Timely Speaking Topics for Today's Challenging Marketplace

It is difficult for many organizations today to see any light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, with declining profits, tighter budgets, and ominous media reports. How can you overcome these trying times? Now is the time to focus positively on what you and your organization can do to ensure success in your future. Speakers.com recommends these high impact speakers and their timely programs as a hopeful response to today's challenging marketplace conditions.

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DAN COUGHLIN: ACCELERATE THROUGH THE STORM - Survive the economic hurricane through an obsession with improving business basics

The past ten years have been filled with rhetoric about the new economy, reengineering, cutting-edge technologies, and a manic obsession with getting rid of anything related to the past. It’s become enormously clear that surviving this economic storm and thriving in the future requires a return to the business basics of the past. In this practical, highly relevant session for business managers and executives, Dan Coughlin provides user-friendly processes that can be applied immediately and over the long term to deliver great management performances. Topics include:
•Take the hardest step in business: a step back to think through the alternatives.
•Strengthen your foundation first.
•Know why you do what you do.
•Manage talent, don’t abandon it.
•Steward through the storm and beyond.
•Review past successes, preview future ones.
•Use more focus, less frenzy.
•Take responsibility for your decisions.
•Provide direction, not dictatorship.
•Prepare with precision.

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KEN DYCHTWALD, Ph.D. : With Purpose - Going from Success to Significance in Work and Life

Success can be looked at from different perspectives at different points in our lives. As a child, it had a lot to do with pleasing our parents. In our teens, it may have been about academic achievement and popularity with our peers. As a working adult, success is often represented by the challenge of simultaneously creating a blossoming family and burgeoning career. In recent years, there’s been an enormous focus on material gain. But what comes next? What should be the right balance between the “Dow” and the “Tao?” Is it too late to have new dreams, go back to school, re-ignite your career, fall in love again, become a philanthropreneur, reinvent yourself, and maybe even help change the world? This powerful new presentation rethinks adulthood, relationships, work and retirement, explores the purpose of life’s new third act and answers the question: what is the new model of success? Based on the newly released book, With Purpose: Going from Success to Significance in Work and Life, this timely and captivating program has broad appeal to diverse audiences.

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World-renowned marketing guru and thought leader, Philip Kotler and leading global business expert, John A. Caslione, have teamed up to co-author an exciting new book, Chaotics: The Business of Managing and Marketing in the Age of Turbulence, that defines the new era in which the world has now entered, an age of increasingly frequent and intense periods of turbulence and chaos in the global economy.  

JOHN CASLIONE is is the founder and President & CEO of GCS Business Capital LLC. Mr. Caslione is highly sought after as an expert on the new global economy and global business development and speaks in many globally influential business forums. Previously, Mr. Caslione previously authored Growing Your Business in Emerging Markets: Promise and Perils,  considered to be a leading authoritative book on the globalization of business with a special focus on developing sales and distribution strategies in emerging markets.  His book, Global Manifest Destiny: Growing Your Business in a Borderless Economy, is a practical how-to book for small and medium size firms.

PHILIP KOTLER is a global marketing guru, an influential corporate adviser, and an award-winning educator. He was the first recipient of the American Marketing Association's Distinguished Marketing Educator Award, is the S.C. Johnson Distinguished Professor of International Marketing at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management of Northwestern University, and is the author of the most widely used marketing book in leading business schools worldwide, Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control (9th edition).

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RAM CHARAN: Managing in the Downturn – Tools to Use

Based on Ram Charan’s newest book, Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty: The New Rules of Getting Things Done in Difficult Times, this presentation discusses how preparing a company to survive a prolonged period of slow growth or even contraction is one of the most difficult tasks that will ever confront management. Leaders must recognize the new reality confronting their companies and take the necessary steps to shore up the company and weather the storm. Ram Charan will show you the tools leaders and managers need to implement to prepare for and steer through these tough economic times and also how to seize the opportunities that invariably arise out of difficult environments.

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NIGEL BARLOW: Winning In Turbulent Times

Nigel Barlow has inspired individuals and companies around the world to creatively rethink their lives and businesses. A Re-thinker and agent provocateur himself, Nigel is one of the world’s most dynamic business speakers on creativity, innovative change management, customers, markets and brands. Highlights of his newest speech topic include:

• Why you can't outsource thinking
• Resilience and honesty
• Rehearsing for success: becoming brilliant at the basics
• How 'yes we can' works as an organizational mindset
• The power of a leader's attention
• Beyond positive thinking: activating self-belief

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DR. KEVIN and DR. JACKIE FREIBERG:
MotiVention™ A Seminar on Leading Up in a Down Economy

Dr. Kevin and Dr. Jackie Freiberg, bestselling business authors and leadership experts say, "It's time to lead like Game Changers and drive business UP in a down economy." The Freiberg's have created a MotiVention for business leaders and their teams. A MotiVention™ will help your team get focused, productive, and more competitive. People will be re-inspired to be players, to be accountable, to take the lead, to play to their genius and to get things done. They will learn how to think big, act bold, expand their influence and become a positive force for change. A MotiVention™ will equip your team with the ideas and resources they need to be game changers.
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JOHN KOTTER: Thriving on "A Sense of Urgency" in a Down Economy

Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter is widely regarded as the world's foremost authority on leadership and change. His is the premier voice on how the best organizations actually "do" change.  In his newest book, A Sense of Urgency, Kotter shows what a true sense of urgency in an organization really is, why it is becoming an exceptionally important asset, and how it can be created and sustained within organizations. Those with a sense of true urgency are the opposite of complacent—but they are not stressed-out, anxious, generating great activity without much productivity. Instead, they are moving boldly toward the future—sharply on the lookout for both hazards and opportunities that change brings.

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OREN HARARI: How To Lead Your Company Up, Even When The Economy Is Down

One of the "Top 40 Business and Management Minds in the World," Dr. Oren Harari'snewest topic summarizes the noxious financial forces which now surround us and their impact on individual companies.  He concentrates on four action blueprints that leaders can use to position their organizations for success during these particularly challenging times:

• Take Innovation Underground:  How to remove toxic assets (cash-sucking, value-detracting units, processes, cultural habits, and bureaucracy) from your own company's balance sheet.
• Dominate or Leave:  How to concentrate resources on high-growth, high-profit opportunities where your company can set the agenda, while exiting what doesn't meet those stiff criteria.
• Build the Intangibles:  How to load up your organization with value-adding intangible assets, like innovation, foresight, agility, speed, collaboration, and talent---so as to maintain and accelerate forward momentum.
• Take Charge Now:  How to lead this process with urgency, discipline,  audacity, and inspiration

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SAM GEIST:
Doing More with What We've Got: Strategies for tough times....Strategies for all times.

This timely program is a positive response to today's challenging marketplace conditions.  It adopts the premise that as marketers we must become better prepared in order to survive 2009 and beyond.  There is no more crucial time to look at ourselves honestly, acknowledge the difficulties that are coming our way, and search out strategies that will help get us through the mire. This program outlines up-to-date information, ideas and options to enable participants to make smart decisions.  It helps them maximize the value of their resources, assisting them to make the best use of their capabilities. Recognizing that change is not an option, it offers effective strategies to aid participants to endure today's marketplace-and succeed.

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DANNY COX: "Leadership When the Heat's On" with today's economic challenges

In the challenging economic situations we are living in, there is a great need for successful leadership and teamwork. Based on his best selling book, Leadership When the Heat's On, Danny Cox presents a powerful program for managers and executives revealing the self-developed leadership characteristics used to build high performance teams. Danny unveils the system he used to discover undeveloped potential in each team member and how he coached them into industry leaders. Managers come away with a better understanding of their own potential as well as that of their team. It's the birthplace of record breaking synergy.

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BRIAN TRACY: Doubling Your Productivity, To Achieve Goals in Challenging Times

Superstar speaker and one of America's best-known and most respected authorities on the development of human potential and personal excellence, Brian Tracy will teach you to learn how to master your time with a series of practical, proven ideas that work for everyone! Set goals and priorities, focus and concentrate, eliminate procrastination, get going on your key tasks and get more done in less time than ever before. This program has been given to more than 300,000 business people already.
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KARE ANDERSON: SmartPartnerships Can Build Your Business-Even in a Bad Economy

Emmy-winner and author of SmartPartnering, Kare Anderson, delivers new ways to grow your business without spending more with the right methods and partners. Hear proven ways to offer more value than your competitors, gain a warmed-up introduction to your kind of customers and more. Any kind or size of consumer-serving business, club or cause can become the top choice in their market- with complementary partners. Together, be seen where your competition isn't even in sight. From the author of two books on profitable partnering and creator of 48 successful alliances, hear the seven best methods, what-if scenarios for your kind of business, pitfalls to avoid and specific steps to jumpstart your first SmartPartnership. Leave this session with a profitable plan to partner.

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DR. J.P. PAWLIW-FRY: Tools to Thrive in Turbulent Times

Co-director of the Institute for Health & Human Potential, Dr. Pawliw-Fry knows that times are tough and fear is rampant in the economy today. Organizations that survive and thrive in this environment have leaders who do something different: they manage emotions intelligently. They manage the impact of uncertainty that can rip apart a workplace and they help their people think more clearly - not an easy feat when the pressure is intense and they ground is changing around them. In this powerful keynote, learn how to perform more effectively under pressure from someone who has consulted in such high pressure environments as the US Navy, FBI and during multiple Olympic games.

BILL BENJAMIN : Selling in a Time of Turbulence: Sales Performance When the Going Gets Tough

CEO of the Institute for Health and Human Potential, Bill is a seasoned business executive and a highly acclaimed world leader in the exciting field of Emotional Intelligence. Sales organizations are facing "unprecedented turbulence" in the market, in their Industries and with their clients. Falling revenue, clients cutting budgets and clients not even returning calls can lead to stress and exhaustion, which diminishes cognitive function, and will lead to a decrease in sales performance if not managed skillfully. These programs are based on one key principal of human performance: Under intense pressure, uncertainty and fatigue, individuals think and behave very differently than in the absence of pressure and fatigue.

Sales Performer Program:
This program is designed to first help individuals understand traps they fall into that can derail their performance. When a sales person becomes overwhelmed by the stress and turbulence encountered in the market, and when customer's (or other key relationship's) anxiety is layered on top, if they do not manage their emotions properly, they invariably 'infect' their key relationships with their dominant emotion, and bring down their own performance.

Sales Leader Program
Sales Leaders are dealing with the same stress and uncertainty. If they allow that anxiety to infect their sales team, they will derail performance. Great sales leaders not only demonstrate how to respond to turbulent times, they can also coach and motivate their sales people to stay focused and do what they know they need to do (i.e. making calls) during challenging times. This type of training that provides tools to help people manage the emotions that result from stress and uncertainty, has been shown to result in a 12% increase in sales at a large pharmaceutical company. During these challenging times, you can’t afford not to provide this critical learning to your sales teams!

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MICHAEL GELB: Creativity & Innovation in Tough Times

Tough times require MORE creativity and innovation. In this compelling, inspiring and energizing program you will learn how to:
* Cultivate creative optimism in the face of difficulties.
* Apply the example of history’s greatest minds in response to adversity.
* Utilize the 5 core skills of creative problem solving.
* Apply those skills to your greatest current challenges.
* Communicate in a way that inspires others.
* Transform stress into energy for innovation.
Anyone can be optimistic when everything is rosy but it only counts when times are tough. Without creative optimism there is no innovation. And, this program is more than just an inspiring motivational exercise, it is an educational experience that will empower your group to be their best in the face of adversity.

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MITCHELL MARKS, Ph. D.: Managing and Motivating Downsizing Survivors

Downsizings are difficult events for employees who retain their jobs as well as those who are laid off.  Survivors experience tremendous loss following a downsizing:  the loss of familiar co-workers, anticipated career paths, the sense of fair play at the work place and, most importantly, of control over their job security—in this economy, working hard does not guarantee keeping a job.  The good news is that people are highly resilient—after working through their losses, they can regain focus on both short-term goals and long-term opportunities.  This presentation shows how to accelerate this process and help organizations—and their people—recover from difficult downsizings and restructurings.  It illustrates how to enhance employee morale, team performance, and overall organizational effectiveness following a downsizing.  And, it presents straight forward ways to help employees let go of the pain of the past and look forward to new personal and business opportunities.  It also provides tactics to help people work smarter—and not just harder—following a downsizing.  This presentation is relevant to any organization that wants to move beyond the pain of downsizing and capture emerging business opportunities.

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JIM CARROLL - The Obama Economy: Understanding the Impact and the Opportunity

Obama's economic recovery plan includes a focus on healthcare, education, infrastructure and renewable energy. International futurist, trends & innovation expert Jim Carroll has deep insight into the key trends and opportunities in all of these areas. He's recently keynoted the World HealthCare Innovation & Technology conference; several high profile education conferences on the "future of education"; he has deep insight into the emerging issues of intelligent infrastructure, which will be a key component of the upgrading of the current 20th century infrastructure; and has been speaking to the issue of renewable energy for years. Gain an understanding into the impact, challenges and opportunities with the Obama Economy, from someone who has deep insight into the key trends within each specific area of concentration.

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MARY O'HARA-DEVEREAUX : Economy in Upheaval—Strategies for Navigating Uncharted Waters

We are in the midst of a global economic upheaval of unprecedented magnitude. In response to a demand from clients, Mary is keeping her core 2008-2011 forecast—which remains spot-on—updated with fresh insights, sense-making and truth-telling to help leaders understand the shifting context for executive decision-making and what it means to be a leader in today's world. The forecast's contents, with additional material customized for your organization, are now also available as a keynote or executive briefing. In one dense but lively session, you will learn timely new information about the economy, gain a deeper understanding of the financial bailout underway, learn what pitfalls to avoid in these perilous times, and preview some likely scenarios for when—and how—it will all end. You'll leave armed with the knowledge and strategies you need to be proactive rather than reactive in the months and years ahead.