Dan Strakal

Leadership doesn't have to be complicated.Leadership In Simple Terms (LIST) takes a practical, common-sense look at what it means to lead people well. Drawing on timeless wisdom, real-world experience, stories, humor, and audience participation, Dan explores simple ideas about leadership that are easy to understand—and...

AI is changing how we work. But it is also changing what becomes most valuable about the people doing the work.The Human Side of AI isn't a technical presentation about software, coding, or the latest AI tools. It's a practical conversation about what happens to...

Most people aren't professional speakers. But almost everyone has moments at work when they need to capture attention, communicate an idea clearly, and inspire confidence in what they're saying.It might be presenting at a meeting, briefing senior leadership, pitching an idea, leading a team discussio...

Change rarely happens according to script.Organizations restructure. Priorities shift. Leaders change. Technology disrupts familiar ways of working. A plan that made perfect sense yesterday may suddenly need to be rewritten—and the people involved are expected to adjust while the work keeps moving.Scripting the...

Improv isn't just for actors—and it isn't about trying to be funny.Improv for the Real World uses simple principles from improvisational theatre to help people listen more closely, communicate more effectively, adapt in the moment, and build on the ideas of others.Through stories, demonstrations, exercises...

Stress isn't always caused by having too much to do. Sometimes it's caused by the way we're doing it, the environment we're doing it in, or the growing distance between what matters to us and how we're actually spending our time.The Stress Reset takes a...

Life doesn't divide itself neatly into work and everything else.Balancing the 7 Sides of Life is a practical, interactive look at the different parts of life competing for our time, energy, and attention—and what happens when one or two begin taking over.Using stories, humor, simple...