Becks Vogels

What we can learn from Hollywood for our Work & our lives

There is a lot you can learn for your work and lives from Hollywood’s greatest storytellers. Hollywood tells stories that are memorable, that make us laugh, that encourage us, inspire us, and allow us to go through life differently.

It has never been so important for leaders to know the secrets of storytelling and how to communicate convincingly in different situations, how to start a meeting, what is a good ending? And how do you stay personal without revealing too much?

You’ll learn how to:

• Discover 5 Hollywood Principles and how you can use them in your daily life and work
• Think about the subplot you are telling with every story.
• How to incorporate the creative dynamics of a writers’ room into your work.
• Define your story concept and tell a story only you can tell to inspire others.
• Think like a Hollywood Screenwriter and incorporate creativity into your life.

Lead with your story! How to tell your story

Storytelling isn’t a trick or a marketing gimmick. In fact, it’s a uniquely human way to form connections with others. Being able to lean into your personal story, show vulnerability, and communicate from a place of authenticity, makes a modern leader.

This keynote connects the personal and the professional, teaching you how to pull from your own work life to inspire others, communicate more effectively, inspire a team, and much more.

You’ll learn how to:

• Discover and shape core stories from your professional life.
• Communicate easily and form connections with coworkers, clients, and customers.
• Increase your visibility to influence the inside and outside of your organization.
• Identify and leverage your unique strengths.

The Netflix effect: What brands can learn from streaming services about storytelling

The advent of streaming services such as Netflix has changed how we tell stories. Prestige TV has moved from a plot-driven to a character-driven approach, and we should be following that lead. In the age of binge-watching, discover how brands can create serial content in formats that stick, and form lasting connections with their audiences as they do so.

You’ll learn:

• How serial storytelling works and how it has created the phenomenon of binge-watching.
• How streaming services are leveraging this phenomenon, and how you could borrow from their playbook.
• How to create serial content in formats that work for your brand and maintain user or customer attention for the long-term.
• The five most important storytelling tools for serial content.

“No more hero's stories!" Why we need empathy-driven storytelling

Heros are alienating – we don’t see ourselves in them. In the modern marketing landscape, customers don’t want heroes. Instead, they want to know that brands “get them.” They want brands to understand their challenges and celebrate their wins. It’s about identity – a feeling of “Yes, this is me” that lets brands establish trustworthy connections that are like friendships.

This is a trend personified by the rise of relatable Instagram influencers taking over from celebrities as brand ambassadors, as well as the championing of “ordinary people” in campaigns by companies as big as Nike.

You’ll learn:

• Methods to challenge traditional hero-centric storytelling models and embrace empathy-driven, human narratives.
• How the transformative potential of empathy in fostering deeper connections and promoting understanding.
• Practical strategies for infusing empathy into your storytelling practices.
• How to inspire positive change by leveraging the empathetic potential of storytelling.

Story first: How to tell stories that sell

In today’s busy and distracted marketplace, capturing attention has become more and more difficult. In this keynote, Becks pulls from the science of storytelling, psychology, and neuroscience, to educate audiences on the essential stories they must be able to tell to captivate an audience and sell a product or an idea.

You’ll learn:

• How our brains work and what neurological processes occur when we hear a story.
• How to craft captivating stories that bring the hidden benefits of your product to life, leaving a vivid and tangible impression on your customers.
• Story first, product second: Tell a story that enhances the value of your product or service in a way that renders price irrelevant.
• The Obama Principle: How telling a “Story of Us” helps you create a connection with anyone