Dave Schwensen

Customer Service, Sales, Presentation Skills, Teamwork/Teambuilding, Networking, Communication

"Success starts with the word 'hello.' In today's competitive marketplace, what you say and how you say it matters more now than ever before."

   Topics   Testimonials

Bio

How do you get someone's attention and hold it long enough for them to remember what you say? How can you break the "ice" and make a memorable first impression when meeting someone new? What separates you from anyone else offering superb customer service, increased sales, improved teamwork, or training as an educator, administrator or supervisor?

You could hand someone a million dollars - that would get my attention! But if you're not Donald Trump, you need a better plan. It's time to open the lines of communication.

The simple truth is that successful people know how to start and continue conversations that are not only heard - but listened to and remembered. Colorful emails, high-tech websites and expensive flyers may open the doors to communication, but eventually you'll have to meet face to face, pick up the phone, or look into the camera during a video conference. These are all opportunities for you and members of your team to separate yourselves from the rest of the pack - your competition - and build successful and productive relationships with clients, co-workers or students. Are you prepared? Do you know what to say next? (Hint: It's more than just saying hello!).

• The key to superb customer service is relating to your clients

• The key to success in sales is separating yourself from your competition

• The key to teamwork and networking is building stronger relationships

• The key to learning is relating to your instructor

Dave Schwensen shows you how to have memorable and productive conversations by employing personal creativity and politically correct good humor as communication enhancements without distracting from your message. These personality-driven conversation techniques are also the basis for courses he has designed and instructs in communications and presentation skills at Cleveland State University and other "halls of higher learning."

During his informative and highly entertaining keynote presentations, break-out sessions and training seminars, Dave includes handouts from his university course workbooks and uses audience participation to demonstrate Five Simple Steps to better and more productive communications.

Dave's programs provide practical and useful information on how to benefit from improved conversational skills. But what truly separates his presentation style from others is his skillful use of humor, along with entertaining stories of how these five simple steps were used by famous celebrities during Dave's career as a television talent coordinator in Hollywood and New York.

Audiences leave with a new awareness of what they already possess - personal creativity and sense of humor. Participants will also have an understanding of how to utilize these talents as successful communication tools. The results include:

• Better professional relationships

• Effective customer service

• Improved teamwork

• Improved teaching skills

• Increased productivity and attendance

• Positive networking

• Successful sales presentations, (one-on-one or group)

Dave Schwensen's professional background enables him to bring unique solutions to common problems. A veteran of the fast paced and high stress entertainment industry in Hollywood and New York, he worked behind the scenes as a talent coordinator and consultant for television networks, film studios and live performance venues. With egos and star power often clashing on a daily basis, Dave developed an innovative style of business communication skills to promote teamwork and meet deadlines through his experiences with many of today's top stars and production companies.

Dave has been featured in:

• PBS Television and Radio

• U.S. News & World Report

• Chicago Tribune

• Hollywood Reporter

• InsideBiz.com Magazine

• Ohio Magazine

• Cleveland Plain Dealer

• Numerous other national and regional media

Topics

Keynotes and training seminars include audience participation and selected handouts from university workbook.

Creativity & Humor: Building the Foundation for Better Communications

This program is about the benefits of using personal creativity and humor as productive communication tools. Based on Dave Schwensen's college course, (Cleveland State University and Youngstown State University), and corporate training program, participants learn the benefits of good humor vs the negatives of bad humor, and how positive creative thoughts and observations about daily events and shared experiences can ease pressure and tension, start conversations and improve teamwork.

The goal is to remove communication barriers and promote interaction between co-workers, clients and students through fun and relatable conversations. Program includes workbook, audience participation and laughter.

Program Format:

1.  This program begins with a humorous greeting / introduction.

2.  Discussion about the difference between good humor, (positive), and bad humor, (negative).

3.  Audience participation / workbook exercise. Participants explore what makes him / her laugh, a simple reason why for each, then picks from a list of terms that best describes his / her sense of humor.

4.  We then discuss creative thinking using individual thoughts and opinions about common topics. Each person is unique and may have different thoughts and opinions about the same thing. Example: For some the glass is half full, for others half empty.

5.  Audience participation / workbook exercise. Follow workbook steps to develop short conversational story enhanced by creativity and humor about a common experience. Participants can present short conversational story to the audience. Number of participants depends on time restraints.
   

Testimonials

"Every one of the evaluation forms rated you a 5 or 5-plus out of 5 being most excellent!" - Educational Office Professionals of Ohio

"Our membership would endorse and label your speaking manner as a positive, funny, and delightful engagement of individuals sharing a special time of learning and laughing together." - New York National Association of Educational Procurement

"You have raised the bar for future presenters. Every single member that attended the meeting had good comments about you and the material." - The American Society of Appraisers

"After you left, we continued to discuss some of the ideas and tips that you had provided to the group, and I know several people were excited to use the information as soon as possible." - Automotive Profit Pro, LLC

"The subject matter is something we can use in our professional and personal lives. Thanks again for your help!" - The Citizens Banking Company

"Our membership participation was fantastic and the feedback received by the board of directors was exceptional." - Wisconsin Technology Educators Association

Recent Clients:

• Wisconsin Technology Education Association

• Virginia Retail Alliance

• Educational Office Professionals of Ohio

• Automotive Profit Pro

• New York State Association of Educational Office Professionals

• New England National Association of Educational Buyers

• California Association of Educational Office Professionals

• Indiana Association of Educational Office Professionals

• Ohio Continuing Higher Education Association

• New York National Association of Educational Procurement

• Vita-Mix Corporation

• The Citizen's Banking Company

• Air Conditioning Contractors of America

• Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors

• American Society of Appraisers

• Firelands Regional Health Center

• American Society of Trainers and Developers

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