Lead resilient, respectful workplaces
Meet Marion
What Defines MarionSpeaks (Workplace Communication Consulting & Training
Mission
To help emerging and established leaders leverage their innate personality and communication strengths to build resilient teams and productive workplaces.
Values
When it comes to my company’s values, they have been moulded on my own which stem from both my family and this beautiful, varied, and rugged country, Canada, I call home. Values reflected in my company and everything I do include: hard work, professional and ethical conduct, and mutual respect. I celebrate and value relationship-building, diversity and individuality, competence, collaboration, personal strengths, self-care, and creative options. Oh yes, authenticity and honesty — I can sniff out those who like to stretch the truth a mile away and won’t tolerate excessive puffery. I am the “real deal”, have the education, credentials, and experience to do what I say I can do. The MarionSpeaks community (i.e., my clients, suppliers, and colleagues) is a proud collection of communication-minded business leaders working to create a culture of healthy workplace communication.
Guiding Principles
Fairness: Treat people fairly; teach them to treat me fairly too
Interactive: Allow clients and their teams a chance to be heard
Small is beautiful: Capitalize on being a solopreneur and being nimble to respond to clients’ needs
Responsive: When people reach out, answer them
Engaged: Listen to what clients want and are really saying (even if they don’t know exactly how)
Positive and passionate: … in helping clients communicate and lead
Flexible and open: Remain willing to consider options not even known yet
Ethical: Do the right thing, even when no one is looking
Service-oriented: Come from a place of service, not ego
Authentic: Don’t be fake or misrepresent facts
Proudly Canadian: whoohoo, eh!
Here’s What Makes MarionSpeaks Unique …
| OTHER PRESENTERS … | WHEREAS MARION … |
|---|---|
| Say they teach about management yet have never been managers themselves | … has managed 7-digit budgets, hundreds of staff members and large groups of volunteers |
| Say they are communication experts yet have no credentials | … is a former Director Communications of national organizations, international airports, federal institutions, and is a college and university honors grad |
| Say they talk about “personality” because they slap together a few of their own questions | … is True Colors™and Personality Dimensions™ certified (the latter being a Canadian-developed, internationally recognized assessment tool) | Say they teach about leadership, yet have no track record of being leaders | … has held executive positions, and was recognized for “Leadership in Innovation” awarded by Association of Public Executives (APEX) of the Public Service of Canada | Say they get good feedback on their sessions yet don’t quantify results | … draws on her professional marketing research background to provide clients with quantifiable impact of the learning session or coaching provided. | Say they’re experts because they read a book on the topic | … has 30+ years management, communication and marketing experience and shares real-life, personal stories, walks the talk and is the real deal. | Say they are consultants yet don't have the personal qualifications to be credible | ... has the unique combination of workplace communication credentials, management experience, and award-winning presentation skills, married with marketing research skills and ability to synthesize large amounts of data into easy-to-understand-and-use recommendations. |
My qualifications include an Honours Bachelor of Administration degree specializing in Marketing (Brock University), as well as Marketing Research and Media Communications college certificates (Niagara College, Algonquin College). I am True Colors™ and Personality Dimensions™ certified, and am an award-winning Toastmaster, cablevision producer, and leader. I was a long-time member of Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) and Global Speakers Federation (GSF). I have orchestrated national marketing and media campaigns, successfully managed controversial media issues, and have overseen the branding, marketing, and promotion of several nationwide organizations.
Marion’s company creed
My company rewards kindness, honours honesty, and gives and commands respect. I treat people fairly and work with those who also do so. I operate by the motto, “fit before fee”, and my clients share my core values and understand the worth of good communication and leadership.
Let Marion simplify your life
Are you planning a conference for your association? Or maybe a team, management or employee retreat for your company? Perhaps you’re in the midst of organizational change and need some communication expertise? You have a thousand and one details to worry about — getting a great presenter or coach doesn’t need to be one of them. I can help simplify your life with professional, reliable presentations sure to engage your audience members and leave them with hands-on communication tools they can use in the workplace. Engage your people with my interactive presentations, or dive deep into my communication expertise with my coaching or consulting services. No matter how you work with me, I will lead you to better communication, better results.
If you ever have the opportunity to work with Marion, TAKE IT! I wish I knew 100 people like her. Aside from being incredibly friendly and an absolute DELIGHT to work with, she is a consummate professional who knows her communication stuff!
Robin Jay, Owner, TwoBirds Inc. and Las Vegas Speakers Bureau (NV, USA)
Living in Niagara Falls (Canada), I present online or travel across Canada to where you need me. I have presented to audiences throughout Canada, in the United States, and in Europe. Having worked for and with large and small organizations in private and public sectors, I understand your world and communication breakdowns and challenges. Most importantly, I can help you find solutions. I am passionate to share what I’ve learned to help YOU connect with clients, colleagues, employees, and bosses faster and more effectively, so you’ll create a productive, respectful, and communicative workplace.
Marion is an awesome speaker: genuine, entertaining and informative. She has a knack for quickly establishing rapport with the audience – I’ve always felt she was speaking just with me, even though there may have been countless others in the room. If you’re looking for an accomplished speaker, one who will give you way more than you bargained for, hire Marion … you’ll be glad you did!Chris Ford, President, “General Speaking”
(and 2009-2010 President of Toastmasters International)
When you work with me, you get decades of communication, management and leadership experience. I balance my academic credentials with hands-on, practical application. A former Director Communications and Promotion for airports in Canada and the United States, for national museums and federal institutions, I “edu-tain” with my highly animated programs presented as conference keynotes, workshops, or onsite training sessions. Or if you would prefer more intense and specialized services, engage me as a coach or consultant to work one-on-one or come into your organization, work with your team and develop solutions to your biggest communication snafus.
Professional, personable, sensible, witty and smart – Marion delivers engaging, thought-provoking seminars and offers her invaluable experience and insight. The result? Increased teamwork and productivity. She helps change work cultures! Patti Lascelles, Account Delivery Manager, Hewlett-Packard
With a variety of communication-related subjects — all of which are content-rich, well researched, interactive, lively and challenge people to move to action — I will engage your audience. My sessions are full of tried and true tips you can put to use immediately.
Want a commanding, kind to her core, dynamo speaker? Need to ignite your employees’ desire to develop winning communication abilities? Wish your employees understood the difference between passive, assertive, and aggressive speaking styles? Marion activates, motivates, and accelerates positive workplace communication success solutions. Professionalism personified, her stellar superior presentation ratings speak for themselves. She is a marvelously professional speaker. Even better, she shines as one of the most authentically wonderful women it is my pleasure to know and respect. She continuously earns and deserves my highest recommendation. She is the best! Judy Krings, Ph.D.,PCC, Owner Coaching Positivity | Professional Coach | Well Being, Strengths, Social & Emotional Intelligence
Some of Marion’s Awards:
- “Award for Leadership in Service Innovation” presented by the Association of Professional Executives (APEX) of the Public Service of Canada. Marion was honored for her communications contribution as “a member of the team OPERATION TIM HORTONS, for proving that client needs can be met in even the most difficult situations, and that even high-risk undertakings can be accomplished through innovative private/public partnerships”. Marion worked with a team of colleagues to get the first-ever Tim Hortons outlet in the Kandahar Airfield for the Canadian Forces and allied forces in Afghanistan.
- Toastmasters, District 61, Division A “International Speech Contest” winner
- Producer and Host of the year award, Skyline Cablevision (now Rogers)
As a communication specialist, Marion is outstanding. Her savvy, professionalism, attention to detail and sheer smarts surpass any other communication person I’ve met. She gets involved and adds value to every step, in every project. A pleasure to work with.
Manuela Charette, Director (Canadian federal government)
AUTHOR:
Marion's latest Book!
FACING CHALLENGES NOW?
CONSIDER BUILDING YOUR RESILIENCY …
My latest book, THE FINKELSTEIN FACTOR: What to do when things go wrong … because you know they will (sigh). After years of sharing my communication systems with clients nationwide, I have gathered my top strategies of how to flip negative events into positive outcomes. And now you can have them too.
It begins by communicating with yourself and ends by communicating with others. This step-by-step guide will walk you through exactly how to do that … and then, to let go. Discover THE FINKELSTEIN FACTOR
WHAT READERS SAY:
“Love this book, couldn’t put it down once I started! Marion’s insightful advice helps us make the most of those unwelcome, unexpected circumstances that we all face throughout our lives. Her unpretentious, pragmatic approach reminds us to keep things in perspective and prioritize the truly important things in life. With grace, compassion, humility and humour, she is an example of a life well-lived, reminding us to ‘check ourselves’ and aspire to be better.” Patti (5/5 star rating)
“Steps work and are easy to do. Super easy to read and relate to. Marion weaves her point effortlessly into stories we can all relate to. She causes you to think, adjust, and come out better for it. Uplifting, motivational, and completely practical.” Patrick, 5/5 star rating)
Marion is also a contributing author to ...
“The Power of the Platform: Speakers on Success” (Featuring Marion, Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy, Tana Goertz, and 17 other prominent speakers)
- Expert Women Who Speak, Speak Out! (Featuring Marion Grobb Finkelstein and Joan Grobb Augustino’s chapter, “Facing the Chicken Within”)
- Various ezine articles, including Marion’s COMMUNICATION TIPS blog
SOME OF MARION’S FAVE SUPPLIERS:
Marion uses the following suppliers. Whether you do or not is up to you.
- https://db.tt/Qq0Dzy4g Looking for a cloud to store all your files? Here’s the one I use, Dropbox (PS: use the link I’ve provided I get bonus file space too … so thanks!)
- http://michellevalberg.com/ is my portrait photographer. She’s amazing … and internationally reknowned!
NOTE re: Links to Other Web Sites — our Site may contain hyperlinks to other Web sites. These are provided solely as a convenience to you. We have not reviewed and do not endorse, guarantee or accept any responsibility for the content, or accessibility of resources available on, any other Web site. We suggest that you carefully review the terms of use of any Web site you choose to access from our Site. Please also note that if you purchase anything through a link, you should assume that MarionSpeaks has an affiliate relationship with the company providing the product or service that you purchase and that she will be paid in some way. We invite you to do your own independent research before purchasing anything.
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Contact Marion to book
Phone: 289 969 7691
Email: Marion@MarionSpeaks.com
