Stevie Ray
An expert in the art and science of influence, Stevie Ray has been a nationally recognized keynote speaker and corporate trainer for over thirty years. Also a professional comedian, Stevie is the Executive Director of Stevie Ray’s Improv Company in Minneapolis, a company that has provided training and entertainment since 1989. Stevie is the longest running national columnist for the Business Journal Newspapers and is the author of eleven books, including The Roadmap to Influence. Stevie is the first person in the country to have designed his own college degree to study the psychology of humor. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife and stepdaughter. He practices his skills of influence trying to win debates with them. It has yet to work.
An expert in the art and science of influence, Stevie Ray has been an internationally recognized keynote speaker and corporate trainer for over 30 years. He is the Executive Director of Stevie Ray’s Improv Company in Minneapolis, a company that has provided training and entertainment since 1989. Stevie is a national columnist for the Business Journal Newspapers and is the author of eleven books, including The Roadmap to Influence.
In addition to his work in the corporate world, Stevie is a professional entertainer, having worked with such artist as Paula Poundstone, Rich Hall from Saturday Night Live, and “Weird Al” Yankovic. He has toured the nation as a comedian and still performs for corporate functions and major events.
In his free time, Stevie is a beekeeper, volunteers recording books on tape for the blind, has practiced seven martial arts and holds black belts in four of them. At one point in his career, he was actually a bodyguard for Pee Wee Herman (yes, really). He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and stepdaughter.
The Roadmap to Influence
Best Format: One-hour keynote or half-day workshop
Best Audience: Anyone who works directly with co-workers, clients, or customers.
This is Stevie’s signature keynote. In it, Stevie teaches you how the brain accepts or rejects ideas, as well as hands-on techniques to help you influence others toward positive outcomes. Everyone from the CEO to the newest intern owes their success to the ability to influence others; whether it is pitching ideas to clients, motivating staff, or connecting with customers, it doesn’t matter how well you know your job if you cannot postively connect with others.
Learning Objectives:
1) Capture attention: learn the neuroscience behind the Approach/Withdraw Response, and how to use this response to your advantage.
2) Create connection: learn the two main methods of persuasion, and how to determine which to use in a given environment.
3) Motivate action: getting agreement is worthless unless action is taken. Learn the simple methods to ensure that momentum leads to outcomes.
Influential Leadership
Best Format: One-hour keynote or half-day workshop
Best Audience: Director-level or above
Too many leaders are trained in their profession, but not in how to garner support for initiative, or to motivate staff to do their best work. In this exciting session, Stevie Ray illuminates the various styles of leadership, and how each applies to specific teams and situations.
Learning Objectives:
1) The nine recognized styles of leadership, and the types of teams and situations best suited for each.
2) The neuroscience involved in leader-follower dynamics.
3) The psychological trigger words that either motivate others or cause greater resistance.
When Influence Isn't Easy
Best Format: One-hour keynote or half-day workshop
Best Audience: Those who face harsh resistance from either co-workers or customers.
It is one thing to influence those who are cooperative, but what do you do for those in-your-face moments when tensions are high? For this unique session, Stevie not only draws on his expertise in influence, but also on his over 40 years of martial arts training (he was actually a celebrity bodyguard at one time). Learn to de-escalate tense situations, and create positive results.
Learning Objectives:
1) How the Amygdala Response of the brain affects emotions and responses.
2) De-escalation techniques to maintain control of challenging interactions.
3) Techniques to move from stalemate to forward momemtum, all while keeping the relationship intact.
"I learned more from Stevie Ray in one hour than in ten years from other trainers."
Audra K. Solberg, Director of Administration, Robins Kaplan Law Firm
"THANK YOU for doing such an awesome job. Holy smokes. Seriously, I heard nothing but extremely positive results after the session. What’s more: you got a standing ovation! (That NEVER happens)."
John Slavsky, 3M
"Stevie shares knowledge in such a fun, invigorating way that the participants aren’t even aware they are learning. I think the fact that I’m still thinking about some of the things that he said and am still processing them is a huge testament to the effectiveness of the program. I conduct the training in Cargill and I only wish I were half as effective! I’d have Stevie Ray at all my sessions."
Susan Powers, Training Specialist, Cargill
"I have never had a training seminar that received this kind of response. It definitely had a positive measurable effect on our employees’ performance."
Susan Flygare, Vice President-National Strategic Business Unit, Blue Cross Blue Shield
“Stevie taught me to be an effective communicator and over the last half dozen years or so of my career this skill has been the most important one in terms of my success.”
Robert Salipante, President, Sun Life Financial
The Roadmap to Influence
Stress: Riding the Wave or Fighting the Current
Speaking in Public without Sweating in Private
Quick-Thinking in Any Situation
Working the Room: Networking for Professionals
The Calm Before the Brainstorm
Three Big Words: Engaged Employee, Loyal Customers
What We Laugh At...and Why
The Birth, Life, (and sometimes death) of a Comedian
It Was Like That When We Moved In: Real-life stories from a real live landlord
