The Importance of Creativity
Why is one company or individual hired over another?
Once upon a time, the people with most knowledge or the most impressive resume held a distinct advantage. Today, that is no longer enough. Technology has made information, data, and knowledge accessible to anyone.
In short, the playing field is level.
The only way you can differentiate is with creativity. When you use your knowledge to creatively problem-solve for your clients or create a new produce or service they never knew they needed until you presented it to them, you gain an advantage.
Investing in your creativity or in the creativity of your people is making an investment in the future which will have an impact today. Creativity is your greatest asset.
Speaking on Creativity
Over the past five years, I’ve had the privilege of leading creativity workshops for CEOs, Trusted Advisors, American Marketing Association chapters, university marketing associations, and startups.
My goal is to empower and encourage. Our time together, whether it be a day, weekly, or monthly meetings, will be interactive, conversational, and customized to your industry.
During our time together you will:
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Address personal and corporate roadblocks to creativity (perfectionism, fear of failure, etc.)
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Redefine creativity in a manner which makes it accessible to all
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Examine real-world examples of creativity to uncover their success
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Discuss the importance and role of creativity in business
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Practice what you’ve learned on current issues in your business
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Regain creative confidence in yourself and your team
From Participants
We had the pleasure of hosting John at our annual American Marketing Association conference this year. Our attendee feedback on John’s session was very positive, as we introduced a new concept of trying a workshop during the event. We could not have picked a better presenter than John to lead this workshop, as he brought out the creative side of our audience of marketers.
John McNeal is one of the most engaging marketing speakers I’ve seen. He knows how to tell a great story – and how to teach others to craft creative stories. Many of our AMA audience members commented that John was the best presenter our chapter has had in the past year.
John spoke at our July AMA event. He is a fantastic and captivating presenter. John understands how to create emotion through effective storytelling and presents it to his audience in a way that is easy to understand and implement.
From the first minutes, John had both me and the audience enraptured as he spoke about the literary and anthropological experiment. John is truly passionate about helping others find their creative voice. I know he had a profound impact on my life as a fellow creative and marketer.
When I was looking for great presenters for Making Midwest 2017, I had John near the top of my list. He’s incredibly passionate about the exploration of creativity and his talk was easily one of the favorites of the 100+ attendees.
Speaking History
Vistage Speaking, 3-Hour Workshop
- Ken Ackerman, Vistage Peer Group Chair – Columbus, OH
- Matt Lauth, Vistage Peer Group Chair (2x) – Toledo, OH
- Edward Robinson, Vistage Peer Group Chair – Baltimore, MD
Conference Speaking
- Making Midwest – Columbus, OH
- Southwest Michigan AMA 2019 Annual Conference – Kalamazoo, MI
University Student Association Speaking
- Ohio State University AMA (2x) – Columbus, OH
- Kent State University AMA (2x) – Kent, OH
- University of Akron AMA – Akron, OH
- Cleveland State University – Cleveland, OH
- Wright State University – Dayton, OH
Upcoming 2020 Speaking
- Jeannette Hobson, Vistage Peer Group Chair (2x) – NY, NJ
- Tony Schy, Vistage Peer Group Chair – New Albany, IN
- Robert Berk, Vistage Peer Group Chair – Chicago, IL
- Tony Lewis, Vistage Peer Group Chair (2x) – Kansas City, MO
- APIC Northwest Ohio Conference 2020
One-hour Workshop Speaking
- TMCx Innovation – Houston, TX
- McGraw-Hill Marketing Retreat – Columbus, OH
- Columbus AMA – Columbus, OH
- Northwest Ohio APIC Luncheon (Association for Professionals in Infection Control) – Tiffin, OH
- Pittsburgh AMA Luncheon – Pittsburgh, PA
- Michiana AMA Luncheon – South Bend, IN
- Making Midwest Workshop – Columbus, OH
- Innovate New Albany Tiger Talk – New Albany, OH
- Columbus Realtors Association – Columbus, OH
- NAIOP Luncheon- Columbus, OH
Miscellaneous Speaking
- RGD.ca Webinar
- Discovery Church Marriage Retreat
- Central Ohio ASHE Luncheon (American Society for Health Care Engineering)
- Adjunct Instructor teaching Introduction to 3D Computer Modeling and Animation at Columbus State Community College 2012 – Present