“Phil has the rare ability to make what may seem dry and complex topics both compelling and entertaining.”

I have been speaking in public forums for nearly two decades. At grad school, I worked as a teaching assistant for three of my four semesters. Yeah, I had to convince a bunch of college sophomores that 19th-century English labor economics was interesting–on Friday mornings, no less.

Talk about a tough crowd.

After grad school, I started teaching classes and leading workshops as part of my job. While I worked in corporate HR at CapitalOne, I was the go-to guy for performance-management seminars and new-hire sexual harassment training. At Merck and Lawson Software, I frequently taught people how to use different applications, perform upgrades, and the like.

Since 1995, I have given more than 300 talks, speeches, presentations, and workshops to approximately 30,000 people on three continents and in eight countries, including Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Argentina.

Over the past five years, I have effectively changed careers–even though I continue to work for myself. Up until 2008, I worked as an enterprise system consultant. The travel and internal politics were starting to wear on me, though. I felt that it was time for a change. Beginning in 2009, I began the move to writing, keynote speaking, and thought leadership. In the process, I have spoken at plenty of universities, companies, associations, private events, and public conferences.

These days, I speak about a bouillabaisse of topics, usually book-related. I don’t write short books and, at least for me, a talk is never about a single, narrow subject. I don’t give boilerplate presentations to my clients. I work with them ahead of the event to ensure that I’m speaking about what they want–and, often just as important, avoiding what they don’t.

Here’s what my clients say about my speaking abilities.

“Phil is an engaging speaker with the rare ability to make what may seem dry and complex topics both compelling and entertaining.”

–Joris Evers, Netflix, Vice President, Head of Communications for Europe

“The term thought leader is thrown around a lot and often appended to popular speaker’s list of accomplishments. What you really want out of a thought leader is someone who leads knowledge-thirsty professionals to think differently about something. Phil did just that at our annual user conference, Collabosphere. Phil has a genuine style our attendees raved about. The true litmus test is what people say after the speaker is done. Well, mission accomplished Phil. Our customers are still talking and debating about the value of e-mail, the right ways to communicate, and how to make sure their message is received.”

—Mark Fordham, VP of Services, Central Desktop

“Phil Simon is an entertaining and informative speaker with thoughtful insights into the rapidly changing technology driven business environment. We learned about the drivers and the players in Silicon Valley. Phil enabled our team to not only learn about online platforms and leading tech companies but to also challenge our thinking about innovation, disruption and platforms. As a result, our team has a more complete and dynamic understanding of the tech landscape which will help us better serve our customers and compete in a competitive industry.”

—Mike Galvin, Vice President Nextgen, Tata Communications

“Phil is able to convey a lot of well-organized information in a way that enlightens and entertains the audience, leaving them more informed and providing them with interesting ideas and perspectives to ponder further.”

—Anne Milley, Sr. Director Analytics Strategy, JMP at SAS

“Phil is an enthusiastic, engaging, and funny speaker. He talks about data like a critic about art. He compels you to think about and see the world in a brand new way. He was a pleasure to host and have on the Zappos campus. He didn’t even get mad when pelted with a water balloon.”

—Amelia Pond, Zappos

“Phil Simon’s own desire to be open and connected with the audience strengthens his ability to come across as and be the most authentic speaker and storyteller. Phil is passionate about his message and has identified ways to connect a diverse and wide-range audience to one common topic.”

—Danielle Gilbertson, Account Executive; Edelman Public Relations

“Phil has that rare skill as a speaker to distill the complex to more tactical and strategic thinking so his presentations aren’t only entertaining but are also operational. A rare gift for the modern business audience.”

–Lori H. Schwartz, Managing Partner, StoryTech™

“When I go to a talk based on a book I’ve read, I have high expectations; the talk had better go beyond the book and into the realm of critical conversation. Phil Simon nailed it this week. Super content, engagement with the specific audience, bravo!”

–Professor Terri L. Griffith, Ph.D. Chair, Management Department, Santa Clara University.

“Phil gave a wonderful presentation. All of the attendees loved it and are very excited about his latest book.”

–Amit Jain, eBay, Manager, Business Intelligence

“In a word, awesome.”

–Julie Tulipane Stalknecht, Senior VP, Membership and Marketing, NMHC

“Phil has performed exceptionally well in two different capacities for us and we have already engaged him for a third event. As a speaker he is excellent. He’s not arrogant but obviously very current with the technology trends affecting our markets. It is very valuable to have Phil exercise your team using his lens. He is very straightforward and clear in his communication style.”

–Jay Jordan, President and CEO, OCLC, Inc.

“Phil is a phenomenal speaker. I saw him in 2014 at the SAS Global Forum Executive Conference. He captured my attention from the first word to the last. He has a mastery of his subject, and expertly weaves in modern-day references to help audience members relate more closely to the topic. I would attend any presentation he gave.”

–Shelley Sessoms, Acquisitions Editor, SAS Press

“Engaging, knowledgeable, and likable. Phil left our professional audience armed with new knowledge and smiling.”

–Clinton Bonner, Vice President, Marketing, TopCoder