About My Speaking Style & Approach:
Ten years teaching in a college classroom allowed me to hone and develop my presentation approach to inform, educate, and engage audiences. Today my speaking style has evolved into an interactive and engaging presentation laced with humor, stories, and solid information.
Over the years, I've had the pleasure of addressing a wide variety of audiences and the most common feedback I receive highlights my engaging approach and relaxed atmosphere that gets folks excited throughout the presentation. From communication topics such as public speaking, interpersonal communication, and brainstorming to industry specific topics such as loyalty and business owner insights, the variety of topics I can speak on is wide.
- Every topic, fascinating.
- Every audience, intriguing.
- Every opportunity, appreciated.
A few highlights of some of my presentations:
The Key to Driving Sales & Success
Greensboro Small Business Meet-up
August 2010
Audience: Approximately 25 small business professionals from across the Triad region of NC
Timeframe: 45 minutes
Focus: One of the greatest challenges facing small business lies in how to learn more about current customer needs and desires. Using lessons from how market researchers gain insights, you can enter into a cycle of connecting with others at networking events and in customer-exchange situations where you get to know them deeply in key manners. The process begins by knowing how to engage in good conversations, continues as you elicit insights and stories, is enriched when you emulate those lessons back to the other person and continues to grow as you enhance your knowledge over time.
Ethnography: Because Customers Don't Always DO What They Say
Product Development Management
Association of the Carolinas
June 2010
Audience: Approximately 30 business professionals from across NC who are members of PDMA, an organization focused on advancing the knowledge and skills of innovators and inventors across categories.
Timeframe: 3 hours
Focus: Despite its rich history of evolution, the practice of practical ethonography is still a new subject to many organizations. The focus of this interactive presentation was to educate attendees on the basics of good ethnographic research and to then put them through a series of short exercises in which they gained experience doing ethnographic tasks.
Every Customer Has A Story to Tell
Professional Women of Winston-Salem
June 2010
Audience: approximately 40 business women
Timeframe: 35-45 minutes
Focus: Think back to some of your fondest memories growing up and it is likely the phrase "once upon a time" is somewhere in there. Our love of stories starts at a young age and continues into adulthood. What would happen if you could harness the power to tell and listen to stories in order to create stronger connections with your customers? Well, first your interactions would be more memorable to your customers, next they would feel a sense of belonging and understanding, and finally you'd have a stronger connection to build a true relationship. This presentation focused on tips and tools to tap into great stories from a business perspective.
Inside-Out Loyalty: Understanding the Psyche of
Loyalty Expo 2009: Hollywood, FL
June 2009
Audience: several hundred loyalty marketing professionals
Timeframe: 1 hour
Focus: How do today's consumers think about the loyalty programs and options available to them? What creates and inspires true loyalty? This presentation framed the results of research that spoke to the drivers and motivations of today's consumers.
Effective Response to Internet Rumors
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)--Tarheel Chapter
Greensboro Marriott Convention Center
June 2002
Audience: approximately 60 PR professionals
Timeframe: 45 minutes
Focus: What do you do when rumors about your company start to circulate on the internet? Based on a two-year research study at Wake Forest University and Master's thesis, this presentation, focused on how to understand and respond effectively to rumors on the internet.
Designing a Knowledge Capture Expedition
Local Professionals Networking Luncheon
February 2010
Audience: approximately 40 business professionals
Timeframe: 30 minutes
Focus: Many small business owners believe that they can not afford professional market research. In this presentation, the content and handouts focus on educating and empowering the audience in gaining confidence around the process to gain structured insights and knowledge. The audience is taken through a four step process which provides the structure they can follow in understanding and building knowledge about their own business.
Click Image for Video
Effective Networking: A Practical Approach to Building Dynamic Connections
Local Professionals Networking Luncheon- September 2010
American Business Networks- October 2010
Audience: approximately 15-30 business professionals
Timeframe: 30 minutes
Focus: Effective networking techniques can lead to networks of individuals that work for you on an ongoing basis, helping to build your business through relationships and referrals. The content of this presentation highlighted three key areas to utilize in gaining access, depth, and relationships during networking opportunities. The audience left with a key list of practical steps and tips they could employ to improve their networking skills and reach.
Presentation Based on Book Chapter
Pedagogy, Discourse, and the Digital Revolution:
Asserting the Importance of Innovative
Dialogue in the New Educational Organization (NEO)
International Association of Science and Technology for Development: Computers and Advanced Technology in Education Division
2000 Annual Conference; Cancun, Mexico
Audience: academic researchers (note, this work was presented without Connie Chesner present, she is co-author on the book chapter under focus)
Focus: The advent of technology in the classroom changes the paradigm of thinking. This presentation, given in 2000, was at the cusp of technology infiltration in classrooms across America. How will the new technology be incorporated? What will the effect be on learning styles and retention?
Finding Focus, Productive Planning, & Aligning Alliances
Winston-Salem Community Appearance Commission
November 2010 (upcoming)
Audience: 15 member civic commission of appointed community members
Timeframe: 5 hours
Focus: Building clear focus and goals for the coming year in order to move forward the mission of the commission.
