Meet Neil Ihde from Life IQ | Husband, Dad, Soccer Referee, Pianist, INTJ

Meet

Neil Ihde

Husband, Dad, Soccer Referee, Pianist, INTJ

While I was still in college, my wife-to-be asked me what I wanted to do.

“I think I want to be a professional speaker.”

I had attended conferences, I had seen speakers and I thought I could do that too. But it took me several years to figure out how one does that and what exactly I was going to talk about.

I have a BA in Psychology, a BA in Sociology and a MA in counseling and I spent the first part of my career working with adolescents and adults in a variety of mental health settings. I eventually migrated into training and was a Learning and Development Consultant in a large healthcare organization for six years.

There I developed, delivered, and managed a management education series for both new/emerging leaders and seasoned leaders.

I thought I may have the chops to become a professional speaker and trainer but I needed some assurances and affirmation.

I knew enough about positive illusion to know that just because I thought I was pretty good, didn’t mean others did. People are always nice. There were a handful after every training that would give me compliments, but if I was going to make a major life change I needed more proof.

So, I decided that I would not share my ambitions to become a professional speaker with anyone in my circle.

I wondered if I would have anyone tell me unsolicited (key word) that I was good enough to do this professionally. I had a number in my head and lo and behold, that threshold was eclipsed.

In 2006, I created my speaking company called Life IQ. Fast forward to today and I’ve worked with twenty-five Fortune 500 companies and traveled all over the country.

My goal for every audience that I work with is to present pragmatic, thought-provoking content in an engaging, energetic manner. I include stories and real-life examples to add relevance and perspective.

 When I see comments like these, I know I’ve done my job:

“Neil had an engaging personality and great presentation skills and stories!”

“The presentation flowed and the examples were relevant and entertaining.”

“I loved Neil’s enthusiasm for the topic!”

“Exceeded expectations!”

“Neil had great charisma and was informative, engaging, and enlightening!”

“Neil wasn’t lofty or theoretical. He was authentic and was upfront about the complexities of being a leader.”

“Neil’s real life applications were great – very well organized and thought through.”

“I will begin using information from this session TOMORROW!”

 “Incredible job facilitating - very engaging and enjoyable. I have gained a lot of insight into how I can work effectively with others”

“I really enjoyed the mastery of the presenter. He had a holistic grasp of the material and the ability to present it with balance, humor, and grace in a manner accessible to all learning styles”

Connect with Neil

Speaking

Resources