Improvised Change

Lead with Emotion

In this keynote, you’ll learn tools to confidently work and lead teams through uncertain and challenging situations in order to adapt to change in creative and unexpected ways. 

The speech focuses on developing the ability of leaders to support and coach their fellow leaders, colleagues and direct reports through change. This talk will provide specific skills and techniques for identifying the behaviors that indicate an individual is struggling (or thriving) through a change and how you can “meet them where they are” in order to provide tailored support to help them move through the “change curve” efficiently and successfully.

A person presenting at a workshop or seminar, standing at a podium with a laptop in front of an audience seated in rows. A screen displays a slide titled "Embracing Change: Tools & Skills to Help..." and a projector is visible. The room is well-lit and a video camera is mounted on a tripod recording the event.

Content Highlights

  • Understand the origins of the “change curve” and how it relates to the stages of grief. Practice identifying the behaviors people demonstrate at different stages of the “change curve” and how you can monitor the emotional progress of your people.

  • Learn various techniques for “meeting people where they are” in order to coach them through each stage of the “change curve”. Understand how to switch from providing emotional support to providing creative guidance that propels your colleagues towards a “test and learn” attitude when adopting new habits and behaviors.

  • Learn the components of a successful change vision. Learn how clear, precise and memorable change visions can excite and inspire individuals on your team to do the hard work to move towards a new reality.

  • Learn techniques for customizing change messages for various audiences so that individuals can see and clearly understand their specific role in making a large-scale change successful (“What’s in it for me?”).

Group of people sitting and laughing in an office setting.

- UX Sr. Manager, PayPal

“The energy and tone (Dave) set was fantastic, even with some “skeptics” in the audience. One point of feedback that came up was how well (Dave) tied this all back to practical use.

-Sr. HR Manager, Learning Resources

From the onset, working with Dave was incredibly easy. His flexibility, openness, and willingness to tailor his material to our specific organizational needs were truly commendable. The results were nothing short of remarkable. Dave's delivery was captivating, maintaining a high level of professionalism throughout. He set the standard for the caliber of speakers we aspire to engage in future events.