The Science of Taking Action
After studying with psychologists, sociologists, neuroscientists, and drill sergeants, I shared at TEDxCarthage what sparks people to act or holds people back from taking action.
> Talk from TEDxCarthage
driving corporate grassroots innovation
Starting a grassroots community of innovators in a big company isn't easy. How can one go about doing it?
> Talk from Inspire 925
THE FUTURE OF BORDERS
I was asked to speak at TEDxCarthage in Tunisia and TEDxVilnius in Lithuania to discuss the complex topic of borders.
> Talk from TEDxCarthage
> Talk from TEDxVilnius
event hosting
I have hosted more than three dozen events around the world, from TEDxYouth@SantaMonica to BioTech Summits to the Front End of Innovation conference.
design thinking & Action
As a leader at Stanford University's d.school bootcamps and co-founder of Action Surge, I do a lot of group facilitation for idea generation and action.
Teaching & talk development
I have coached hundreds of speakers to develop effective, resonant talks. I currently have more than 5,000 students in my online Udemy course.
executive coaching & panel moderating
I'm pictured here moderating a session with the Chairman & CEO of Johnson & Johnson, Alex Gorsky, discussing innovation.
Commencements
I delivered the Commencement Speech at Penn State University in Spring 2017, ushering the graduates into a world of action!
KEYNOTES
In this keynote, I share more of the science behind action, and help people to determine how they can take action on every idea, every time.
> Talk from Startup Week
Authentic, Resonant communication
What do leaders and marketers get wrong when they insist on scripted shouting vs. unbuttoned wonder?
> Talk from State of State
community instigation
ACTION CAMP
I've created an adult summer camp to serve as a community for people who take action on ideas, and help them take even more action.
> Video
Free problem solving
At SXSW 2013, a group of friends and I created a pop-up "Free Problem Solving" stand where we solved people's problems. It went viral.
> Storify
TEDxpsu
I started TEDxPSU which has driven conversation for the last seven years, and resulted in talks totaling more than 3 million views.
> Popular Talks: Sam Richards, Ali Carr-Chellman
> Article: Founding A Tradition
calorie Cloud
As part of a large community event, I led an initiative to have 1,500 people "donate" their calories, then led on-the-ground work in Rwanda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and D.R. Congo.
> Video
Wishvast
I co-founded a social tech venture called WishVast, focused on quantifying social capital and facilitating trust among farmers and ad-hoc laborers in sub-Saharan Africa.
The gauntlet
As part of an effort to encourage people to take action on ideas, I served as Executive Producer for a show that gave people feedback on how to further advance their ideas.
neighborhood watch idea protection
In an effort to try to create a nurturing culture where people embrace and support new ideas, we defined the "villain" that kills ideas, and set up a "Neighborhood Watch" to facilitate supportive behavior.
TEDxJNJ
I started the first global corporate TEDx program, and grew it into a community of more than 23,000 people. We received many accolades for this work.
organizational first-aid kits
Often leaders don't know the first step to take to "drive a culture of innovation" so we created Organizational First-Aid kits that included materials to walk them through the journey of how to start a transformation.
council for hope & healing
In 2012, I led an art-contest-turned-non-profit focus on bringing together the State College, PA community to drive awareness of and support for victims of sexual violence.
> Council for Hope & Healing Website
the future waits for no one provocation
Sometimes the first step to compel a community to act is to provoke people and get them to take a step back and re-orient their mind. This provocation piece was for that purpose.
culture carriers program
In order to drive cultural change in a large organization, often one of the best ways is to find people who are carriers of the target state culture and amplify and support their abilities to up-skill others. This program makes that happen.
silly projects
independence day #willnotvanish
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film Independence Day, I put together a video of myself giving the President's iconic speech around the world.
> Video
jurassic park car
For a year, I owned a replica Jurassic Park Ford Explorer and took it on various adventures, all of which are chronicled in its Twitter account.
mock
A group of friends and I wrote a script for a pilot for a sitcom. We spent a weekend filming this trailer to bring the concept to life.
> Trailer
Thanksgiving table bingo
Every Thanksgiving, I release a bingo card of the conversation topics that no one wants to talk about at the Thanksgiving table, but inevitably are brought up.
national day calendar bad ideas committee
I serve as co-chair of the "Bad Ideas Committee" for National Day Calendar. Celebrate every day!