Ira Koretsky, The Chief Storyteller ®

Inspiring. Engaging. Entertaining.

Inspiring: Encourages audience members to put their ideas into action with his passionate speaking style

Engaging: Fosters enthusiastic participation with fun and relevant exercises and examples

Entertaining: Creates a memorable event by blending improvisational humor techniques and storytelling into your program

Ira is happy to blend programs together as well as tailor content to suit your needs. Your program is tailored to the theme of your event and your talent development goals.

Ira spends time with the planning team and executive leadership to ensure the concepts, exercises, and take-aways are aligned to your goals.

Testimonials
"Ira has spoken at several ASAE Great Ideas Conferences and he always receives very positive feedback. His style is very engaging in that he provides a good mix of audience interaction and formal presentation. Anyone who attends his sessions walk away with new ideas on how to approach relationship building, networking, business storytelling and much more. I highly recommend him to speak at other conferences and events!"
— Megan Denhardt, Senior Manager, Learning, American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)

"When I was the executive director at IWPA, Ira rocked the house at our annual conference. When I transitioned to NWPCA, Ira was my first and only choice for our sales-themed annual conference. Ira’s keynote on blending storytelling and selling inspired our members. He challenged them to think deliberately (his catch phrase) about how they message and communicate their brand stories. I knew he would deliver another fantastic program, and he did."
— Brent McClendon, Executive Director, National Wood Pallets and Container Association (NWPCA)

All of Ira's programs help you Deliver THE Expected Experience with better communication. Your program is tailored to your organization, culture, participants, and event.

MOST POPULAR PROGRAMS
- Leaders to the Power of Story (Storytelling for Leaders)
- Sales to the Power of Story (Storytelling for Sales)
- Speak Like TED: 5 Strategies to Become as Inspiring and Memorable as the World’s Top Speakers
- Scientists & Engineers to the Power of Story
- Paint by Numbers: Data Storytelling Workshop Masterclass
- Virtual Wow: Create a Better Online Experience for Everyone
- Treat Everyone Like a CEO™: Build Stronger Teams with Experiential Insights

BIOGRAPHY
It all began over 30 years ago, at a high school science fair. Ira Koretsky had presented his computer program on the heart and the circulatory system. One by one, the prizes were announced... third...second...first place. After nearly 100 hours of programming evenings and weekends, he slumped his shoulders and thought to himself, “I lost.” Then...Ira heard the chairwoman announce, “We are awarding the grand prize to a young man who could sell me my own pair of shoes!” And his name was called...

He was a US Army Captain in the Medical Service Corps serving as both a public affairs officer (PAO) and chief information officer (CIO) in the military health system. He designed presentations for himself and over 40 military and civilian executives in technology and healthcare. At just 21 years of age, he gained invaluable insights into messaging, communication, and storytelling.

Ira has held various leadership roles in marketing and product management. After earning his MBA from the University of Maryland, Ira entered into the world of leading-edge technology in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley areas. It is there, he started The Chief Storyteller® in 2002.

Like all good communicators, Ira loves the stage. He performed improvisational humor professionally with ComedySportz in a career spanning 12 years and more than 1,000 shows. He puts to good use these skills as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business, where he teaches public speaking, communication, and storytelling. The student final is a 5-minute TED talk.

Ira helps you Deliver THE Expected Experience, improving performance and audience engagement. He simplifies the complex, helping you communicate more effectively, especially when the stakes are high. Storytelling in all its forms is his secret sauce. He is a sought-after speaker, delivering more than 560 programs globally. He is a public speaking and storytelling coach, with over 40 articles published. And his firm was awarded “Top 10 Emerging Executive Coaching Companies for 2022,” by Manage HR Magazine.

He has accelerated success for growing companies to Fortune 50 corporations, non-profits, charities, and government agencies around the world including American Bar Association, American Diabetes Association®, CRDF Global, Department of Energy, EPA, IBM, Lockheed Martin, NIST, Government of Georgia, Yum! Brands, and Warner Bros. Of note, he helped the Library of Congress become the Federal government procurement Executive Agent for over $515M in information products, TCIG quadruple revenue in just six months, and a high technology company win a $94M multi-year contract.

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- Prefer a raised stage
- Strongly prefer lavalier microphone
- Good audio/visual and sound setup. I use visual and video examples