Ed’s Keynotes
Have Ed bring his unusual combination of humor and pragmatism to motivate and inspire at you next conference
Decades spent in a results-oriented profession with no prize for second place has taught Ed that it if doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter. Conference attendees seem to want to hear from someone who can speak with authority from having been there, done that. But the message is best delivered with the humanity that makes connection possible, the humility that keeps it real, and the humor that makes the harder lessons more tolerable. Ed’s efforts at continuous personal improvement help him to bring these attributes to the stage and connect with people from all walks of life.
7 Realities to Embrace Before You Negotiate
Using insights from brain science, politics, romantic comedies, and ‘70s pop songs, Ed helps participants to reduce conflict in their lives by discovering seven interpersonal habits that often drive negative responses. Participants will gain a new perspective on conflict that will improve not only their negotiating skills but also their productivity and personal performance. Seven habits that undermine interpersonal relations:
Personalization. Feeling personally attacked triggers an instinct to counter-attack, which only serves to escalate tensions. Discover techniques to break this cycle before it starts. Demonization. Those we interact with are rarely evil, and yet we often demonize them, usually at the expense of progress. Learn why this happens and how to stop. Talking instead of listening. Most of us know that empathic listening reduces conflict, but we often ignore this wisdom. Learn how to be a better listener and in turn a better negotiator. Expecting fairness. Stress is caused by violated expectations; expecting others to treat us fairly causes unnecessary stress. Learn why unfairness can actually be helpful. Inflexibility. Ego drives us to hold onto things even when letting go is the wiser choice. Learn why being wrong puts you in great company. Negligence. Details matter in times of conflict. Learn the one key phrase that keeps negotiations on track.Distraction. Learn how to practice self-control and to be free from distraction when the stakes are high.
Program length: 45-90 minutes
Any Audience Size
Need A Custom Keynote or Program Created?
Picking a Side without Picking a Fight
Yes, you CAN get ahead without stepping on someone else, and you CAN address difficult topics without sparking conflict. In this program, Ed uses real-world examples and his many years of experience in bringing parties together to discuss six key factors in most conflicts: Currency, Reliability, Energy, Alternatives, Time, and Emotion (“CREATE”). Attendees will leave with new tools to foster better relationships and resolve differences. This program is especially valuable to corporate teams and can be customized to specific industries or organizational functions.
Program length: 45-90 minutes
Any Audience Size
Money Management for the Financially Ambitious
Most financial education programs are oriented to middle-class wage earners recovering from difficulties that resulted from bad decisions or bad luck or both. As it should be. Meanwhile, those who are – or aspire to be – at the top of the income pyramid ($250K+) have the smarts to be strong earners but may lack the wisdom to deal with the challenges unique to high income career tracks. Outside of medicine, law, and a few other professions requiring advanced degrees, many high-income earners face drastic month-to-month income fluctuations. These highly compensated individuals often derive the bulk of their income from commissions, at-risk bonuses, or earnings from their own businesses. This program is for them.
Program Length: 45 to 75 minutes
Any Audience Size
Let’s Talk Politics. Everything’s Easy After That
It’s often said that in polite company we should avoid talking about politics and religion. But what if the payoff of being real is worth the risk of not being polite?
In this program Riggo will be provocative without being controversial. He’ll start in a place you don’t expect and go to a place that you may not like. Then he will offer his take on how life actually works, and end by providing a tool to help you navigate the maze of being alive.
Program Length: 45 to 75 minutes
Any Audience Size
Selected Past Keynote Engagements
People Say Nice Things
Jacob Knabb
Director Of Commercial Services at Chicago Association of REALTORS
“Ed is an excellent educator, both affable and knowledgable. He contributed a wonderful article on negotiation strategies for NAR’s Commercial Magazine “Commercial Connections” in 2016 that was so strong we asked him to expand it and teach an official session at the Annual REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Orlando last November. Ed did just that, delivering a superb session to a full classroom. The official feedback given on the class was uniformly positive.“
Ryanne Pennington
Jones Lang LaSalle
“I’ve been in the real estate industry for 2.5 years now. Ed’s CE classes are not taught by a professor or a theorist. Someone that has worked in the industry 20 years ago, and now turned speaker. He is an actual working, very successful, top 1 percent, professional. And through that, you really get the life experiences and CURRENT experiences, things that he’s going through that week with his clients. He’ll bring that to the table, of course to the confidentiality of his clients, but in a way that we can understand and relate them to deals and transactions that we are all currently working on or foresee working on one day!”
Dan Eberly
President at Eberly & Associates, Inc.
“Ed is a rare individual with high integrity, expert knowledge, and a creative real estate professional who is personable. Ed is not only of real value for his expertise in real estate but a good council in designing and implementing an organized process for the decision making in this area. In our case he got literally 14 owners to agree on the purchase and later the sale of an asset with a minimum of drama and procrastination. I would recommend Ed in any transaction which has potential to be derailed by human emotion. In other words any significant transaction.”
