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Conference / Meeting Services:

Keynote Presentations: Lively, focused presentations on topics selected by the client concerning modern business issues or practices.

Seminar/Workshop Sessions: Highly engaging sessions that allow attendees to participate in discussions and exercises and share their viewpoints and experience with others.

Meeting Facilitation: Focused meetings whose objective is to reach a stated objective, such as a decision or a recommendation. Sandy’s role is to focus the attention of participants on the stated objective, guide participants in their discussions, and assist the group in any way necessary to be successful.

Presentation Coach: Sandy works with presenters to plan and deliver a cohesive, concise, and clear presentation that improves their chance of accomplishing their stated presentation objective.

Style of Delivery:

All presentations are customized to the audience, client objectives, and time allotted for delivery. However, they typically incorporate such highly effective elements as:

    • Animated oral presentation that incorporates practical examples and, often, humor to drive home main points
    • Bold, imaginative presentation graphics that maximize visual impact and minimize text
    • Short, highly engaging movie clips that demonstrate or reinforce key messages
    • Small highly engaging group exercises and discussion
    • Open Q&A
    • Closing summary of key points that can be applied in the workplace and serve as reminders

Topics:

Sandy develops new topics as appropriate to complement a conference’s published theme. However, certain topics have been greatly in demand recently.

  • Understanding and handling PRESSURE AND STRESS in the workplace and preventing burnout
  • Achieving WORK-LIFE BALANCE
  • Recognizing GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES in the workplace and developing a cohesive team
  • Understanding and getting the most from MILLENNIALS
  • Understanding GENDER DECISION-MAKING AND COMMUNICATIONS
  • SERVING CUSTOMERS who are savvy and have expectations they may not have told you about
  • MANAGING CHANGE brought on by such factors as new technology and economic pressures
  • Planning and delivering HIGH-IMPACT PRESENTATIONS

Industry Experience:

Sandy has supported a wide range of clients in areas as diverse as healthcare, travel, manufacturing, government, and not-for profit. Presentations at recent high-profile conferences include:

  • Coverings: An international trade show for ceramic tile and stone, the largest in America. The 2015 show was attended by 25,000 people from 50 countries around the world.
  • Total Solutions Plus: An industry-wide conference jointly sponsored by the National Tile Contractors Association, Ceramic Tile Distributors Association, and Tile Council of North America.
  • BCD Travel Spring Affiliates Meeting: Ritz-Carlton Lodge: Lake Oconee, Georgia.
  • Team Health National Physician Recruiters Conference, Palmer House: Chicago, Illinois
  • MD Office Medical Conference, Mirage Hotel: Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Greater Business Travel Association — Northern Virginia Chapter, Tyson’s Corner Marriott: Tysons, Virginia
  • All Meds National User Conference, Lowes Vanderbilt Conference Center: Nashville, Tennessee
  • Tennessee Business Travel Association, Downtown Sheraton Hotel: Memphis,  Tennessee
  • Tennessee Labor Management Foundation 28th Annual Summer Conference, Sheraton Music City: Nashville, Tennessee
  • Team Health Physician/Nurse Leadership Workshop, The Doubletree Hotel: Ft Lauderdale, Florida 
  • Crossville Inc. National Sales Meeting,  The Doubletree Hotel: Nashville, Tennessee

Event Preparation:

Event Preparation:

Sandy knows that in looking for solutions to business issues, one size does not fit all. As a result, he customizes each presentation or workshop. To prepare, Sandy conducts research into issues and concerns for each client. He asks such questions as what issues led up to the request for the particular topic? What are the demographics of the audience? What outcomes would the client like to achieve with this presentation? Then Sandy develops or modifies his presentation to meet objectives.

Then Sandy employs the following checklist for his presentations to ensure they meet his own quality standards:

  • Is my content current, practical, cutting edge, and innovative as it relates to my audience?
  • Does my title reinforce the overall theme of the meeting or conference?
  • In what way am I uniquely qualified to address this topic?
  • Is my content grounded in research?
  • Is my presentation customized to the learning level of my audience, i.e. college level 101 basics or 301 graduate levels?
  • Do I have specific learning objectives and “real world” tools the audience can take away?
  • Does my presentation include creative and thought provoking content that engages my audience?
  • Does my presentation include a “wow” factor and edutainment value?

Presentation Feedback and Ratings:

“His ability to connect with the attendees makes him so much more that a guest speaker.” Susan Masterson, VP Provider Recruitment, Team Health

“Sandy Smith’s training style should be a model for all educators. He is focused, relates extremely well to his audience, and is masterful in the way he illustrates a point.” Phil Stalcup, Owner, Cermark Seattle, WA

“Sandy’s unique personal touch and engaging style make people comfortable, yet he offers a powerful, penetrating message.” Larry D. Jones, President and Plant Manager, Rohm & Haas Inc. Knoxville, TN

“Sandy spent his time prior to speaking getting to know our clients and our leadership. By the time he took the stage, you would have thought that he had grown up in our industry. Our attendees appreciated the departure from traditional meeting content and told us to bring him back! Sandy was the highlight of our event.” Christine Coate, Events Manager, World Travel BTI

“Sandy Smith’s distinctive style demonstrates the ultimate in diversity and communication style shifting. Sandy’s soothing southern drawl resonates from our corporate office in New York to a local satellite group near Oxford, England and then to a large manufacturing plant in Montreal, Canada. Sandy wows them all with his ability to be totally in the moment and uniquely combines a soft touch, focus and clarity to engage his audience.” Sandie Baron, Vice-president, Global HR, E-Z-EM, Inc.

“The fact that we have used Sandy Smith continually for the past ten years to speak at our annual employee conference speaks for itself. Sandy is not just a ‘Motivational Speaker;’ he’s more a ‘Motivational Thinker’. Our team leaves invigorated, inspired and more importantly, THINKING! He works with us to develop a program designed around our needs.” John Mahoney, President Master Tile East