Motivational Speaker

7 Motivational Speakers You Need to Know About ASAP

April 9, 2018 by Courtney Grable

We’ve all been there. Tired, hungry, and just done with everything. Well, you’re not alone. These seven motivational speakers are ones you won’t want to miss out on. From performances that inspire and motivate, yet are artistically entertaining, there is no doubt that you’ll want to listen to them again and again and again. Which one is perfect for you? Find out below!

Are You in Need of Motivational Speakers?

Jeff Civillico

“Incredible.” “Fun.” “A new level of clean fun.” This is Jeff Civillico. His energy never ceases to bubble over to the audience and his comedy manages to make everyone laugh, even the toughest critic.

He’s a comedian and an entertainer, sure, but he’s also a motivational speaker. He is, as we call it, “an entertainer with a message.” Jeff Civillico has the ability to open other’s eyes to the world, inspire, and entertain them. That’s no easy task. So if you want to be happy and inspired and entertained, Jeff is the one for you!

Marilyn Sherman

Where do you want to be in life? Would you rather be in the front row, front, and center, or in the balcony, watching as life passes you by? These are the burning questions Marilyn Sherman asks with vim and vigor, exciting everyone who listens. For this reason, it is no surprise that she has become the “Top-Ranked Female Business Keynote Speaker” in the past 25 years of her speaking career.

She’s positive and energetic, but productive and direct. When she gets on that stage she has one purpose…to engage her audience in a fun, upbeat, and exciting performance. And you thought this was just another motivational speaker…

Chip Eichelberger

Lead. Motivate. Inspire, and start your streak. No, not your Snapchat streak, your personal growth streak. Chip Eichelberger is as energetic and animated as they come. With presentations that include drawing links to technology, conversations, and everyday life all in order to show you, that’s right, Y-O-U, your path to success.

Willie Jolley

Are you inspired to win? This is the question you must ask yourself while hearing Willie Jolley talk for the first time…or the second or third. Anytime really! Named “One of the Top 5 Speakers in the World”, Jolley is not one you will want to miss out on. But that’s not all he’s accomplished, he’s also been awarded the Ron Brown Distinguished Leadership Award as well as been appointed as the Business Leader of the Year from The African American Chamber of Commerce. From Walmart to Verizon and Comcast to Marriott, Willie Jolley has seen it all. With his constant energy and enthusiasm, there’s no doubt that he is one of the best motivational speakers out there.

John Register

As a Paralympic medalist and a United States Army Gulf War veteran, John Register certainly has seen his fair share of trials and tribulations. He has seen failure and he has seen success. As he shares his incredible life story, he inspires the audience to establish their own game plan for their life, just as he did after his injury. After all, if you prepare for success, you will reach it.

Laura Schwartz

A professional speaker, interviewer, author, and emcee, Laura Schwartz is no doubt a Renaissance woman. With her “what can I do for you” attitude, she is always the hit of the event. One of the most inspiring and innovative motivational speakers in the business. Lively, engaging, and all-around exciting to watch, there is no wonder why Meetings and Conventions Magazine named her one of the Best Keynote Speakers out there. So what are you waiting for? Get ready to succeed!

Michelle Ray

Are you being the best leading example you can be? Michelle Ray is not afraid to ask the hard questions that lead you to success. Pointing out how negatively we often think isn’t exactly the thing you want to hear, but knowing how to think positively and take accountability for your actions is a game changer. When you realize that your life is up to you, the world becomes a whole new place. As one of the best award-winning motivational speakers, Michelle Ray knows that this the secret to success and she wants to teach it to you.

What’s Next?

Are you ready to take your life into your own hands? Are you ready to lead? Are you ready to be the best you can be? Then don’t hesitate or wait! Act now! Live in the moment and the moment will live with you. And never fear change.

Why These 2 Are among the Best at Inspiring Change?

March 7, 2018 by Tim Grable

The outpour of conferences, business seminars or events which claim they will be the inspiring change in attendees only proves that there’s a real need for motivational speakers.

The actual challenge in hiring such speakers is finding those who do not just use pretty words, but also provide actionable takeaways.

So, we thought of giving you a helping hand and leak out an insider tip: when you look for an inspirational speaker, a great criterion is choosing from those who have also delivered at a TEDx event.

These people have a special way of making their voice heard and setting an example for all to follow.

This article will feature two of these gifted speakers who amaze with their charisma.

Mark Henick

Accepting blame, defeat and annoying shortcomings is something we do not do with ease. Let alone come forward in front of huge crowds, candidly admit to the darker side of our nature and then proceed to inspiring change in others.

This is precisely what Mark Henick did when he stepped onto the TEDx stage and delivered a talk which soon cracked the top 50 of most viewed TED talks ever.

The talk, titled Why We Choose Suicide, had Mark completely disarm audience members with his honesty. There, he took on subject matters like struggle, trauma or inability to cope. However, Mark was far from playing the victim – instead, he packed the talk with funny insights and engaging theatrics.

Since then, he has been invited to talk about similar mental health awareness issues, wowing audiences at:

schools
various kinds of workplaces
associations.

From coping with struggle to socio-political issues or dealing with sensitive moments in the lives of people we love, Mark can talk the real way about managing and overcoming downfalls.

In short, Mark Hennink’s ingredient to inspiring change is something we would call ‘skill vulnerability.’ By showing relentless accountability for what he is, he manages to control the discourse and help others arrive at the same conclusions.

Jodi Bondi Norgaard

On a slightly different spectrum than Mark Hennick, we have Jodi Norgaard, an epitome of showing grit and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Just like Mark uses honesty in his talks, Jodi uses the sheer power of leading by example.

The story which drove Jodi to forge her way to success is this: in 2007, she was looking for a doll to give her 9-year old daughter when she was struck by the body standards those dolls were displaying. So, she set her mind on creating an alternative and built the Dream Big Toy company which manufactures realistic dolls.

So favorable was the impact of her models, that she drove the media’s attention and in 2016 she was even invited to the White House to speak about breaking down gender stereotypes.

Jodi is now a very in-demand speaker who’s able to address leadership, entrepreneurial spirit and workplace ethics. Drawing from her journey, Jodi is on a mission of inspiring change by addressing topics like:

goal achievement
identifying roadblocks
cultivating a fearless and change-driven mindset.

Inspiring Change – Not a Small Feat at All

Knowing many event planners are on a committed quest to inspire their guests through value-driven speeches, we realized there is a select group of speakers who can bring something new to the table.

The ones we presented here are sure part of this group because of their outstanding capacity to convey a powerful message.

If you want that message to be heard loud and clear, waste no more seconds and book them here.

Be Ahead of the Game with These Corporate Entertainment Ideas

February 27, 2018 by Tim Grable

Stealing the show with the event you are organizing can be a matter of good planning, smart budgeting or a successful promotional campaign.

Moreover, sometimes, it is just about finding the best corporate entertainment ideas to keep the guests merry and in good spirits. Or in awe. Or inspired.

You cannot really have an event without the extra bit entertainment offers. Besides arresting people’s attention, entertainment can also have educational value. So you can explore several approaches.

We are going to show you 3 of them if you keep reading further.

1. Why Not Both?

By ‘both,’ we are referring to different ends of the spectrum – motivational speakers and comedians.

We have worked with countless corporate event planners, and in many cases, they seemed to limit themselves only to one of the options above while searching for corporate entertainment ideas. When, in fact, they could have opted for both.

Either you book two separate acts, or you take the time to look for an artist who combines both.

2. Growing Knowledge Is Entertaining

Usually, when digging for corporate entertainment ideas, the instinct is to cast out those which imply an educational factor.

We are not referring to passing information on in the form of interviews or keynote talks necessarily. If you do opt for the latter option, you should also make sure you add a complementary factor to it (a fun quiz or an interactive interlude, for instance).

What we had in mind, however, is about growing other kinds of knowledge – educating your guests on topics like:

wine tasting
chef skills
bartending.

Guests will learn new information from experts you will invite for the demonstration. Plus, you can think of a way to go beyond an event by testing the guests on the knowledge they acquired – but in a fun way (you can set up a cocktail-making competition, for instance).

3. Hip Event Theme

Let’s face it – glam, hip, and cool themes send a specific message to a target audience: you have to be there! This instant effect can be achieved by having a cool design on the promotional materials, a diverse guest list or maybe just having the right persons spread the news in the right media.

However, what do ‘hip’ corporate event ideas mean?

Let us take an example: urban art. This kind of art is the mark of collective, emergent art and can always be adopted as a breath of fresh air for the corporate event environment. Just invite a graffiti artist, for instance, and you will wake up to tons of social media photos from your event.

It is hip. Therefore it is share-worthy.

Do You Have a Corporate Entertainment Ideas List?

A great strategy for any event planner is having a secret stash of ideas for any kind of events.

This way, you will always be on the lookout for ideas to jot down. Whenever you see something which inspires you, whenever you take part in an event which gives you great ideas for your events you have to organize throughout the year.

Also, we are here to help you up your game – either with top-tier entertainers and corporate speakers or with the articles we are publishing on our website.

3 Powerful Women Speakers Who Will Inspire Your Audience

February 23, 2018 by Tim Grable

Businesswomen are fearless – there’s no doubt about that. This is why today, we want to dedicate this article to three powerful women speakers who can take your corporate event from good to absolutely fantastic.

If you are looking to hire a keynote speaker who knows how to motivate teams, inspire them or is an expert on leadership, empowerment and strategic planning, then you need to read this article.

Let’s discover the background of these three amazing women speakers.

1. Liz Weber

Liz Weber is the founder and Managing Principal of Weber Business Services, LLC, a management consulting, training and speaking firm.

Less than 100 people in the U.S. hold both the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designations, and she is one of the people who got these certifications.

Liz has plenty of experience speaking for corporate and association leaders, business owners or managers. There’s no doubt her comments and insights on leadership accountability can be applied in real life situations.

Aside from her keynote speaker career, Liz’s experience applies to supervising business activities in 129 countries and consulting with plenty of organizations in more than 20 countries.

To find out more about her speaking program, click this link.

2. Margaret Graziano

Margaret Graziano is the CEO of KeenAlignment, which helps companies optimize every stage of the talent lifecycle.

She is a leading talent management expert, keynote speaker and the author of The Wealth of Talent.

Margaret has over 20 years of hands-on experience in talent development.

Thanks to the talent strategy she developed, business leaders can learn from her the actionable steps which will help them develop high-performing teams.

Margaret is a Certified Co-Active Executive Coach, Certified Employee Retention Specialist and Trainer.

At every conference and seminar she attended, Margaret was able to captivate her audience with presentations on conscious hiring, leadership effectiveness, and workforce optimization.

To learn more about her programs, click here.

3. Marilyn Sherman

Marilyn Sherman’s goal as a motivational speaker is to inspire audiences to get out of their comfort zone and lead from the front-row.

She is a pro at boosting people’s morale and communication skills so they can ultimately achieve more results as a team.

Margaret worked at Chrysler First Financial Services for several years and then she became a contract speaker for one of the top seminar companies in the United States and Canada.

In 1998, she started her own company called UpFront Presentations, which focuses on speaking and training.

Aside from doing amazing keynote presentations, Margaret does workshops as well, which teach companies how they can reduce conflict in the workplace.

She delivers a high-energy speech which is based entirely on her personal experiences and the strategies which worked in times of challenge and change.

If you want to read the description of her programs, click here.

Organize an Amazing Event with Either One of These Women Speakers

At The Grable Group, we cover an international marketplace, and we believe that through leadership by example, we can empower individuals to create their success.

We are committed to bringing you the best speakers you can hire for your events, whether they are seminars, conferences or galas.

If you want to focus on inspiring your audience at your next event, then these three women speakers will surely help you with that.

Give us a call at (615) 283-0039 so we can discuss further the booking process.

Top True American Heroes You Can Book for Your Event

February 21, 2018 by Tim Grable

We think you would agree if we claimed today’s world seems to be in a quest of finding meaning. People are thirsty to achieve a stronger sense of self, so they are always eager to meet others who can inspire them in this regard.

True American heroes may well be considered among the most inspirational individuals out there, so they are the kind of event speakers you can never go wrong with.

In what follows, you are going to read about two such men who are the perfect epitome of resilience, grit, and perseverance.

Captain Scott O’Grady

A graduate of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott Arizona, Scott O’Grady enrolled in the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps program in 1989.

Among his other achievements, we can count in:

a BA in Aeronautical Science
Honorary Doctorate in public service at the University of Portland
assignment to a joint survival agency at Fairchild Air Force Base
the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program
F-16 pilot training and more than 1,000 flying hours on F-16 fighter aircrafts
assignments in Korea, Germany, Italy and the US.

His mission proved to be particularly challenging when he was assigned to a NATO mission of keeping a no-fly zone over Bosnia during the early 90’s Bosnian war. After his F-16 was hit by a missile, Scott managed to valiantly survive in the hostile territory until being rescued by the US Marine six days later.

His story has been documented both in his books and through TV appearances, so he has a track record of inspiring people nationwide.

Buzz Aldrin

On a slightly different spectrum, we have another embodiment of bravery and honor: the adventurous spirit of Buzz Aldrin.

We can say Buzz is an American legend due to his impressive achievements:

Air Force pilot to Sabre Jets
66 missions in Korea
owner of a Distinguished Flying Cross distinction
possessor of a Doctorate of Science in Astronautics at MIT
contributor to the success of the Gemini and Apollo programs by engineering docking and rendezvous techniques in Earth and lunar orbit
performed the first spacewalk in 1966 while on the Gemini 12 mission
together with Neil Armstrong, Buzz performed the Apollo 11 moonwalk.

However, Buzz Aldrin’s adventurous spirit did not stop once his space mission ended. He ventured in designing a master plan for missions to Mars and also in writing SF and children’s literature based on his space travels.

If you think of it, Buzz Aldrin is the best person to inspire others to shoot for the stars (literally).

What Can Your Audience Learn from True American Heroes?

In this day and age, a skill which is becoming increasingly valuable is the ability to focus on your path and find the inner strength to face and adapt to almost any given challenge.

These are precisely the values true American heroes can instill in your guests. They are also the adequate instances to talk about these values since they have actually proved themselves in this regard, times and times again.

Besides, they can also inspire the audience to attain skills like:

better teamwork
conflict management
stress management
overcoming obstacles
better workplace ethics
dedication.

All in all, true American heroes are people anyone would be honored to meet in person, and some of them are also skilled motivational speakers, so collaborating with one of them will help you offer real value at your event.

One more thing, though: head over to the contact form here a.s.a.p. if you want to book them in advance. The Grable Group will ensure a smooth booking process.