Suzanne F. Stevens
International Speaker, Philanthropist, and Entrepreneur
Toronto, Ontario
What Suzanne is Passionate About
Explore Your Edgeness™: The intersection of discovery & potential
What is your Edgeness™? In order to discover it, you need to push far enough outside your comfort zone that you meet someone you never met before – an enhanced version of you. We often stay in our comfortable zone, it is secure and we know what to expect. Here there are fewer opportunities to be judged, and less opportunity to fail. But life begins at the edge.
The place where you have not gone before is the place to explore, to experiment. To start challenging the “What if?” Questioning is just the beginning. We need to take some risks and not be prisoners to our barriers where our view is limited rather than limitless.
Suzanne takes individuals and organizations on a adventure to challenge their perceptions of what can be achieved. She starts with encouraging the audience to look at themselves, personally and professionally. Then she shares how to see opportunities where there appeared to be none. Ultimately, she challenges the audience to looking beyond their immediate circumstance and to explore their individual and organization’s edgeness™. In essence–pushing your edge from backpack, to briefcase, to boardroom and beyond.
The audience will be inspired to ask questions that we often don’t ask ourselves. She will share how leaders who “imagined”, and pushed their beliefs of self, environment and others, and what they achieved just by pushing their edge. More importantly, Suzanne will show you how to take these learnings and push your edge and embrace your Edgeness™. Self-discovery is a solo journey, but having a little guidance toward what is possible is just the push we often need.
Suzanne brings her audiences to the front row by using her primary research, interactive nature, human observations, and slice of humour to get the audience not only to ask “Why not?” but “What If?”
In this interactive 50-60 minute keynote the audience will gain insight into how to look at all the elements on how to lead you, your team, and your organization to their edgeness™ . This keynote is ideal to kick off a conference as it opens people’s minds to what each person needs to get rid of, keep and add to their backpack and open up to learning.
Focus on:
Examine your self-imposed limitations
Discover your gifts
Grab your greatness
Express your authentic self
That is what makes your EDGE. We will explore it and your N.E.S.S together to reach Full Potential.
Who will benefit:
This keynote is designed for anyone in an association or organizations, as it is a philosophy on how to live your life and how to help you and your organization to reach its full potential.
Tailoring:
Suzanne will tailor to the theme, and is happy to create a promo video for the event, highlighting her keynote and how to get the most from your conference.
YouMeWe: Lead Tomorrow's Legacy Today.
We spend so much time at work, on average 1,700 hours a year. Although many people enjoy their occupation, society is trending toward living a more meaningful life. The Y Generation wants to matter, the X generation wants to make their mark and the boomers want their mark to mean more. In effect, more people whether they are starting their careers, mid-career, changing their career, or nearing the end of their career are seeking the opportunity to lead tomorrow’s legacy today.
Suzanne F. Stevens delivers a thought- provoking and inspiring keynote that will inspire, corporations and associations to cultivate a culture that will engage employees and members.
Many organizations have a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy, however, many of these initiatives are more focused on external perception rather then internal motivation. The majority of employees are just observers of the contribution, rather then involved in its realization.
In Associations, members are craving to network more were they often experience the real value of membership, and yet they are more often find themselves in an environment where they are listening and learning, rather then interacting and contributing.
By investing in creating a culture of conscious contribution™ through the YouMeWe Movement there is a an opportunity to intensify employee/member engagement, improve employee/member satisfaction, promote cross-department collaboration, share thought-leadership, increase retention while elevating brand equity.
Suzanne will share strategies on how to create a culture of conscious contribution™ by implementing the YouMeWe Movement, from employees feeling empowered and encouraged to contribute to their colleagues, to how a company can break down internal silos and collectively contribute to their community and beyond.
YouMeWe Movement is about leading tomorrow’s legacy today. It is a philosophy that recognizes that contributing is not a stage in our life but a way in which we live our life.
The YouMeWe Movement’s objective is to raise consciousness and inspire individuals and organizations to create initiatives that positively impact the community, country or beyond promoting a more kind & inclusive humanity.
Inspired by travelling through Africa Interviewing pioneer women leaders for www.WisdomExchangeTV.com who consciously contribute. These women identified a gap in society and either became activist, conscious leaders within their organization or social-entrepreneurs. In 96% of the cases they created a positive ripple effect in their community country or continent. Wisdom Exchange TV viewership has expanded to 77 countries and growing.
This philosophy is aligned to the global shift of raised human consciousness and the evolution of the purpose economy.
Suzanne brings her audiences to the front row by using her primary research, interactive nature, human observations and slice of humour to get the audience not only to ask “Why not?” but “What If?”
In this 45- 60-minute keynote, the audience will gain insight into:
Me -Individuals & Companies take the lead to contribute in your community, company, or country and beyond.
You – What you should consciously consider prior to contributing (creating opportunities).
We – Making consistent conscious contributing™ a organizational culture.
How implementing a contribution culture can increase employee/member engagement and retention.
Suzanne will tailor the emphasis of this keynote to meet the event objectives.
Who will benefit:
This keynote is designed for organizations (corporations or associations) who want to increase engagement and retention of employees and members.
Our contribution: If your organization hires Suzanne for this keynote she will give a portion of the proceeds to your favourite charity and a smaller portion to our Ignite Excellence Foundation (www.IgniteExcellenceFoundation.org).
I am here. Make Your Mark – Consciously Contribute™ from Any Situation
Inspired by African Leading Ladies
As entrepreneur you call the shots. You took this path because it not only takes guts, but it is the best way you know to combine your passion and ability. As you plan, start, or grow your business you still have this aspiration of making a difference in the world. You recall when you were a child and you etched: “I was here” in a tree, in your desk at school, or the bathroom wall. Each time you wrote: “I was here,” it was a glimpse into a craving to leave a legacy and to live a life of significance.
You now realize, the opportunity doesn’t live in the WAS, it lives in the HERE.
Suzanne F. Stevens delivers a thought- provoking and inspiring keynote that will challenge entrepreneurs on how they can contribute to their community, company, or country, and beyond while creating a positive ripple effect NOW. Suzanne provides insight on how to transform the HOPE of leaving a legacy into the ACTION of consistent conscious contribution™ in every opportunity, in every decision and in every interaction – effectively living your legacy.
I AM HERE is a philosophy that recognizes that contributing is not a stage in our life but a way in which we live our life.
This belief is inspired by the pioneering research conducted by Suzanne and her husband Michael while travelling Africa for 2 years. Seventy African women pioneers were interviewed for Wisdom Exchange TV (www.WisdomExchangeTV.com), a mentorship site designed to educate and inspire future African women leaders. Viewership has expanded to 77 countries and growing.
African women’s consistent conscious contributions™ are the platform in which I AM HERE is etched. What choices are we making to consistently consciously contribute? Are we writing I was here, or living I am here?
Suzanne brings her audiences to the front row by using her primary research, interactive nature, human observations and slice of humour to get the audience not only to ask “Why not?” but “What If?”
In this 45-60 minute keynote, the audience will gain insight into:
The seven keystones of contribution that should be considered when evaluating where and how to contribute, with the backdrop of being inspired by African women pioneers who have impacted hundreds and thousands of live. Including:
Take the lead to contribute in your community, company, or country and beyond. I AM HERE today.
What you should consider prior to contributing. I AM HERE tomorrow.
How to make conscious contributing a philosophy of living life. I AM HERE everyday.
Suzanne will tailor the emphasis of this keynote to meet the event objectives.
Who will benefit:
This keynote is designed for entrepreneurs, however, is relevant for anyone in an organization or association as it is a personal philosophy on how to live our lives which will have impact on each member of the audience.
Our contribution: If your organization hires Suzanne for this keynote she will give a portion of the proceeds to your favourite charity and a smaller portion to our Ignite Excellence Foundation (www.IgniteExcellenceFoundation.org).
The UnSales Sales™: Debunking Top Sales Perceptions
As children few of us dreamt about being a salesperson. Now, many of us recognize in order to advance, selling our services to our clients is paramount to our career growth. Others appreciate it is one of the most lucrative fields if executed with the right combination of proactivity, persuasion, persistence, professionalism. The reality is the less of a ‘salesperson’ you are the more lucrative it becomes.
With each new sales methodology, there are new philosophies and tactics that are used to make the ultimate sale. There are as many sales philosophies as there are weight loss programs, the challenge is getting a salesperson to believe it will work, and want to stick to it for a long-term all while getting her to her and your desired goal.
In an interactive engaging delivery Suzanne F. Stevens debunks top sales perceptions that limit an individual’s potential growth and sales! The use of influential communications is the backdrop to all the sales strategies. Suzanne tailors each talk to your organization’s common sales challenges, opportunities and specific preconceived perceptions.
Experienced and novice salespeople alike will be challenged by their self imposed perceptions, they will participate in Unsales Sales realizations, and gain awareness that the most effective sales methodology has nothing to actually do with selling anything. Suzanne will serve up ‘Unsales Sales’ realities, provide creative presentation and serve small portions for your audience to consume, while leaving them full of ideas to digest and act on.
Suzanne incorporates high energy, participatory style with a slice of humour to bring the audience to the front row while promoting understanding, retention and action.
In this 45-60 minute keynote to two-hour session will allow the audience to gain insight into:
How to overcome salespersons’ perceptions that limit their sales potential
How people really make decisions on who they will buy from
How to cross-sell to increase short and long-term sales while establishing symbiotic partnerships
Suzanne will tailor the emphasis of this keynote to meet the event objectives.
Who will benefit:
This keynote/session is designed for anyone who responsible for the sale of products, services or ideas: Entrepreneurs, Consultants, Sales people, Account Managers, Sales Managers.
Presentation Oxygen™: Top Persuasive Techniques to Breath Life Into Your Presentations
There is delivering a presentation and than there is living a presentation – the difference – oxygen. Suzanne F. Stevens has coached Fortune 500 company Executives, Sales People, Account Managers and Project Managers on how to inject life into their presentations and pump it full with your authentic personality, heightened delivery, and the secret to all persuasive presentations – EdgenessTM .
Suzanne will challenge the audience’s perceptions of how they present, particularly when they need to persuade people to an action. She will focus on 10 techniques that will help the audience build their confidence, credibility, and control while engaging their community, colleagues, or clients.
As a international speaker, trainer, and coach, Suzanne’s mantra is: “We perform at our best at the edge of our comfort zone.” In Suzanne’s high-octane, interactive presentation with a slice of humour, her goal is to take people to the edge where they meet an enhanced version of themselves.
In this 45-60 minute keynote to two-hour session the audience will learn how to:
Take the focus off them self and put it on the audience
To move an audience to action
Engage an audience so they remember you
Present so you relate and differentiate yourself, your offer & your company
Suzanne will tailor the emphasis of this keynote to meet the event objectives.
Who will benefit:
This keynote/session is designed for anyone who responsible for the presenting to: pitching new business proposals; to raise funds, delivering corporate visions; execute projects; presenting ideas to colleagues & clients: Executives, Entrepreneurs, Consultants, Sales people, Account Managers, Sales Managers, Project Managers.
Why You Need Suzanne
Suzanne F. Stevens, CSP helps leaders to improve engagement, and create a collaborative culture in their organization by inspiring them to lead The YouMeWe Movement. She is international speaker, entrepreneur, trainer, host, philanthropist and Chief Edge Optimizer. She incorporates over 26 years of sales and marketing experience, 15 years of influential communications training to fortune 500 companies on five continents, 4+ years of interviewing African Women leaders, 12 years of being an entrepreneur and leader, 8 years of running the Ignite Excellence foundation, 3 years serving on The Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) National Board…with her adventure travels to over 60 countries… to bring audiences to the front row!
Why You Will Love Suzanne
“For our Women’s Leadership Network, Suzanne Stevens created a session on influencing, differentiating and engaging, specifically aimed at women. Suzanne herself is an excellent role model for other women and the session was a big hit! Her presentation was engaging and the content was interesting, relevant and thought-provoking. Every participant enjoyed themselves and all of the feed back I received was positive.”
Nancy Forrester
Manager, IT – ERP & BW, Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) Canada
“Suzanne Stevens is a most captivating and capable business trainer and motivational speaker. I’ve had the pleasure of engaging Suzanne to support corporate objectives at two companies (NGRAIN Corporation and Engenuity Technologies Inc.) and both sessions have been well worth the investment. I have never met anyone who is so keenly aware of her own presence and presentation. She is tuned to her audience, and provides exactly what is required to bring home the critical behaviour or objective.”
David J. Miller
President and Chief Operating Officer, Canada
“Suzanne F. Stevens and her team have shown they know how to inspire our members and to provide them with the communication skills that are becoming a core competency for success in our industry. Not only does Ignite Excellence offer exceptional training opportunities, but Suzanne is an accomplished presenter and speaker in her own right. Having organized industry conferences, both locally and internationally, I have utilized Suzanne as a keynote speaker, session panelist and facilitator – always with outstanding results. Suzanne has become an important strategic partner and resource for our association.”
John D. Gamble, P.Eng.
President, Association of Consulting Engineer Companies (ACEC), Canada
“I had the pleasure of hearing Suzanne Stevens speak at a CNW Group internal conference and recently at IABC luncheon. On both occasions, Suzanne inspired the audience to think, while engaging us in a conversation. Her highly dynamic style, flow and information all contribute to bringing the audience to the desired goal. People leave with clear actions to take that will impact our personal and business life.”
Elisa Schupp
Vice-President, Central Canada, Canada Newswire