Speech Topics
In conjunction with both the keynote speeches and workshops, Craig offers multiple media for accessing these story-based ideas and skills.
The Power of Story
Keynote: The Power of Story keynote speech helps leaders enhance their leadership performance by looking at their everyday communications differently. Using a series of powerful stories, anecdotes, visual examples and his story tools, Craig describes unique challenges we face trying to communicate effectively and demonstrates how leaders create strong connections with people and with the organization's strategy. He discusses the importance of capturing and telling the right kinds of stories and why stories are the most effective method for enhancing performance. Supporting media: Storycasts, Scenario, Feedback, Action Pack, Book, Story Tools, 1-2.5 hours
Workshop: The Power of Story workshop engages leaders more deeply in exploring the methods of communications in their particular organization and how those approaches affect performance. This workshop becomes a powerful give-and-take, where Craig follows participants where they want to go instead following a prescribed path. Because of his experience as a facilitator of leadership, coaching and strategic selling courses, Craig is very good at grasping the specific issues people are having and helping people work through to solutions. Leaders practice using each story tool, the Win Book, Story Matrix and Story Coach in a number of different types of activities designed to cause them to focus on their performance goals, the successes and failures they have achieved, and the stories that have resulted. Supporting media: Storycast, Scenario, Feedback, Action Pack, Book, Story Tools, Half-day, Full-day
Results: The Power of Story keynote speech consistently rates high in applicability, as audiences feel that they can immediately put to use the ideas and tools discussed.
Audience: For all levels
Click here to download a printable version.
^ Back to the topStories and Presentations
Workshop: This workshop is where leaders get to roll up their sleeves and give their stories some air time. The style of this workshop is very different from the normal presentation skills workshop. Craig spends less time on the tactical aspects of presenting (room prep, dress, eye contact, etc.) and instead uses activities and live, real-time feedback to help each participant understand how he/she is impacting the audience and his/her unique gifts and opportunities. Supporting media: Storycast, Scenario, Feedback, Action Pack, Book, Story Tools, Half-day, Full-day
Note: This workshop is run in smaller groups, from 10 to 80 participants for a half-day, and 10 to 160 participants for a full-day.
Results: Leaders report that they feel that the coaching they receive in this workshop gives them much better focus on what is most important in their presentations and meetings. They also walk away with a "starter set" of stories for tackling immediate challenges.
Audience: For all levels
Click here to download a printable version.
^ Back to the topUsing Stories to Impact Learning Design, Development and Delivery
Workshop: Learning and Development professionals often struggle with how to gain executive sponsorship of their efforts and how to go beyond the "usual suspects" of classroom, eLearning, and PowerPoint-driven solutions. This workshop engages these professionals in a discussion of how stories can enhance learning solutions and create more "stickiness" for the learning objectives. Craig uses his 10 years of successes and failures in designing and delivering learning solutions as a basis for this workshop. Supporting media: Storycast, Feedback, Action Pack, Book, Story Tools, Half-day, Full-day
Results: Learning professionals feel better equipped to relate the value of what they are creating to senior management and they take away tools and solutions that have immediate relevance to their work challenges.
Audience: Learning and Development Professionals, Executive Sponsorship
Click here to download a printable version.
^ Back to the topStories and Coaching
Keynote: Stories and coaching...are you picking up on a theme? In this keynote, Craig looks at the usual ways we coach people and he helps leaders change their perspective on why coaching can be such a challenge. He looks at coaching from the perspective of the person receiving the coaching, and in this way helps leaders truly understand their challenge. The keynote then explores how to build stronger connections with people in order to open up more possibilities for coaching and building skill. Supporting media: Storycast, Scenario, Feedback, Action Pack, Book, Story Tools, 1-2.5 hours
Workshop: Leaders use this workshop to look at the opportunities they have to coach and the different "settings" they use to coach their people. The workshop provides an opportunity for participants to explore their habits and to try new approaches to coaching, and its design is practice and feedback-driven. Supporting media: Storycast, Scenario, Feedback, Action Pack, Book, Story Tools, Half-day, Full-day
Results: Leaders think differently about how to set the stage for effective coaching and about how to coach for results.
Audience: Officers, Senior Executives, Management
Click here to download a printable version.
^ Back to the topStories and Selling
Keynote: The Stories and Selling keynote speech looks at how sales professionals differentiate themselves through stories. Craig calls on his days as an IBM salesperson to outline the new challenges that salespeople face, and how they can cut through all of the "noise in the channel." With plenty of stories and humor, Craig helps sales professionals distinguish themselves by going beyond "features and benefits" to build stronger relationships with clients. Supporting media: Storycast, Scenario, Feedback, Action Pack, Book, Story Tools, 1-2.5 hours
Workshop: Sales professionals evaluate their particular sales process for opportunities to enhance their communications through stories. Activities and real examples are used to demonstrate how stories impact opening sales opportunities, positioning solutions and proposing. Sales professionals create their own Story Matrix to use with their current opportunities and embed stories into a live proposal. Supporting media: Storycast, Scenario, Feedback, Action Pack, Book, Story Tools, Half-day, Full-day
Results: Sales professionals find that the Stories and Selling keynote and workshop helps them immediately create better odds for closing near-term opportunities...and they have some fun to boot.
Audience: Sales Professionals, Marketing Professionals, Sales Support and Sales Management
Click here to download a printable version.
^ Back to the topStories and Motivation
Keynote: The Stories and Motivation keynote speech looks at how leaders of all levels motivate and inspire those around them. This keynote can be quite a ride, as Craig shares different kinds of stories and examples of what causes people to become motivated and how great leaders inspire. This multimedia keynote demonstrates the true power of the human element of storytelling. Supporting media: Storycast, Scenario, Feedback, Action Pack, Book, Story Tools, 1-2.5 hours
Results: Audiences report feeling a "buzz" that sticks with them. But because all of Craig's ideas are supported by the models and tools he shares, he allows people to take action on them, not just enjoy them and move on to something else.
Audience: For all levels
Click here to download a printable version.
^ Back to the top