Inspire & Encourage Awesome Teachers & Think-Big Students

A resource speaker for schools may show you doors to success. Encourage teachers and students to invest time and energy in finding solutions to common challenges in leadership, teamwork, innovation, and learning.

Sometimes, all you need is a resource speaker who knows how to help you move the needle.

What I Believe

We must empower teachers.

Teachers are the builders of tomorrow. We can build a great nation only when we have great teachers. We need teachers who can dream bigger and make positive change happen. We need to empower teachers who are problem solvers. We need to support teachers who are innovators, creators, and changemakers.

Encourage students to lead.

We can teach students to become competent leaders while in school. With our help, they can gain leadership skills through deliberate practice. Help them understand how systems work and encourage them to invent and innovate. Show them how to think big and get things done.

Zap the Gap

Studies show that there is a huge gap between the competencies learn in colleges and the competencies needed to succeed at work. Design Thinking can help schools improve the curriculum and how skills are taught. Schools need fresh insights and opportunities to use innovation tools.

Get a resource speaker for schools that can provide teachers and students the inspiration and encouragement they need to succeed. A resource speaker is like a mentor on stage, paid to help you solve your challenges or for you to create new opportunities.

Why get a resource speaker for schools?

Let us build our nation by building our schools. Workplace practitioners can help our educational managers create a responsive and future-ready curriculum. We can bring the best leadership practices of CEOs to educational leaders around the country.

We can also encourage and enable teachers to take leadership. We need teachers who have the confidence to challenge the status quo. We need teachers who are never content with good enough. We need teachers who are creators and innovators.

We can develop our student leaders. College education must provide them opportunities to learn theories and concepts. It will be great if we can help them find their dream jobs. It will be great if they will learn design thinking, system thinking, creative thinking, and critical thinking skills.

I am in a unique place.

I know how it was to be a student in public schools in the Philippines. And I realized the great disadvantages while teaching in private schools. The gap in learning and teaching is huge.

My work as a leadership consultant to dozens of companies in the Philippines allows me to see opportunities that I can offer both to teachers and students.

Sure, one can easily find a resource speaker for schools. We have excellent speakers from the academe. We have educators who have PhDs. But we lack someone who speaks from the perspective of work and leadership.

This is why being a resource speaker for schools becomes a fulfillment of a mission.

Teach to Touch Lives

I was a school teacher for more than ten years. Teaching taught me a lot of things that helped me in designing courses and coaching leaders of various organizations. I believe that our government must invest in teacher development.

I fully understand that many teachers, especially those in public schools, do not feel the need for another training. It is not because they already know so many things. On the contrary, many teachers think that they are inadequate. 

I believe that teachers want to learn more. To be truly useful, they must be ahead. It is pity that many of our kids are more technology-savvy than most of our teachers. It is a pity that teachers are having difficulties in teaching. They find it challenging to get students’ attention. Why not, they are competing against online games and entertainment.

But technology cannot replace teachers.  Technology cannot be better than awesome teachers. That’s because awesome teachers touch lives.

I have met many teachers who shared their stories with me. I have interviewed many school principals. And I have worked with awesome teachers. And this is why I know I have so much to share with our teachers.

How can teachers teach to touch lives?

I share eight principles that when practiced may create awesome teaching and learning experiences.  I will share these principles briefly. If you want to bring Teaching to Touch Lives to your school, I will be happy to be your next resource speaker.

  1. Teachers must always be a step ahead. Every teacher must set personal and professional goals. Remember, you cannot teach what you do not have.
  2. Teachers must learn how students learn. More important than understanding your teaching style is to master learning styles. In a student-centered classroom, teachers endeavor to provide students multiple learning opportunities.
  3. Teachers must help students apply what they learn. We learn best by doing.  You help students implement what they learn – or at least get a vicarious experience. This is why game-based learning is often more effective than lectures.
  4. Teachers must communicate effectively.  Awesome teachers connect concepts and ideas to the real-world experiences of the learners.  Awesome teachers use stories that resonate and facts that breathe.
  5. Teaching is an emotional experience. It is tempting to think that teaching is head to head. Our education system often measures how sharp the memorization skills of students are. But seldom do we measure their ability to empathize, care for others, and to love. Teaching is heart to heart.
  6. Teachers encourage learners. The greatest hindrance to learning is the unknown; people fear the unknown. And awesome teachers do everything to give courage to students. They understand students’ fears as well as their dreams.
  7. Teachers must know when students are ready. Students fail because they are not ready. Every awesome teacher starts with where the students are.
  8. Teachers serve. We teach because we want to create a  better world for students. We have the responsibility to make them win the challenges of life. We may receive that same salary, but we can choose the kind of service we give.

Teaching to Touch Lives can be given as a one-day workshop or as a two-hour talk.

Design Thinking for Teachers

These days, teachers complain most about the gargantuan amount of school work. They spend a lot of time producing documents that tell education managers they are doing something. 

At the same time, teachers also tell me that our children are left behind. Something that we intuitively know.

Teachers say that the problem is in the education system. But which part of the education system is the problem? Who do we expect to solve the problem? Who is looking for the solutions to these problems?

I believe that teachers can solve the most significant problems in education. They are the frontliners. They are the molders of the future generation. They carry the burden of ensuring that our future leaders are more than ready to create new possibilities and realities.

Design Thinking for Teachers does not offer solutions to our education system. It is not a new curriculum. 

Design Thinking is a discipline, a framework, a process of thinking about problems and finding opportunities and solutions.

Design Thinking can help teachers solve problems in a step-by-step process with their target customers in mind. The customers can be their fellow teachers, the parents, the community, and the students.

Design Thinking will turn teachers into creators and innovators. That instead of waiting for new solutions, they proactively find and create new solutions. 

Design Thinking will help teachers become better teachers. 

For Your Info

I was first invited to be a resource speaker in 2006. It was a government agency where many of the attendees were lawyers who wanted to become confident public speakers. I was in my second year as a professional speaker. I was a member of Toastmasters who has delivered more than 300 speeches.

Of course, I evolved.

So, we can be on the same page, I will define what resource speakers and what distinguished them from other speakers.

resource speaker
Find experts.

A resource speaker is an experienced professional who shares insights, ideas, findings, or knowledge of a specific field. In the Philippines, organizations often invite resource speakers to provide them the information they can use to understand a problem or to design viable solutions.

A resource speaker is a subject expert. For example, he can be an expert on leadership, teamwork, innovation, and motivation. A resource speaker may talk about how to motivate people, but he is not a motivational speaker. The resource speaker does not intend to make people buy his ideas or have them at the edge of their seats. The goal of the resource speaker is either to provide information or show proven ways to implement something.

The resource speaker is like a teacher who does not give grades.

You must know the difference. If your people are afraid to embrace change or refuse to implement a new system, you do not need a resource speaker. A motivational speaker who tailors his message to your needs is of better help.

You invite a resource speaker to get additional knowledge so you can understand the challenges your company is facing or to provide inputs as to the “best practices” in solving your specific problems. In short, the resource speaker has vital information that you must have for you to succeed.

On the other hand, a guest speaker can be anyone you will invite to speak because he or she is a guest. You may invite a guest speaker to inspire people about the values of your organization. The guest speaker may tell stories that may help you solve problems too.

If the guest speaker attempts to persuade people and make them buy the changes you are espousing in the organization, that guest speaker is a motivational speaker.

A guest speaker is always someone outside of your organization. On the other hand, a resource speaker can be an expert within your organization.

In many government events, local executives are frequently invited as guest speakers. Experts are invited as resource speakers in learning events. Both of them get paid, of course.

If the guest speaker or resource speaker also works in the government, they are given tokens or honoraria. That’s because resource speakers typically represent their organization (the government agency).

Government organizations and schools often use the term resource speaker. The heads of departments or the members of the faculty are often invited as resource speakers.

Government agencies often pay 3,000 to 25,000 pesos.

Often, it has nothing to do with your expertise but more about the power of the person who invited you. A city mayor, for example, can pay more. An HR head is limited by the budget of the department and that of COA.

In the private sector, they typically look for speakers who are experts in a specific field. You will find professionals who call themselves leadership speakers, teamwork speakers, personal development speakers, innovation speakers et cetera.

If the guest speaker or resource speaker is from the private sector, they get professional fees ranging from 25,000 to 180,000 pesos.

The difference is not just in the branding but the specific value they provide to organizations.

Anyhoo.

Likely, you are here not only to define what a “resource speaker” is, right? It might be that you are looking for a resource speaker and you want the best ones.

Frankly, many of us are experts are in our ways. Our experiences, our technology, and even our mindsets that led us to success (or failures) are good resources for others.

However, not everyone can simplify what they know in an hour or two. Not everyone can express themselves fully well.

You can invite me as a resource speaker, but only on specific topics.

Most of my working time is devoted to understanding how leaders and organizations work. I am trying to predict the future by studying trends. Any topic that pulls me away from my projects would require me to do more work.

I share information on this website for FREE. Then, I share the proven ways of doing things (implementation) via online classes, digital courses, and group coaching where I get paid.

These days, I welcome invitations to be a resource speaker in webinars.

I am keeping myself open to invitations from the government and schools, provided they make the process easy.

Instead of charging my usual fees, I allow them to work within their budget. If you belong to the government or schools, it is best to tell me your budget rather than asking for my professional fee. I believe you’ve got to do the same for other professional speakers too.

I know, not all government agencies are equal.

Themes and Topic

I have multiple passions and tried so many things. So, I won’t be surprised if people say I offer too many.

Well, not really.

All of these topics have something to do with how to become a better leader and how to build a thriving organization.

How can I help you?

What’s your next move?

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