Leadership Luncheon

Artificial Intelligence and emerging technologies are reshaping business at a rapid pace, but even as tools evolve, one thing remains unchanged: the need for genuine human connection. In today's marketplace, communication and storytelling have moved far beyond "soft skills" and are now essential tools for leadership, sales, and organizational success. In this Leadership Lunch session, Mike Brian will introduce his 3D Story Cadence System™, a practical framework for creating Transactional Stories™- stories designed not just to entertain, but to influence decisions, inspire action, and drive measurable results. Attendees will learn how to identify powerful stories from their own experiences, communicate with greater influence without sounding scripted or overly sales-driven, and use a structured approach to develop stories that motivate behavior change. The focus is simple: everyone has stories, but the real skill is learning how to shape them so people don’t just listen, they respond and act.

Mike Brian began his communications career in 1989 with an overhead projector and a carousel of 35mm slides, long before modern presentation tools and virtual meetings became standard. That early experience sparked a lifelong focus on storytelling as a tool for connection, influence, and leadership. Over the past three decades, Mike has worked as an advertising and marketing agency executive, speaker, and communication strategist, helping hundreds of companies and thousands of professionals strengthen how they communicate and lead. Today, he is known for helping leaders and teams develop Transactional Stories™ that build trust, deepen relationships, and create real-world impact. He is also the creator of the National Speakers Association's "Last Story Standing," a national storytelling competition featured at the NSA Influence Conference. Now, Mike focuses his work on helping individuals and organizations increase their influence and effectiveness through intentional storytelling, because the right story, told the right way, can change behavior and create lasting results.