Barbara Abbate, DTM, taught Theatre and Broadcasting at several magnet schools in New York City, Columbia Teachers College, and at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. Before moving to Austin, she was the Artistic Director of the Schoharie Creek Players near Woodstock, New York. She is the author of Awareness High School: a Practical Guide to Self Discovery and Mastery for Students ,Teachers and Parents, where she encourages the teaching of awareness as the core curriculum emphasizing the teaching of the 3 C’s of creativity, compassion and critical thinking.
 

Speech Titles and Key Takeaways

Envisioning the School of the Future 
Speaking Time: Two hours to full day

Envisioning the School of the Future is a keynote and workshop developed through an association with IMPACT II: Teacher Network. Teachers and administrators engaged in this workshop have the opportunity to envision and create plans for their ideal view of the school of the future; and create ways to implement those plans with their staff.

Teaching Awareness as an Essential Part of the Core Curriculum
Speaking Time: Ten minutes to two hours

This presentation offers teachers strategies to use awareness and mindfulness techniques in the classroom to enhance their students’ cognitive, as well as emotional growth.
 
Creating a Signature Statement for Personal Branding 
Speaking Time: 45 minutes
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Just as an elevator pitch can allow for the concise description of your job position, so, too, a signature statement can help you define who you are and what you stand for as a person.

 

Bart Loeser, DTM, has been a professional educator and corporate trainer for over 30 years. With a background in organizational psychology, he loves using story-telling and games to teach interpersonal skills, especially in workplace settings. His favorite topics include leadership development, communication, team-building, time management, and emotional intelligence.

Speech Tittles and Key Takeaways

Leading Strategically in an Absence of Authority
You don’t need to be a boss to get results from others. Building leadership skills at any level will shape your life to help you achieve greater satisfaction and an empowered environment. In this session, you’ll explore the 5 simple strategies to mastering the art of enthusiastic influence. 
 
Communicating with Confidence: the ABCs
Imagine the ability to share your ideas or directions in a manner that’s clearly understood and received in the most positive manner, and building bridges to boot.  You will learn techniques as simple as “ABC” to hone the subtle art of successful communication.

Managing Change for Great Results
The only sure thing in life is CHANGE.  Yet change is often met with pessimism or trepidation.  Without a clear plan, change can bring strife, stress, and negativity.  Learn how to create a 5-point plan for approaching any change that can guarantee great results.

 

Carlos Velázquez is the CEO and President of HMA Associates in Washington DC, a communications firm that specializes in working with underserved communities to impact health equity.  His expertise in the development of communications interventions as a vehicle for shifting public narratives about social change makes him an innovative and dynamic thought leader in the cultural marketing field.  

He has launched national campaigns that address issues such as mental health, immunization uptake, HIV/AIDS prevention, and food insecurity.  ​

Speech Tittles

Recovery, Resiliency, and Robust Communications to Protect our Communities in a time of COVID

Dichos de mi mamá:  Viviendo una vida con propósito

Grumpy Old Man:  Life Transitions for Latino Seniors

Cultural Equity:  What the Arts Can Teach us About Ourselves
 

As an award-winning author and speaker, he contributes as a guest blogger on issues related to men’s health and social justice.  He serves on the boards of the Arlington Community Foundation, Nevada Hispanic Services, and the Nevada Museum of Art in addition to being the past chair of the Human Rights Commission and serving on the Arlington County Commission for the Arts and the Commission on Aging.  He is a highly sought-after speaker who has addressed audiences in Australia, Spain, Belize, Ecuador, Mexico and throughout the United States.  ​

 

Catherine O’Toole was born and raised on the beautiful green island of Ireland. After a severe second cancer diagnosis, she decided to take on the secret, silent, deadly cancer-causing chemicals hiding in plain sight in our homes. She is a health advocate and a storyteller, teaching people about cancer-causing chemicals in their homes and sharing tips and knowledge to easily remove some of these toxic chemicals. Catherine brings awareness so that you do not unknowingly bring these products into your home.
 
Catherine O'Toole WELL AP + Parson School of Design Healthy Materials Advocate

Speech Tittles and Key Takeaways

How Healthy is your Home
Unnecessary toxic chemicals from poorly made products can fill our homes and damage our health. In this presentation, Catherine will share her knowledge, research, and expertise in reducing and eliminating toxins from your home, so you, your family, and fur babies can live a healthier, happy life.
 
Living a Zero Waste Lifestyle
Americans generate 4.5 lbs of waste per person per day or over 1,600 lbs per person per year, creating a colossal burden on our planet. Catherine explores the 5 Rs, refuse, reduce, reuse, repair, and rot. Together, we can slash the amount of trash created and leave our home, our planet healthier for our future generations.
 
Follow Your Dream
Life should be full of adventure, but sometimes fear holds us back. Catherine left New York City and the corporate grind to fulfill a dream of traveling the world on a budget and without boundaries. Her story will inspire you to follow your dream, find yourself, and live your life to the fullest with no regrets.
 

 

Chelsea Mora works as a Talent Development Specialist for Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area and serves the youth within Williamson and Burnet counties for the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) program. Chelsea graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Silliman University. She lives with her spouse and two fur babies.

Speech Title and Key Takeaways

Know Your Career
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1. Make an informed decision about choosing a career.
2. Learn what to research in the labor market.
3. Resources and ways to research a career.
 
 

 

Desmond Calloway , DTM, has been an IT Professional, trainer and improv coach for 20 years and  is passionate about helping people feel confident. Whether you are learning the basics of Computer Information Systems or creating reports through SQL development, Desmond makes technology not only easy to understand, but fun! Did I mention he taught improv? He also specializes in leadership and management training workshops for IT professionals.

A Toastmaster since 2015, he earned the President's Distinguished Award.  He has a degree in Technical Management from the DeVry University 
and a MISM from the Keller Graduate School of Management in Houston.   ​

Speech Titles and Key Takeaways

Your Body Speaks
How do you use your body language to convey your message? Do you know how to deliver your message in a way that can well received by the masses? This speech goes over how you can use your body to best deliver your message rather than deliver a raging mess.

Legs are Round
The world around us takes for granted the fact that we move around, but we need to keep in mind that there are people in our world who can inspire us in ways that you would have never imagined. This speech is one that evokes the thought of being inspirational while talking about a few people who were an inspiration in my life.
 
Improv for Your Life 
Are you uncomfortable about your ability to speak in public? Do you have a hard time telling your story? Do you stress over interviewing? Learn how to relax and communicate better through improv games.

 

Speech Titles and Key Takeaways

​Zero Injuries
Workplace safety

John Hale Inspires team members with a vision of Zero Injuries. He is safety manager with more than 20 years’ experience in coordinating with management and supervisors to plan, implement, and make safety compliance a part of the way we do business.

A professional with experience in construction and general industry conducting site inspections, incident investigations, risk assessments, and safety course development. A veteran with 22 years of service in the US Air Force.
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John makes the message stick with inspiring and often humorous stories that illustrate safety strategies, so managers and workers alike catch the vision of a zero-injury workplace. With the same dynamic style, he has in front of an audience and live streaming presentations, John expertly delivers the message straight to the heart, and at that moment you are changed.
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What sets John apart from other safety professionals is his incredible skill at sharing personal stories including times when he was "that guy" the foolhardy risk-taker with both thrilling and terrible results. After being moved by the stories when facing dilemma workers will pause in the "Wait-a-Sec" moment to choose safety and avoid being like "that guy" who took a safety shortcut and suffered serious consequences.

 

Speech Titles and Key Takeaways

She’s Losing It! 
Funny and inspiring, if you’ve ever been on a diet or wanted to get your groove back, this is the keynote for you.

Creating a PR Strategy
A step-by-step guide for beginners to market an event for your small business, club or non-profit

Tips for Public Speaking on Zoom. 
Lights, camera, action!  Speaking on Zoom can be like filming a movie and Lisa has tips to help make Zoom presentations more fun.
 

Lisa Traugott is a writer and bodybuilding enthusiast.  Her memoir, “She’s Losing It!” was called by The Statesman Social called it the “Best New Year/New You book”.  (It’s like a Rocky for Moms.)  She was on the winning team of the John Cena military-inspired reality TV show American Grit on FOX.  She was co-chair of the Women’s March on Texas in 2020.  She is passionate about helping people live their dreams.