Special Announcement: help us select speakers for new series of events

Biznik is thrilled to announce a new series of lectures by noteworthy authors, which we're doing in partnership with Seattle literary guru (and Biznik member) Kim Ricketts.

I'd like to throw out the names we're considering for September to take the community pulse on which events YOU would be most likely to attend. Here's what we're considering for September. Please rank this list in order of which lecture you'd be MOST likely to attend, from top to bottom (bottom is least likely you'd attend). Post your list in the comments below. Thanks for your help!

M.J. Ryan and Adaptability: How to Survive Change You Didn’t Ask For Layoffs and restructuring, foreclosures, bankruptcy: wherever you look these days something is changing. So how can we adapt quickly to these tidal waves of transformation? Accept, adapt, expand and ac —executive coach, entrepreneur, and columnist Ryan will show us how.

Chris Brogan and Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputations and Earn Trust Brogan is one of the leaders on social networking today—and here shows how to tap into social networks to build your brand’s influence, reputation and profits. This book combines high level theory with real life examples of what to do/what not to do in the ever changing social media universe.

David Kord Murray and Borrowing Brilliance: The Six Steps to Business Innovation Former aerospace engineer, Fortune 500 Exec, inventor and software entrepreneur Murray reveals good news: creativity isn’t the gift of a few, but an attainable goal for all. Here he redefines the creative process and lets us in on a secret: there is no such thing as a truly original idea. Ideas are born out of other ideas, and here he outlines his own successful six-step creative process. And along the way he gives examples of “borrowed brilliance” from Facebook to Coco Chanel to Steve Jobs and George Lucas.

Susan Scott and Fierce Leadership: A Bold Alternative to the Worst “Best” Practices of Business Today Susan is a bestselling author and leadership coach, recently awarded the Stevie Award for Entrepreneur of the Year, 2008. Her first book, Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and Life, One Conversation at a Time is an international bestseller and considered a classic in the field. The goal of this new book is to question the “best practices” of businesses working today—many of them are ineffective, and cost companies billions of dollars. Susan encourages us her readers to replace them with new practices that will change everything. In a phase: “Human connectivity is the next frontier for exponential growth.”

Warren Berger and Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Business, Everyday Life and Even the World Design has moved far beyond million dollar interiors and cool new typefaces: today it is about optimism, action and unlimited possibilities. Here, we outline ten principles of design and shown in action-collected from the world’s top designers in many fields. Principles that guide good design include: Ask stupid questions, make hope visible, work the metaphor, embrace constraints and “begin anywhere”. Berger is an award winning journalist and the current editor of national magazine ONE; and is the author of Advertising Today and co author of No Opportunity Wasted and Nextville.