 Speech Topics
As an amputee, Olympic skier, Rhodes Scholar, former White House official and successful businesswoman, Bonnie St. John knows a little something about facing challenges. Every speech she delivers is unique and relevant to the challenges faced by the people in your audience. By interviewing your organization’s leadership as well as a cross-section of the intended audience beforehand, Bonnie gathers the background she needs to understand the issues your group faces and tailor her presentation to suit your intended goals. You can brainstorm with her on a customized topic for your specific purposes or use one of the topics below.
Leadership in Tough Times
To become an Olympic skier, Bonnie had to overcome tremendous odds: she grew up in San Diego with no snow, her right leg was amputated at age five and her single mom with a school-teacher salary couldn't afford expensive ski trips. But Bonnie leaned on the same critical factors for success that allow other leaders to achieve astounding results despite tough situations.
Bonnie will explain these key leadership insights using examples from her own gripping story as well as from a concentration camp survivor, a military leader and a non-profit CEO who takes on criminals across the globe with his own team of lawyers. What works in these extreme cases of leading in the face of overwhelming odds will certainly make a difference for those in tough market challenges today. Everyone will leave with concrete, actionable ideas and a renewed sense of excitement about carving out great results.
Beyond the Lone Ranger, Listerine and the Energizer Bunny: the New Meaning of Perseverance
“Never give up,” means something completely different in today’s world of rapidly shifting global markets and changing, 21st Century technologies. Using her experiences and research to illustrate, Bonnie St. John shares examples of four kinds of perseverance and persistence techniques that lead to a competitive edge in a highly fluid world. As an amputee living in San Diego with no money (or snow!) for training, Bonnie needed to apply extreme tenacity to become the first African-American to win Olympic medals in ski racing at the Paralympics. The doggedness she learned there led her to further success as a Rhodes Scholar, in sales at IBM, as a White House economic official during the Clinton administration, and in her own business as a writer and speaker. When you understand how to persist and adapt at the same time, your team becomes virtually unstoppable.
The CEO Chronicles
In over 15 years as a speaker, author and executive coach, Bonnie St. John has interviewed and/or worked closely with hundreds of CEOs and senior leaders, representing a vast canvass of industries, including financial, entertainment, retail, pharmaceutical and many others. Drawing on her personal stories and original interviews, Bonnie shares lessons in leadership and wisdom that support your event's purpose and leave people with practical “take aways” and stories they will never forget. This speech can be tailored to include only women CEOs, to focus on a particular industry or profession, or to underscore a theme such as courage, strength or integrity.
The Über Secrets of Top Performers
Bonnie St. John shares with audiences the secrets she has found that world-class performers know, but most people do not know. Bonnie has the unique position of having competed with and worked with world-class people from sports, politics, academics and business. She has also interviewed people in-depth as part of her experiences in the White House, Olympics, Oxford, Harvard and on Wall Street, as well as interviewed superstars in entertainment and the arts.
Bonnie will surprise you with examples and stories that illustrate the following secrets:
1. Why hard work, talent, and connections are not what separates stars from superstars—and what does
2. The most important way to put the stress of being a superstar or super-achiever into perspective and not let it affect your decision making or performance
3. Why champions aren’t built one at a time, and how to build a community of champions in your organization
Bonnie’s presentation draws on examples from CEOs of multibillion-dollar corporations, elected officials, television stars and producers, international sports champions and coaches, and more.
Inner Strength from Faith
Bonnie St. John presents stories of leadership, courage and awe-inspiring strength from original interviews with prominent women such as Maya Angelou, Barbara Bush, Edie Falco, Nadia Comaneci, Dorothy Height, Amy Grant and Susan Taylor, as well as less well known but equally amazing women, including a soldier in Afghanistan, a woman who saved over 100 disabled people from Hurricane Katrina, and a hospice doctor. This presentation is based on Bonnie's most recent book, How Strong Women Pray, which also includes her own spiritual journey through Harvard and Oxford, the White House, the Olympics, childhood abuse, and a life in the limelight.
A Speech for Charity on your Behalf
When Bonnie St. John travels to your organization for a speech, she also wants to use her time to help others in the area. When it fits in her travel schedule, Bonnie will give a complimentary keynote speech to a charity or non-profit group of your choice in your organization's name, at no extra cost. If your organization does not have a group of choice, then she may be able to choose a local school or hospital and donate the speech in your organization's name.
About Bonnie St. John
A stunning inspiration, Bonnie St. John challenges audiences to question what they see as their own limitations and shows them how to re-energize their performance.
Versatile and Accomplished: Not content to compete in only one arena, Bonnie St. John is a Silver Medal-winning Paralympic skier and author. She’s also been a Rhodes Scholar, award-winning IBM sales representative, member of the White House National Economic Council and a Wall Street executive. Her principles of success have served her well through diverse and challenging endeavors, and she sparks audiences nationwide to apply her success strategies to their own lives.
Winners Get Up Faster: When people stumble or fall, the difference between winning and losing is a matter of who gets up faster. St. John’s remarkable success in the face of physical adversity taught her that the key to winning is not just bouncing back from obstacles, but is in doing so faster than your competitor. Audiences leave St. John’s spirited presentation with the ultimate competitive advantage: the confidence to challenge their comfort zones and take action to get ahead.
Career Success: How to Get There: Hailed by NBC Nightly News as “one of the five most inspiring women in America,” St. John demonstrates how people can find their individual paths to career advancement. Her customized message then helps audiences leverage those personal and professional successes toward organization-wide growth and development. In the end, audiences will come away from her rousing presentation with concrete, effective strategies that translate into higher performance, greater productivity and career fulfillment in their chosen fields.
Beyond the Keynote:
Reinforce St. John’s message and effect real change with the following Beyond the Keynote services:
· WSBInsights: Build interest and momentum with these interactive web sites featuring videos from your Keynote speaker and other tools that get your people talking both before and after your live event.
· WSBWebEvents: Bring the speaker’s expertise to your audience’s desktop with live video and digital question-and-answer sessions conducted by St. John.
|
|
