Conference Keynote Speaker and Breakout Session Speaker
Don Crawley is an award-winning conference keynote speaker and breakout session leader. The conference programs listed on this page are perfect for IT conferences because they relate to IT people and they're highly interactive.
Looking for Customer Service Training for Your IT Staff?
Check out Don's online, on-demand IT Customer Service Training at CompassionateGeek.com.
Conference Keynote Speaker and General Session Programs
Don is a conference keynote speaker who is perfect for technical audiences because his presentations are filled with compelling stories, relatable examples, and interesting audience interaction.
Audience: IT Professionals
Successful customer relationships make for successful businesses and careers. Organizations that care deeply about their people and performance are no longer satisfied with merely “Checking the Box”. Instead, they are transforming their organizational culture by changing hearts and minds. Successful companies focus on compassion, caring, empathy, and respect for their customers and employees. Read More...
Audience: IT Professionals
Most IT people would say they provide excellent customer service, and most of their customers would agree. No matter your intentions, some of your customers might not feel that way. Usually, that’s because you didn’t go deep enough. In this highly interactive keynote, Don makes the case for going deeper with the five principles of IT customer service. Read More...
Audience: General Audiences
When people believe their ability to persuade is based on their ability to shout loudest, how can you maintain the peace? When the court of public opinion can destroy lives and careers, how can we talk with each other? Use the Compassionate Geek 5 Principles to build bridges between diverse groups. Read More...
Audience: CIOs, IT Managers, and MSP Owners
In today's world of AI, robotics, and automation, commodity businesses are expendable while valued partners are critical to their client’s success. Learn how to model the qualities of compassion and mindfulness for your teams. Keep your company out of the commodity trap to become your client’s valued partner. Read More...
Breakout Session Leader Programs
Don is the perfect breakout session leader because his sessions are tailored to IT audiences. The topics are important and relevant and his content is compelling.
How to Build Great Relationships with Customers and Coworkers
Successful tech teams know it takes more to succeed than just technical skills. Your organization's ability to excel is based on its competence and the right kind of culture. People skills actually can be taught and learned. Read More...
Business loss due to poor customer service is estimated at up to one trillion dollars per year. Customer retention is driven by customer service. Solve customer service problems and you'll improve customer retention. (Often paired with Solving Real-World IT Customer Service Problems) Read More...
Work with your peers in this highly interactive session to solve real-world IT customer service problems. Brainstorm with others who understand your challenges. Gain new ideas to help you succeed. (Usually paired with How Leadership Affects Customer Service and How Customer Service Affects Profitability) Read More...
Public Speaking Training for IT Pros
Presentation skills have always been crucial to your career success; they’re even more so in a virtual world of Zoom, WebEx, GoTo, and Teams. No matter how good your ideas are, you still have to persuade others of their value. Learn to present well and people will pay attention to you. Read More...
Successful IT careers require intellect and people skills. IQ allows you to perform the tasks of your job, and Emotional IQ guides your people skills. This breakout is about how to use EIQ to get along with others. Read More...
Conflict is a fact of life, especially in the workplace. The key is knowing how to successfully manage it. In this breakout, IT pros (and others) will learn how to manage and resolve conflict in the workplace, whether with an end-user, a coworker, or anyone else. Read More...
We’ve all heard the expression, “The Customer is Always Right”. The problem is that customers aren’t always right and sometimes they’re just flat out wrong. This session is all about dealing with customers, whether they're right or wrong. Read More...
Much as we might want to accommodate every customer request, sometimes it’s just not realistic. Regardless of the specific issue, sometimes we have to say no to our users or other customers. The key is finding a way to do so which doesn't alienate your customer or coworkers and preserves the relationship. Read More...
Are IT jobs stressful? Have you ever had an email server fail? Or a printer fail? Or a CRM application freeze? How about losing Internet access? Obviously, your job in IT can be very stressful. Your success in dealing with stress lies in how you respond to it. In this session, you will learn tools for dealing with stress on the job and in life. Read More...
Being a good listener gives you a competitive advantage. Most people don't listen to understand and remember what the other person is saying. When you listen well, you'll automatically build better relationships with customers, coworkers, and vendors.
Read More...
How to Handle Inappropriate Behavior in the Workplace
Inappropriate behavior can come in many forms. Regardless, it's any behavior by another person that makes you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. In this breakout session, you’ll learn techniques for dealing with inappropriate behavior in the workplace, both as a manager and as an employee. Read More...
How to Deal with Difficult End Users and Other Customers
Let's face it. Sometimes, we have to deal with a customer who's just really difficult. Perhaps they're demanding, complaining, or tyrannical. Maybe they act inappropriately or they're dishonest. Regardless, they're difficult, but they're a paying customer. In this session, you'll learn valuable techniques for dealing effectively with a challenging customer. Read More...
Written communication is at the core of today's workplace operations. Clear and efficient writing skills are critically important for career success. In this session, participants will learn 12 rules for effective email communication, how to use chat and texting in the workplace, and when an old-school hand-written note is appropriate. You will also learn rules for persuasive proposals and reports that will actually get read! Read More...
How to Handle Inappropriate Behavior from Customers
Inappropriate behavior from customers presents similar challenges to other forms of inappropriate workplace behavior, plus the possibility of significant financial loss based on how the behavior is dealt with. Gain tools for dealing with customers or clients who act inappropriately. Be prepared for when it happens to you. Read More...
How to Lead More Effective Meetings
Your ability to conduct a well-organized meeting in front of your peers and managers can jump-start your career. In this session, you'll learn how to plan your meeting, how to build a successful agenda, and how to run your meeting successfully. Make your meetings time-well-spent instead of time-wasters. Read More...
Form a high-functioning team by aligning around clear goals, use Compassionate Geek concepts to build great working relationships among team members, and reduce or eliminate ambiguity around team member roles. Learn the top five critical success factors in building high-performing teams. Read More...
How to Hire, Manage, and Retain Great Technical Staff Members
When hiring IT staff, do you hire for technical skills, people skills, or a good cultural fit? Once you hire someone, how can you manage them successfully to achieve organizational goals, and how do you retain your best employees in today's highly-competitive job market? In this session, you'll learn the top five keys to hiring, managing, and retaining top employees. Read More...
Customer Service Training for IT Pros
Organizations and individuals are now realizing that successful customer relationships make for successful businesses and careers. Organizations that care deeply about their people and their culture, in addition to their financial performance, are no longer satisfied with merely “Checking the Box” to deliver basic training. Instead, they are transforming their organizational culture by changing hearts and minds with a focus on compassion, caring, empathy, and respect. Read More... (The link will take you to Don's Compassionate Geek website.)
Don Crawley, Author of The Compassionate Geek
For more than 40 years, Don Crawley has worked with technology, from broadcasting to automation systems to data networks. A former IT trainer and consultant, he is an award-winning conference keynote speaker and the author of eight books for IT professionals including The Compassionate Geek. He’s especially good at helping IT teams work together so they can get things done for customers and your team.
