The Must, Should and Could of Negotiation As a negotiation skills keynote speaker who speaks on negotiation skills throughout the country, I have noticed a common point of confusion among many negotiators. Whether you are negotiating a deal in Denver, Colorado, Orlando, Florida or Boston, Massachusetts, you need to know the difference between “Must,” “Should,” and “Could.” Confusing those issues could turn the negotiation into a losing proposition for...
As a motivational safety speaker, I know all-too-well that there are the “official way of doing things,” and the corner-cutting. Before I became a safety keynote speaker, and before I worked in management on sales teams, I was a worker in heavy manufacturing companies. I worked in steel mills, leather tanneries, construction and transportation. My management was good at saying the right things and sending the right messages. However,...
As a Motivational Change Management Speaker for the Workplace, I have been a witness to the sweeping transformations that have occurred in what used to be called “the office.” As I have noted in my keynote speeches on change and change management, the COVID-19 pandemic may have accelerated the trend from the in-person to the virtual, but it was coming in any event. Office space rentals were spiraling out...
So, as a change management speaker, let me relate a fake conversation between the hiring manager and the top candidate that might help put the quote above with a sense of proper context. “You've done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.” -Ralph Marston, Self-improvement author After an exhaustive...
What do layoffs, mergers, location changes, acquisitions, new production facilities and changes of management all have in common? Hint: it’s not what you think – and that’s the problem. As a safety speaker who has been delivering safety keynote speeches on safety for many years, I will be “pleased” to give you the answer: whenever a change occurs, it is a virtual guarantee that serious accidents will increase. Of...
As a safety speaker, who speaks on safety nationwide, I often regret how the best source of safety data, U.S. Department of Labor, includes so many tragic accidents under the heading of “Slips, Trips and Falls.” The banner almost sounds like a song, a joke or the name of a jazz trio! Whatever “Slips, Trips and Falls” may sound like to you, the category resulted in 15-percent of all...
AI Won’t Prevent an Accident As a safety speaker who has been speaking on work place wellbeing for many years, I have a serious fact to relate: AI (artificial intelligence) doesn’t prevent work place accidents. While some workplace safety keynote speakers (not me) undoubtedly use AI to write safety articles, factory safety signage, and for all I know, safety slogans on T-shirts and coffee mugs, 2023 is still lining...
When I speak on the topic of negotiation skills, I like to recall a couple of famous quotes that are surefire ways to lose in almost any negotiation. As a negotiation skills speaker and negotiation skills consultant and book author, I never like to see anyone “get hurt” in a negotiation because of an easily avoidable attitude. The two quotes Who knows how far back the quote, “A friend...
Recently, I spoke at a convention in Orlando on communication problems in the multi-generational. As a multi-generational workforce keynote speaker, my passion is helping the generations connect. After my multi-generational workforce keynote speech, a member of the Gen-X “contingent” walked over to me, shook my hand, and jokingly said “I Can Hear What You’re Seeing – Almost.” It was a funny line, but also telling. Four generations Whether your...
“Working safely may get old, but so do those who practice it.” – Author unknown As a workplace safety keynote speaker who started his career in construction, steel mills and leather tanneries, I know that safety is stressful. Numerous studies, of course, have been done on the topic of stress and performance. From nurses to truck drivers, everyone knows that putting undue stress on employees causes accidents, but as...
Safety Speaker: When I was recently delivering a safety keynote speech in the capacity of a Workplace Safety Keynote Speaker, a VP of Manufacturing, and an old friend of mine asked: “Mike, remember all of those goofy safety posters? Where did they go?” As a workplace safety keynote speaker, I smiled and said: “Everyone’s going digital now.” It’s true, the “face” of workplace safety is changing. Instead of safety...
As a hybrid and blended workplace keynote speaker, I don’t believe the business environment has ever been more uncertain and confusing. The most common mistake I address as a motivational speaker on the topics of hybrid workplaces and blended workforces is that employers often treat their workforces as a homogenous group. There is nothing homogenous about the group at all, save for the facts that they work for the...
Last week, speaking in Charlotte, North Carolina in my role as a workplace safety motivational speaker, a sales person in the trade show area casually asked why everyone always made “such a big deal” about common sense stuff. “After all,” he said, “stupid mistakes get rid of stupid people, and there’s too many as it is.” Rather than challenge him, I nonchalantly asked him about his background. “I sold...
Over the past year, I became convinced that Charlotte, NC and throughout the whole country, 2023 will be known as the year of negotiation. As a Charlotte Negotiation Skills Speaker and Charlotte Negotiation Technique Consultant the ability to negotiate has never been more important. In November, 2022, the Workplace Learning Trend Report was released, and researchers found that “Persuasion” was the number one skill Charlotte, North Carolina sales professionals...
The most important thing to remember about change in 2023 As a Charlotte-based change management keynote speaker, I understand that 2023 could present itself as the most challenging period of change in the last several decades. Whenever I speak on change management to my Charlotte, North Carolina audiences, I stress the power of connections and work friendships. What does happiness have to with change? As I was recently delivering...
As a safety speaker who started his career in a manufacturing environment, I have been around a lot of holiday parties. The parties have changed over time, and that’s a good thing; no company wants to serve alcohol at a company party and then have some fool get in a car and drive home. Most company parties are not all that memorable however, after giving a talk on safety...
What do employees fear the most in this new “hybrid world?” As a change management speaker and change management consultant, I am witness to the deepest fears of those in my audiences. It’s not what you may think. In my role as a change management keynote speaker, I would caution organizations who believe the biggest fear is based on “catching Covid” or having to commute to the office twice...
We all know that learning is cyclable. As a change management speaker, I have observed that most people understand that the best way to teach people is to be willing to learn, however, a lot of people have difficulty putting that into practice. As a result, the cycle of learning is often broken. When an organization is going through a change, it is as important to share perspectives as...
Anger to Change is not a Good Look As a change management speaker and change management consultant, I realize there are no end to theories about how individuals in a company react to change. Jennifer Herrity writing for Indeed.com (September 15, 2021) listed many of these models, all championed by psychologists, management consultants, business schools and the like. However, in speaking to groups on change management, in real time...
Culture Connects, What Covid Divided As a hybrid workplace negotiation skills speaker, I understand that a hybrid workplace means much more than “two days (or so) in the office, and three days (give or take) out of the office.” Hybrid is more than a need for a sense of scheduling but more so, the need for communication, connection and a “celebration” of what makes any organization unique. Hybrid encourages...