If you're looking for someone for your event who is more than just a strong speaker, but quite literally practices what they preach, let's talk!
I love the opportunity to share what I do, and because I'm still active in the work, I focus on how to actually get things done, not just inspire you with fun quotes.
As an engineer and a researcher, I'm highly trained learner. I'm fascinated by how things work and why things happened.
But I'm an equally passionate teacher. Let's be honest, some people just want you know how smart they are. I want you to actually walk away having actually learned something. I cut through the buzzwords and the glitz and speak candidly to educate, pique curiosity, and inspire.
What I hope you take away
Regardless of the topic, I believe in a few key tenets:
If you're trying to build for, talk to, or help people, you need to be listening to them a lot more than you probably are.
When it comes to Big Questions, we need to be more willing to try something small to start defining the ambiguous.
My background has provided me the opportunity to see hundreds of different problems, from the highly technical to the deeply personal. I draw on all that experience to not just captivate with humor and emotion, but to stay grounded in reality and to offer tangible advice for listeners to take away.
Speaking Topics
Stop hiring me! How to do better market research in-house
Want a great way to waste a lot of money on a marketing plan, brand strategy, or product development project? Fuel it with really passionate but wildly personal opinions from the people in your company. One of the most valuable things I offer clients when I help them with market research projects is that I don't have an opinion. My job is to be curious about your customers, ask great questions, and simply package up what they care about most into a format that can be quickly leveraged into your next big move. Whether you're part of a large team, or just the one person asked to answer The Big Question, I'll teach you all my techniques for doing high value research quickly, so you can not just get better results, you can do it yourself!
You'll Learn:
Why SurveyMonkey is a terrible way for figuring out what your customers want
How to plan, structure, and run a high-speed, high-quality qualitative research project
The best interview techniques to keep people talking and get to what really matters
How to ask the right questions of your customer base to get answers you can use
Design Thinking 101: Actual Tactics to Reduce the Mystique
Design Thinking is an approach to solving challenging problems that are too unique or too complex to use existing solutions. It’s been used to create new products, help sell condos, and overhaul emergency rooms. If you feel like you understand it less the more it’s explained, you’re not alone! As the business world gets more and more breathless about the astounding magic of Design Thinking, it's getting harder to understand what the hell it actually is. I help break through the mystique and teach you tactical steps you can try to help tackle your hairiest problems.
You'll Learn:
What is Design Thinking? Concrete examples of where it’s been used successfully
Why do there seem to be so many conflicting messages when we try to explain what it is?
A few simple steps you can try to apply Design Thinking to your everyday life or your next big challenge
Starting From Scratch: Tackling Big Unknowns with Confidence
After over a decade in product development and innovation as an engineer and a researcher, I’ve been asked to solve hundreds of problems I knew nothing about. From pancake machines to patient transitional care models, I’ve developed a strategy that can be applied to any new problem that you’re not sure how to start. By understanding the “Keystone Problems” you’ll identify what needs to be understood first and techniques to get there quickly.
You'll Learn:
Why it’s important to be a Problem Solver rather than a Solution Creator
How to identify the “Keystone Problem” that helps you decide where to focus your efforts first
The secret strategy of engineers everywhere to get something working fast
How to make sure you prototype to learn, not prototype to win
Hosting a panel and
need panelists with some personality?
I love a live conversation with smart people! Here's some topics I'm passionate about and have spoken on in the past:
Qualitative Research (methods, strategy, when it's used, etc.)
Design Thinking
Human Centered Design
Product Development
Rapid Prototyping
Innovation (process, mindsets, corporate culture, etc.)
Brainstorming
Why "The Little Bit of Everything" is the only thing to order at breakfast
Recent events
Social Media Breakfast Maine (a monthly gathering of ~130 marketing professionals, drawing both local and national speakers)
Thinking Like a Designer: What Marketers From Learn from Designers Innovate New Products
Empathy Based Branding: Building A Strategy Based in Customer Understanding
Panelist: "What Users Really Want"
Greenlight Maine TV Show (expert mentors coach early stage start-ups)
Expert Mentor: Contract manufacturing vs. building capabilities in-house
Guest Lecturer: New Product Development