About Michael
Meet Michael Barris, your go-to guru for harnessing the storytelling magic that drives sales, boosts cyberawareness in the financial sector, simplifies technical jargon for new leaders, and converts prospects into loyal clients.
Before diving into his mission of transforming sales strategies through the power of storytelling, Michael was immersed in decoding the secrets of connection from leading entrepreneurs. As an editor and writer for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal, he absorbed invaluable insights for effective communication.
CAPTIVATING AUDIENCES
This award-winning communication champion further honed his skills by navigating the fast-paced world of New York City's communication scene.
Additionally, his experiences as a musician and entertainer at local venues added depth to his understanding of captivating audiences.
His tenure as a public speaking professor at Rutgers University provided a unique perspective on tailoring messages for diverse audiences.
Michael's expertise culminated in the indispensable guidebook, "How to Become a Super Speaker: The 7 Principles for Speaking with Confidence and Connecting with Audiences."
In this book, Michael emphasizes the importance of storytelling in various contexts, including the financial services industry's cyberawareness efforts, guiding new leaders in communicating technical concepts to non-technical and non-native English speaking audiences, and fostering connections with prospects to drive conversions.
Former Dow Jones/Wall Street Journal writer-editor Michael Barris spills the secrets of storytelling to supercharge your speaking game!
His core belief? Effective communication begins with understanding the audience's needs and crafting narratives that resonate deeply.
Michael's book offers seven principles for mastering spoken-word communication, rooted in a nuanced understanding of audience behavior.
EXEMPLARY RATING
Praised by Writer's Digest as "exemplary" and hailed by business consultant Price Pritchett for its actionable advice, Michael's book isn't just theory—it's a practical roadmap to meaningful sales conversations and conversions.
So, whether you're looking to enhance cyberawareness in the financial sector, simplify technical concepts for diverse audiences, or connect with prospects on a deeper level, Michael Barris is your trusted partner in leveraging the power of storytelling.
“(Michael) engages with diverse audiences on a human level with authentic experiences ... He has given me the nudge I needed to finish my manuscript on overcoming fear after a few life changing challenges. He has helped me tremendously.” - Ionie Liburd Willett, Chair, St. Christopher and Nevis Accreditation Board, Basseterre, St. Kitts
Michael's ‘The Wall Street Journal’ Gems
(Links in Headlines)
Toronto-Dominion To Acquire U.S. Bank
SUMMARY: TORONTO-DOMINION Bank agrees to acquire Commerce Bancorp Inc., a New Jersey bank that had been seen as a takeover target, for $8.5 billion in stock and cash as it expands in the U.S. The deal comes as the Canadian dollar continues to strengthen against its American counterpart.
KKR Financial Unloads Loans, Warns of Potential for Big Loss
SUMMARY: KKR Financial Holdings LLC [KFN] said it sold about $5.1 billion of residential-mortgage loans at a loss as part of its restructuring and hinted at possible liquidity trouble amid the credit market turmoil.
Citigroup Names Rufeh To Key Administrator Job
SUMMARY: Citigroup Inc. named Mark Rufeh, a noted Wall Street cost-cutter, as chief administrative officer and head of productivity for its institutional-clients group.
GM Ends Standby Credit Pact
SUMMARY: General Motors Corp. said Friday that it terminated a $4.1 billion standby credit agreement because it has sufficient liquidity without it. The largest U.S. auto maker had entered into the revolving credit agreement
with a syndicate of banks in June.
Credit Double-Jeopardy: High Prices, Tough Terms
SUMMARY: Most companies in Asia, Europe and the U.S., feeling the impact of the global credit crunch, are paying higher prices for bank credit lines and long-term debt issues and are being forced to accept tighter terms and covenant restrictions on loans, a new study shows. The companies also see economic conditions getting worse.
Bank of America's Net Rises 5%
SUMMARY: Bank of America Corp. posted a 5.4% rise in first-quarter profit, helped by robust equity markets and the boom in mergers and acquisitions. The second-largest U.S. bank by assets after Citigroup Inc. reported net income of $5.26 billion, or $1.16 a share, for the quarter, compared with $4.99 billion, or $1.07 a share, a year earlier.
Finra Fines Citigroup for Trade-Reporting Violations
SUMMARY: The Financial Regulatory Authority slapped Citigroup Inc.'s global- markets unit with a $2 million fine for a range of trade-reporting violations, including publishing flawed quotations, adding to a host of black marks that have stained the financial-services giant in recent months.
Buffett Warns Insurance Business May Get Tougher
SUMMARY: “That party is over.” Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Chairman Warren Buffett, in the billionaire investor's widely followed annual letter for investors, warned that the insurance business is likely to get tougher in 2008. Berkshire posted an 18% drop in fourth-quarter net income on lower investment gains and a drop in insurance-underwriting fees. "It's a certainty that insurance-industry profit margins, including ours, will fall significantly in 2008," he wrote.
GPS Device Maker's Plan Stirs Worry
SUMMARY: Investors haven't needed one of Garmin Ltd.'s satellite-navigation devices to find their way to the company's surging shares. Over much of the past year, the company's products and revenue projections were a beacon for its stock. As Garmin continued to bolster its position as North America's leading maker of global-positioning-system, or GPS, equipment -- a favorite with truckers, pilots, cyclists and hikers -- shares more than doubled in 11 months.
At the Dow Jones-Wall Street Journal Rewrite Desk in NYC, capturing the pulse of global financial headlines firsthand!