Eileen McDargh

MCDARGH: I always ask my client what do THEY want as a result of my presentation, which in turn drives how I craft a program. Likewise, if they ask for something I am not qualified to deliver, I decline the engagement.

Personally, I want people to walk away with insights and ideas that can change in how they approach work and life. I want them to realize their own beauty and possibilities as contributors to their profession, organization, and community. I want them to have concrete tools for managing an upside down world. And lastly, I want people to walk out glad they gave me the most precious thing on earth: their time.

MCDARGH: I have intense conversations with my clients, beginning with a pre-program survey. I ask them to send me more information than they think I would ever need so I can understand the context of the meeting. Depending upon the client, I might ask what is the “elephant in the room”, because it’s much easier for an outsider to talk about the elephant than an insider.

If I am closing a conference, I ask to come in early (if logistically possible) so I can observe the sessions before me. If I can tie to something they already heard, it gives the conference a more coherent feel.

If I am playing the role of facilitator, I work with whoever is the “owner” of the outcome. These are normally high level, management off-sites of 2 days. I design the process and then interview all the team (no more than 25) with the same set of questions. From that I consolidate the information and create issue statements written in third person. This prevents an individual from hijacking the event on a single pet peeve and also allows me to surface the most pressing issues/ideas. It also always involves an individual assessment of communication behavior, which helps the team begin to understand and value the different people in the room. To fully address outcomes, future strategies, and so forth, it’s absolutely necessary that people appreciate the richness that comes from an assembly of differences.

MCDARGH: Oh my! My work has been full of so many memorable situations from speaking in Malaysia to a worldwide collection of customer service folks representing global airlines to the first International Coaching Federation of the Philippines, from leadership programs for the women of P&G to conducting management retreat in India. I’ve spoken to a couple hundred while standing on a folding chair because there was no money for a stage and 15,000 in a conference center for a direct sales organization. I’ve been the host/moderator for the day-long LEAD 2015 conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame and will do the same work later this month for the 25th anniversary of a Window Between Worlds: Art Transforming Trauma.

Unusual? No group is ever alike and that’s the beauty of my work: the celebration of difference.

MCDARGH: There is not a single group that can’t benefit from resiliency. That is not the answer I should give, but truthfully, life is far too complex for all of us. Having said this, I believe that health care, education, and corporate groups experiencing change can especially benefit from my programs.

MCDARGH: That’s like asking me “which one of my books do I like the best?” (or “Which one of your children do you like the best?”) Certainly Radical Resilience: Staying Rightside Up in an Upside Down World is a favorite. I also enjoy The Art of “Balancing” an Unequal Life and a hard-core skill-builder like Surviving & Thriving with Difficult People.

Why do I like these topics? I think the material is solid, I have fun, my audience has fun, and we all learn together. I wouldn’t give any of my programs if I didn’t think they offered value and since everything I do is so customized, it is difficult to select a favorite!

MCDARGH: I started my speaking career unintentionally. I was offering adult-ed classes at the local colleges, because I felt I could do a better job than the instructor at the college. Years before I had taught and I thought I could create something more useful and fun.

At any rate, the Steel Service Center Institute from Cleveland got a copy of the course catalog. They contacted me through a meeting planner in Palm Desert, and asked if I would deliver a version of a program at their conference. This was YEARS ago. They gave my name to the Copper & Brass Institute, word spread, and the rest, as they say, is history. Prior to that happening, though, I didn’t even know speaking was a business.

MCDARGH: I anchor key points with gestures! Believe it or not, the gestures become memorable and attendees take them back into the workplace. I also use music, picture only slides, humor and—always— case studies and true stories that resonate with the human experience, because they’re memorable. Depending upon the group and the amount of time, audience members also share their stories.

MCDARGH: One of the largest health care networks in Florida still uses my learning points within their hospitals to keep employees focused and positive. A global pharma company relayed that my work with their regulatory team created a cohesive unit that withstood the ups and downs of changes and mergers. I have a memento from a surface driller in the Arctic who said I taught them how to give praise and feedback. The most memorable and humbling feedback I’ve received, though, came from a young woman who slipped me a note, asking me to read it only when I got on the plane. The note said she had been contemplating suicide and now she saw that she had so much more to live for and offer.

As I write this, I realize I have only shared those contents with my husband. Perhaps my impact is not with massive P&L shifts but rather with shifts of the human heart. Please know that I’m not the one making the change; rather, I am a conduit for what is already present in each individual. It is true: the teacher appears when the student is ready. It has little to do with the teacher. It has everything to do with the student.