Tamsen Webster

Founder & CEO at Message Design Institute

Member since February 2024

Communications

Education: BS, BA - Boston University - MA, MBA - Southern Methodist University
Boston, MA, USA

Biography

Revised bio to come!

Passion

Helping people build buy-in for change.

Example Talks

Lessons from TEDx: How to tell the story of your ideas

TED talks have changed people’s expectations — not just about what makes for a great idea, but how to talk and write about one. And those expectations? They’re fast becoming what your managers, colleagues, staff, and customers, expect from your presentations, too. But there’s good news: the principles that make great TED talks great can make your communications great, too.

After this session, your audience will understand:

The three levels on which TED talks — and successful communications — succeed.
The universal questions every presentation must answer — and why most miss the mark.
How to use a simple tool to identify your answers to those universal questions and reveal the key concepts of your message.

The Building Blocks of Brand: How to find what drives your differentiation

So much these days relies on being seen and standing out. But when you and your competitors compete for the customers in the same markets (with seemingly similar products and services), how do you set yourself apart? As it turns out, the answer hides in plain sight, in every decision your company makes. When you find it, you have all you need to drive true differentiation — and results.

In this session attendees learn:
Why and how current approaches to differentiation don’t work
Why it's decisions that drive differentiation — and which ones matter most
A simple tool to reveal the unique way your organization does what it does

Irresistible Ideas: How to build the secret weapon of master marketers

At the heart of marketing lies one seemingly elusive goal: how can we actually get people to love our stuff as much as we do? Thankfully, there’s a surprisingly simple answer, and it lies in how we come up with our products and services in the first place.

During this highly interactive keynote your audience learns:

The three most common mistakes we make when communicating our ideas and what to do instead

The fastest way to overcome people’s natural resistance to change and how to use it in any format

The simple formula for making ideas irresistible

Find the Red Thread: How leaders drive the change they want, not just the action they need

Leadership is all about creating action — in our customers, in our team, in the market. But what if you could go beyond creating action? What if you could create permanent change, too? What would drive that? Your culture? Your story? Your brand? Actually, it’s something visible in all three...as long as you know where to look.

Your audience leaves this keynote knowing:

What links how you see with what you do (and your brand, story, and culture as a result)
The two things people won’t change short-term...and the one they will
A simple method for using that short-term shift to create long-term change

Topics/Keywords

change change management communications presence messaging business leadership ted speaking content actionable plan transformation strategic speaking communication skills mastering change

Featured Video

I am willing to travel more than 100 miles
Yes
I generally get paid for speaking but make exceptions
I am willing to travel more than 100 miles
Yes
I generally get paid for speaking but make exceptions

Example Talks

Lessons from TEDx: How to tell the story of your ideas

TED talks have changed people’s expectations — not just about what makes for a great idea, but how to talk and write about one. And those expectations? They’re fast becoming what your managers, colleagues, staff, and customers, expect from your presentations, too. But there’s good news: the principles that make great TED talks great can make your communications great, too.

After this session, your audience will understand:

The three levels on which TED talks — and successful communications — succeed.
The universal questions every presentation must answer — and why most miss the mark.
How to use a simple tool to identify your answers to those universal questions and reveal the key concepts of your message.

The Building Blocks of Brand: How to find what drives your differentiation

So much these days relies on being seen and standing out. But when you and your competitors compete for the customers in the same markets (with seemingly similar products and services), how do you set yourself apart? As it turns out, the answer hides in plain sight, in every decision your company makes. When you find it, you have all you need to drive true differentiation — and results.

In this session attendees learn:
Why and how current approaches to differentiation don’t work
Why it's decisions that drive differentiation — and which ones matter most
A simple tool to reveal the unique way your organization does what it does

Irresistible Ideas: How to build the secret weapon of master marketers

At the heart of marketing lies one seemingly elusive goal: how can we actually get people to love our stuff as much as we do? Thankfully, there’s a surprisingly simple answer, and it lies in how we come up with our products and services in the first place.

During this highly interactive keynote your audience learns:

The three most common mistakes we make when communicating our ideas and what to do instead

The fastest way to overcome people’s natural resistance to change and how to use it in any format

The simple formula for making ideas irresistible

Find the Red Thread: How leaders drive the change they want, not just the action they need

Leadership is all about creating action — in our customers, in our team, in the market. But what if you could go beyond creating action? What if you could create permanent change, too? What would drive that? Your culture? Your story? Your brand? Actually, it’s something visible in all three...as long as you know where to look.

Your audience leaves this keynote knowing:

What links how you see with what you do (and your brand, story, and culture as a result)
The two things people won’t change short-term...and the one they will
A simple method for using that short-term shift to create long-term change

Topics/Keywords

change change management communications presence messaging business leadership ted speaking content actionable plan transformation strategic speaking communication skills mastering change