Posted by Jody Urquhart on Mon, Feb 28, 2011 @ 01:17 PM
I got a call from a medical centre in Kentucky from a gentleman organizing a health care conference. He asked me if I am a professional speaker and will I speak for free. I thought Hmm would you do a surgery for free? He explained that he had 'hired' a motivational speaker last year who agreed to speak for free. I inquired, "Well, was he any good?" He said, "No - but it was free so who cares?"
This would be a very easy audience as the previous motivational speaker has set the bar low. Truth is, I have found it just as difficult, if not more so, to get 'hired' to speak for free than to land a paid engagement. I also do just as much work whether I speak for free or for a fee. Similarly, when a meeting planner organizes a conference, it is about the same amount of work if 50 people show up or 500.
As a self employed inspirational speaker - like any entrepreneur - you have to set your own worth.
When I shared my fee amount with the health care adminstrator in Kentucky, he nearly fell over backwards. He shouted into the phone, "You charge that for just one of your motivational speeches?" Yes, I do. I asked him to seriously consider it, that if he thought the product was worth it, could he afford to pay the fee? In the end he admitted that it fit in their budget. For a motivational speaker, getting paid is all about perceived value. How can we be professional speakers if we value our services at nothing?
90% of my motivational speeches are at full fee. I have found that most people can afford to pay. If you are truly a motivational inspirational speaker, charge people what you are worth. If not, stick to toastmasters and speak for free.
Trying to hire a motivational speaker? Read our blog post, Pitfalls to the Motivational Speaker Video?
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Fri, Feb 25, 2011 @ 09:47 AM
I was a keynote speaker at a nursing conference last year and the other speaker was presenting a keynote on Bullying. It was a real eye opener because I thought this only happened in the playground with children.
Of course I realize that some adults are naturally seething with hostility and it can boil over and affect others. Apparently it's more than that. Adults regularily intimidate and bully other adults to get their way at work. Workplace bullies don't use their fist, instead they insult through words and behaviour.
The conference panel discussed Respect. I think it all comes down to defining what are Respectful and Disrespectful behaviours at work. Reprimand and have consequences for disrespectful behavior and reward and appreciate respectful ones.
Some Examples of Disrespectful Behaviour: (Have Consequences For These)
- Inappropriate, sarcastic humor at another's expense
- Rumours or Gossip that create conflict
- Threatening, intimidation or Isolating others
- Taking Credit for Others Work
Some Examples of Respectful Behaviour: (Reward and Recognize These)
- Being an cheerleader for someone else, giving credit
- Helping others out even when it's not your job
- Positive behaviour ( like smiling, saying hello, acknowledging people who walk in the room)
- Introducing others (like introducing co-workers to clients or senior leadership)
- Listening to others ideas
- Taking an interest in someone else's background and accomplishments
- Valuing what makes others unique
As the keynote speaker reminded us, If people aren't working up to your standard, don't threaten them. Intimidation is not the best way to manage people, unless you want conflict.
Hard nosed managers with a take no prisoners style aren't good leaders in today's open and inclusive workplace.
Bullying affects professionalism, workplace wellness and creates conflict.
Motivational Keynote Speaker, Jody Urquhart
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Thu, Feb 24, 2011 @ 02:29 PM
I am a keynote speaker for a women's conference put on by the Bismark college on April 5, 2011. The event is called the Women's Leadership Express Conference and is held in Bismarck, North Dakota.
This is an inspiring leadership event just for women from all across the state of North Dakota. They come to enjoy networking, lunch, the keynote speaker and a chose of three different concurrent motivational talks.
The vision for the conference is to broaden women’s concept of their value as leaders. The conference aims to awaken women’s understanding of their power by engaging them in learning how they can support, lead, and inspire.
I love being a speaker for a women's conference because there is so much inspiration and energy when women take time for themselves to learn, grow and become better leaders.
The other speakers for the womens conference are Irene Tschider who is showing us how to Dress for Success.
Cindy Solberg is speaking at the women's Conference about Diagrams vs Charts: Excel Tips & Tricks, and the final break out speaker is Carol Cashman giving a motivational talk about Fearless Speaking.
I am the opening keynote speaker talking about Say Hello to Humor& goodbye to Burnout! Humor is by far the best stress management technique around and by the end of our time together this crowd will understand why. I will present the closing keynote on Follow Me I'm Right Behind You. Here we will discuss how to be great leader diverse generations in the workplace. I will fly directly after speaking at the brainerd transportation conference.
As a woman...What are your generational leadership challenges?
If you are in North Dakota in the beginning of April Don't Miss this conference committed to encouraging, educating, and empowering women.
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Wed, Feb 23, 2011 @ 10:26 AM
This friday, February 25, I am the closing keynote speaker at the Ontario Hospital Associations Conference for Volunteer Leaders. The conference is expected to draw approximately 100 leaders of volunteers in the Ontario area for continuing professional development.
I am a speaker for the volunteer leaders on I Love My Job, It's the People I Can't Stand. I interviewed Ms. Deb Folkes Director, Volunteer Resources at The Credit Valley Hospital today to help me understand some of the stress and pressures on leaders of volunteers in Ontario today.
Main sources of stress for volunteer leaders are:
Challenges with scheduling volunteers. As you can imagine, volunteers are a very diverse group and give their time for very unique reasons. The Credit Valley manages a group of over 300 Student volunteers, many of which have aspirations of being physicians and require upwards of 100 Volunteer hours.
Volunteering is a great way for young adults to continue developing professionally, so it is a great draw for students.
At first students may dress inappropriately and tune out with their Ipods (sounds familiar- just like paid workers). Some volunteers may quit after only 2 weeks. After all the paper work involved this is a huge dissappointment. Some students will take vacation, not tell anyone and be a no show on their shift, leaving the volunteer manager scrambling to find someone to cover.
As Debby laments, You think it is hard to manage 2 teenagers, try 400 of them! She says the best way to manage uncommittal teenage volunteers is to have clear and strict guidelines and consequences.
Some doctors want their teenage children to get preferential treatment when they volunteer at their hospital (imagine that). Many teenagers who volunteer in the ER think it will be like Grey's Anatomy and are disappointed when they are stripping beds and stocking medical supplies. Adjusting expectations early on helps prevent volunteer attrition and manage conflict.
One of the biggest challenges with teenage volunteers are their parents. They are entrenched in their offsprings lives. Some parents are constantly defending their teenagers, calling on their behalf and shielding them from taking any responsibility. The best conflict management strategy is to keeps parents in the loop but make it clear it is the volunteer who is ultimately accountable.
Sometimes volunteers feel like hospital staff are rude to them. This type of conflict management is walking a fine line, trying to give a hospital manager feedback and make sure volunteers feel welcome.
I am excited to deliver a motivational speech to the leaders of volunteers, they deserve the inspiration!
Are you struggling to lead a group of volunteers? Here are some resouces to manage conflict..
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Tue, Feb 22, 2011 @ 09:42 AM
One of a handful of speakers on generational diversity, Larry and Meaghan Johnson coined the term Linksters.
Linksters (the generation born after 1995) are radically different from previous generations -- even Gen Ys.
Social Skills- Humorous Generational speaker Larry Johnson says Linksters may be less socially skilled than previous generations. Most of their conversation happens on text, social media, and behind a device so their ability to socialize face to face may not be so elegant.
Linksters struggle with workplace etiquette. Everything from dress code violations to inappropriate language can run rampant with this generation. Be very specific about a dress code and define inappropriate language
They learn through interaction. Through games, social networks, etc, linksters know learning as a two way street. This is not a you talk, I listen generation. Linksters believe communication is more of a collaboration and negotiation. Linksters value social media interaction at work.
Parenting- Like the Gen Y parenting has strongly influenced this generation. They may be even more involved in their childrens lives at home and at work. Speakers on generational diversity, Larry and Meaghan Johnson suggest holding an open house for parents.
I was a keynote generational speaker at a parks and recreation and joint transportation conference, they hire a lot of very young professionals in the parks and rec industry. One parks and recreation leader suggested to engage this young generation he hires on facebook and Myspace. Current employees can easily "like" the company and generate enthusiasm. He has had great success with this technique. Our nations parks are the furthest thing from technology yet it may be the best way to recruit young parks enthusiasts.
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Mon, Feb 21, 2011 @ 01:18 PM
They walk into this workplace like they own it, I hear this all the time as a Generational Motivational Speaker. When I deliver Inspirational talks on managing different generations, I start with the idea that If you have been a leader for more than 12 years you have likely witnessed a leadership revolution whereby the people management of the x and y generation takes up a lot more of your time.
This is because our idea of authority and hence our style of leadership has changed drastically over the last decade. Leaders used to lead primarily by a control and command, (for some a fear based) style of leadership, where your title gave you a certain authority in its own right and people did what you said just because you are the leader. Nobody questioned, second guessed or tried to negotiate with you. People just did what they were told whether they agreed with it or not. That simple.
Generational Humorist and Speaker Meaghan Johnson is a speaker at meetings about generational differences, she says
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by year 2008, 22 million people will have left the labor force to retire. Who do you have to replace them? Having a cohesive, multi-generational workforce is vital to survival.
Today, leaders are compelled to be an inspiration and brush up their soft skills in order to engage their workforce or just to get them to listen. Now, in order to effectively lead you have to negotiate with employees, make sure they feel heard, respected and appreciated. We need to worry about morale and create fun workplaces. All of this “soft stuff” takes up a lot of time. I have been observing how misused soft skills are doing more harm to morale and productivity than good.
I believe a big part of this leadership shift has to do with a new younger generation of employees whose parents have raised them to be their equal. Gone are the days where children are seen and not heard, this younger generation has been raised to expect a lot of appreciation and cheer for doing simple everyday things.
The new style of parenting expects children to negotiate and in doing so creates a strong sense of entitlement. A simple example: when I was young if my mother told me to eat my peas, I did as I was told. I didn’t negotiate, barter or bargain my way out of it. Recently I was at a friend’s house when she asked her daughter to eat her peas, her daughter said no. My friend proceeded to offer her ice cream if she ate her peas, her daughter still refused the vegetable so she told her she could stay up past her bed time if she ate her peas. (You know you have done this too)
The sense of entitlement comes in when children become adults, get jobs and at work they feel entitled to negotiate perks just for doing a mediocre job. Unfortunately companies are falling for it. Over and over recognition programs recognize people for work they are supposed to do anyways. It’s the job.
Soft skills are critical to being a good leader especially if you want to engage a younger workforce but the terms need to be set by you. Leaders need to establish a strong sense of authority, set concrete rules and expectations and clear consequences.
Never recognize mediocrity.
Never recognize people for work they are supposed to do anyways, this is not negotiable, like (just off the top of my head):
Showing up for work on time
Basic performance
If you are in the Service industry being “nice” to people is part of the job
Not taking more than the allotted number of sick days
Seniority pay is great but you still have to do a good job, clearly define performance to avoid entitlement
This is very interesting discussion and we can peel back the layers in further blogs
Generational Motivational Inspirational Speaker
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Fri, Feb 18, 2011 @ 12:33 PM
I am the Keynote Speaker for the audiologyNOW Conference in Chicago April 6-9, 2011. This event will bring over 3,000 Audiologists and some speech-language pathologists from all across North America and possibly even over seas.
As part of my research I am interviewing conference delegates ( actually board members) about the audiology industry. I had a very interesting conversation today with Dr Karen Jacobs, founder and cheif audiologist of AVA Hearing Center. She was telling me about some of the advancements in hearing aids especially for teenagers and children, and it sounds like it is now almost "cool"to have one.
To me having a hearing aid does not sound like alot of fun. You have to pay for it, wear it, care for it, and it isn't a cure. Some people would rather be in denial and fake it, pretend they hear things just to avoid admitting they have a hearing problem.
My friend wears a hearing aid. Half the time, I am not sure if she can hear me or if she is trying to tune me out.
Apparently hearing aids have advanced alot.
In the past, people who wore hearing aids tried to disguise them. Now kids show them off. They have hearing aids that are zebra, tiger skin and colored variations to display their uniqueness.
They have a Telecoil which is a tiny, wireless receiver that is built-in to many hearing aids and cochlear implant processors.
You can wear it to a theatre or to go to an event and listen to a speaker. It takes out background noise, so you can clearly hear the guest speaker.
This could be useful. I once attended a conference where I couldn't hear the keynote speaker at all because the background noise (people were talking and the hotel's catering were clearing plates) was too loud.
A student could even have blue tooth cell phone (or his Ipod tunes) wireless feed into the hearing aid. His teacher wouldn't see or hear the device.
Dr Jacobs referred me to a website the Better Hearing Institute, where they suggest that...
Research shows that poor hearing, when left untreated, reduces earning power, disrupts family life and causes a wide range of psychological problems.
The good news is, these days, effective solutions for hearing loss are available for people of all ages. As digital and programmable technologies have revolutionized the world of medical devices, we have seen the dramatic benefits that hearing aids now provide to the hard-of-hearing.
I look forward to being a guest speaker at the event after speaking with several audiologist who are clearly passionate about their work.
i will be keynote speaker for the audiology and speech language pathologists speaking on The Nerve to Serve... Say Hello to Humor & Goodbye to Burnout!
The audiologists are interested in Lightening Up and injecting some levity in their life.
Why is humor so important... Find out by signing up for our monthly newsletter, Fed Up? Lighten UP
Motivational Keynote Speaker
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Thu, Feb 17, 2011 @ 11:02 AM
Do you work with stressed out, underappreciated and overworked professionals( Or, are you one of them)? Are you pulling your hair out trying to figure out how to boost morale? From one of my motivational talks, below are principles to help build engagement and loyalty:
Any leadership effort that proves to be an inspiration engages, empowers and involves people. It will pay off over and over again like an annuity. Studies show that with most employee engagement efforts productivity will far exceed your expectations. Inspiration, Innovation and employee satisfaction will skyrocket. Feeling their contribution is recognized and respected, employees will be eager to contribute energy and enthusiasm.
Increase participation and involvement-
-hold morning or mid- afternoon motivational pep talks, not boring meetings but opportunities for leadership to give short and to the poing motivational speeches to people, recognizing tean efforts and engaging enthusiasm.
-use technology and social media to create conversation designed to listen to people and follow up
-make information accessible, people should never feel like things are happening behind their back that will affect their jobs.
-empower employees to solve specific problems
-treating others with respect and dignity needs to be basic for everyone
-encourage and recognize innovation
Make sure nobody feels left out-
Do an anonymous survey asking people of examples where they feel like they are not included. Here is what you may find... Women or minorities feel their ideas are passed up. Some hardworking, eager people may feel they are the "go to" people and they do the balance of the work but don't get the credit.
Raise awareness and Create a Culture of Respect. Reward and Recognize respectful behaviour and reprimand and have consequences for negative disrespectful behaviour. Very often, people get something out of disrespectful behaviour ( ie- intimidating employees aren't interrupted by others request for help because they are afraid of them) and so they are rewarded.
I once watched a motivational speaker from Disney speak. His motivational speeches revolved around how Disney uses the mantra RAVE... Respect, Appreciate, and Value Everyone. The acronym serves as a reminder that respectful behaviours are easily side stepped and need to be reinforced continually.
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Wed, Feb 16, 2011 @ 09:56 AM
Mark you calendars and prepare to be WOWed at the Women of Worth Conference on May 7, 2011 in Vancouver, BC. About her inspiration for the WOW convention, founder Christine Awram (photo left), says in her article in Motivation Magazine,
In this Era of the so-called “Superwoman”, our capes get donned right along with the pantyhose and Prada. We have every technology at our disposal, from the tiniest phones to the speediest wireless. Our families are raised right along with our paycheques. We do it all, and we do it exceptionally well.
The conference features some incredibly talented motivational women, speaking on inspirational talks specifically for women.
The guest keynote speakers for the event are:
Lighten up & Laugh with Motivational Speaker Linda Edgecombe, Inspirational Speaker and WOW Founder Christine Awram will speak on Strategic Self-Care for the Self-Aware, Inspirational Speaker Cheryl Cran will speak on Women Lead with 20/20 Vision, Professional Hypnotist and Guest Speaker Troy Mitchell will speak on A Little Bit of Vegas and a Lot of Living.
A special guest appearance from Teresia Larocque,Canada's first recipient of the International Coach Federation’s Master Coach credential in Canada and motivational inspirational speaker. Teresia’s motto is “If you can dream your dream alone, your dream is not big enough”
Both Linda and Cheryl are Motivational Speakers I know through the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.
Finally the conference dynamic closing keynote is Jan Janzen who will be speaking about Women's Healthy Breasts.
Don't miss these dynamic motivational women speaking on topics inspirational to all women.
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Mon, Feb 14, 2011 @ 05:26 PM
As a motivational speaker, I am a big believer in rewards and recognition to keep inspiration alive in the workplace. This doesn't mean flaunting unsubstantiated praise on everyone. Recognition is an art and you have to get it right to avoid the mediocrity/ entitlement trap.
As a parent I am reminded of rewards and consequences. I try to give motivational and inspiring speeches to my son( even though he doesn't understand them) on doing the right thing. Yet in reality, all too often I end up rewarding bad behaviour.
When my son does something I don't like, I find myself giving into him or "bribing" him( with cookies,tv,etc) to stop doing it. This is further reinforcement for him to do it again. I know what I should be doing is setting up consequences and reprimanding bad behavior.
Beleive it or not, the same scenerio plays itself out in different ways in our workplaces. Leadership give motivational speeches for mediocre behaviour.
Some examples of rewarding undesireable behaviour:
A difficult employee intimidates others and inadvertently they get rewarded. Nobody wants to work with them so they aren't included in difficult assignments or asked to do overtime. People are intimidated so they don't interrupt them or ask them questions. People leave them alone, just like they wanted.
(Studies indicate difficult people get better shifts, better assignments and get preferential treatment)
Leadership offers rewards to people who actually show up for work on time or are nice to customers. Recognizing mediocrity becomes commonplace. Management ends up bargaining with staff to do their job.
Leadership give the difficult employee the best shifts just because they don't want the hassle of hearing them complain.
What come out of this giving in or bargaining is decreased dedication and a strong sense of entitlement. Instead of helping an employee become dedicated and self sufficient they become dependent and inspire conflict amoungst the ranks. Instead of sparking initiative they become idle and indulgent.
Giving incentives for mediocrity or worse bad behavior is a no win situation and it invites an avalanche of conflict.
Where are you recognizing mediocrity? Some of my thoughts:
- Never reward or give into employees demands just because you feel you are supposed to ( or because they keep asking)
- Be consistent about how you recognize people.Never give motivational speeches and praise that aren't warranted
- Have clear guidelines on appropriate and inappropriate behaviour.
- Never treat people like they are special or the universe revolves around them, I don't care how good they are. It invites conflict and it isn't an inspiration to others.
Motivational and inspiring speaker Jody Urquhart
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Mon, Feb 14, 2011 @ 09:51 AM
Some of my favorite motivational speaking events are women's conferences. Í always come away feeling inspired and empowered and many people who couldn't make it are left to hear about the inspiration they missed. Now you don't have to miss it. Many powerful female motivational speaker videos are featured online. As women we take on so many roles and struggle to stay inspired.
Strong, powerful, inspirational women need to stay connected and engaged. What better way to keep the conversation going after the event than to watch talk about them online.
The premier Women's Conference is organized by Calfornias first lady, Maria Shriver. The purpose of the conference is to empower women to be Architects of Change ® in their own lives, their communities and the world. More than 150 extraordinary speakers come together with 30,000 women to be educated, inspired and empowered.
The Women’s Conference also has a global online community, where more than one million women gathered to learn how to truly change the world. You can watch archived motivational speaker videos from the Women's Conference on their website.
A women with mind full of mischief will find herself browsing TEDWomen. Launched in December, TEDWomen invites men and women to explore this question in depth, How are women and girls reshaping the future? Featured are some fantastic female motivational speaker videos.
It is always better to attend an event live and if you can't, now you can get some of that inspiration online.
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Fri, Feb 11, 2011 @ 12:12 PM
As an inspirational speaker I get to work with some really great meeting and event planners.
I have also discovered some fantastic blogs for the meeting industry. Featuring cutting edge, well written content especially for the meeting and event planner.
Here are just three of the ones I have recently started to follow:
Jenise Fryatt( photo to the left), Co-Owner and Marketing Director of Icon Presentations, audio visual for events located in the Palm Springs area. Jenise is also a Community Manager for Engage365, an online community for event professionals interested in innovation and social media. Also what I love about her is she has studied and performed improv for the past 6 years. Improv is my second love, I am currently the president of the Curiously Canadian Improv Guild. Jenise recently posted a blog about resilience, check it out.
face2face is a blog about planning face-to-face meeting, conference, convention, and trade shows. Written by Sue Pelletier MeetingsNet Web editor, mad blogger, and editor of Medical Meetings magazine. I really enjoyed Sue's Tweets and blog coverage of the PCMA Convening Leaders Convention.
Ready2Spark is a blog written by Lara McCulloch-Carter who services the event industry through branding, marketing, and social media consulting that provides event professionals with social media consulting. Lara has a great blog and is also a very inspirational speaker on social media branding and marketing.
You can follow all three of them on twitter and they avid bloggers.
What meeting/ event industry blogs do you follow?
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Thu, Feb 10, 2011 @ 09:45 AM
Something I am adamant about is evolving our education system. Like many large institutions, the education system seems slow to evolve to the changing learning needs and wellness of students. Students learning would excell if their was more inspiration from teachers and learning methods catered to students.
I went to University and a technical school and I found the later with smaller classrooms, more student/teacher attention, hands on projects and group work to give me more inspiration. It was a much better personal leadership and learning experience.
For me, inspiration for success and confidence soared after I made the switch. My learning excelled. Not everyone learns the same, and I learn best by doing. If I didn't go to technical school my overall motivation and wellness would plummet. I would feel trapped in a system where I literally felt dumb.
Some high schools have a 70% dropout rate. Many teenagers are smart but they cannot adapt to passive learning environments.
They detest formal education because it is predominantly a one way, teacher talks, student listens system. Their is no inspiration to learn.
Consider the average teenager today, wired for sound, convenience and real time communication. Any information they need is available instantly with a simple internet search. Anyone, anywhere they want to know about or communicate with they can, instantly, with the help of low cost technology and social networking. Barriers in our education system like access to information or teachers are not an inspiration for success.
The wellness of our education system may depend on our ability to evolve to the way students learn.
Evolved teaching would employ case studies, group work, behaviour based grading. Inspired teaching would promote life long learning and soft skills like motivation techniques, leadership skills, good listening and communication.
Successful educational leadership requires teaching to evolve to the needs of todays students. Learning should be an exciting, hands on educational experience not a boring one.
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Wed, Feb 09, 2011 @ 02:15 PM
There are some amazing motivational speakers with a compelling message. I think a really good professional speaker has a refined speaking style. Below are thhose of those styles to help you decide which would work best for your conference experience.
Three Speaking Styles of a Motivational Speaker:
1) Funny, Humorous Motivational Speaker. This speakers style engages a convention audience with humor and laughter. It is a great way to open or close a conference.
Stressed out people will appreciate laughing because it instantly compels people to take themselves lightly.
As they say people who play together stay together, create rapport with conference delegates by ensuring you have some levity built into the agenda.
I am considered a Humorous Motivational Speaker and one of my other favorite humorous keynote speakers is Linda Edgecombe or Amanda Gore.
2) Content Rich Speaker. This style of presentation is usually designed to deliver the maximum amount of information relevant to the audience. Your convention would benefit from this style of professional speaker if their is a certain timely message you need to get across. Some examples are technology or social media professional speakers like Susan Sweeney or Jim Carroll.
3) Story Teller- Some motivational speakers get their calling from delivering their story. You will find professional speakers who have climbed mountains, survived cancer or were born with a disability they turn into an advantage on the platform. Their story becomes an inspiration for others.
If the audience can relate to the speaker and their message resonates to a diverse group, this message will inspire.
Some good story tellers are Alvin Law or Warren MacDonald
Of course a motivational speaker can be a combination of several of these styles, however a really compelling speaker usually focuses on one or two.
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Tue, Feb 08, 2011 @ 01:05 PM
The CUPA-HR Southern Region Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas April 10-12, 2011 will bring together 250 HR Professionals in the higher education field. This exciting continuing professional development event has two motivational speakers and many educational break out sessions.
Continuing professional development is important for higher education HR professionals and CUPA-HR is where to get it.
The Southern Region of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources is a professional association that serves member institutions and human resource professionals with developmental opportunities and technical assistance for the effective management of human resources.
The Keynote speakers are:
Ryan Estis is the opening motivational speaker for the HR Conference. Ryan is at the conference speaking on "Passion on Purpose: Building and Sustaining a High Engagement, High Performance Work Culture”
Ryan will explore the essence of cultivating a high engagement, high performance culture in the workplace.
The other HR conference closing motivational keynote speaker is me. I will be presenting my all time favorite speech for HR Professionals called, Say Hello to Humor & Goodbye to Burnout! Designed to get people laughing, embrace levity in their lives and dramatically impact wellness and decrease stress.
Continuing professional development credits will be awarded to delegates who attend. The CUPA- HR Southern Region Conference has been submitted to HRCI for credit hour preapproval.
Know why humor is so important? Find out here
Motivational Speaker,Keynote
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Mon, Feb 07, 2011 @ 11:06 AM
Some motivational speakers charge upwards of $30,000 to give a 60 minute speech. With that kind of an investment you have to really assess, is it worth it?
I think it depends on the speaker, their message, the audience and your goals. I personally designed an entire career as a professional speaker because i watched one 45 minute motivational speech. After the motivational speaker Linda Edgecombe finished speaking I firmly decided I wanted to speak for a living. And so I did. I would say she had an impact.
A great keynote speaker at a convention can be an inspiration and compel people to change. For this kind of impact, it has to be the right speaker and it has to be the right message.
Consider these questions to assess if it is worth it to invest in a motivational speaker for your convention:
Will the event (or professional speaker)draw alot of people? The more people, the more of an impact any message will make. Also, the more people the more money you make.
Will the speaker bring a unique message? Almost everything has been said before, but said in a compelling way with energy and enthusiasm, a great keynote speaker can create a lasting impression.
Will the speaker be right for this audience? I was a speaker at an event where the other keynote speaker was a magician. The audience was professional accountants and they did not take well to the magician. Apparently they had enough magic in their lives.
From post convention evaluations, often the most memorable part of any meeting is the motivational speaker. Are they worth it? What do you think? Give us your feeback.
Find out How to Hire a Motivational Speaker
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Fri, Feb 04, 2011 @ 02:19 PM
Speech is the mirror of the soul;
as a man speaks, so is he. Publilius Syrus
If you are faced with keeping people motivated on a day to day basis, there is no better inspiration than simple Five Minute Motivational Speeches. You don't have to be a motivational keynote speaker to give a motivational speech. Follow the four steps below to be an inspirational speaker and inspire and engage.
All leadership should get good at delivering these short Improptu morale boosters.
Ingredients to Five Minute Motivational Talks-
1.Have a compelling cause. What are you trying to say? Only one overall purpose should be weaved into each of the motivational speeches. Your objective could be:
- To recognize and appreciate the team or individual behaviour
- To re-engage a team toward their purpose and tie day- to- day activity and performance to it
- To inspire people towards a short term goal ( ie- let's sell 10 widgets before the end of the day, or lets call 10 clients, etc)
- To inform or educate employees( new policies, procedures,products)
- To let your team know more about leadership values, goals and vision
2. Once you are clear on your objective, in point form write out all the main points you need to make ( ie- product specifications, deadlines, performance updates, etc)
3. Shape the message towards the audience
Why do they need to hear this? Do this? What do you want them to do differently? Motivational morale boosters speak to the needs of the audience, not what the speaker thinks is important but what the audience needs to hear.
4. Keep their attention. Be optimistic and project enthusiasm to give the message life and long term engagement.
Regular motivational talks are a powerful way to reinvigorate, keep inspiration alive and working towards common goals.
Motivational Keynote Speaker Jody Urquhart
Find out how to hire a Motivational Keynote Speaker
or the Return on Investment for an Inspirational Speaker
Posted by Jody Urquhart on Fri, Feb 04, 2011 @ 02:19 PM
January 26 I presented a workshop at the Bethany Care Society's Organizational Cultural Quarterly Review leadership event.
Bethany Care Society is one of Western Canada’s largest voluntary, not–for–profit providers of health, housing and community services for seniors and persons with disabilities. A faith–based organization founded in 1945, Bethany provides service to more than 5,400 Albertans in over 100 communities.
Bethany Care was named one of the top 50 employers in alberta and they have some amazing things in the pipeline to help provide better care in our province for seniors and persons with disabilities.
Bethany's leadership team is a group of very enthusiastic, top notch leaders who have a real genuine care and understanding for people. I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop interaction and some interesting insights came up about leadership of the x and y generation.
As a generational speaker I love the discussion that comes from a longer(3 hour) workshop event. Some of the x and y generation examples that came up from the leadership at Bethany Care were:
- A potential hire who brought her mother to the job interview. She didn't hire her, ( but her mother might have made a great employee)
- The youngest Generation Y is technologically Savvy, ambivalent and energetic. Even though it might be their first job, they have very high expectations. Gen Y values often clash with more mature generations.
- Generation x are great leaders and Generation Y needs alot of supervision.
- In the event of things going wrong, Gen Y are great at finding information and Baby Boomers are great at translating it to knowledge.
It was a very fun event and some great learning and leadership insights were uncovered.
Generational Leadership Keynote Speaker, Jody Urquhart