Burton Alper

Lecturer in Management
Academic Area:
Burton Alper

Bio

I help people articulate their ideas more efficiently and more effectively.

My clients are typically C-Suite executives preparing for high-stakes and/or high-profile presentations. I’ve counseled entrepreneurs on fundraising pitches and IPO roadshows. I’ve helped seasoned CEOs prepare for board presentations and keynote addresses. I’ve worked with senior teams on internal communications and meeting management. 

Key clients include IDEO, Hall Capital, Sofinnova Ventures, Nokia Growth Partners, Tea Collection and many others. I’ve helped these clients craft the right messages for their desired audiences and deliver those messages in terms the audience will understand and remember. It’s usually a mix of storytelling, slide content and delivery coaching. 

Specific areas of expertise include executive communications and presentation coaching, content strategy, business development, brand strategy, and positioning and messaging development. 

In a past life, I spent 15 years working on branding projects with clients ranging from start-ups (Asana, Vudu, Livescribe) to blue-chips (Wells Fargo, Spalding, P&G, Palm). I’ve also worked on internal communications projects for Dell and Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Academic Degrees

  • MBA, Harvard Business School, 1998
  • BA, Psycholinguistics, Swarthmore College, 1991

Academic Appointments

  • Lecturer, Stanford GSB

Professional Experience

  • Founder, Burton Alper Consulting, 2012–present
  • Strategist, Embarcadero Partners, 2011–2012
  • Consultant, Brand Communications, Autodesk, 2010–2011
  • Founding Partner, Business Development & Strategy, Catchword Branding, 1998–2009
  • Strategy Director, Master-McNeil, 1992–1998

Insights by Stanford Business

July 31, 2020
In this bonus episode, Stanford GSB lecturers share advice on how to position yourself when met with skepticism from your audience.
March 12, 2020
Use these techniques when handling challenges and objections.