BigYear

Resolution. Evolution. Revolution. The holidays are over and you've opened your presents. Now maybe it's time to open your presence. 2010 signals the arrival of a new year,a new decade (it only seems like yesterday, when Y2K weighed heavily on our minds... now 2012 looms on the horizon), and a new cycle with the recondite Chinese designation "Year of the Tiger" (just to see how that plays out alone, is worth sticking around for the next twelve months – heck, to see what late-night TV host is still standing to tell those jokes will be interesting). Whatever this new year holds for you, BigSpeak will be present to help make it even better. We've been busy expanding, re-branding and improving our roster, programs and services to help your organization navigate and conquer the challenges of the next decade, including the launch of BigSpeak Beyond, our long-term organizational development site. As we look forward to an exciting and enterprising 2010, here are a few thoughts to take with you on the journey:

"It's time to plug into the future. That's where you're going to spend the rest of your life... it's where you're going to make all your money from this moment forward...and it's also where you can lose everything in an instant. Since you'll be living in the future, doesn't it make sense to give the future some thought every now and then?"
Daniel Burrus, Futurist, Technology and Innovation Expert.

"Here are my suggested resolutions for 2010: Have more sex, get more sleep, and never let yourself feel hungry. Sound hedonistic? These three resolutions will save and lengthen your life."

Mehmet Oz, M.D.

"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life... comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learnt something from yesterday."

Epitaph on John Wayne's Headstone

BigBusiness

BigSpeak is proud to announce representation of A.G. Lafley, former Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of Procter & Gamble and now a highly sought-after speaker, teacher, consultant and coach.

A.G. has been honored with some of the highest recognitions in business, including Chief Executive Magazine’s “CEO of the Year,” the CEO Diversity Leadership Award, and the Peterson Award for Business Statesmanship.  In April, he will receive the prestigious Edison Achievement Award for Innovation.

A.G. Lafley is also the co-author with renowned strategist Ram Charan, of The Game Changer—a book on innovation—as well as a Harvard Business Review lead article, What Only the CEO Can Do.

      “This is what I like to do and do well... coach/have discussions about things I know how to do –
      industry and company transformation, business strategy and business models, innovation, leadership –
     and make an impact, a positive change on the individual and his/her organization.”
     - A.G. Lafley

Under Lafley’s leadership, P&G - the world’s largest consumer goods company- focused on consumer-driven innovation and consistent, reliable, sustainable growth. The portfolio of billion-dollar brands—like Tide, Pampers, Olay, and Gillette—grew from 10 to 24… and brands with sales between $500 million and $1 billion increased five-fold. With Mr. Lafley at the helm, sales doubled, profits quadrupled, and the Company’s market value increased by over $100 billion dollars, making P&G among the most valuable companies in the world.

In October, A.G. Lafley hosted a one-day event sponsored by the Drucker Institute and the Harvard Business Review for CEO's of both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, which focused on the work of the CEO based on the aforementioned What Only the CEO Can Do, (HBR 2009).  Several of the CEO's have subsequently responded to A. G. with what they are doing differently and better as a result of his high-level executive conference.

A talented and lively speaker, A.G Lafley is perfect for groups of top management teams, global leadership executives, and high-potential leaders who can meaningfully impact the future course of their company and even their industry. His presentations are open and unstructured dialogues, and are ideal for groups looking for something beyond a canned keynote. To bring the incomparable insight and experience of A.G. Lafley to your organization, contact BigSpeak today.

BigSpeak Beyond

A great keynote presentation can be dynamic, engaging and truly inspiring, but how do you sustain and channel that energy, insight and motivation into meaningful, long-term impact for your organization? Introducing: BigSpeak Beyond. BSB is about going beyond the keynote and taking your team to the next level with advanced training, consulting and development programs taught by today's preeminent business thought leaders. BSB program facilitators include such luminaries as David Allen, Marshall Goldsmith and David Ulrich, among others. BigSpeak Beyond encourages organizations to create and facilitate long-term change and positive objectives through its sustained learning and development programs, positively affecting corporate culture and ROI. When you're ready to go beyond the keynote and take your organization to a new level of leadership excellence, visit BigSpeak Beyond or contact a BigSpeak agent for details.

BigBonus!

If you are in the midst of launching your 2010 corporate strategy, please call us to discuss how BigSpeak Beyond's team of world class experts can assist in the process.  We can set up a FREE 20 minute consultation with one of our thought leaders on the topic of leadership, teambuilding, innovation or another topic of your choice.  Additionally, should you book one of our experts by March 31, 2010, we will provide two 30 minute follow-up tele-seminars AT NO CHARGE.  Contact BigSpeak to see the top experts we can bring to bear on your strategic initiatives.  We look forward to working with you!

GoBig Or Go Home!

How could we possibly argue with that logic? It's not only our mantra, it's the sage advice and bold attitude of a woman who chooses her words  carefully. And after years of running the best-selling women's magazine in the world, she's definitely got something to say. In more BigNews, BigSpeak has signed on with Cosmopolitan magazine Editor-In-Chief Kate White for representation. Ms. White is recognized internationally as not only the veteran editor of Cosmo, but also the critically acclaimed, prolific author of both fiction and nonfiction books. Few high-profile editors have successfully balanced the rigors of overseeing a major magazine title with a thriving and independent writing career.

Drawing on experiences from her successful career, Kate published the best-selling career bible Why Good Girls Don't Get Ahead... but Gutsy Girls Do as well as You on Top: Smart Sexy Skills Every Woman Needs to Set the World on Fire.

Kate also has a passion for writing fiction. Penning her first novel, A Body to Die For, in 2004—which was selected as Live With Regis and Kelly's first book club pick and #1 on Amazon—Kate introduced her gutsy and irreverent sleuth, Bailey Weggins.  Ms. Weggins went on to solve more grisly murders and entertain readers in four more books - all New York Times best-sellers which were optioned by Lions Gate Pictures.

Kate's highly anticipated first thriller, HUSH, will be available in bookstores this March. Hailed as a "pulse pounding, chilling, and provocative" read, it's the story of an ordinary woman who flees the scene of a brutal murder and realizes it's not just the law that is hunting her.

Through her magazine work and her books, Kate White has influenced at least two generations of women with her unique honesty, passion, and imagination. To bring the wisdom and life lessons of Cosmo and beyond to your next event (and find out how they create provocative coverlines like "Set His Thighs On Fire") contact BigSpeak.

BigStories

BigSpeak Brings Big Authors, Speakers & Stories to Big Desert Festival.

BigSpeak is teaming up with the Arizona Daily Star newspaper to bring some big names to the second annual Tucson Festival of Books, March 13 -14 on the University of Arizona campus.

The Festival of Books, established by community leaders in Tucson and supported by major local businesses and national companies, is the largest literary event held in Arizona.  More than 50,000 people attended the two-day gathering last year, netting the inaugural festival $200,000 for literacy. The TFOB is destined to become a Tucson tradition and is already among the country's largest book festivals.

"We knew if we wanted to make the Arizona Daily Star Pavilion as memorable as possible, we needed to reach out to BigSpeak"
 - Arizona Daily Star Publisher and Editor John M. Humenik

In addition to featuring hundreds of authors, including Frank Beddor, Jon Scieszka, J.A. Jance and Elmore Leonard, the event also offers speakers, workshops, children's activities, artists, musicians and lots of food.

The Arizona Daily Star Pavilion will offer a timely lineup of speakers both days of the festival. The speakers "will assist participants in becoming more thoughtful writers, unlocking their creativity, finding opportunity in difficult situations, understanding how instinct guides them and how stress robs them, how to see humor in new ways and how to laugh more in 2010," said, John Humenik, who's also a festival founder.

The Star teamed with BigSpeak speaker's bureau to assemble the speaker/author lineup. "We knew if we wanted to make the Arizona Daily Star Pavilion as memorable as possible, we needed to reach out to BigSpeak," Humenik said. "Finding authors who also are inspiring speakers with strong motivational messages isn't a simple task. BigSpeak, one of the nation's most respected leadership and learning oriented bureaus, understood our goal to provide an exceptional audience experience and embraced the festival's purpose of supporting community literacy."

Among the BigSpeak roster of renowned experts scheduled to appear are:

Gary Bradt, clinical psychologist, motivational speaker and leadership expert, author of The Ring in the Rubble.

Michael Gelb, author of How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day and Innovate Like Edison. He will launch his national book tour for his latest work Wine Drinking for Inspired Thinking at the festival.

Hendrie Weisinger

Hendrie Weisinger, licensed psychologist and New York Times best-selling author with extensive experience in organizational psychology and emotional intelligence will also appear.

In addition, this year C-SPAN is scheduled to film some author sessions for its program, After Words.

For more information on these and other speakers and authors, contact us at BigSpeak, and for festival information, visit: TucsonFestivalofBooks.org