Speaking

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Turn Ideas Into Action

Bring Charlie Gilkey in for high-impact keynotes, breakouts, and workshops

Charlie Gilkey helps people start finishing what matters most. He’s the author of Team Habits: How Small Actions Lead to Extraordinary Results, Start Finishing: How to Go from Idea to Done, and The Small Business Lifecycle, co-host of The Productive Flourishing Podcast, and founder of Productive Flourishing, one of the world’s top websites for planning, prioritization, and productivity. His work is regularly featured in places like TIME, Inc.com, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Lifehacker, and the Huffington Post. Prior to starting Productive Flourishing, Charlie was an Army Joint Force Military Coordinator and pursuing a PhD in Philosophy.

If your audience or organization is ready to move forward what matters most, and transform how the team works to accomplish goals, Charlie Gilkey is the ideal choice to speak at your event. Listeners will walk away with insights that open up their next steps, take their projects as a team or their business or forward, all in a way that respects where they are on their journey. As a speaker he focuses on giving vision combined with tangible takeaways needed for working better, as individuals or as teams. 

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Signature Keynotes

Charlie prefers to tailor content of his presentations to meet the goals and needs of the organizations hosting him. He’s well-positioned to speak to teams and wider audiences on how improving team habits can transform your entire organization. Clear workways, trust and belonging with the people we spend our days working with are crucial in determining our potential and impact.  

Team Habits is also the title of Charlie’s newest book, released August 2023 with Hachette Go, but he frequently coaches and offers expertise on planning and strategy for how to get projects finished, and bring about positive end results. This was in part the subject of his previous book Start Finishing (2019). While these are focus themes, any presentation’s content will be original. 

Keynotes and lectures by Charlie are marked by his approachable demeanor, engaging and natural storytelling, and his use of interactivity with the audience. He’s particularly good with presenting last at events since he can tie many threads into a coherent, grounding, and actionable tapestry.

  • The Five Keys to Building Successful, High-Performance Teams

    High-performance teams don’t just create themselves – they’re a product of intentionally putting together the pieces that enable teams to perform at that level. This presentation shares the five keys leaders must put in place to achieve high-performance. Hint: hiring great performers is one of the least important pieces of the puzzle.

  • Start Finishing: How to Go From Idea to Done

    Doing your best work requires mindsets and skillsets that just aren’t taught in school and are often learned too late in life. This presentation shares simple strategies and frameworks that get people out of their heads so they start finishing their best work.

  • How to Navigate the 5 Stages of Small Business Growth

    Entrepreneurs often think about taking their business to the “next level” without a clear idea of what that means. They struggle because they’re focusing on the wrong thing at the wrong time. This presentation shows entrepreneurs and small business owners how small businesses grow so that they can orient and prioritize their efforts to grow.

Molly Gordon

ShaboomInc.com

 Charlie is one of the best people to work with I’ve ever met. He’s easy going, smart, and delivers more than he promises. As a presenter in the 2010 Self Employment Telesummit he simplified complex business choices without dumbing them down, which is quite a feat. I highly recommend Charlie as a teacher, mentor, and guide.

Past Speaking Engagements

2024 Speaking Engagements

October 2024: Ethical Pricing and Pay from the Heart, with Mark Silver

September 2024: Responsive Conference: Small Group Facilitator

September 2024: NTX ISSA Cybersecurity Conference: From Broken Printers to Effective Team Habits: A Leadership Approach in Cybersecurity

September 2024: Give to Grow Live

August 2024: ATD: Team Habits Over Individual Gains: Crafting Team-Centric Leadership Development

July 2024: Give to Grow with Productive Flourishing

May 2024: EWP Live! [Boeing Webcast]: Team Habits

February 2024: Author Alchemy Summit: Building a Sustainable Author Brand/Career (Panel)

February 2024: Author Alchemy Summit: Breakout Sessions

February 2024: Author Alchemy Summit: Conversation with Charlie Gilkey

2023 Speaking Engagements

October 2023: BRM Connect Conference: Better Team Habits as a Bridge to Better Results

October 2023: BRM Connect Conference: Beating Burnout via Team Habits

June 2023: LinkedIn Live with Seth Godin

April 2023: Fishbowl: Creating Belonging in Teams with Sparketype

March 2023: Fishbowl: How to Improve Your Team’s Meeting Habits

February 2023: Fishbowl: Good Team Habits Make Great Teams

2022 Speaking Engagements

November 2022: Fishbowl LIVE: Discover Your Hidden Imprint For Work That Makes You Come Alive

August 2022: The Mom Project: How to Be Productive in a Digital Thunderstorm

June 2022: NewTech PDX: Momentum and The Importance of Doing Your Best Work

June 2022: Angel Oregon Tech PitchSLAM: Productivity and Momentum

April 2022: Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN): Workplace Transformation: Team, Tools and Tech

April 2022: Craftcation: Create a Schedule that Feeds Your Soul, Creativity, and Business

January 2022: NPConnect Virtual Executive Director Breakfast

January 2022: NYC Planner Addicts: The Momentum Planning Method

2021 Speaking Engagements

August 2021: “Strategic Customer Development for Small Business” for Portland Small Business Development Center

February 2021: The Big Ready – Productivityist with Mike Vardy

2020 Speaking Engagements

February 2020: Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. Book Talk

January 2020: ProductivityCon

2019 Speaking Engagements

September 2019: Everything Conference

August 2019: “Strategic Customer Development for Small Business” for Portland Small Business Development Center

April 2019: Craftcation: Business & Makers Conference

April 2019: Journey 2019

February 2019: USA Cycling Summit

2018 Speaking Engagements

August 2018: “Building Better Boundaries” with Angela Wheeler for CampGLP, hosted by Jonathan Fields

July 2018: “Strategic Customer Development for Small Business” for Portland Small Business Development Center

February 2018: “Building Better Boundaries” with Angela Wheeler for Think Better, Live Better

2017 Speaking Engagements

August 2017:  “Start Finishing: The 10 Keys to Doing Your Best Work” for CampGLP, hosted by Jonathan Fields

June 2017: “Strategic Customer Development for Small Business” for Portland Small Business Development Center

May 2017: “Systems Thinking for Conscious Business Owners” for The 108, hosted by Jonathan Fields

February 2017: “Start Finishing: 3 Key Strategies to Simplify Your Plans, Enjoy the Process, and Do Your Best Work” for Think Better, Live Better

January 2017: “Start Finishing This Year” for Wayfinding Academy

2016 Speaking Engagements

October 2016: “The Small Business Life Cycle: What to Navigate and Accelerate Your Business’s Growth” for PetCare VISIBILITY, hosted by Joshua Cary

August 2016:  “Start Finishing: The 10 Keys to Doing Your Best Work” for CampGLP, hosted by Jonathan Fields

August 2016: “Start Finishing: 3 Keys Strategies to Go From Idea to Done” Think Better, Live Better Academy for World Domination Summit

July 2016: “Strategic Customer Development for Small Business” for Portland Small Business Development Center

May 2016: “Authority Behind the Scenes with Pamela Wilson” for Copyblogger

April 2016: “Winning Strategies Aren’t About Ideas – They’re About Execution” for Quiet Power Strategy Summit

January 2016: “Start Finishing This Year” for Wayfinding Academy

January 2016: “Start Finishing: 3 Key Strategies to Simplify Your Plans, Enjoy the Process, and Do Your Best Work” for Think Better, Live Better

2015 Speaking Engagements

October 2015: “Start Finishing: 3 Key Strategies to Simplify Your Plans, Enjoy the Process, and Do Your Best Work” for SimpleRev

August 2015: “Work Smarter, Not Harder – Using Systems Thinking to Get Better Results in Your Business” for Portland Small Business Development Center

August 2015:  “Start Finishing: The 10 Keys to Doing Your Best Work” for CampGLP, hosted by Jonathan Fields

June 2015: “Strategic Customer Development” for Portland Small Business Development Center

May 2015: “Navigating the Stages of Business Growth” for Small Business Website Masterclass with Pia Larson

February 2015: “How to Prioritize and Sequence Your Strategic Goals” for Protect and Profit from Your Intellectual Property with Rachel Rodgers – CreativeLive

2014 Speaking Engagements

October 2014: “Implementation So You Can Make Money” for IPA Series

October 2014: “Work Smarter, Not Harder – Using Systems Thinking to Get Better Results in Your Business” for Portland Small Business Development Center

September 2014: “Strategic Customer Development” for Portland Small Business Development Center

June 2014: “The 8Ps for Moving from a Helping Hunch to a Sellable Service Offering” for The Good Life Project Academy

June 2014: “Work Smarter, Not Harder – Using Systems Thinking to Get Better Results in Your Business” for Portland Small Business Development Center

March 2014: “Strategic Customer Development” for Small Business Development Center

2013 Speaking Engagements

November 2013: “Rock the Halls: Holiday Time Management and Productivity Tips for Online Entrepreneurs” for CopyBlogger

October 2013: “Communication Matchmaking: Managing Communication Styles, Preferences, and Technology” for Citrix

October 2013: “The World Is Your Marketplace” for Small Business Development Center

July 2103: “Marketing the Right Things At The Right Time: How You Market Depends on Where You Are” for DexOne

May 2013: “5 Overlooked Principles of Execution” – SOBCon

May 2013: “Good Communication Saves More Time Than It Takes” for Toastmasters International

April 2013: “Money Talks: The Real Business Benefits of Effective Communication” for Citrix

2013: “Strategy Execution for Entrepreneurial Success” – GLP Immersion

2012 Speaking Engagements

July 2012: Panelist at the Portland DexOne Local Leadership Event

May 2012: “Effective Decision-Making Made Easy” for SOBCon

2011 Speaking Engagements

October 2011: “It’s Not About What You Value, It’s About What They Value” for Molly Gordon Self-Employment Telesummit

September 2011: “How to Find – And Focus On – What Actually Matters In Your Business” for Casey Truffo’s Practice Building Conference

June 2011: “How to Embrace the No Man’s Land of Authorship” for Book Breakthrough NYC

June 2011: Navigating the Small Business Life Cycle – Profit Catalyst

May 2011: “How to Grow Your Business, One Stage and Season At A Time” for the Young Women Social Entrepreneur group in Portland, Oregon

2010 Speaking Engagements

October 2010: “Go Big or Go Home .. or Go Deep,” for Andrea Lee’s Wealthy Thought Leader Event

October 2010: “Content Creation and Management Strategies” for the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce’s “Social Media for Sales Success” workshop

2009 Speaking Engagements

Jan 2009: “Project Management Within Academia,” for the University of Nebraska Draught Mitigation Team

Want Charlie to speak at your event?

If you’d like Charlie to speak or present for your event, click the button below to fill out a form and we’ll get in touch with you shortly. We can also send a speaking/media kit to you, upon request.

 

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Liz Strauss

International Business Strategist and CEO of SOBCon

When Charlie Gilkey is at the microphone, you can count on information and interaction that engage, energize, and motivate while making the path forward look natural and easy. Whether it’s a private meeting, panel of experts, or a presentation, don’t miss a chance to hear Charlie sharing his expertise on business online and off.

Randy Schafer

Technical Director, USA Cycling

Charlie’s keynote address and facilitation on creating high-performance teams felt like a tipping point for our organization. While I originally proposed my thoughts on how he could address our keynote topic, he created the space for me to talk about what it is we do and what I was trying to accomplish. Listening with curiosity, he was willing to share what he understood about our organization and what he felt was actually needed to achieve that. Charlie made a strong case for a revised topic direction, and tailored his keynote and approach to create a feeling of openness and participation that we had not understood a need for, nor generated, in previous summits. His willingness to jump into uncomfortable unknowns with positivity and curiosity encouraged everyone at the event to ride with him and feel empowered to speak up, collaborate, and own the ways they could improve our team. Charlie pushed us beyond talking about becoming a better team – we became a better team, in real time, because of his catalytic presence.