Keynote Speaker: Ultra Versatile
As a dynamic
breakout speaker, Gerry turns his clever wit, outrageous humour and Jungian psychology to bring a fresh and radical approach to any subject; his
speciality keynote is a pearler....
“How to Handle Difficult People – Inspiration and Motivation”
We all come across customers and fellow staff members that are difficult to handle. Gerry’s solution derives from his personal depthing of the psychology of Carl Jung and his ability to bring its power alive with story and humour. More than a speech, he creates experiences with his audience that lead to improved workplace harmony and productivity.
“From his opening line to the final standing ovation, Gerry galvanised our audience with his brilliant mix of humour and challenging motivation. Both the verbal and written feedback on Gerry's "Performance" were along the lines of, "Why can't we have Gerry at every important meeting? He both entertains and informs - and even more importantly, he makes people think."
Helen Erridge, Convenor, Diversional Therapists National Conference, May 2008
“I thoroughly enjoyed what Gerry had to offer. Certainly a wide spectrum of knowledge, entertainment and enjoyment.”
Kevin Tamiti, Kiwi League Legend
“I thought I’d heard every angle on motivation but this was refreshing and challenging and the comedy just drew everyone in – a ripper!”
Colin Anderson, Convenor Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, April 2008
“Your keynote speech was amazing. I really enjoyed your stories and messages. There has been such positive feedback.”
Murray Patterson, Conference Administrator, NZ Educational Support Staff Conference.
“He tells it like it is and just gets everyone excited. The best motivation speech I’ve ever heard.”
Andrew Osbourne, President Southland Rugby League
For more detail on the content of this presentation see after Break Out Speaker below.
Break Out Speaker - Ultra Versatile
Gerry embraces your given topic to challenge, stimulate and encourge teamwork and participation. He’s the great energiser, ripping up long seminar days, conferences and talk fests, invigorating your people with fresh ideas for the mind and fresh air to the brain!
"Gerry Forde - what can I say! A dynamic, entertaining, fun presenter at our national conference, highly recommended. He grabbed the post-lunch session by the throat and shook the inertia out of the audience, turning what is often a "dead fish" session into one of action, laughter - certainly set the scene for the rest of the day - and he got his message across!"
Yvonne Stewart, National Health & Safety Conference
“Scintillating Guest Speakers. Southland Spirit of a Nation brand manager (Gerry Forde) opened the convention with a side-splitting address that included using Colin Perfect as his lawnmower.”
Toastmasters NZ Convention
"Gerry raised our sales course participants' confidence through encouragement, laughter (tears of), self-assessment and testing of their comfort zones. Extremely entertaining, vibrant and rewarding. Not only was that Gerry's performance but the participants' behaviour during and after his presentation."
Andrew More, Westpac Trust
Keynote: “How to Handle Difficult People: Motivation and Inspiration” - Detail
This topic has immediate application to the workplace where staff inevitably find that there are colleagues or customers who regularly rub them up the wrong way. Unlimited Business Magazine’s annual survey named as one of the seven key factors of top businesses “values that placed a strong emphasis on looking after people.”
Staff relations also featured in the six top-rated statements by employees at NZ’s leading businesses, namely: “Overall I enjoy working with my colleagues in this organisation.” (Robertson 2002a; Robertson, 2002b).
Gerry begins his assault on the issue of workplace clashes by unleashing his inimitable humour. Within minutes he has the audience laughing, relaxing and contributing. This synergy will prove crucial as he takes the group through some challenging insights into the issue. All the way through, he will pepper the audience with comedy and story telling, keeping energy levels high for the challenge ahead.
Gerry’s keynote acknowledges that there are inevitable personality clashes between colleagues and with customers. He notes that these problem people are not going to go away and that it is impossible for us to change the other person. That leaves the ball in our court – can we change our attitude so that the difficult person no longer gets to us?
Gerry then draws on his “lived” and studied knowledge of holistic psychologist Carl Jung. Jung is the father of psychoanalytical psychology famed for such discoveries as introvert/extravert, personality types (the basis of the Myers-Briggs personality tests), the feminine side in men, the collective unconscious, interpretive dream analysis, complexes and synchronicity.
The first concept introduced is that of the persona. This doubles as the mask that we wear as our public image and how we like to think of ourselves. Gerry brings the idea of the persona alive with examples and comedy while encouraging everyone to think about how they like to be seen by others and by themselves.
With every persona there comes a shadow personality. Gerry breathes life into this concept with everyday examples that show how our “dark” side works to bring balance to our one-sided “persona”.
Projection is the key principle in this keynote and is the turning point of the speech. This radical and far reaching concept of Carl Jung has us taking responsibility for the things we dislike in others in a most revolutionary manner. Gerry invites and entices the audience to take a radical and life altering change in attitude that can have the effect of dissolving personality clashes overnight.
To this point, Gerry has presented a theory. He is the first to acknowledge that knowing about something is no guarantee that you can accomplish it. So he takes a radical step. He invites the audience to see how change takes place from the inside. He takes the audience on a journey from the mind down to the powerhouse of the unconscious to find the key to forging a new attitude. What he uncovers will touch everyone in the audience and leave them fired up and ready to handle the most difficult people in their lives.
This speech comes with extensive follow up notes adding to the methods outlined in the keynote, offering alternative approaches to attitude enhancement, suggested further reading and recommended websites and bibliography.
“How to Handle Difficult People – Workshop (1-3 hours)
This workshop follows on from the keynote, taking large or small groups through the process of adjusting perspective, changing attitude and depthing the personal source of motivation. It can be covered in summary form in one hour or more extensively as a two or three hour exercise with time for personal reflection and discussion depending on the needs of the group.
