Mike telling his “no hugs” story to a leadership audience during one of his change management programs…

Keynote Speaker Mike is talking about how people view safety in the workplace.

Mike getting a leadership training program audience to applaud their accomplishments…

Mike giving an example of how to praise employees during a change management program…

Mike sharing a laugh over bad grammar during a leadership training program…

Mike having fun with a group of nuclear engineers during a change management keynote speech…

The following clips are taken from some of Keynote Speaker Mike Hourigan’s sales training programs, sales management programs and keynote speeches delivered to sales forces around the world.

Mike tells a sales audience of 1,500 how a dog food company forgot the most important element
of the sales process – the customer!

How to use performance appraisal to motivate a sales force

Mike tells a professional sales audience how a sales person got caught writing bogus call reports.

Mike explains how the global economy is effecting sales results during one of his sales training programs.

Mike telling “the imaginary salesperson” story during his keynote speech: How to Unleash the Astonishing Power of Your Silent Sales Force…

Keynote speaker Mike Hourigan explains to an association, how one company saved four of their best employees…

Mike telling his “How to Pull an Employee’s” chain” story during his keynote speech: Teamwork is More than Just Hats and Tee-Shirts…

Keynote Speaker Mike is telling a funny story about how your family can cause stress during his stress management and change management program in Charlotte, NC

Mike telling “the ploppers” story during his most popular keynote speech:
Riding the Waves Without Getting Wet…

Mike explaining how change can cause stress, during his change management keynote speech: How to Say No to Stress and Avoid Burnout…

Mike telling “the garbage grinder” story during a change management keynote speech…

Change and Stress Programs

• Riding the Waves Without Getting Wet: How to Manage Change in Today’s Workplace
• How to Say “No!” to Stress and Avoid Burnout

• Let’s Not Split the Difference: How to Get What You Want Through Negotiation
• The Hiring Economy: How to Avoid Investing in the Wrong Sales Person
• Taking the “Cuss” out of Customer Service

• Leadership Dexterity: The Art and Science of Leadership
• Teamwork Is More Than Just Hats & T-Shirts: How to Inspire Commitment, Teamwork, and Cooperation
• Recruiting, Interviewing and Keeping Great People Today

• Communication: It’s Not Part of It – It’s All of It
  
• When it’s YOUR Turn to Speak: Easy Ways to Improve YOUR Speaking Skills – Fast

Riding the Waves Without Getting Wet: How to Manage Change in Today’s Workplace

Bad economy. Poor morale. Sweeping changes. How can you keep your head above water while the stormy seas of absurdity churn around you? This program shares strategies for managing change in organizations swirling in the turbulent waters of change. One thing is certain, people are looking to their leaders for direction and leaders are trying to find it before it changes again. Mike Hourigan, the workplace commentator, will show you what to do about change management and how to do it. Whether you are at the crest or in the trough, he will show you how to become change resilient and stay dry. This lively program makes leading change almost as fun as a day at the beach. You will learn how to avoid going under the waves of change and spend more time riding the productive and even fun waves. When you leave the program, you will be able to recognize, predict, and plan for change. You will also be able to teach your mangers how to motivate through change rather than dread it.

Please click to view the outline for:  Change Management Programs

Audience versions: leadership, management, HR, sales management, sales, general audience
Format: keynote, breakout, full day

Let’s Not Split the Difference: How to Get What You Want Through Negotiation

Many view negotiation as a mysterious process; others see it as manipulation or dirty tricks. Good negotiation is a healthy process where everyone leaves the table feeling good about the outcome, themselves, and most importantly – each other. From buying a car to making a multi-million dollar corporate purchasing decision, the skills are the same and everything counts! Every negotiation can be the beginning of the next negotiation and every negotiation has a beginning, middle and end. The trick to successful negotiation is making sure it is following your GPS system and getting you to your desired destination. Mike Hourigan will show you how to remain confident by staying in control of any negotiation situation. Don’t enter into another high stakes negotiation – including buying a car or house – without learning these powerful skills.

Please click to view the outline for: Sales Training Program

Audience Versions: general audience, management, leadership, HR, sales, sales management
Format: keynote, breakout, full day

Leadership Dexterity: The Art and Science of Leadership

Is Leadership an Art or is it a Science? Business school professors will say it is a science, seasoned leaders will argue it is an art. No matter which side of the argument you are on – most people will concede it is a little of both. Mike Hourigan’s program looks at some the issues in between: what gets people promoted and what employees want. Mike Hourigan discusses some of the gray areas of management such as how to motivate people without spending money, the difference between coaching and managing, and how to praise someone to get repeated behavior and not feel like a wimp. He will also address how to stop people from plopping at your desk, how to understand the 3d’s of employee perception, and how to get people to do the job because they want to do it. You will leave with management tools you can implement immediately.

Audience versions: leadership, management, HR, sales management
Format: keynote, breakout, full day

How to Say “No!” to Stress and Avoid Burnout

“I don’t get stress I give it!” “I can’t find the app for it on my cell.” “I’m too busy for stress.” We all laugh about it, but we all have it. If you don’t do something about stress, it leads to burnout. This fast-paced program gives you a real and amusing look at what stress is and what it does to you: from memory loss to loss of confidence, as well as losing the ability to perform. All of these can be symptoms of burn out. Let Mike Hourigan, author of the “A Tip A Day On Change and Stress Management” audio program, show you what to do and how to do it. The program is loaded with tons of stress busters and practical solutions. You will leave with a plan to dilute your stress and not burden your loved ones. You will learn the three reasons people are burning out and how ineffective worry is.

Please click to view outline for: Stress Management Training Program

Audience versions: leadership, management, HR, sales management, sales, general audience
Format: keynote, breakout, full day

Teamwork Is More Than Just Hats & T-Shirts: How to Inspire Commitment, Teamwork, and Cooperation

Simply giving out team hats and shirts does not make a team gel – but having the right management and communication skills do. All too often people think throwing a bunch of people together and calling them a team will get better results. Usually what happens is the dedicated, hard workers end up doing more work and the slackers get to do less. Mike Hourigan’s program will look at the real issues of developing a winning team. Issues addressed include: what to do with people who do not want to be team players; finding individual strengths and maximizing them for best results; understanding why it seems impossible to get along with certain people and how to communicate with them; how to deal with the “know it all, back stabbers”; and dealing with another time waster – meetings. You will learn problem-solving methods to optimize team effectiveness and get the tools you need to achieve superior results with your teams.

Please click to view the outline for: Teamwork – Team Building Program

Audience versions: leadership, management, HR, sales management, sales, general audience
Format: keynote, breakout, full day

Recruiting, Interviewing and Keeping Great People Today

Everyone has done it and most people don’t like to admit it: made a bad hiring decision. The consequences of a bad hiring decision can range from hysterical to legal. When it comes to recruiting and interviewing, most people are a little skittish. When it comes to employee retention, most people are a little baffled. Mike Hourigan’s colorful and astute perspectives will help you decide whom to hire, how and where to find them, how to screen them, and how to keep them once you’ve got them. Participants will understand the importance of asking the right interview questions and how to develop these questions; learn how to improve the quality of interview candidates through more innovative recruiting and learn motivational techniques to allow them to keep good employees.

Audience versions: leadership, management, HR, sales management, sales,
Format: keynote, breakout, full day

Communication: It’s Not Part of It – It’s All of It

How often have you said: “Why did that employee go ballistic?” Or “Why do I have to work with a jerk?” Whether you like it or not, you have to find a way to communicate with people. Mike Hourigan’s high energy, fast-paced session brings understanding to some of the most difficult communications problems like handling the back stabber, the gossip, or the difficult boss. Mike’s satirical and real world look at interpersonal communications weaves you through this mine field and provides easy to use solutions. In many cases, poor communication skills waste a lot of time. You will learn how to get off the phone quicker, how to get out of meetings faster, and how to get the “ploppers” out of your office in record time. Have you ever made someone mad but didn’t mean to? You will learn how to prevent this. You will even learn how to say “no” to people without hurting their feelings. If you hire people, work with people, or know any people, this is the program for you!

Please click  to view the outline for: Communication Skills Training Programs

Audience versions: leadership, management, HR, sales management, sales,
Format: keynote, breakout, full day

The Hiring Economy: How to Avoid Investing in the Wrong Sales Person

The problem with interviewing salespeople is just that, they are sales people – and if they are any good, they will be able to sell themselves. The real issue is, are they the right sales person for my product, my clients, and my culture? All too often, we hire great sales people who fail miserably at the job and we don’t know why. Generally, we spend a lot of time checking references and crafting trick interview questions only to be fooled at our own game. Sales speaker, Mike Hourigan, is a veteran of the hiring game. He hired an entire sales force for a division of Olympus Corporation and he designed and delivered the sales hiring program for the Harley-Davidson network in the U.S. and Canada. Sales Management expert, Mike Hourigan, shares his secrets for interviewing, using profiles, and really checking references to find the perfect sales professional.

Audience versions: sales management, HR and management, leadership
Format: keynote, breakout , full day

Taking the “Cuss” out of Customer Service

Many people feel customer service is just a fancy form of lip service. Other people feel it is their constitutional right to bully and demean anyone who interacts with customers either on the phone or in person. So what is a customer service representative supposed to do?

This practical program is filled with real answers to real customer service situations like how to work with a customer who is wrong. You will learn the three step formula for
• how to deal with the nasty and abusive customer over the phone
• how to respond to an aggressive client in person
• how to defuse any angry person
You will learn where customers get their expectations, and when and how to follow up with a customer. In addition, you will learn some techniques to make you feel better at the end of the day and not dread the next day.

Best of all you will leave with confidence to help you present your company and your product and yourself in any situation.

Please click to view the outline for: Customer Service Program

Audience versions: customer service, management, HR, sales, sales management
Format: keynote, breakout, full day

 “As a seasoned meeting and event planner, it was a true pleasure
to work with you. I look forward to our next meeting!”
President, Event Production Concepts

Mike’s message to Meeting Planners

“You were a meeting planner’s dream speaker.”
-VP, Meetings and Conventions, (LOMA) Life Office Management Association

Meeting Planner’s Resources (click on individual bullets to view resources)

Professional Keynote Speaker Mike Hourigan, delights his audiences by providing fast, funny, fact-filled keynote speeches and motivational presentations developed just for their company meetings, sales meetings and conventions.

As an in-demand professional Keynote Speaker and consultant, Mike Hourigan, can help fill your convention agenda as a Keynote Speaker with motivational programs, convention breakouts, seminars and workshops designed just for your audience. Keynote Speaker Mike Hourigan’s most requested topics include change, management and leadership, sales management and communication skills. Associations especially appreciate the one-two punch he delivers with a Keynote Speech combined with a convention breakout session.

“Mike delivered exactly what we were looking for – a Keynote Speech
that provided practical insight into how to more effectively implement
and manage change in the workplace.”
- HR Manager, MedCost, LLC

Riding the Waves Without Getting Wet is Keynote Speaker Mike Hourigan’s extremely popular book title and is used for both Keynote Speeches as well as breakout speeches. This title is so popular that many associations and companies have asked to use the title for their events and Mike Hourigan has customized the programs just for them. Some organizations have even themed their meeting around the book title and included a book signing by author and Keynote Speaker, Mike Hourigan.

“Thank you for your outstanding Keynote address!
We look forward to employing your suggestions.”
-State Comptroller of New York

Mike Hourigan is a Keynote Speaker based out of Charlotte, NC and is booked on a regular basis to hold Keynote Speeches at many sales training events throughout the country. As as Keynote Speaker, Mike travels to different convention cities almost every week. He is the author of many books, some of which he co-authored with other Keynote Speakers and Authors.

When booking a Professional Keynote Speaker for your next company meeting or sales training event call Mike Hourigan at 1.888.PRO.KEYNOTE  (1.888.776.5396)

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Mike Hourigan’s Partial Client List

Advance Auto Parts
ADP
Aetna
AgChoice Farm Credit
AIM National Lease
Aluminum Extruders Council
American Association of Blood Banks
American Bus Association
American Cancer Society
American Dairy Products Association
American Fidelity Group
American Rental Association
American Soybean Association
Anderson Consulting
Anne Arundel MD Department of Social Services
AON
Arkansas Electric Cooperative
Arlington Properties
Association of Alternative Postal Systems
Association of Diesel Specialists
Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Association for Healthcare Resource & Materials
Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives
Association for Resource & Materials Management of the American Hospital Association
Association of Legal Administrators
ASC Desktop Business Solutions
ASG International Freight
Atlas Van Lines
AT&T-BellSouth-The Real Yellow Pages
Baptist Health
Ball Horticulture
Banner Pharmacaps
Bayer Corporation
Beloit Corporation
Blue Cross Blue Shield
Bluefield Sales Executives Club
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University
Bunn Capitol Company
Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau
California Association of College Bookstores
Carolinas Medical Center
Carolinas Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association
Central AR Human Resource Association
Cendant
Centocor Ortho Biotech
Celtic Insurance
Childcare Network
Choice Hotels
Cincinnati Park Board
City of Detroit MI
City of Ft. Meade FL
City of Suffolk VA
Coldwell Banker
Collier County FL Sheriff’s Office
Columbia Union College
Community Bankers Association of Illinois
Community Care Physicians
Corinthian Mortgage
Crosland Properties
Davidson College
Delaware Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General
Deloitte Consulting
District of Columbia Health Information Management Association
Diocesan Health Facilities
Dun and Bradstreet
Duke Energy
Drexel Heritage
DSC Logistics
Expandable Software
Eastman Kodak
East Central Illinois Law Enforcement Training
Ernst & Young
ExxonMobil
Financial & Insurance Conference Planners
First Premier Bank
FLA Orthopedics
Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services
Florida Natural Gas Association
Florida Power Corporation
Forum Health
Frye Regional Medical Center
Furniture Manufacturers Credit Association
General Conference of Seventh-Day-Adventists
General Electric
General Mills
GMAC
Golden Harvest
Greesboro Merchants Association
Harley-Davidson
Harris Semiconductor
Hilton
HomeStar Bank
Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International
Hurst Jaw of Life
Illinois Bankers Association
Illinois CPA Society
Illinois Movers’ and Warehousemen’s Association
Industrial Commission of Ohio
Industrial Fabrics Association International
Institute of Real Estate Management
Intelligent Solutions
Internal Revenue Service
Iredell County NC Sheriff’s Office
Johnson & Johnson
Kaiser Permanente
Kirkwood Ski Resort
KPMG Peat Marwick
LA Recreation and Parks Association
Life Spring Mental Health Services
Life Office Management Association
Lincoln Financial Network
Lucent Technologies
MD Publications
Marriott International
Mary Black Health System
MassMutual Financial Group
McDonald’s
Mecklenburg County NC Sheriff’s Office
Meeting Professionals International
Memorial Medical Center
Merz Pharmaceuticals
MetLife
Mid American Labor Management
Middle Atlantic Warehouse Distributors
Midwest Hardware Association
Missouri Bankers Association
Monsanto
National Finance Adjusters Association
National Association of Police Equipment Distributors
National Credit Union Administration
National Pre-cast Concrete Association
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
National Starch and Chemical
National Systems Contractor Association
New Jersey Health Information Management Association
North Carolina Association of CPA’s
North Carolina Association of Schools Child Nutrition
North Carolina Automatic Merchandising Association
North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association
North Carolina State Highway Patrol
Novant Health
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Office Furniture Dealers Alliance
Ohio State Industrial Commission
Ohio Healthcare Association
Paul Hastings ATTORNEYS
PACTIV Corporation
Palmetto Electric Cooperative
Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company
Pennsylvania Bankers Association
Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association
Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce
Piedmont Natural Gas
Portable Sanitation Association, International
PRA International
Province Healthcare
PricewaterhouseCoopers
Quality Care and Rehabilitation
Residential Construction Employers Council
Reynolds Industrial
Rheem Corporation
Sabre
Saint Anthony Publishing
Saint Francis Hospital
Saint Mary’s Hospital
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center
Savvy Salon
SCAMA
S.C. Johnson’s Wax
Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles an International Association
Securities Transfer Association
Select Sires
Senator USA
South Carolina State Government Improvement Network
Southeastern Food Processors Association
Southeastern Meat Association
Southern Association of Dairy Food Manufactures
Society of Insurance Licensing Administrators
Society of Professional Engineers of North Carolina
Sourcing Interests
Southeastern Food Processors Association
Southeastern Gas Association
Specialized Carriers and Riggers Association
Sprint
Stag Parkway
Stanley Furniture
State University of New York Health Science Center
State of Michigan Department of Information Technology
State of New York Office of the State Comptroller
Supreme Court of Virginia
Sysco
TCIM Services
Telamon Corporation
The Friedkin Companies
The Associated General Contractors of Illinois
Thomas Register
Tower Tech
Turbine Controls
The National Association of Multifamily Housing Managers
Tri-Valley Elder Services
Unocal
United Auto Workers Union
United Food & Commercial Workers
University of North Carolina Public Television
U.S. Army
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
U.S. XPRESS
Van York Auto Mall
Virginia Automatic Merchandising Association
Volvo Trucks NA & Mack Trucks Wachovia Bank
Wachovia Bank
Wachovia Mortgage
Walt Disney Imagineering
Westar Energy
Veterans Administration
Windmill Restaurants
Womack Army Medical Center
Yale Security Group

Contact Mike Hourigan 704.875.3030

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“Your keynote address started the conference on a positive note. We all appreciated the way you customized the program to benefit the 1,400 healthcare materials managers. Your sense of humor also added a special touch. We sure picked a winner!”
Director – Education and Meetings, AHRMM

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Keynote Speaker Mike Hourigan’s Association Clients

Contact Mike Hourigan 704.875.3030

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“Thank you so much for the awesome presentation at our CMC Tech Days dinner. You were “right on” in your message and delivery. All I can say is “WOW”. Your topics and humor were very supportive of the message we had been delivering over the previous two days. What a climax to a wonderful meeting.”
IT Director, CMC Steel Group

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Keynote Speaker Mike Hourigan’s Company Clients

Contact Mike Hourigan 704.875.3030

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