Speaking Engagements/Workshops

Are you looking for a dynamic, exciting, and entertaining speaker for your next communications conference? Does your organization need to improve its business writing, news writing, or communication skills? Do your senior leaders or spokespeople need media training? If you’re interested in Tom presenting a workshop to your organization, contact him at (503) 213-0327.

Nov. 12, 14, & 19: Tom will present a three-part news writing workshop (online) for PRSA. Each session will run 90 minutes. Click here for more details and to register.

Jan. 14, 2025: Tom will present a “ProTalk” on news writing from noon to 1 p.m., hosted by the Seattle chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. The event is open to non chapter members. More details to come.

Below is where Tom has spoken in the past:

Sept. 20: Tom presented a business writing workshop at the annual Communicators Conference at Portland State University in Portland, Ore. The Oregon chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) hosted the conference.

April 17, 2024: More than 680 communications professionals signed up for a one-hour news writing webinar Tom presented through PRSA.

Dec. 8, 2023: Tom presented a one-day Business Writing Made Simple workshop virtually through the American Management Association.

Nov. 15, 2023: Tom presented a three three-hour business writing workshop virtually for employees of a client.

Nov. 9, 2023: Tom presented a two-hour business writing workshop virtually twice for employees of a client.

Nov. 7, 2023: Tom presented a three-hour business writing workshop virtually for employees of a client.

Nov. 6, 2023: Tom presented a two-hour business writing workshop virtually twice for employees of a client.

Oct. 19, 2023: Tom presented a three-hour business writing workshop virtually for employees of a client.

Oct. 9, 2023: Tom was a guest speaker (virtually) for a Tulane University communications class. He spoke about the “magic of S-T.”

July 20, 2023: Tom presented a one-day Business Writing Made Simple workshop virtually through the American Management Association.

May 19, 2023: Tom presented a one-day Business Writing Made Simple workshop virtually through the American Management Association.

Feb. 2, 2023: Tom spoke about news writing to a public relations class at George Fox University in Newberg, Ore.  Thank you Dianne Danowski Smith, APR, Fellow PRSA for inviting me.

December 2022: Tom presented a one-day Business Writing Made Simple workshop virtually through the AMA.

July 2022: Tom presented a News Writing workshop virtually to about 80 attendees in a webinar hosted by PRSA’s national New Professionals section.

July 2022: Tom presented a workshop in person to a client’s communications team in Texas on how to gain the trust of senior executives.

June 2022: Tom taught an Advanced Business Writing workshop virtually to a client’s Marketing team. As a follow-up, he is providing editing advice to the employees individually.

May 2022: Tom taught two Business Writing workshops virtually to a client’s employees. Each workshop was an hour and 45 minutes.

November 2021: Tom presented four 90-minute Business Writing workshops to a client’s staff via Zoom.

April 7, 2021: Tom presented a 60-minute Internal Communications workshop to a client’s staff via Microsoft Teams.

Feb. 24, 2021: Tom presented a 90-minute Business Writing workshop to a client’s staff via Zoom.

Dec. 10, 2020: Tom presented a three-hour Business Writing workshop to a client’s staff via Zoom.

April 6, 2020: Tom presented a one-hour Business Writing workshop to the staff of a nonprofit organization via Zoom.

Oct. 24, 2019: Tom presented his two-hour News Writing 101 workshop for PR, corporate communications and marketing professionals in Salem, Ore.

Oct. 17, 2019: Tom worked with the Oregon Bankers Association (OBA) to present his News Writing 101 workshop in Portland for PR, corporate communications and marketing professionals. Andy Giegerich, managing editor at the Portland Business Journal, was a guest speaker at this workshop.

Tom also moderated a panel earlier that day for OBA members that featured current and former members of the press. The panelists from the Portland Business Journal, the Cascade Business News and the Portland Bureau of Transportation discussed how marketing and public relations professionals can best work with the news media.

Feb. 5, 2019: Tom shared career advice with members of the Washington State University’s PRSSA chapter in Vancouver. Other PRSSA members on WSU’s Pullman and Everett campuses attended via video conference.

Feb. 1, 2018: Tom spoke at the monthly meeting of the Metropolitan Business Association in Portland about how to use the media to boost your business.

Oct. 6, 2016: Tom spoke at the annual Spotlight Awards held by the Portland chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. His topic: former chapter President Olga Haley and the role of mentoring in the organization.

May 2, 2016: Tom spoke at the 20th annual Portland Communicators Conference, an event he helped create. The title of his presentation was “Eight Internal/External Communications Lessons I Learned from Two of the Best & Worst Mergers in U.S. History.”

Feb. 5, 2015: Tom spoke about media training to the Safety Net Communicators Peer Network of the Oregon Primary Care Association in Portland.

Jan. 28, 2015: Tom was one of the three presenters at a workshop in Portland about how to apply to become a Fellow of the Public Relations Society of America.

May 2014: Tom spoke at the Portland Communicators Conference where he introduced Oscar Suris, Wells Fargo’s national head of Corporate Communications. The conference theme was storytelling. Tom told a story about Oscar and the journey he has taken in life. Oscar later said he almost cried and congratulated Tom for having given him the best introduction ever.

October 2012: Tom was one of the breakout session speakers at the annual PRSSA National Conference in San Francisco. The topic: news writing for PR pros.

October 2012: Tom was among the lineup of speakers at the District 7 Conference of the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations in Salem. Topic: news writing for PR pros.

May 11, 2011: Tom was one of the breakout session speakers at the annual Portland Communicators Conference hosted by the local chapters of IABC and PRSA. The topic: “Supercharge Your News Writing.”

March 22, 2011: Tom moderated a meeting of the Public Relations Society of America chapter in Portland, which featured two members of the Portland Trail Blazers staff.

January 2011: Tom was the featured speaker at a meeting of the Portland chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. The topic: “Supercharge Your News Writing.”

May 2010: Tom was the featured speaker at a meeting of the Nonprofit Association of Oregon in Portland. The topic: “Savvy Media and PR: Put Your Best Face Forward.”

October 2009: Tom was among a panel of speakers at Marylhurst University. The topic: “Recession as Opportunity: Managing & Developing Your Communication Career in Difficult Times.”

February 2009: Tom was the featured speaker at a University of Oregon class in Portland. The topic: “Media Relations Advice for Event Planners.”

January 2007: Tom was among the lineup of speakers at the Marcus Evans “Financial Sector Communication Strategies and Crisis Management” Conference in New York City. The topic: “A Tale of Two Mergers.”