Giant Killer Workshops

Workshop Topics

• The “Killing Giants” Activation Workshop There are times for introspective thought leadership and there are times to put concrete action plans on paper and get them ready to execute. This special “Killing Giants Activation Workshop” event is for the latter of these two – when you know what your top level objectives are but aren’t certain how you’re exactly going to tactically deliver on them in the marketplace. Read More

  There are times for introspective thought leadership and there are times to put concrete action plans on paper and get them ready to execute. This special “Killing Giants Activation Workshop” event is for the latter of these two – when you know what your top level objectives are but aren’t certain how you’re exactly going to tactically deliver on them in the marketplace.

  In this intensive one-day workshop, we will review the key tenets of The Killing Giants Framework and view them against the large macro trends affecting your industry today and the key business objectives your company has articulated, seeing the biggest possible picture of your challenge through a unique lens of global competitive best practices. Then, with your team fully engaged in this immersive learning environment, we will apply the Power of 3™ integrative exercise described in Killing Giants: 10 Strategies to Topple the Goliath In Your Industry (Portfolio, 2011) to identify the patterns and opportunities in the data we’ve uncovered. If you need to get your operating teams focused for a day and need them to quickly generate three or four big ideas, you’ll find this workshop out-performs your expectations (because we’ll generate more than a dozen big ideas – and your team is like most of the groups we’ve had, they’ll finish the day with more energy and enthusiasm than they had walking in the room in the morning).

  Audience: the right audience for this one-day workshop is 12-15 people comprised of marketers, key agency members and other key operating group stakeholders – essentially anyone and everyone involved in how your company presents itself to your customer base.

  Key take-aways:

  • Spot opportunities that are often hidden in plain sight by identifying patterns in the macro trends, corporate priorities and the “third lens” of the Killing Giants Framework.
  • Break old habits and get out of the rut of the “this is how we’ve always done it in our business” by tapping into the industry-changing success stories from other industries.
  • Develop a ready-to-implement plan with a dozen or more big ideas in one intensive day – coming from your team members, with their passion and complete buy-in.

  The Killing Giants Activation Workshop is an intensive one-day session ideal for any company that needs to get big ideas delivered in the immediate time frame. It draws on both your specific top business priorities and the most important macro trends that impact your industry – and then shoots them both through the “third lens” of the Killing Giants Framework, allowing you to see the patterns that others miss.

• Storytelling & the Social Psychology of Influence: How Key Decision Triggers and Story Development Get Stakeholders to “Yes” at Work Storytelling at work is more complex than just spinning clever anecdotes. It’s about being able to effectively persuade an audience to your point of view. It requires a careful balance of telling a good story well with the psychological underpinnings of how we, as humans, communicate and make decisions under both social and time constraints. Read More

  Storytelling at work is more complex than just spinning clever anecdotes. It’s about being able to effectively persuade an audience to your point of view. It requires a careful balance of telling a good story well with the psychological underpinnings of how we, as humans, communicate and make decisions under both social and time constraints.

  Master the art and science of storytelling in the corporate setting and you stand a good chance of seeing your ideas get approved and funded. Miss the importance of the balance between these seemingly unrelated elements and you’ll likely spend a good deal of your time wondering why your proposals are so often rejected.

  By combining the archetypal structures of storytelling with the social psychology of interpersonal influence – and then viewing them both against the very real constraints of the modern workplace, which is its own unique medium – we can understand exactly when specific psychological decision triggers will move us to “yes” in the progression of a story. If we can master these principles, we can use them in a systematic, proactive manner.

  In this 1-day workshop, authors and consultants Stephen Denny and Dr. Paul Leinberger will lay out the foundation of how the social psychology of interpersonal influence intersects with archetypal story structure so that business people can communicate more effectively, more vividly and with greater impact – all with the clear goal of getting their audiences to “yes” that much faster.

  Denny and Leinberger will draw upon the best thinking in the social psychology fields to present an interpersonal influence framework that has been rigorously battle-tested in the field, while also drawing in the most important elements of storytelling. Synthesizing these two seemingly disparate fields of science and art, attendees will come away with a set of “thinking tools” that they can apply immediately to high stakes projects that, if approved, could transform both businesses as well as careers.

  Attendees will learn:

  • How to tap the right decision triggers in different phases of your story to get listeners to “yes” faster.
  • How to use these “decision triggers” on purpose, even if you’re naturally good at them and intuitively understand them.
  • How to weave the essential elements of story construction through your communications – your Power Point presentations, your discussions and your face to face pitches with key executives, peers and board members – so that you build momentum behind your ideas in vivid, evocative and repeatable processes.
  • How to avoid the most prevalent mistakes and “land mines” that executives make when pitching their ideas – and how to use “the journey” to their advantage.

  This leadership development session is geared for any senior executive, from VP and director to the C-suite, who recognizes the importance of being more persuasive in pitching big ideas to key stakeholders.