Speaking

Keynote Speeches

Ara speaking in front of groupAs a thought-leader with a wide array of interests, I have become adept at connecting the dots to provide clarity and confidence to audiences large and small.

Whether I am being retained as a consultant for a long-term assignment, a keynote speaker, a seminar leader, or a performance coach, I have years of experience equipping people with the right combination of knowledge acquisition, skill enhancement, and talent development to bring about positive change.

A great speech should hold the attention of the audience, give them compelling things to think about, cause them to willingly make positive changes in their lives, and help make sense of the world around them.

Most of the topics I speak about represent custom-crafted presentations that are unique to that occasion. They reflect the unique needs of that audience at that time. They are delivered once, and never again.

A few of my presentations are such that they become classics, signature presentations that I deliver with my own unique style. They can’t be replicated by copycats. These few include the following:

  • Six Great Men:
    A historically-based deep-dive into a wide assortment of themes related to our primary Founding Fathers (Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton), covering topics such as:

      • What was their overall background, temperament, education, and political philosophy?
      • What about their intellectual acumen; just how “smart” were they?
      • What were their views and experiences with slavery?
      • What was their religious outlook: were they Christians, Deists, Atheists, or something else? How did they view religion generally?
      • What were their major failings and their primary accomplishments?
      • What did they fear? Who were their friends? Who were their enemies?
      • How did they view each other? What was the nature of their individual relationships?

    Audiences come away inspired and amazed at what these six giants accomplished. This was truly a Dream Team in world history, drawing upon their unusual blend of public virtue, learnedness, and prescience to bring about the greatest experiment in individual liberty resulting in the most successful and prosperous nation-state in world history. One of the most unique presentations on the market today demonstrating the unique leadership qualities of this unusual collection of unlikely leadership greatness.

  • The 7 Deadly Sins of Leadership:
    This very popular presentation looks at seven specific things great leaders avoid, bending the odds in their favor that their leadership efforts will bear fruit. A great primer on what leadership is in its essence. Audiences will have a clear line-of-site between current reality and the necessary breakthroughs that will set them apart as consequential leaders.
  • Great Leaders of the Past:
    I take a close look at a variety of leaders and leadership styles of an earlier era, noting the unique threads that caused such leaders to remain top of mind for today’s leaders. Explorations of such leaders as Alexander the Great, Martin Luther, George C. Marshall, Ronald Reagan, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, Brigham Young, Ann Sullivan, Martin Luther King, Mother Teresa, Steve Jobs, and Leonardo Da Vinci are all possible targets of such profiles.
  • Leader As Change Agent:
    One of the most fundamental characteristics of leaders and leadership is the change that is brought about. This presentation delivers a clear, prescriptive path to bringing about lasting, positive change in the workplace, the home, and for individuals in their own life.
  • Innovation for the Common Man:
    Innovation seems elusive to many, a trait that is housed in the DNA of a small segment of the population. Yet all could innovate if they understood how. Unfortunately, innovations of the past carry the seeds of complacency for the future, making it harder to achieve breakthrough success. I pull back the curtain to enable men and women to glean a realistic look at what it takes to innovate – and everyone can do it. I show them how.

 


What Ara's audiences are saying...

You are an excellent communicator and I am honored to have been in the presence of someone so mentally sharp. Thank you for your informative presentation on The Founding Fathers and for sharing your knowledge.

Joseph Vadnay
Rotary Club of Redlands

Ara Norwood is not only an exceptional speaker, trainer and writer, but he is also an amazing leader who cares about making a difference in your life. That is why Ara is in a class all by himself.

Michael Sears
President
Sears Wealth Management

A sincere thank you for the fantastic program you delivered to NSA Utah. Your presentation was incredible! The content was valuable to the audience and the accompanying handout was outstanding. I want you to know how much I appreciate the time and effort you devoted to getting my presidential year kicked off with such flair. Your presentation will no doubt inspire others to join NSA and help our future presentations be even better.

Dian Thomas
President, Utah Chapter
National Speakers Association

Ara Norwood is a truly inspiring leadership speaker. He manages not only to engage his audience, but his speeches and facilitation are 100% pure inspiration. Ara’s speeches have a more motivating effect than hours and hours of training and Ara’s insightful thoughts are a true gift. I highly recommend Ara without any hesitation.

Jennifer Grogl
Personnel & Training Manager
Princess Cruises

Thank you for addressing the Medical Management Leadership of Heath Net. . . Your talk was both stimulating and engaging. We appreciated your call for future challenges to the industry and how you forced us to integrate our ability to cope with these using the skills defined. You left us with much food-for-thought and a sense of possibilities. Thank you.

Jennifer Gutzmore, M.D.
Senior Vice President/Chief Medical Officer
Health Net of California

We would like to extend our thanks for your dynamic presentation at our recent Professional Development luncheon. Your presentation was exciting, informative, timely, and well received by the managers in attendance. The tips you shared can be used to help us all become more insightful and effective managers.

Justin Hess
President
National Management Association, City of Burbank Chapter

Thanks for your excellent program yesterday. I learned more from you about the Founding Fathers in 30 minutes than I have in 70 years of history classes! Great job!

Jay Wilbur
Program Chair
Paramount Rotary Club

Your presentation was insightful. The practicality of your talk certainly applies to the healthcare business that we are in, and indeed is applicable to all fields. It certainly is in line with our organization’s goal of developing leadership skills.

Nicholas Scott
Manager of Cardiology/Center for Health Management
Little Company of Mary Hospital