Steve Donahue - Adventurer, Drummer, Storyteller
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Sahara Desert adventurer, author, drummer, storyteller... Steve Donahue is a one person 'tour de force.' His presentations combine fast paced humor with heart-stopping tales from his desert odyssey. He's an expert at making people laugh while they learn. But he can move an audience with a touching story as well. Steve is a master at customization by crafting his message to reflect each client's uniqueness. A superb storyteller, he shares wisdom as old as humanity and never more relevant than today.
Steve's book, "Shifting Sands: A Guidebook for Crossing the Deserts of Change," is based on his harrowing journey across the Sahara. It outlines six "Rules of Desert Travel" to guide readers through deserts of life and change. Soulful yet practical, it presents the desert as a metaphorical place of change, often debunking the popular mountain-climbing metaphor that focuses on goal setting and achievement over the journey itself.
Steve has been a professional speaker since 1988. In 1994, Sharing Ideas Magazine named him a Consummate Speaker of the Year, along with Margaret Thatcher and author Tom Wolfe. Steve has a good command of French and is comfortable in front of Francophone audiences.
What people are saying...
"Best speaker we ever had."
–Volkswagen
"I laughed 'til my face hurt."
–Registered Nurses Association of B.C
"His ability to connect with people is magical."
–Williams Co.
"Preparation and execution were flawless."
–Thrifty Car Rental
"For our organization, the desert metaphor was the right one."
–CIBC Bank
"Truly assisted us in achieving both our personal and business goals."
–GE Capital
"Your desire to meet and speak with our representatives provided a personal touch that not many speakers take time for."
–Imperial Life
Programs
MOST REQUESTED PROGRAMS:
Follow a Compass - Not a Map
The most important journeys cannot be mapped out. It’s because these journeys require crossing uncharted territory. Today, more than ever, the challenge for individuals and organizations is to keep heading in the right direction under constantly changing conditions and increased uncertainty. Old thinking; try to map your way across shifting sands. New thinking; find the thing that will guide you across uncharted territory, your compass.
That One Thing: A Speech about Performance, Leadership and Teamwork
The secret of success is to identify your inherent giftedness and turn that specific talent into performance. Based on the work of James Hillman, Marcus Buckingham and a lifetime of leveraging his uniqueness, Steve Donahue shares his own 14 years of strength-based research and coaching to help you discover and develop that one thing that makes you great. This captivating presentation shows corporations how to forget about competencies and start focusing on genius.
The More You Stop the Farther You Go: A speech about Renewal, Teamwork and Having Fun
The only way to cross the Sahara Desert is to stop at every oasis. This is where you replenish your water supplies, refuel your vehicle and renew relationships with fellow travelers. Skipping an oasis means almost certain death. How’s that for motivation! This presentation shows how to identify and protect your essential oases so that you always have gas in your tank, a clear direction and travel as a team.
50,000 Koreans Can’t be Wrong: A speech about Performance, Risk Taking and Opportunity
One day Steve Donahue woke up and discovered that he was a celebrity in Korea. His book had become a runaway bestseller in a country he knew nothing about. Determined to uncover the secret of his literary success he travels to the world’s only divided country with a documentary film crew. This hilarious adventure tale reveals why destiny is no joke and following your gift is essential, even if you have to go to Asia to figure out what it is.
ThemeWeaver ®:The ultimate customized presentation
Steve Donahue delivers your opening keynote based on his journey across the Sahara. He attends the rest of the conference, listens to other presenters and interacts with attendees. Steve weaves his impressions with your theme and literally tells the story of your event as he summarizes the entire meeting with his closing presentation. He also concludes his gripping desert tale thus keeping participants involved for the entire conference because no one wants to miss the dramatic finale to the story he’s been telling.
