Q: Conor, you’ve been described as “An Irish Dilbert,” and “James Joyce meets Tom Peters.” How would you describe yourself?

Put simply, I am a keynote business speaker and humorist.

I do position myself as "James Joyce meets Tom Peters" which is a phrase I picked up on one of my evaluation forms. It  sums up my style accurately I think as I provide very solid substance on general business and motivation issues combined with a large element of Irish wit and humor. I have also been described as "An Irish Dilbert," as you suggested which again does accurately portray my presentation style when clients want me to tailor my speech to a more humorous side.

Q: Is it difficult to balance substance and humor?

Yes and no. It comes with practice and dedication and believe me I do practice a lot and am dedicated to my craft. As a keynote business speaker and humorist, or as a humorous keynote speaker, I think I have two objectives to achieve. One is to convey good message on business issues, leadership, marketing, motivation. This brings me to my second objective. The best way for me to deliver memorable presentations in my opinion is to intersperse a large dollop of Irish humor - humor which is relevant to the message. That is probably the most difficult part. I think most speakers can throw a joke into a presentation, but I try to ensure that my business humor reinforces the message I'm challenged to get across.

Q: You are a keynote speaker who has a wide range of topics including cancer. 

Yeah! If anyone is ever searching "keynote speaker - cancer," I'm a pretty good answer. I've had thyroid cancer many years ago back in Ireland and prostate cancer last year. Having had a thyroidectomy and a prostatectomy, I now tell audiences I am now a humorous keynote speaker with a unique Irish condition "There's not much left -o-me."

Q: You've developed a keynote speech around your cancer experience.

Yup, I have. Before I went in for my prostatectomy, my wife advised me I had to purchase a new pair of pajamas for the hospital. So as a result, I proudly marched into hospital bearing pajamas with the Monty Python legend "It's just a flesh wound." I've since created a keynote of the same title. It is a fun, upbeat keynote showing how we can overcome obstacles with the right attitude and is ideal if some event planner is searching for a "keynote speaker - cancer" or "keynote speaker - healthcare."

Q: What  is SHEIFGAB?
SHEIFGAB is an acronym I developed which outlines the key letters of Eight Building Blocks to better Teamwork, Collaboration and Productivity.
These Eight Building Blocks are

S – Structure (your life)
H - Help (others)
E – Environment (change it)
I - Improve (yourself)
F- Family / Friends 
G - Goals (set and achieve)
A – Attitude (determines your success)
B - Brand / Behavior 

I work hard to ensure my audience retains ideas from my presentations. If I were to give my audience those eight building blocks without providing an acronym, many will not remember them. But I also do something else. To make the word even more memorable, I tell my audience that in the Irish language, the word SHEIFGAB means “Do It” or “Make It Happen”. Hence the title for a very well received presentation -
"Get out of that Bed and SHEIFGAB the World"

Q. SHEIFGAB does not mean what you initially said it means?
Ha! That’s correct. At the end of the presentation, I clarify that SHEIFGAB does not have any meaning in the Irish language and I tell a humorous story against myself, but the concept of SHEIFGAB the World, to "Do it" and to "Make it happen" is really powerful and generates enormous positive reaction.

Q. As well as having an unusual name, you are unusual in that you make a specific Brand Promise?
Yes, and I strongly believe in it. I have a strong marketing background and believe branding is a critical business tool. As a speaker, I am The Brand. My Brand Promise is E4: which stands for Energize, Educate, Entertain and Easy to work with.

In addition to that Brand Promise, I have a personal mission for each event. It is to Get Asked Back or Get Referred Business. The best way to ensure this happens is to exceed client expectations, which is not easy to do. However, as I research, develop and rehearse my presentations I regularly ask myself “Will this get me a return engagement? You might think that is pretty mercenary. It is, but I'm in a business as well as my audience. "Will I get repeat or referred business?" is a message I put across when speaking to sales personnel. Sure, the current sale is important, but the mindset of the sales person should be on the next connection with the customer. The sales person should be thinking "if I handle this properly, I will get more business." It is a mantra, I try to relate to. Customer retention in speaking is as critical as in any other industry.

Q.What differentiates you from other speakers?
Tim Malloy of McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd – one of the leading intellectual property law offices in the country said in a testimonial letter “ I have never heard a speaker with the double whammy combination of humor and substance which I heard from you today”. I research and read, research and read around my clients business and can craft quality presentations appropriate to each audience which is what the best speakers in this industry do.

Q. Be honest, does the Irish brogue help in this business?

Ha! Does it what? It is a real brand differentiator for me, but it only helps for the first few minutes in any keynote. In addition to offering that unique “double whammy combination” which my client referred to, I can also be different because I deliver good, well researched content humorously in my Irish brogue. I do not present myself in a stage Irish fashion, but Ireland does entrance people. Thus, I often use images from my homeland which is most definitely a warm, welcoming, magical, mystical land.

Q. You are an award winning speaker?
 Yes, I won the Chicago Toastmasters Humorous Speaker of the Year title and have won other awards. I like competition speaking because it forces you to think through every line, every thought and how well those thoughts relate to each other. Ultimately it allows me to develop good content for my speaking career.

Q. What was the speech that won you the Humorous Speaker of the Year title?
The speech was on customer service in San Quentin prison which is a bit of an oxymoron.  I titled it Capturing the Guest and have now developed it into a key note using the speech itself, while also illustrating companies such as McDonald’s, JetBlue, Dell, Hyundai and many others.