I speak with passion and purpose on a variety of topics from strategy to leadership. Instead of giving the same canned talk everywhere I go (“Hello DesMoines!…eerr Detroit!”), I customize each talk I give to align with the needs of the audience. If I can’t give a talk that has people walking away, reflecting upon what they heard and how they felt and doing something differently because of it, I won’t speak. I believe that the time of the people in the room is too valuable to waste it with feel-good “motivational” talks, or with data intensive, fact driven talks. People want to connect with an idea or a person or a deeper sense of themselves so that they can leave and more fully step into the potential of their lives.
Also, I coach people who want to give TED or TEDx talks. As a TEDx curator and TEDActivator, I have studied the 15 most viewed talks and have assimilated what has made them so magnetic. (See my blog post on What Makes A Great TED Talk Great). At this point, I’ve seen hundreds and potentially thousands of TED and TEDx talks. I use this knowledge and my own ability to help people get out of their own way, to coach people to give great talks.
Bring a new understanding to your life with a talk from Alison
Designing an Aligned Organization
- See the connection between purpose, competitive advantage, culture and leadership
- Identify and evaluate their current value proposition
- Align their culture and their leadership style with the purpose of their company
- Design their internal organization to support their external competitive advantage.
Making Meetings Meaningful
- Manage a meeting so that energy is maintained and people are engaged throughout
- Make every meeting productive by creating a narrow line of focus
- Get conflicts worked out during the meeting, instead of in the hallways afterwards
- Gain commitment around what everyone is going to do because of the meeting
Socratic Leadership
- Free themselves up to only do what only they can do
- Help others find their own solutions
- True-up the judgment of those around them
- Manage their trigger response to allow for more productive conversations
Connecting with Purpose
- Rethink their typical elevator pitch
- Know how to get beneath the surface of a conversation
- Quickly vet whether someone is a helpful connection or not
- Learn how to make meaningful connections that will benefit their lives
Leading with Purpose to Attract Believers
- The different motivations that leaders use and the type of people each attracts
- The importance of knowing and articulating what you believe as a leader
- The biggest lies that women believe about themselves
- What you believe about yourself and how you create value for your company and how your company creates value for its customers
- How to attract believers using clarity, focus and alignment