Jonah Berger

How to Change Anyone’s Mind. Everyone has something they want to change. Salespeople want to change the customer’s mind. Managers want to change employee behavior. Leaders want to change the way an entire organization does business. But change is hard. We persuade and cajole and push and push, but even after all that work, often nothing happens. Things change at a glacial pace, if at all. Could there be a better way?

In this new talk, Wharton Professor and change expert Dr. Jonah Berger outlines a revolutionary approach to change. Successful change isn’t about pushing harder or exerting more energy. It’s about removing barriers. Overcoming resistance by reducing friction and lowering the hurdles to action. Discover the hidden factors that impede change, why your biggest competitor is inertia, and why big changes require asking for less, not pushing for more. Whether you’re trying to change how consumers think, motivate people to act, or shift the way an entire industry does business, Berger will teach you how to become a catalyst.

From Uncertainty to Opportunity: Succeeding in a Post-COVID World. The global pandemic has generated unprecedented change. From working from home to shifting customer mindsets, many people (and companies) feel a sense of paralysis, uncertain about what to do next.

But smart companies and industries have recognized that this is also a time of great opportunity. To be forward-looking and harness the changes that are already occurring to transform industries and foster disruptive innovation. How can you get your people “unstuck” and focused on the future?

In this timely and forward-looking presentation, Wharton Professor and change expert Dr. Jonah Berger explores how organizations can succeed in this turbulent time. Blending insights from his best-selling book The Catalyst, Berger will discuss the changes in consumer and customer behavior that have occurred so far, which pandemic-drive trends are here to stay, and what the “new normal” will look like after things resolve. Further, he shows how organizations can adapt to these new ways of doing things, and motivate their leaders, and employees, to get on board. Berger will provide actionable tactics for organizations to pivot their strategy, think beyond the current crisis, and change minds in this time of persistent uncertainty.

Disruption-Proof. We live in an age of disruption. Entire industries have been uprooted and displaced by new technologies and business models, and the most successful corporations out there didn’t exist just a few decades ago. When it comes to Silicon Valley titans such as Amazon, Uber, and Airbnb, you have to wonder whether incumbents in the consumer goods, automotive, and hotel industries could have gotten their first—and what’s coming next. How can we stay ahead of this relentless innovation? How can we make sure we’re doing the disrupting, and not being disrupted ourselves?

In this exciting, new presentation, Wharton Business School Professor and disruption guru, Dr. Jonah Berger, explains how organizations can make themselves “disruption-proof.” Learn why some companies are more likely to get displaced, how executives ought to be reimaging their competitive set to better service evolving consumer needs, and what innovators do differently than everyone else that makes them so successful. From shifting mindsets and redefining your competitive set to “de-risking” innovation and why great companies cannibalize themselves, Berger demonstrates how we can survive, and win, in this new age.

Leading Innovation & Effective Culture Change. In a high-energy presentation based on his groundbreaking research on organizational communication and word of mouth, Dr. Jonah Berger examines the science behind leading effective change in an era of dramatic technological and business transformation. Why is it so difficult to promote change in the first place? How do you grease the system to make people more likely to adopt positive behaviors and ignore negative ones? How do you push past mental barriers that insist innovative practices are impossible or fraught with risk?

Jonah Berger offers audiences practical strategies for leading change in a clear and actionable way that encourages buy-in and drives results. He shares how to overcome reticence to change, how to avoid the “curse of knowledge,” and how to build a movement that shifts your audience from passive listeners to active participants, who become a powerful channel for diffusing your message. If your organization is looking for a forward-thinking talk aimed at getting change to catch on, this talk is can’t-miss.

Contagious: Why Things Catch On. Dr. Jonah Berger combines groundbreaking research and powerful stories as he sheds light on why things become popular. Based on 15 years of rigorous academic research, he put together a framework for making anything contagious using the acronym STEPPS: Social currency, triggers, emotion, public, practical value, and stories. In his presentations, he reveals the secret science behind why things succeed and how these six key factors drive all sorts of products, services, and ideas to catch on. Young and full of energy, he is interactive with his audience, quickly demonstrating that our intuitions aren’t always right. Berger also uses funny and compelling examples to reinforce his message and keep his presentation engaging. He provides a set of specific, actionable techniques for driving diffusion. Whether you’re trying to change public perception of an industry, get a product or service to catch on, change organizational culture, or become a more effective leader, these tools will help you get there.

Invisible Influence: The Hidden Forces That Shape Behavior. Are you trying to motivate employee behavior and consumer buying decisions, or drive political or public opinion? Dr. Jonah Berger’s most recent speech looks at the subtle and secret influences that drive the decisions we make—from what we buy to where to eat to what we wear and the careers we choose. A must-see presentation for HR, sales, and leadership teams—and anyone tasked with persuading others to take action—Dr. Berger argues that other people’s behavior influences us at every moment of our lives, and that learning to better understand the influences driving you, your co-workers, employees, family members, potential partners, business associates, and clients can lead to more productive relationships and lives.

Drawing on research he conducted for his book, Invisible Influence, Dr. Berger integrates studies of business, psychology, and social science to lift the cloak of invisibility from the driving forces behind our daily choices, transforming the way audiences see themselves and others. With this speech, Dr. Berger shows audiences how to, as Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh put it, “influence others, make smarter decisions, or just better understand the mystery that is human behavior.” A speech brimming with ideas that will provoke deep reflection, Dr. Berger gives audiences the tools they need to capitalize on invisible influences.

How To Sell Anything. Customized for a sales meeting or a sales and marketing-oriented audience, Jonah Berger combines groundbreaking research and fascinating stories to explore how to communicate ideas so that people find them irresistible. From sharpening messages and the power of mimicry to story-telling and story-selling, Dr. Berger provides a practical toolkit that any audience can apply to instantly make themselves more effective salespeople. Whether you’re trying to communicate more effectively within an organization or selling a product or service to customers, this talk will show you how to leverage behavioral science to drive buy-in and increase your impact.

Becoming A Better Decision Maker. Professional (and personal) success depends on making good decisions. But people are faced with dozens, if not hundreds, of choices every day. How can we become more effective decision makers? Dr. Jonah Berger shares a set of practical, actionable techniques to make us all better at this important skill. From avoiding biases to getting mired in unimportant decisions, he reveals why people often get stuck in decision making and how to get unstuck. With extensive expertise in human judgment and decision making, consulting, and teaching on the subject, he shows leaders how to avoid decision quicksand, evade common pitfalls, a create environments where good decisions can be made quickly and effectively.