It's a two-day conference, and your job is to find one speaker who can motivate and entertain, and another with a knack for branding and business development. And it wouldn't hurt if the keynote could sing an opera or hit a hole-in-one. Plus, you can't go a penny over budget. A tall order? On the contrary. Here's a list of 10 currently "in demand" speakers -- you'll find at least one for every budget, and perhaps that perfect one with a message sure to resonate with your group.
Arun Gahandi
Peaceful patronage
Few names evoke such powerful images -- peace, hope, social harmony. And his words are just as gripping. The man who possesses one of the most recognizable monikers in history subscribes to the same guiding principles as his grandfather, offering firsthand insight into the legendary pacifist and spiritual leader.
Growing up in apartheid South Africa -- where, as a boy of Indian descent, he had run-ins with both whites and blacks -- young Arun Gandhi read bodybuilding magazines and dreamt of fighting back. His parents decided it was time for a visit to Grandpa, who was in the process of leading the people of India in a nonviolent struggle for independence from British rule. That sojourn lasted 18 months and helped shape the foundation for young Gandhi's life's work.
Today, Gandhi teaches audiences how to sell a message, coaxing others to buy into it. He also addresses anger management in the workplace, suggesting ways to resolve conflict without violence.
A Proud Moment
Founded the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, with the help of his wife.
Travels from
Memphis, Tennessee
Contact
Keppler Associates
Arlington, Virginia
(703) 516-4000
Bridgeworks
Did somebody say gap?
The guy to your left grew up without TV. The gal to your right has never spent a day without her MTV. He thinks she's a slacker; she's branded him a workaholic. You're stuck between a rock and a hard place, sensing that if your communication style clicks with one, you'll excommunicate the other. (This is the Generation Xer's cue to sing: "Who ya gonna call?")
BridgeWorks to the rescue! (That was for all the Baby Boomers in the room.) As its name suggests, this duo has been helping groups understand the spark behind generational clashes in an effort to bridge the generation gap. "Retaining loyal customers [and employees] while marketing [and recruiting] to new generations requires a deep understanding of what makes each group tick," notes David Stillman, the entrepreneurial Gen Xer of the pair.
On the podium, Stillman and his Baby Boomer partner Lynne Lancaster expose the funny yet frustrating pitfalls created by generation gaps in the workplace and marketplace, along with ways to get past them. They use preprogram surveys to customize their presentations, illustrating each point with facts and stats, film clips, and songs.
Pen Works
Dave and Lynne recently penned their first book together, entitled, "When Generations Collide . . . At Work."
Travels from
Minneapolis, Minnesota (Dave)
Sonoma, California (Lynne)
Contact
International Speakers Bureau
Dallas, Texas
(800) 842-4483
Robert Wallace
Money and much more
"When I see a problem, I don't ignore it. I attack it." Fighting words, for sure, but for Robert Wallace, they're words to live by. "I grew up in the projects of South Baltimore, where the community was 99.9 percent African American, yet none of the shops were owned by anyone from the neighborhood." This was something that perplexed Wallace as a boy, and a situation he vowed to change as an adult.
So, when the time came, Wallace packed himself off to business school with this mission: "Figure out how to propel more people into the economic mainstream." He studied entrepreneurs, mostly minorities and women, hoping "to understand how they overcame the 'isms' -- be they racism or sexism."
Two companies and a pair of books later, Wallace is teaching folks how to think, act, and perform like entrepreneurs of their own careers. In some lectures, he offers his 52 principles (one for every week of the year) for entrepreneurial success, while in others he tackles diversity, from economic and racial to digital.
Score!
Just landed a pilot program with the NFL to help players transition from athletes to entrepreneurs.
Travels from
Columbia, Maryland
Contact
Impact! Communications
St. Charles, Illinois
(888) 684-6722
Sheila Paxton
The business of success
We might soon have to call her Doctor -- she's completing her Ph.D. in human organizational development -- but for now, let's just go with expert. With more than two decades of hand's-on senior management experience, Sheila Paxton is the speaker to book if your group is looking to reinforce the critical concepts and tools that will more it ahead in business. "Everyone can be a leader," says Paxton. "To do so, you must commit yourself to continuous improvement. Constantly challenge yourself." And be sure to live by the Paxton 1-percet rule: Do every task 1 percent better than you did it before.
Author of "How to Lead a Team" (she knows how, having launched an award-winning e-learning company with five pals and five grand), Paxton is well versed in a range of issues -- from personal growth and managing change to sales and eadership to creating learning organizations.
Among those who've enjoyed having this high-energy doctor (to-be) in the house is Fernando Galvez with the American Society on Profesional Engineers: "[We were] captivated and exhilarated such that nobody wanted the program to end."
Claim to fame
Named a "training renegade" in a magazine (not this one).
Travels from
Boulder, Colorado
Contact
Gold Stars Speakers Bureau
Tucson, Arizona
(800) 844-4384
Ken Schmidt
Driving your business
"It's more than a bike, it's a way of life." A phrase that seems to roll off the lips of Harley-Davidson fans, but it's one they didn't utter 15 years ago during a time of substandard quality and shoddy public image for the American motorcycle. However, that was before Ken Schmidt came along.
The former director of communications for the Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Schmidt played an acive roll in one of the most celebrated turnarounds in corporate history. It's said he built an entirely new culture, and rekindled relationships with customers of yore, while reaching out to new ones in untraditional ways.
Now an independent consultant, Schmidt provides his unique know-how to several major brands, including Harley-Davidson, though his philosophy on life and business remains the same: "Never do what's expected, make yourself as noticably different as possible, and have a lot more fun than you're supposed to." He offers his audience members lessons learned, from tips to win the battle over negative consumer perceptions, to ways to bebuild a brand and reposition a business in the marketplace.
Pride and joy
Has seen the world on two wheels.
Travels from
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Contact
Keppler Associates
Arlington, Virginia
(703) 516-4000
Harry Paul
An ocean of ideas
Here's a fish story you can actually put some stock in. It's told by Harry Paul, the man behind the now trendy marketing philosophy, FISH!, and backed by his lifetime of experience running all aspects of a management training and consulting business.
Co-author of the bestseller "FISH! A remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results," Paul demonstrates the four principles that comprise the FISH! philosophy -- including "play" and "be there" -- and how each can bring greater enjoyment to any job, and everyone's life.
It's all about "the attitude you choose," says Pal, as well as the decision to do things differently. "Instead of asking yourself if you have to go to work today, remind yourself that you get to go to work today."
Besides, where else can you sit back and watch a guy throw a stuffed fish around a roomful of suits?
Go fish
The fun-loving fishmongers at Seattle's Pike Place market are the fodder for FISH! (the book and the talk).
Travels from
San Diego, California
Contact
Gold Stars Speakers Bureau
Tucson, Arizona
(800) 844-4384
Linda Henely-Smith
In the key of laughter
For a good time, call Linda. Although that sounds like a seductive tease scrawled across the restroom wall (it's not, as far as we know), it's actually a line from Smith's card. "I figured it would bring in business." Or at least elicit a chuckle or two. "Keeping laughter bottled up can cause a condition known as 'humorrhoids,' which can lead to terminal seriousness."
However, it wasn't always gags and giggles for this opera singer. "I went through a very dark period in my life, after losing twenty friends and relatives in eight months." She found herself pulled from the wreckage that had become her life by her father, who managed to crack jokes from his hospital bed. "I realized the only thing we can truly control in this life is our attitude," she says.
now, attitude adjustment is Smith's "passion." And while she realizes laughter doesn't make everything better, she's convinced "it makes you better at everything." Songs and toys help pick up a down mood, too, notes an employee at the Illinois Department on Aging: "Her use of props to accent her motivational message is a truly splendid technique."
When asked what makes her an expert on humor, Smith quips, "Obviously you haven't seen me in a bathing suit." Touche.
Easy to spot
Carries a pig-shaped briefcase.
Travels from
Scottsdale, Arizona
Contact
The All-Star Agency Speakers Bureau
Fairfax, Virginia
(800) 736-0031
Jan Hargrave
A physical speaker
Your boss insits you're on the verge of promotion, but you have a feeling he's just strining you along. Wouldn't you like to know for sure, before going out and buying that DVD player you've had your eye on? Spend a few minutes listening to Jan Hargrave, and you may be able to tell if your boss, your child, or even the smoothest con artist, is fibbing.
As an expert in nonverbal communication (with a master's degree in business psychology), Hargrave offers audieces a thorough and eye-opening education into the hidden messages we all send via body language. Her programs help groups harness the power of non-verbal communication to persuade, negotiate, or merely to appear confident when nervous. Hargrave also indentifies the "do's and taboos" of body language around the world, pinpoints the communication differences between the genders, and offers a unique set of survival skills for people under pressure -- like how to use stress to energize your work.
Or maybe this is all a big, fat lie.
Did you know?
People who use their left hand a lot tend to lie often.
Travels from
Houston, texas
Contact
Nationwide Speakers Bureau
Beverly Hills, California
(310) 273-8807
Adrienne Weiss
Branding big whiz
Unless you've called upon her to burnish your company's image, or help your organization actually find its image (as many big names like Coke, Disney, and Steven spielberg have), you may not be familiar with Adrienne Weiss. "I started out a painter, but I needed a grown-up job." And so this creative, "out-of-the-box" Chicago native took a position with a marketing outfit, working her way up the ladder, until she knew every in and out of owning and operating a business.
Today, as head of her own company ("we're really a branding think tank), weiss creates branding and marketing solutions for retail, entertainment, food and beverage, and sports industries worldwide. On the podium, she uses numerous case studies and lengthy question-and-answer sessions to demonstrate that branding is relevant each day in every business. "Branding is not the militant use of your logo, but rather, story-telling. What is your story (do you have a story?), and how does it separate your company from the competition?"
Audiences walk away from an hour with Weiss with an entirely different view of their business.
Having a ball
Clients include: LEGO, The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions, and Lettuce Entertain You Inc.
Travels from
Chicago, Illinois
Contact
National Speakers Burea
Libertyville, Illinois
(800) 323-9442
Larry Alford
A swinging speaker
Don't fence this guy in with a podium. He prefers wide, open spaces -- with holes, fairways, and the occasional sand trap. Larry Alford was a nationally ranked junior golfer when he lost his arm (and nearly his life) in an auto accident. But tht turned out to be just minor setback for alford, who once tied with Tiger at a tourney in California. After months in rehab, he got right back out on the links, weilding his swing at charity events. "I would love to be the first pro golfer with a prosthesis, but I also know, if I don't succeed, I won't be a failure," says Alford. "We only fail when we don't try, when we don't dream."
Alford brings that same optimism to corporate and charity golf outings, offering groups his overall view of golf and life in an inspirational talk he calls "Swing Thoughts." Participants will also receive individual swing analysis and the chance to compete against Alford for prizes. He's sunk 11 holes-in-one since losing his arm, and plays to a four handicap, so don't say we didn't warn you.
Shot to beat
Participants compete against Alford on a par-three hole.
Travels from
Houston, Texas
Contact
International Speakers Bureau
Dallas, Texas
(800) 842-4483