About this episode

Brian Walter shares his journey from retail to becoming a meeting design expert, highlighting the impact of retail on his professional approach.

In this episode, celebrated meeting design expert and corporate trainer Brian Walter joins the show to share his journey from retail beginnings to becoming a nationally recognized speaker and CEO of Extreme Meetings. Brian reveals the lessons learned from the sales floor, the art of customer service, and how retail shaped his approach to engaging meetings and corporate training. With humor and insight, he discusses the importance of creativity, adaptability, and “projectile enthusiasm” in both retail and professional life. Listeners will discover why retail is a source of “commercial joy” and how Brian’s unique storytelling continues to inspire leaders to make meetings matter. Guest Bio: Brian Walter is a nationally recognized meeting design expert and corporate trainer with over 20 years of experience transforming how organizations communicate and engage their teams. Starting his retail career at Broadway Department Store—where he created training videos and led team development—Brian sharpened his skills before moving to Seattle’s The Bon Marche to deepen his expertise in retail leadership training. As CEO of Extreme Meetings, Brian helps organizations escape “death by meeting”…

People in this episode

Host: Bob Phibbs

Guest: Brian Walter

Topics covered

• meeting design
• customer service
• retail experience
• corporate training
• creativity
• professional development

Keywords

• meeting design
• customer service
• retail
• corporate training
• creativity
• engagement
• professional speaking

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Extreme Meetings, National Speakers Association

Places: Broadway Department Store, Seattle, The Bon Marche

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