I feel very blessed to have been invited to facilitate a 2nd keynote during the last 2 weeks.

The success of the keynotes would not have been possible without the generous support of others.

I would like to offer the following points for consideration in the event that you have an upcoming message to share:

1. Collaborate with the person who invited you to do the keynote & collectively work together to put the keynote together 💑

2. Be vulnerable, share your personal story in the introduction 🎤

3. Share stories about the audience, great way to recognize the amazing things your audience is doing 📖

4. Use the elements of humour & surprise. I used the acronym POT (Purpose-Opportunity-Time)

5. Engage the audience, have them participate. I used “But Wait” with the audience replying “There’s More” ⏰

6. Always make it about the audience.

I would like to thank my mentor Joe Grondin, Lisa Smith from Eastern College, Younes Bouida from Soccer NB as well as fellow Toastmasters for the opportunity to learn & grow as a speaker. ⚽

Get out and share your stories-gifts, the world is waiting to hear them. 🎁

Great connection this morning with a group of over 20 leaders who experienced tools & strategies in building a co-operative work culture.

A big thank-you going out to GMCC Moncton, NBCC Moncton, the support team and most importantly the participants for this journey together!

nancy

The most delightful news this week was the announcement of Nancy Hartling’s appointment to the Senate. To those of us who know Nancy, this won’t come as a surprise since we know that nobody is more worthy and deserving of this honor. Nancy will certainly bring a breath of much needed fresh air into one of the democratic world’s greatest institutions.

My delight is more specific. I first met Nancy when she signed up for an Emotional Fitness Coach Training course – the first (and only) one I taught in New Brunswick. At the same time, I discovered that Nancy had imported the “Be a Great Dad” program I had developed in Calgary, so we had a connection even before we met.

So now Canada has a Senator who is a trained Emotional Fitness Coach. Imagine how that can change the way decision-makers communicate! When the leaders of our, and every country, can share the tools of Emotional Fitness, we shall be well on our way to world peace.

Well done, Senator Nancy, and we wish you the greatest of success and fulfillment in your new position.

Warren Redman

I’m gazing at the picture of those stepping-stones reaching out into what looks like pretty deep water. The question posed on the photo asks if I’m ready to take a step.

It reminds me of the steps I’ve taken in the past – things that have meant walking away from the familiar (a job, a relationship, a country, for example) towards something unknown, or at least uncertain. It usually felt as though I was taking a leap into a deep pool of dark water. Scary, to say the least, especially when nobody else wanted to take the same kinds of risks.

Looking back, how glad I am that I took those risks, stepped onto the stepping-stones, jumped into the unknown. My life has been far richer and enlightening than if I’d stayed where I was, on the safe side, without getting my feet wet.