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  1. Home
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  3. Jeff Ponders II
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Jeff Ponders II

Keynote Speaker
J. Alvin International LLC
Country or state 
United States (Michigan)
Available to 
Global
City 
Detroit
Fee 
Ask for pricing
Languages 
English
Volunteer
Yes

Personal Details

Bio

A vibrant keynote speaker, Jeff Ponders II brings his unique experience as a marketing executive, tech entrepreneur, and jazz musician to help organizations and individuals spark their best performance. Using a mix of live performance, real-world stories, and techniques from jazz masters, your audience will develop underutilized talents, boldly tackle challenges, and collaborate more effectively to discover big ideas and achieve immediate results.

Jeff is a graduate of the Wharton School and resides in his hometown (Detroit) with his wife and children.

Current position (3)

Keynote Speaker

J. Alvin International LLC

Jazz Saxophonist

Jeff Ponders II

Managing Partner

The Better Company

Degrees (1)
B.S. Entrepreneurship; Strategic Management
The Wharton School
2000 to 2004

Presentations

Presentations (3)
The Jazz Master’s Guide to Epic Performance

In today’s competitive business climate, professionals from all industries are forced to dig through the crates in search of insights to outshine the competition. Everyone wants to give winning performances, yet most don't invest the time to get better.

Jazz masters understand that focused practice, collaborative rehearsal, and empathetic audience engagement are the keys to personal growth, collaborative creativity, and better performance. In this engaging keynote, Jeff will share lessons from his experiences as an entrepreneur, marketing executive, and professional jazz saxophonist to help your team develop their unique voice, enhance their skills, and outperform the competition.

Takeaways
- The proven 3 stage process of jazz masters to deliver riveting performances.
- How to leverage your personal passions for professional success.
- How to improvise to overcome failure.
-7 key secrets from jazz masters to unlock better performance.

Improvise to Innovate: Overcoming Challenges with Creativity

Jazz musicians never fail. Despite facing challenges everyday like most professionals, they are trained to leverage the art of improvisation to turn seemingly inevitable calamity into breathtaking performances. Pulling from more than 20 years experience as a professional jazz musician, Jeff will break down the secrets of jazz improv to help organizations break free from “how we’ve always done it.” Your leaders will be empowered to meet critical challenges with creativity, confidence, and style to create memorable moments and successful, sustainable performance.

Takeaways
- Understand improvisation as a learned, disciplined skill.
- Build the muscles and instincts to improvise.
- How to listen to identify challenges and discover new pathways to success.
- Techniques to get in rhythm and find harmony with your team and customers.

The Jam Session: Perform Like a World-Class Jazz Band

Teamwork makes the dream work. But what happens when the dream becomes a nightmare? Complex dynamics, oversized egos, and misaligned objectives amongst teams can destroy morale, productivity and profitability. With experience ranging from Broadway to C-suite boardrooms, this interactive session with Jeff Ponders II will help teams learn to overcome internal conflict and competition to foster greater collaboration and co-creation. Jeff shares his lessons from the bandstand to help organizations evolve from behaving like big brands to big bands.

Takeaways
- Identify what your bandleader persona.
- Building the right band for the gig.
- Transform teams from collaborators to co-creators to unlock audacious creativity.
- Learn how to listen to grow, lead, and perform better.

Workshops (4)
The Woodshed
2 hours
(View workshop agenda)

Everyone wants to deliver winning performances. Yet most professionals spend their time focused on day-to-day tasks and don’t invest in developing the skills and tools to win. Fact is, you can’t do better until you are better.

The Jam Session
4 hours
(View workshop agenda)

Teamwork makes the dream work. But what happens when the team is a working nightmare? Complex dynamics, oversized egos, and misaligned objectives within teams can kill morale, productivity, and profitability.

The Big Show
2 hours
(View workshop agenda)

In today’s fast-paced market, it’s easy for brands to stumble and even easier for innovative competitors to steal the spotlight. Winning performance requires empathy, creative agility, and rich experiences to keep your audience locked in.

Own Your Ship
90 minutes
(View workshop agenda)

Planning and navigating a career in today’s economy isn’t for the faint of heart. Whether you're going in circles searching for direction, stuck in the org chart with no light at the end of the tunnel, or perpetually dreaming of launching your business, it’s easy to look up and wonder “where did the time go and how did I get so lost?” The truth is, there’s no shortage of opportunity... success is simply waiting for you to take control of your ship.

Past talks (9)
Sparking Creativity
Doner Advertising (Keynote)
Southfield, MI
August 1, 2018
Spark Excellence
Central Michigan University (Keynote)
Mount Pleasant, MI
February 16, 2019
Innovation Taught by the Masters: Lessons from Miles & Trane
R&D Innovation Summit (Keynote)
Chicago, IL
March 20, 2018
The Path to Greatness
Cornerstone Schools (Keynote)
Detroit, MI
January 19, 2018
Sparking Excellence
Ferndale Public Schools (Keynote)
Ferndale, MI
August 26, 2018
Mind Your Business
Business of Music Bootcamp (Keynote)
Ypsilanti, MI
March 6, 2018
Get Your Ship Together
Detroit Young Professionals Leadership Development Series (Workshop)
Detroit, MI
December 4, 2018
Guest Lecture - Innovation
Wayne State University - Ilitch School of Business (Lecturer)
Detroit, MI
January 28, 2019
w/Josh Linkner
Cetera Financial
San Antonio, TX
August 22, 2018
  • All (3)
  • Videos
  • Photos (1)
  • Slides (1)
  • One sheet (1)
This speaker hasn't uploaded any videos yet.
Woodshed Plan Workbook
Jeff Ponders II - Keynote Speaker Profile
This speaker hasn't uploaded any press information yet.

Expertise (14)

Leadership
Business
Entertainment & Art
Media & Marketing
Breakthrough Performance Peak Performance Creativity Innovation Business Performance Teamwork and Teambuilding Collaborative Innovation Music Jazz Marketing
Recommendations
1 Audience
Show More
Why choose me? 

The perfect blend of entertainment, education, and practical tools to engage & activate your team.

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