It’s 2012...and while the gurus and futurists may say they know what is going to happen next, the simple fact is that nobody knows anything.  So, if you’re trying to figure out what the next steps are for your business and your people, who you gonna call?

MorningNewsBeat “Content Guy” Kevin Coupe uses compelling and real-life examples rooted in consumer behavior, technological change and cultural legacies to create a presentation designed to get business audiences thinking strategically rather than tactically, to embrace rather than reject change, and to take seriously Mark Twain’s admonition that “sacred cows make the best hamburger.”

There is almost no business that cannot be improved by the creation of a central narrative that speaks to employees, customers and suppliers, clearly defining the image and priorities of the company.   But most companies don’t know how to tell a story, which inhibits their ability to create common touch points that can animate the business and propel innovation.

In this presentation, based on the new business book that he co-authored with Michael Sansolo, Kevin Coupe uses examples from movies ranging from “Citizen Kane” to “Up InThe Air” to help audiences learn how to shape a core narrative and then communicate it throughout their organizations.   Entertaining and engaging, this presentation is designed to change the way people think about the way they approach branding, customer service, and even the nature of leadership.

THE INNOVATION CONVERSATION, with Tom Furphy & Kevin Coupe.

Twenty-first century change often has the effect of giving business leaders - even the most forward-looking ones - a kind of intellectual whiplash. Just when you think you've figured out where things are going - what works and what doesn't - something happens to challenge your thinking and turn preconceptions into misconceptions.

Tom Furphy - formerly of Wegmans and Amazon.com (where he developed the CPG business) and now the founder and CEO of Seattle-based Consumer Equity Partners, and Kevin Coupe, "Content Guy" for MorningNewsBeat.com and co-author of THE BIG PICTURE: Essential Business Lessons from the Movies, engage in a far-reaching and provocative dialogue about where traditional retailing is heading, what can be learned from e-commerce successes, how to compete in the new environment, and how to understand the new consumer.

(Note: “The Innovation Conversation” is available both as a presentation and as a day-long interactive consulting service. Contact us for details.)

The pressures on businesses are enormous. The economy. Changing customer and employee demographics. Technology. And, of course, competition. In this fast-paced and entertaining presentation, take a walk along Main Street with Kevin Coupe, MorningNewsBeat's 'Content Guy, who has more than 20 years of experience writing about some of the most vibrant and innovative US and global businesses. Coupe will identify and explore 10 business lessons and values - using specific, real-world examples examined from a unique perspective - that can help leaders and managers think differently about their organizations, customers, challenges and strategic goals.

In this fast moving and highly interactive presentation, MorningNewsBeat “Content Guy” Kevin Coupe takes audiences through the process that he goes through every business morning - identifying the day’s and week’s business and cultural stories that are relevant to their business, considering their long-term and short-term impact on their business, and leading them through a discussion of how best to respond to the news.

Based on the popular series of features from MorningNewsBeat.com, “Eye-Openers” uses a score of real world examples from the worlds of business, sports and popular culture as metaphors for how businesses can raise their level of their games, find new ways to come to market, embrace challenges, take on competitors, and see opportunity where others see merely obstacles. Kevin Coupe - who has been analyzing and writing about US retailing for more than two decades - takes you on an engaging and entertaining guided tour of some surprising and provocative people and scenarios that will help you see your business from a new perspective.