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| Joel Zeff |
Keynote Fee: $10,000* *Fee Note Travels From: TX |
Joel Zeff Biography
Joel Zeff creates energy. His spontaneous humor and vital messages have thrilled audiences for years. As a national speaker and humorist, Joel captivates audiences with a unique blend of hilarious improvisational comedy and essential ideas on work and life. Corporations and organizations nationwide seek him out to motivate and energize their employees on such topics as creativity, communication, teamwork, passion and fun. His first book, Make the Right Choice: Creating a Positive, Innovative and Productive Work Life was just published by John Wiley & Sons.
A former newspaper journalist and public relations executive, Joel started his own consulting business in 1994. His business initially focused on helping technology and telecommunications companies with marketing, advertising and public relations. As he came in contact with so many corporate cultures, he noticed the glaring need for employees to have more fun and reenergize their creative spirit.
Since 1993, he has performed with Ad-Libs, one of the countrys premier improvisational comedy troupes. Joel performs with Ad-Libs at the troupes theater in Downtown Dallas and across the country for corporate events. As an improvisational actor, Joel studied for a short time at the famed Second City Conservatory in Chicago, Illinois.
Joel fuses his knowledge of improvisation and his experience with the corporate world to create presentations that make a difference. His humor and style create a positive and comfortable environment for his audience that allows them to take risks and explore their creativity. His funny and poignant presentations have been met with roaring approval from hundreds of companies and organizations and thousands of audience members. Joel makes audiences laugh, but he also makes them think. Participants discover for themselves how to apply his messages to become better people and better employees.
When he is not speaking, Joel explores his own creativity and communication skills as an actor and writer. In Dallas, he was co-host of The Movie Zone on UPN 21. He has appeared in commercials for Harrahs Casino, Mydiscountbroker.com, Time Warner Cable, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Eagle Country Markets, and Extraco Bank. He has also appeared in corporate videos for Pepsi, Pier One, Hewlett-Packard, EDS, Nortel Networks, and J.C. Penney.
Publications
In Make the Right Choice, Joel shares his experience and insight on creativity, communication, teamwork, passion, and fun. With wit, a sharp observational eye, and playful irreverence, he discusses the choices we all encounter in our careers. We each have the ability to take initiative and make the right choice to live a more creative, passionate, effective, and productive life.
How do you Make the Right Choice? You must take ownership of your work environment and create a foundation of opportunity and positive support. You can choose to be patient, supportive, and more flexible to change. You can choose to have fun in the workplace and still be productive. Joel teaches us just how easy it is to make these choices.
Joel makes readers laugh so hard that they forget about the corporate nonsense of conference calls, "strategic deliverables," PowerPoint presentations with upside-down triangles, or "paradigm shifts in a cross-functional organization." Make the Right Choice is conversational, funny, and very informative. Yes, Joel will make you laugh, but he will also make you think. This book delivers a combination of inspiration, essential business knowledge, and significant ideas to help readers reconnect with their own passion, creativity, and success.
Make the Right Choice is a Dallas Morning News bestseller and consistently ranked as one of the top Work/Life balance books on Amazon.
Titles
Make the Right Choice: Taking Ownership and Responsibility for your Happiness and Success
In Make the Right Choice, Joel shares his experience and insight on creativity, communication, teamwork, passion, and fun. With wit, a sharp observational eye, and playful irreverence, he discusses the choices we all encounter in our careers. We each have the ability to take initiative and make the right choice to live a more creative, passionate, effective, and productive life.
Make the Right Choice: Leading Teams during Change with Passion and Success
It is hard to have fun and stay passionate at work during stressful times. Your employees build stress after each media report about economic challenges. Business today means surviving and thriving during a merger, layoff or the all encompassing "restructuring." How do managers continue to motivate and energize employees during difficult times? Managers must help employees stay in the game; work in the moment; and take ownership of their happiness.
Make the Right Choice: Energizing your Spirit with Humor
Most corporations know they need fun, they just don't know how or where to find it. Fun is the most important commodity in the workplace today: Fun increases communication, productivity, teamwork and creativity. Fun gives us the energy to reduce stress and overcome challenges. Fun produces passion for our jobs.
Make the Right Choice: Communicate with Passion, Creativity and Energy
This interactive and hilarious session helps employees and managers communicate more effectively with each other and with their customers. Attendees will examine key skills such as trust, listening, teamwork, risk-taking, confidence, positive environment and openness and flexibility to change.
Make the Right Choice: Learning to Think without a Script
This session on creativity and teamwork can help employees and managers with a creative jump-start. During the presentation, Joel will focus on the skills that make teams more successful. This interactive presentation uses improvisational games and exercises to have fun, increase creativity, teamwork and problem solving. This intensive session examines key team skills such as trust, listening, communication, risk-taking, confidence, positive environment and openness and flexibility to change. The session weaves the creative process into the team concept, examining the significance of working together to create ideas, solve problems and build success. The exercises allow the participants to discover for themselves how teamwork and creativity increases productivity, makes us happier and builds personal and corporate success. In longer workshops, participants learn how to break down barriers in their creative process and how to increase their "possibility" box.
Team Building for People Who Hate Team Building
Tired of team building games that are silly? Tired of college kids leading your employees in games that have no message and no application to your business? Are you tired of building boats with cardboard and dental floss? Joel's sessions are about team skills including communication, positive support, creating opportunity, leadership, listening, trust, initiative, openness, flexibility and creativity. His sessions involve the entire audience by creating a positive and comfortable environment. He leads participants in hilarious improvisational exercises that are fun, easy and perfect for any level of employee. After each exercise, Joel creates a dialogue with the participants to discuss the messages learned and how to apply them. Joel promises there will be no boat building in this session.
Clients
Telecom
BICSI
Symmetricom
Samsung
Cingular Wireless
Sprint PCS
Sprint Business Group
Verizon
Cable and Wireless, Inc.
Fujitsu
Ericsson
Alcatel USA
Nortel Networks
Lucent Technologies
Energy
TXU
ARCO International Oil and Gas Co.
Hunt Oil Company
OxyChem
CXY Energy
Progress Energy
Florida Energy
Entergy
Okanogan County (WA) Public Utility District
Bonneville Power Administration (OR)
Northwest Public Power Association
Consulting/Accounting/Legal
McKinsey & Company
Pitney Bowes
Bearing Point
Ernst & Young
Holthouse Carlin & Van Trigt LLP
Accenture
Deloitte and Touche
KPMG
Avanade
PriceWaterhouseCoopers
The Keever Group
Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin LLP
Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons
Jenkens and Gilchrist
Technology
Group One Software
SunGard Higher Education
Hyperion
Macrovision
Dell
Microsoft
Fiserv
Kronos
Claritas
Intel
VISION User Group
Get There
Docucorp
Epartners
First Data
TechCom Partners
Sabre
Surebridge, Inc.
Texas Instruments
EDS
Perot Systems
CHAPTEC Solutions Co.
OmniSpace Technologies
IMC2
CyLink
NEC
Sterling Software
Hewlett Packard
Software Spectrum
Alliance Data Systems
B.B. Blackmarr and Associates
Hencie Consulting
Data Return
OpenConnect
Travelocity.com
Syntex Management Systems
OAUG and Quest International Users Group
Financial/Insurance
H&R Block
WSFS Bank (Delaware)
Capitol Federal Savings
Randolph Brooks Federal Credit Union
UNIFI Companies
Gallagher Bassett
SCF Arizona
Premier Lease and Loan Services
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Stonebridge Life Insurance
STAR Financial Bank (IN)
Alliant Credit Union
General Technologies Credit Union
Red River Credit Union League
Washington Mutual
Comerica Bank
Bank One
Chase Bank of Texas
Bank of America
Merrill Lynch
Federal Reserve Bank of Texas
Nations Bank
Texas Credit Union League
Allstate Insurance
Southwest Securities
SEI Investments
Great Plains Ag credit
TIG Insurance
Continental Investors
H.D. Vest
Lincoln Financial
Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association
Nationwide Health Plans
Eli Lilly Federal Credit Union
Providian Financial Group
Sunset Mortgage
American Airlines Federal Credit Union
The Independent Bankers Bank
AgCountry Farm Credit Services
BlueCross BlueShield of California
Medical/Pharmaceutical
Smilecare
Tenet Healthcare Corporation
Medical Clinics of North Texas
Michigan Association of Health Plans
Oregon Healthcare Association
HIP Health Plans of Greater New York
Concentra
Tap Pharamceutical
GlaxoSmithKline
Eastern Maine Medical Center
Illinois Healthcare Association
Harris Methodist
Amgen
Hopkins County Memorial Hospital
Provena Health
Provena Mercy Medical Center
HCR Manor Care
Kaiser Permanente
American Society of Radiologic Technologists
American Healthcare Radiology Administrators
Merck & Co., Inc.
University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics
Minnesota Directors of Nursing Administration
Varian Medical Systems
Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center
Ascension Health
Alcon Laboratories
Dentsply – Tulsa Dental
MD Anderson Network
VHA
Pfizer
Sentara Norfolk Hospital
Children’s Medical Center/Dallas
Syndicated Office Systems
Quorum Health Services
REMEL
Mental Health Council of Arkansas
HCA Healthcare (Denton Regional Medical Center)
Associations
National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders
Event and Arena Marketing Conference
Illinois Association of Park Districts
American Nursery and Landscape Association
Illinois Association of School Business Officials
International Compliance Professionals Association
California Association of Dental Plans
International Society of Restaurant Association Executives
Congress for Progress – The Association for Operations Management
2006 Biennial Conference for Women
Consortium for Service Innovation
NOARK HR Association
HR Southwest
Arkansas SHRM State Conference
Metroplex (DFW) HR Conference
National Association of Dental Plans
Professional Convention Management Association
Fibre Box Association
National Institute for Case Management, Inc.
California Association of Community Managers
Roller Skating Association International
New England Resident Service Coordinators
Floor Installation Association
Texas Association of Personnel Consultants
Lone Star Classic
XPLOR International
Enterprise Ohio Network Annual Convention
Oklahoma Restaurant Association
Indiana Apartment Association
National Tour Association
Eastern Regional Interstate Child Support Enforcement Association.
Employee Services Management Association
National Association of School Music Dealers
ASI (Advertising Specialty Institute)
Chemical Customer Service Management Group
American Heart Association
Association of Professional Color Imagers
DFW Business Travel Association
Wisconsin Grocers Association
Mississippi Tourism Association
Montana Association of Realtors
Texas Association for Healthcare Financial Administration
Western Interstate Child Support Enforcement Council (WICSEC).
Work Friendly Conference
Meeting Professionals International
International Association of Business Communicators
Promotional Products Association
American Concrete and Pipe Association
National Association of Sign Supply Distributors
National Chemical Credit Association
Public Relations Society of America
Dallas County Auto Dealers Association
PRSA/ Fort Worth Chapter
American Marketing Association/Oklahoma City
Promotional Products Association of Canada
American Marketing Association/Tulsa
National Association of Pupil Transport
Credit Union National Association
National Association of Chemical Distributors
Mortgage Bankers Association of Pennsylvania
Community Associations Institute
National Association of Fleet Resale Dealers
Airlines/Hospitality/Restaurants
Hyatt Hotels
Omni Hotels
Marriott Hotels
Southwest Airlines
Bristol Hotels and Resorts
Candlewood Suites
American Airlines
Harvey Hotels
Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association
Radisson Corporate
Sodexho Marriott
SONIC Corp.
Fired Up (Johnny Carinno’s)
Merritt Group (Sonic)
Chick-Fil-A
Metromedia Restaurant Group (Bennigan’s)
Applebee’s International
Auntie Anne's Pretzels
Taco Bueno
Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, Inc. (TGI Friday’s)
Media/Public Relations/Advertising
Discovery Communications
Clear Channel
Harris Interactive
R. L. Polk & Co.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Taylor Publishing
Inc. Magazine
Pennino and Partners
Springbok Technologies
The Marketing Arm
Universal Studios
Real Estate/Construction/Building Supplies
JPI
Prentiss Properties
CWS Communities
Ryland Homes
Crescent Real Estate
Foundation Management Services
Centex Construction
In-Town Custom Builders
Pulliam Pools
Austin Industries
Ferguson Enterprises, Inc.
Moen Faucets
CMC Steel Group
Staffelbach Design Associates
KSI Management Corp.
Interceramic Tile
Mills Pride
Non-Profit/Government/Education
Virginia Department of Emergency Management
Jerry Junkins School
Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership – North Texas Chapter
Oklahoma Department of Transportation
Frenship ISD
Cuyahoga Community College – Administrative Professionals Day
Tulare County (CA) Support Staff Conference
Penn State University
City of Grand Prairie (TX)
The Connections Project at Illinois State University
South Dakota Department of Tourism
Oklahoma Governor’s Conference on Tourism
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Shreveport (LA) Memorial Library
North Central Texas Workforce
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency – U.S. Treasury
Birdville (TX) ISD
City of Irving HR
McKinney Schools
University of Texas – Arlington
American Expo, Inc.
Arlington YMCA
US Army Reserve
US Navy
USDA
Tarleton State University
Oklahoma Community Institute
New Jersey Child Support Council
United Way
City of Dallas
Jewish Community Center of Dallas
Big Brothers/Big Sisters
YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas
Executive Women International
FDIC
Irving, TX CVB
Hurst/Euless/Bedford Chamber of Commerce
Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Coppell Chamber of Commerce
Flower Mound Chamber of Commerce
American Diabetes Association
Coppell ISD
Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau
Keller High School
Valley Ranch Elementary School
Marshall County (OK) Chamber of Commerce
Workforce (OK) Employment and Training Association
Beauty/Salon Industry
Matrix
Douglas J Salons/Douglas J Aveda Institute
Armstrong McCall
Vanis Salon and Day Spa
Great Clips
The Salon Association
State Beauty Supply
Beauty Systems Group
Retail/Services/Manufacturing/Business-to-Business
Hallmark Cards
Blockbuster Video
RadioShack
JC Penny
DHL
Sportcourt
Rio Grande
Bemis Flexible Packaging
Brass Eagle LLC
It’s Just Lunch
McKee Foods Corporation
Home Interiors
Xerox Canada
IBP
Copps Corporation
Fleming Company
Boeing
SuperCoups
Stampin’ Up
ProBusiness
SOS
Todays Staffing
Durango Trading Company
Frito-Lay
Nestle
Hydrotex
Kodak
Bestway Rent to Own
Alliant Food Service
Bose
Dresser, Inc.
Market Day
FASTSIGNS
Watt and Company
Ikon Office Solutions
Mervyn’s
Bestop, Inc.
Newton Education Group
General Motors
Federal Express
Humanic Design
Fleming Company
National Van Lines
TD Industries
Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders
Administaff
Scott-McRae Group
GROWMARK
Entertainment Transportation Specialists
Bob Moore Auto Group
Network Multifamily Security Corp.
Testimonials
"On behalf of everyone at Todays, I would like to thank you for spending time with us at our annual meeting in January. This was our first time to link laughs with a business message and we learned that comedy makes meetings memorable. Joel, the audience response to your presentation was tremendous, and mine is a hard crowd to please.
"The team building and creativity sessions you conducted with our sales and operations people were top-rated. It was apparent that you spent time getting to know us as a company and were therefore able to weave in some laughs that were particularly relevant.
"Joel, I highly recommend you to other corporations and associations for their meetings. We look forward to working with you again in the future."
Todays Staffing
"I wanted to thank you for the outstanding work you did for our recent meeting in Dallas. We were very pleased with every aspect of your participation. This included your help prior to our event, your willingness to add to the scope of the work, your patience with our last minute requests, and your follow up after the meeting. You were professional, responsive, creative and fun to work with throughout the entire process.
"Most importantly, the end result was just what we wanted. The team building exercises during the meeting generated a lot of energy and excitement and the videos will be a keepsake for many of the participants."
Accenture
"Colleagues loved the games you facilitated and they really instilled how to have fun, be creative and work together as a team. Your presentation tied back to Comerica's mission statement of "helping people be successful" by creating a positive environment for our colleagues to build trust, teamwork and respect."
Comerica Bank-Texas
"I have received a steady stream of compliments from my partners about the fabulous program you presented at our attorney retreat. The consensus is that yours was the best program we have ever had. Surprisingly, many of the compliments have come from partners who historically have voted against our even having attorney retreats.
"You helped our group of sixty-five lawyers interact with each other, laugh with each other, and otherwise bring down the barriers that normally exist in this type of setting. You were exactly what we needed to get our retreat off to a good start - quite an accomplishment!"
Thompson, Coe, Cousins & Irons
"I just wanted to thank you for the seminar that you conducted for our department last month. The feedback I received was unanimously positive.
The exercises on creativity and the techniques, which can be used to tap into an individual's potential, were particularly relevant. The result of the activities has been a spike in camaraderie and a greater overall appreciation for teamwork."
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Just another in a long string of superb jobs … Thanks so much for making the recent event at The Westin an exceptional success. I have enclosed the evaluation summary results of the attendees for your review and, as you can see, your performance earned the highest marks of any speaker on the program."
PGI
"You played an instrumental role in fostering a positive and creative working session which embraced key tools and concepts that can be applied in the team's daily activities along with a lot of fun and laughter. Overall, the team commented that "this was the best meeting we had ever had in the past two years," and we applaud your contribution to its success."
Accenture
"Joel was upbeat, entertaining, funny, wild and yet was able to get important comments in about behavior and styles we should incorporate to make life and work better. We have had speakers a each of our three retreats, but none has held our interest for an entire two hours as Joel did. In a nutshell, Joel was fabulous."
Washington Mutual
"You were a "raving" success at the conference. It was exactly what our group needed."
KPMG
"Your brainstorming and team building activities were a big factor in the success of our recent IABC chapter board planning retreat … But it was more than just having fun and letting our hair down, we came away with some creative solutions for the goals we hope to accomplish for our chapter next year."
International Association of Business Communicators
"I've been to so many award shows where the emcee was either boring or tried too hard to be funny. You hit it right on the mark! Your humorous interludes were well timed, and you kept the show moving at a brisk pace. Thanks for your professionalism, humor and overall great performance. It's obvious you have a keen sense of what works with a corporate audience."
IABC/Texas Instruments
"Additionally, the energy you generated provided the teachers with laughter for themselves, as well as some new tools for bringing laughter into the classroom. One of the most difficult tasks in teaching is keeping the students engaged. (Your workshop) supplied the teachers with new methods for involving the students in learning. Obviously, your workshop was a success!"
Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
"The interactive games and motivational activities you shared with our trainers will help them inspire thousands of yearbook students, foster creative learning environments and enhance the overall quality of Taylor's summer workshop program nationwide. In addition, I know that our participants valued your innovative ideas and team building concepts."
Taylor Publishing
"People laughed at and with each other and learned some helpful techniques to apply back at the office, too. The comments were unanimously positive, with Joel being the highlight for most attendees."
OxyChem
"You brought to us exactly what we were looking for on Saturday morning: a super way to start the day with humor, fun insights into ourselves, and an inspiring tone to set the mood for the day. And then the breakout session was equally well received - according to the evaluations and the comments. Bottom line: they all loved you! You made us think, smile, act and laugh!
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
AV Needs
CLIENT TO PROVIDE
For groups under 60 people:
1. No AV is required.
2. If your group size is under 40 people, the preferred set up is an open room with no tables. The chairs should be arranged in a horseshoe. The group should be able to form a circle without banging a knee on a table.
3. The room should have no obstacles, pillars, etc.
For groups of 60-250 people:
1. Two (2) wireless lavaliere microphones.
2. Three(3) handheld microphones on floor stands. The microphones must be on stands and placed near the stage. Prefers the microphones to be wireless.
3. Please have the microphones set and ready for a sound check no later than one hour before the meeting begins.
4. Please have an AV technician available throughout the meeting to adjust audio levels.
5. If your meeting is at non-traditional venue, please be even more vigilant in securing the right equipment for the room. Non-traditional venues sometimes can be difficult to create the proper sound.
For large groups of more than 300:
1. Two (2) wireless lavaliere microphones.
2. Three (3) handheld microphones on stands. The microphones must be on stands and placed near the stage. Prefers the microphones to be wireless.
3. Please have the microphones set and ready for a sound check no later than one hour before the meeting begins.
4. Please have an AV technician available throughout the meeting to adjust audio levels.
5. If your meeting is at non-traditional venue, please be even more vigilant in securing the right equipment for the room. Non-traditional venues sometimes can be difficult to create the proper sound.
Staging (For all groups larger than 60):
1. The stage should be a minimum of 16 feet across by 12 feet deep.
2. The stage should be clear of all podiums, screens, plants, projectors, tables and other obstructions. If you must have a podium, make sure it can be moved before my presentation.
3. Please arrange the tables no more than 10 feet from the stage. Please keep in mind the sight lines of the tables on the sides.
4. Please place four banquet chairs at the back of the stage. These should be typical banquet chairs. Cannot use stools, tall bar chairs, large chairs, heavy chairs, cushy chairs, or chairs on rollers.
5. The stage should be well lighted. The audience lights should be up. Room lighting is usually sufficient.
Podium Intro
Joel Zeff creates energy. His spontaneous humor and vital messages have thrilled audiences for years. As a national speaker and humorist, Joel captivates audiences with a unique blend of hilarious improvisational comedy and essential ideas on work and life. Corporations and organizations nationwide seek him out to motivate and energize their employees on such topics as creativity, communication, teamwork, passion and fun. His first book, " Make the Right Choice: Creating a Positive, Innovative and Productive Work Life" was recently published by John Wiley & Sons.