Whether it’s employee burnout, interpersonal conflicts, morale, or leadership, I consistently learn from my clients about what the concerns and needs are in today’s everchanging professional climate. I ask event planners, “When I’m done, what do you want your group thinking and what do you want them feeling?” Together with current research, best practices, and experience, the answers to these questions help inform my content. Since nobody ever says, “I want my group to feel bored,” I always add strategically placed humor, anecdotes, and activities to make the content memorable and the presentation feel like an experience. I know if I can get participants to laugh, it lowers the cortisol in their brains that causes them to stress about things like unread emails, to-do lists, and fantasy football rosters and helps them stay engaged.
Keynotes
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Looking for a spark to start the day with an entertaining message or finish with just the right feeling? Find the keynote below that best fits your needs. Then we’ll talk more about your group, your goals, and what I can do to make your event a memorable experience. All of my keynotes have been tested on—and approved by—both of my dogs.
Leading with
Laughter
This high-energy keynote describes not only why humor is a crucial leadership skill, but how to use it as a competitive advantage in supervision, networking, sales, marketing—basically, interacting with other human beings. It’s like the extended version of my TEDx Talk: same level of funny, but more material and strategies you can use immediately.
Duration: 30 mins - 2 hrs
Decrease Stress & Boost Happiness with Humor
Humor boosts our brain’s elasticity and increases our ability to navigate adversity. But nothing gets an eye-roll quicker than telling a stressed person to “cheer up” or “think positive.” I provide techniques for how to be positive when it’s hard and how to use humor to increase resilience.
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This talk is much more than just telling people they should use humor. I provide simple evidence-based strategies for building humor habits that will increase performance, decrease stress, and boost your happiness!
Duration: 30 mins - 2 hrs
Battling Burnout & Compassion Fatigue
With disengagement and burnout rates at an all-time high, this is my most highly requested keynote. Here, I weave together humorous anecdotes, participant interaction (if desired), and captivating stories into best practices and strategies for implementation, resulting in a keynote that's packed with content and comedy.
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Duration: 30 mins - 2 hrs
Navigating
Change
There are only two things guaranteed in life: one is change, and the other is me adding too much creamer to my coffee. Every. Dang. Time. While the creamer is just annoying, change is actually scary. In fact, it’s often the fear of change that is more taxing than the change itself. In this keynote, innovative strategies, real-world examples, and even some improv comedy turn hesitation into inspiration and motivation.
Duration: 30 mins - 90 mins
Creating a
Culture of Fun
Since fun at work boosts productivity and innovation and decreases turnover, why don’t more workplaces use fun as an intentional culture strategy? Most tell me they just don’t know how or don’t have the time. This interactive keynote covers why a fun culture is good for your bottom line and provides an easy, HR-compliant, realistic process for adding more fun to your existing work culture.
Duration: 30 mins - 2 hrs
Tailored for
Your Event
Do you like what you see here, but have slightly different group needs? Would you like to take concepts from a couple different keynotes and combine them into one? Are there certain buzzwords you need (or need to avoid!) in the title or description? Let’s talk about and create the perfect keynote for your event.
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Duration: 30 mins - 2 hrs
If They’re Laughing, They’re Listening.
Talks
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Don’t have time for an entire keynote? Want to see if I can actually stop talking? Or are you just looking for some succinct, high-energy inspiration? These talks are designed to be thought provoking, motivating, informative, and entertaining.
How to Be
Funnier
If you’re someone who likes humor but thinks, “I’m just not that funny”… you might be right. You are self-aware though, which is way more important than being funny! I’ll share some simple strategies that humorists and comedians use–that anyone can implement–to make things funny.
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Duration: 10 mins - 30 mins
Restorative
Leadership
A form of dispute resolution, restorative justice is also an effective leadership philosophy. One of the core beliefs of restorative justice is that people are happier and more cooperative when people in authority do things with them rather than to them or for them. This talk is great for anyone who supervises others and wants tools to help balance being an authority figure and a supportive person.
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Duration: 10 mins - 30 mins
Tailored for
Your Event
Do you like what you see here, but want something a little different? Is there a topic you think might be a good fit that I can help you with? Let me know. And if I’m not the guy for the job, I might know another speaker who could help you out!
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Duration: 10 mins - 30 mins
Workshops & Training
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If you have a little more time and want interactive and intentional activities for your group, then let’s talk workshops and training. Whether it’s about creating a culture of fun, conflict resolution, communication skills development, or improving team dynamics, I’ll tailor a workshop to fit the needs of your organization.
Team
Development
Workplaces in which employees report a strong connection with one another enjoy greater productivity and less turnover. If you have new employees joining your team, need to boost morale, or enhance communication, I’ll work with you to develop strategic activities that will increase group connection and engagement. Some clients tell me, “I still want you to do the funny keynote stuff, but also include activities for the group.” I can do that!
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Duration: half day - full day
Creating a
Culture of Fun
This workshop is an extended version of the “Creating a Culture of Fun” keynote talk. I’ll cover why a fun culture is good for your bottom line and provide an easy, realistic, HR-compliant process for adding more fun to your existing work culture. We’ll have enough time to engage the participants in some of the fun activities that they can use at work!
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Duration: 2 hrs - 3 hrs
Communication
Skills Development
Depending on your needs, this workshop provides skill development in conflict resolution, dealing with difficult co-workers and customers, de-escalating disruptive behavior, and how to have disciplinary conversations that provide both accountability and support. This workshop can be modified for various roles and levels of experience.
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Duration: 2 hrs - 4 hrs
Creating Positive
Work Climates
From de-escalating angry customers to drawing on balloons, this workshop covers all aspects of creating a workplace where people feel included, respected, and happy. We’ll incorporate positive communication skills training, team development activities, and elements from Creating a Culture of Fun for a complete training designed to model a positive work climate.
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Duration: half day - full day
Tailored for
Your Group
It takes careful planning and flexibility to deliver the perfect training or workshop for any group, so I understand if you like some of the concepts above but want to talk about other specific needs. If you have questions or would like to discuss training options, let me know!
Duration: half day - full day