Speaking
Dr. Brent D. Peterson
Dr. Peterson is a sought-after and compelling keynote speaker, author, and advisor on strategy, alignment and execution. Brent has a vast background in speaking and presenting. He has made thousands of presentations to professional associations, universities, university groups, service organizations, industry groups, business organizations, government agencies, and has contributed to forums and panels. Brent’s greatest strength as a communicator is translating complex, academic concepts into understandable and useable skills and ideas. He does this using humor, life experiences and a complete love and appreciation for people.
Some of his most notable topics include:
- Fake Work: Avoiding Fake Work in Your Workplace (Focus on the Book)
- Causes of Fake Work; Paths to Real Work
- Strategic Literacy
- Strategy-Alignment-Execution: Linking Real Work to Organizational Issues.
- Driving Strategy to Results
- Communication in the World of Work
- The 4E’s of Learning: Excitement, Experience, Execution, and Evaluation.
- Results by Design: Building a Learning Model in Your Organization
- Measuring the Impact of Learning in Your Organization
Brent has authored and co-authored over 20 books (partial list):
- Fake “Work” Why People Are Working Harder Than Ever but Accomplishing Less, and How to Fix the Problem: Simon Spotlight Entertainment A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
- Communication Probes, which has been used by over 100,000 students.
- People at Work: Human Behavior in Organizations (5th Edition), Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western Publishing.
- Analysis in Human Resource Training and Organizational Development, Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.
- The Complete Speaker: An Introduction to Public Speaking (3rd Edition), Cincinnati, Ohio: South-Western Publishing.
Michael D. Gillespie
Having started and been driving force of several successful education companies Michael offers an entertaining combination of theory and real life experience in his presentations. Recognized as a leader in the coaching industry, Michael has been sought-after to design, develop, and deliver coaching services for some of the most respected companies in the world. He is masterful at quickly identifying the “elephants in the room” and “sacred cow issues” that are often avoided but necessary to address and resolve at an individual, team and organization level. He does this in a humorous way that allows everyone to feel open and safe about exploring better ways to achieve higher results.
Popular topics include:
- Aligning People with Purpose
- Developing a Coaching Culture from Top to Bottom
- The 5 Disciplines of Coaching: Knowledge, Application, Motivation, Accountability, and Time
- Failure is Sometimes the Best Option to Empower Innovation
- Strategy, Alignment and Execution
- Real Talk for Real Results
- Causes of Fake Work; Paths to Real Work
- Acquiring a Taste for Elephants and Cows
Gaylan N. Nielson
Gaylan spends his life helping organizations execute strategies by aligning their people to achieve results that make a difference. From his experiences he co-authored Fake “Work”, published by Simon & Schuster. Fake “Work” focuses on turning Fake Work into Real Work – work that is aligned with the strategies each organization deems to be critical for its success.
Speaking gives Gaylan the opportunity to integrate issues from his other areas of interest such as: strategy, leadership, alignment, management development, organizational learning, individual and team performance, and execution. To all his presentations he brings passion, humor, real-life experience, and insight.
Gaylan has been speaking for 25 years in an array of organizations, events, and situations on a wide range of topics and for dozens of client events, and has spoken in several countries including China, Indonesia, Egypt, Nigeria, England, France, and Germany. Most recently, focused on Fake “Work”, he has spoken at universities, conferences, and corporate events, and has been a featured speaker over the years at:
- ASTD (American Society for Training and Development)
- SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management)
- The Online Learning Conference
- The National Quality Conference
- The FranklinCovey Symposium
- The Society for Technical Communication Conference
Dr. John R. Stoker
John has been involved in organizational development for well over 20 years. He has a broad spectrum of experience in a variety of industries: utilities, aerospace, manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, banking, telecommunications, entertainment, and government, among others.
John is a polished presenter and speaker and has designed and delivered programs in dialogue, leadership, mental model shifting, performance management, change management, and emotional intelligence. He holds a J.D. Degree and a Master’s Degree in Organizational Behavior and has a unique ability to apply practical application of theory to real business challenges in a way that is thought-provoking, challenging, and entertaining.
Authority on Dialogue, Conflict Resolution, Critical Thinking, Change, and Organizational Effectiveness
If you are interested in. . .
- Improving the quality of the conversations you hold
- Resolving conflict and creating more viable solutions
- Increasing your ability to think outside the box
- Rejuvenating respect and relationships
- Creating a distinct competitive advantage
. . . then you will definitely be interested in hearing from John R. Stoker. He has worked with individuals, teams, and audiences large and small for over 20 years. John’s presentations are the perfect mix of theory, practical application, and humor. Those who listen to his presentations or participate in his training courses increase their personal awareness and learn time-tested skills and approaches that improve their personal and professional capability. And they have an enjoyable time while doing so!
Charles Dayton
Charles Dayton is a practitioner and consultant in the areas or leadership development, strategic planning and execution. He has worked with hundreds of leadership teams with their leadership and team development, organizational assessment and strategy implementation. Charles has worked successfully with Fortune 500 clients, federal agencies, the US Military and local governments. His greatest strength is the ability to helping organization’s take complex issues and identify responsive, do-able strategies. Charles draws upon his experience as a consultant, community leader and professional artist to deliver compelling presentations.
Notable topics include:
- Core Competencies of Strategic Leaders – Strategic Thinking, Strategic Planning and Strategy Execution
- Confronting Reality – Leadership Biases that Impact Strategy Quality
- Fake Work – Identifying the Underlying Causes of Waste in Organizations
- Real Strategy – Overcoming 50 Years of Failed Planning Methods
"Brent Peterson and Gaylan Nielson bring to light a rarely examined activity that occurs daily in many organizations: Fake Work. Fake work wastes a precious resource—the time and talent of valuable employees. The authors underscore the problem—and solution pathways—with real-life examples that are at times disturbingly familiar. Read this book and get real!” 
“Brent Peterson and Gaylan Nielson have delivered! Their intriguing book, Fake Work, powerfully diagnoses why most organizations and people are overworked and yet are underperforming, being trapped in the ‘thick of thin things.’ This book is filled with illuminating insight while at the same time being immensely practical and useful. Above all, it will forever change how you and your organization look at work—and better yet how real work is identified and done, and the results that follow.”
