Our Workshop Topics

Effective Change Management

  1. Navigate the Human Side of Change: Equip leaders to manage not just structural updates like new software or staffing, but the psychological transitions that accompany them.

  2. Minimize Resistance: Accelerate adoption rates by training leaders to understand and support the internal journeys employees face during shifts.

  3. Drive Innovation: Move beyond simply "smoothing over friction" to create a high-adaptability culture where change sparks new ideas.

  4. Build Organizational Resilience: Turn every transition into a competitive advantage by fostering a team that is flexible, confident, and ready for what’s next.

High Impact. Emotionally Intelligent Leaders

  1. Develop Greater Emotional Intelligence: Help your employees build the self-awareness needed to make sharper decisions and work more efficiently. 

  2. Dismantle Productivity Killers: Teach employees to identify unhelpful, self-defeating thought patterns that waste time and decrease productivity. They will also learn tools and strategies to replace those unhelpful thoughts with empowering ones that can lead to greater confidence and competence.

  3. Drive Organizational Excellence: Transform individual growth into a competitive advantage by fostering a high-functioning, relationally connected, and emotionally intelligent culture.

Navigating Difficult Conversations Effectively

  1. Decrease Costly Avoidance: Identify and dismantle the internal barriers that cause leaders to hesitate, ensuring necessary issues are addressed before they escalate into bigger problems.

  2. Build a Framework for Success: Set up-front agreements for your most difficult conversations that create mutual accountability, increase buy-in, and create a setting where genuine change can occur. 

  3. Leverage Conflict to Build Stronger Relationships: Learn how to use understanding oriented, listening based, clarity seeking communication to not only navigate difficult conversations but build strong work, vendor, community, and client relationships. 

  4. Spend Less, Earn More: Reduce the cost of replacing high-performing employees that leave because of unresolved conflict. (#2 reason employees leave.) Retain customers that leave when difficult conversations are handled poorly. 

  1. Remove Internal Barriers: Recognize and replace self-limiting labels that keep your team from communicating effectively. 

  2. Build Receptivity: Leverage effective listening, appropriate follow up questions, and genuine curiosity to build relationships where sharing your elevator pitch can be of genuine value.

  3. Create Options: Build a repertoire of elevator pitches including: a) a simple, no jargon explanation, b) a success story, c) a way to educate, d) an impactful testimonial, e) showing the caliber of your customers, f) an opportunity to educate, and more.

  4. Know Where to Use Them: Identify which kind of elevator pitches to use in face-to-face conversations, in a first time connection, during weekly networking meetings, and beyond.

  5. Convert More Sales: Create 60-second mini-speeches that convince potential customers and business partners of your organization's value and lead to engagement.

Elevator Pitches That Sell

Other Topics Include:

  1. Overcoming a Fear of Failure

  2. Becoming an Effective Mentor or Protégé

“Wil Davenport is an excellent speaker for several reasons. He prepares thoroughly for every presentation and has worked hard to hone his skills. Every time I hear one of his presentations, I come away with useful information that I can apply to my life. He connects to the audience and keeps them engaged throughout. Hiring Wil for your next event will ensure that you have provided value for your attendees.”

Flash Black- Juvenile Diabetes Research Advocate & Toastmasters Public Speaking Champion

Our Speaking Topics

From Suicidal to Thriving

Lessons learned from a season of extreme depression and anxiety.

  1. Valuing vulnerability.

  2. Understanding more clearly the effects of clinical depression.

  3. Identifying and leveraging all the resources needed to cultivate health and resiliency.

Navigating Difficult Conversations Well

Challenging conversations are a common part of our lives. Learn how to turn them from destructive to constructive.

  1. Removing labels we place on ourselves that keep us from growing.

  2. Leveraging upfront agreements to create more productive conversations.

  3. Using the most effective tool that will produce better outcomes.

Overcoming a Fear of Failure

Transforming how we look at failure. Seeing it as an opportunity to grow instead of proof of our inadequacy.

  1. Recognizing when fear helps and when it hurts.

  2. Changing our view of failures & reclaiming them as opportunities to develop.

  3. Taking appropriate risks to maximize our growth and potential.

Your Words and Thoughts Shape You

Explore the research and hear stories showing how negative, unhelpful thought patterns impact our lives & teams.

  1. Discovering what cognitive distortions are.

  2. Understanding the impact they have on our lives.

  3. Counteracting them with proven strategies.

Other Topics Include:

  1. The practices of an effective mentor.

  2. Creating sustained behavior change.

“Wil is one of the best facilitators, in my opinion, because of how he connects. He asks questions that challenge and promote critical thinking. The workshops always include a teaching portion, an interactive portion, and a Q&A portion. When he leads a workshop I KNOW for a fact that folks are getting quality information in a fun teaching style. My job for the past 3 years has been to get workshop leaders to come in. We probably had 100 different workshops led by different people at that time. Wil is by far the best and most reliable person we invited.”

Alec Ross - Leader with Emerald Youth Foundation

Elevate Your Next Event with Wil as Your Emcee

Choosing the right emcee can make or break an event. You need someone who can not only command a stage but also connect with your audience on a personal level.

I've had the pleasure of leading discussions on a wide range of topics, including AI, networking, business ethics, Marketing, and mental and physical wellness.

Don't just take my word for it. Here's what a colleague in the Knoxville business community had to say about working with me:

"Wil brings an infectious energy and a gift for authentic connection. His ability to engage a crowd is unmatched. He leads with heart, confidence, and an incredible sense of presence. If your organization is looking for a speaker, emcee, or leadership presence that will elevate the room—Wil is the one to bring to the table." Brandon Huckaby- Chair of Education Committee for Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce

I don't just speak from a stage—I connect with people. I focus on: a) Creating an engaging and authentic atmosphere, b) Keeping the energy high through an event, c) Challenging and inspiring an audience to think, grow, and connect with the material in a meaningful way.

Ready to make your next event unforgettable? Let's talk about how I can help.