That Improv Ups Your Business Game

(My first version of this post appeared in PureMatter blog).   I am an unabashed humor and improv nerd. And I mean visibly nerdy from space. At 8, the very first presentation I gave to a class that I remember was on Harold Lloyd, Hollywood’s silent film-era comedy [...]

By |2017-09-24T21:34:22+00:00September 4, 2017|

Warren Whitlock Chats Guerrilla Marketing (video)

Warren Whitlock Chats Guerrilla Marketing In this episode of livestream show, #yesandbrandshow, I chat with influencer and great guy, Warren Whitlock, about Guerrilla Marketing, why marketing has completely changed and why it's as important now as ever to disrupt business as usual. To see more articles on marketing, [...]

By |2017-09-25T00:26:31+00:00July 30, 2017|

LinkedIn Summer 2017 Reading List: Stop Boring Me Named

LinkedIn Summer 2107 Reading List: Top 25 Marketing Books In June, Linkedin published its "LinkedIn Summer 2017 Reading List" and Named "Stop Boring Me!" a top 25 Marketing Must-Read! I am so honored. Thank you, LinkedIn Marketing. And there are 24 other fantastic titles on this list. So [...]

By |2017-09-24T21:51:30+00:00July 29, 2017|

The Marketing Podcast: Kathy and Douglas Burdett

What Improv Taught Me (and Can Teach You) about Banishing Boring! In the July 28 release episode of The Marketing Podcast with Douglas Burdett, Kathy talks about how great business storytelling can be and how most everything she learned about marketing came from comedy.   The marketing [...]

By |2017-07-29T23:23:43+00:00July 29, 2017|

Improv in Business Communication Leadership (video)

Improv in Business Communication Leadership On June 2nd, Gary Ware and I did our 2nd live stream discussing improv in business and this time we chatted about improv in business Communication (Leadership). A recent #workforce17 conference presentation revealed that 35% of employees would forgo a raise if they [...]

By |2017-09-24T21:57:36+00:00June 3, 2017|

Embrace the Suck that Comes with Creativity (video)

First, Embrace the Suck. Then Pull Out of It. Embrace the Suck. Dealing with the creative ups and downs is hard. Really hard. Sometimes we feel uncertain and uncomfortable because creativity can be messy - it gets harder before it gets better. I call this period of discomfort [...]

By |2017-04-30T22:11:36+00:00April 30, 2017|

Speaker Pro Tip: Do you have your audience’s back?

Do you have your audience's back? When you focus on making your audience feel and look good, you stop worrying about how great you are. All that anxiety speakers face dissipates when we put the focus on serving our audience's needs. Speaker Pro Tip: Having Your Audience's [...]

By |2017-03-27T18:19:53+00:00March 26, 2017|

Storytelling Loves Specifics: Details Bring Stories to Life

Storytelling details matter because great, memorable storytelling loves specifics. Great details bring stories to life. In this edition of the #yesandbrand Facebook Live show, I chat about how specific details are a gift to your audience. They anchor your story in memorability, and that will help your [...]

By |2017-03-27T18:19:20+00:00March 26, 2017|

Storytelling and Science: Who Owns the Narrative?

I am a storyteller. It's what I do. I help organizations create better stories. I am a story nerd - visible from the space station! We've been up to our eyeballs in analyses about political narrative in the wake of this past election. What about storytelling and [...]

By |2017-03-27T18:18:27+00:00March 26, 2017|

How Open-Mic Content Grows Audiences

An open-mic content mindset can help companies tremendously. First, let me back up and define "open-mic."   Typically, an open-mic night is a sampling of different acts in one night. Each comic gets 5-10 minutes. And clubs often (thought not always) don't pay open-mic participants. That can be [...]

By |2018-01-06T02:02:28+00:00October 13, 2016|

Ten Brand Commandments – Co-Created Content

A Little Background Vincenzo Landino and I chatted a few weeks back for his Brand Boost podcast. We talked about improv and marketing, Happy Days, how “human” – yes, still an important word – has also ironically jumped the marketing shark. We also talked about why all marketers [...]

By |2017-02-21T22:25:31+00:00October 3, 2016|

8 Traits of Improvisational Business Leaders

We're All Improvisers in Business: Traits of Improvisational Business Masters The following is an excerpt from my new book, ""Stop Boring Me! How to Create Kick-Ass Marketing Content, Products and Ideas Through the Power of Improv." All Hail "The Improviser-in-Chief" Bill Clinton is an example of a master [...]

By |2018-01-12T22:19:45+00:00September 29, 2016|

Strategic Business Storytelling (Part 2)

Strategic Business Storytelling In July, I presented to the Corporate Board researchers (based in NY) on strategic business storytelling. We are swimming in data; what we need is actionable information that moves us to act. I talked with the group - mostly economists, data analysts and [...]

By |2017-02-21T22:26:41+00:00September 15, 2016|

Strategic Business Storytelling (Part 1)

Strategic Business Storytelling In July, I presented to the Corporate Board researchers (based in NY) on strategic business storytelling. We are swimming in data; what we need is actionable information that moves us to act. I talked with the group - mostly economists, data analysts and [...]

By |2017-02-21T22:27:09+00:00September 6, 2016|

Hey CMO: Your Product Storytelling Sucks! Great Product Marketing Needs a Better Story, I / II

Product Storytelling Matters Humans are wired for stories; we’re storytelling animals. Yet, we’re living in an era of ‘Big Data’ information overload. There is too much data chasing too little mindshare these days. That’s because data itself doesn’t create what people want most: meaning. The resurgence in storytelling, [...]

By |2018-01-06T02:54:50+00:00June 28, 2013|

Your Team Is An Improv Group

Your Team Is An Improv Group   Your team IS an improv group. Collaboration Is What High-Performing Teams Do   Every team in a business setting is an improv group. I don't care what kind of business you are in or work for - every business [...]

By |2021-10-06T00:07:26+00:00October 6, 2021|

Less Serious Does Not Mean Less Professional

Let's talk about a serious issue... Less serious does not mean less professional.   Being less serious. THE false narrative many buy into, "Less serious means less professional." "I won't be taken SERIOUSLY."  I DISAGREE. LOOK. I get it. I led global communications and marketing teams in tech [...]

By |2021-03-13T21:05:58+00:00March 13, 2021|