Speaking

Screen shot 2011-02-16 at 12.37.26 PMBob Upgren has delivered over 1,000 keynote presentations to a diverse group of industries, and has never failed to inspire and motivate the audience.  It is not uncommon for Bob to customize his presentation to meet an organization’s specific needs. His goal is to facilitate the outcome you are trying to create. Current presentations by Bob Upgren include:

“Awaken the Genius for Teachers”

It’s now being said that a nation which fails to innovate, falls behind. Bob Upgren believes this to be true. He also is convinced that the best way to spur innovation is to inspire children. It should be every parent, school, and educator’s goal to awaken the genius that resides within them. How do we do this? What can a person do to trigger the genius of this generation? In this eye-opening message, Bob Upgren teaches five key strategies that will literally change they way we view education, motivation, and personal potential in kids.

KEY COMPONENTS DISCUSSED

1.  Awaken the Genius in YOU!

2.  Cure yourself of these two “Education Viruses”

3.  Experience Sparks Genius

4.  The Genius Climate

5.  How Genius is Expressed


…when his presentation was ending my entire faculty were on their feet. His message permeated my school so much that we are having him again to address the students. He started our school year out as a year to remember.”

Brenda Shelton
Principal, North East Independent School District
San Antonio, Texas

“Artistic Leadership”

How interpretation and expression help you stand out!

The leadership game has changed. Gone are the days of teaching values to people and expecting them to evolve or morph into a super-leader.  Values, as important as they are, sustain leadership,not teach it.  When trying to stretch, empower, and grow individuals and organizations, it is the development of artistry that changes the game, not the usual overstated ideas being shared from the platform today.

Artistic Leadership is centered upon a very powerful idea Upgren calls “The Principle of Separation”.  The principle of separation is the “game changer” in leadership. This principle teaches individuals how to interpret what they do and express how they do it .  Simply put, artistic leadership unlocks the secret to making any individual or organization stand out, perform better, and serve with more passion.

It is this artistic approach which Bob Upgren not only teaches, but demonstrates through chalk media. He has shared these ideas with organizations such as Wells Fargo, Verizon Wireless, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the NBA players Association and many more Fortune 100 and 500 organizations around the world.

KEY COMPONENTS DISCUSSED

1.  The one person the artistic leader is most accountable to

2.  How artistic leaders value their colleagues

3.  Five questions artistic leaders ask themselves and others

4.  What artistic leaders do before anything

5.  Three rules of the artistic leaders team


Wow.  Very few seminars live up to, much less exceed the hype. This was extremely clear, focused stuff I can take back and incorporate.”

Terry Kraft
American Family Insurance

“IGNITING PURPOSE – INSPIRING TEENS”

This generation is saddled with many of the same issues you and I faced when we were kids. Drugs, alcohol, bullying, and dishonesty are just few of them.  The difference is, these issues target this generation faster and earlier. Drinking was once a middle school issue addressed in the eighth grade, now it must be brought to the forefront in upper elementary or it’s too late.  Bullying is magnified by social media. Drugs are more readily available at an earlier age in rural locations. To make matters worse, the values we try to teach are not reinforced by many of our current leaders, so why on earth would a young person deem them important?

This “situation,” if you will, has left teachers, administrators, and schools wondering what to do.  How do you combat all these negative things? What could trump everything? What could be strong enough in the mind of a young person to block out the noise and negativity?  The answer is purpose and identity. When you paint the picture properly in the mind of a young person, they come to the realization that who they want to be and what they want to become is more important than the harmful behavior being made available.  It’s all about “Igniting Purpose” in the lives of your students.

We had over 5,500 students in this auditorium and I didn’t see one that didn’t stand up for the ovation at the end.  That was awesome”

Texas State Student Council Advisor

PARTIAL CLIENT LIST

I have spoken in over 1,000 venues. Below is a partial list of the organizations I have worked with and the various locations I have appeared.

CORPORATE LEADERSHIP (partial list)

  • Wells Fargo
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • Verizon Wireless
  • NBA
  • Knife River
  • Young Professionals
  • Cloverdale Foods
  • VA Hospital
  • Maurices
  • SD Parks & Rec.
  • Farm Credit Services
  • MDU Resources
  • Land O Lakes
  • Dress Barn
  • Mor Gran Sou Electric
  • Osteopathic Medical Association
  • Energy Generation Conference
  • Remmele Engineering
  • Agribank
  • Workforce Safety & Insurance
  • MedCenter One
  • Delta County Memorial Hospital
  • Great Plains National Bank
  • South Carolina Hospital Association
  • Woodmont Real Estate Services
  • NDAREC
  • South Dakota School Age Alliance
  • Primecare
  • South Carolina Colleton Plantation Club
  • Altru Health Systems
  • MnCCECT
  • Legal Marketing Association
  • Rainmaker Group
  • DLN Consulting

EDUCATION IN-SERVICE TRAINING (by state)

  • NEW YORK
  • ILLINOIS
  • MICHIGAN
  • NORTH DAKOTA
  • SOUTH DAKOTA
  • MINNESOTA
  • TEXAS
  • NEBRASKA
  • IOWA
  • FLORIDA
  • PENNSYLVANIA
  • MASSACHUSETTS
  • NORTH CAROLINA
  • LOUISIANA
  • UTAH
  • WISCONSIN
  • NDFA

NEXT GENERATION/SCHOOLS AND ASSOCIATIONS

  • Bismarck State College
  • Louisiana State Student Council
  • Nebraska State Student Council
  • Maine State Student Council
  • Massachusetts State Student Council
  • North Dakota State Student Council
  • Texas State Student Council
  • Colorado State Student Council
  • Montana State Student Council
  • Minnesota State Student Council
  • Nevada Skills USA
  • MN DECA
  • ND DECA
  • FCCLA
  • TSA
  • SADD
  • NASSED
  • Dallas Performing Arts School
  • Nebraska Agricultural Youth Council
  • PCC – Bridgewater, MA
  • TRIO
  • Prairie Learning Center
  • Ontario Student Leadership Conference
  • ICBND
  • Strom Entrepreneurship Conference
  • NDCEL
  • LCMS Youth
  • Youth for Christ
  • The Fire Ministries
  • Business Challenge
  • Ontario Student Leadership
  • Northern State Athletics
  • MN BPA
  • ND School Boards Assoc
  • Muskoka Woods Leadership
  • UND
  • United Tribes Technical College
  • Alexandria Technical College
  • NDSU
  • RMASFAA
  • Social Key
  • NOSHA