Linda Kaplan Thaler

What can thirty seconds teach us about success, leadership, creativity, and happiness?

Drawing on a remarkable career that helped create some of America’s most recognizable advertising campaigns—including the Aflac Duck, Herbal Essences, Kodak Moments, and “I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid,” Linda Kaplan Thaler shares the surprising stories behind the ads, the celebrities, the setbacks, and the breakthroughs that shaped her life.

Filled with humor, unforgettable behind-the-scenes stories, and practical takeaways, this keynote reveals how the smallest moments often become the biggest turning points.

Audiences leave energized with simple strategies they can immediately apply to become more resilient, creative, persuasive, and successful.

Audience Takeaways

• How to make every first impression count.
• Why kindness is still a competitive advantage.
• The surprising power of perseverance over talent.
• How creativity flourishes under constraints.
• How to stand out in a world overflowing with noise.
• Why tiny decisions often produce life-changing results.
• How to become more memorable as a leader and communicator.
• Practical “30-Second Lessons” audiences can begin using immediately.

Based on her national best seller, “The Power of Nice,” Ms. Thaler’s research and insights have discovered that the secret sauce of most effective leaders is kindness, empathy, and a collaborative spirit. Counter to the current “eat your young in order to survive” mentality, being nice leads to a better bottom line, a longer life span, fewer divorces and a thriving corporate culture. Learning how to build a stronger “Nice Q,” will help you become far more successful, in work and in life.

Based on her best selling book, “Grit to Great,” Ms.Thaler reveals that the world’s most extraordinary successful people were completely ordinary growing up. In fact, their meteoric rise had little to do with an “it” factor- a brilliant IQ or virtuoso talents- and everything to do with having the “grit” factor- guts, resilience, initiative and tenacity. Through myriad interviews and cutting edge research, Linda illustrates why grit is the most important determinant of future success and offers tips on how anyone can improve their concentration, perseverance and determination.

Contrary to what you might believe, many of the world’s most important discoveries, inventions, and marketing ideas came about when people were joking around and just having fun. When we’re in a positive and playful mood, that’s when our brains are most conducive to imaginative thoughts and breakthrough solutions.

Based on interviews, insights and personal stories, Ms. Thaler will discuss the role of playfulness in the workplace, as well as in our personal lives, while engaging the audience with entertaining exercises they can use to spur creativity and breakthrough ideas.

Having created one of America’s fastest growing and most successful ad agencies, Linda discusses the importance of creating huge, disruptive ideas in an ever increasingly cluttered world. Based on her national bestseller, “Bang!” Linda offers valuable tips on how to create messaging that is dramatic, memorable, talked about, and will help your brand to achieve iconic status in today’s world.

Contrary to the popular belief that we need to see the “forest through the trees,” the most important innovations and discoveries came to fruition because people understood that, in fact, it is the little things that make all the difference. Through research, interviews and personal stories, Linda discusses the little things that truly make a huge difference in our lives, whether it’s the importance of small talk, celebrating small victories or paying attention to the detailed information that can make, or break, your career trajectory.