Speaking Services

Founder Chris Whaley serves as a speaker at the East Tennessee Project Management Institute

Looking for a speaker for your next event? We specialize in providing engaging, interactive experiences that provide useful skills with a bit of humor!

Whether you are looking for leadership training, professional development, or a dedicated offsite for your team, we have you covered! Topics can be done in-person, virtually, or in a hybrid setting, covering collaboration, culture, teamwork, conflict resolution, and resiliency.

Feedback captured through TalkADot Chris Whaley – Professional Speaker | Talkadot

His engaging topics resonate with attendees, and his unwavering reliability has earned him the trust and respect of every member. Working with him is always a rewarding experience.

David Olds, President of East Tennessee Project Management Institute (PMI) on working with Chris as a speaker

Our most popular 60-90 minute sessions can stand alone or link together for longer events or workshops:

  • Leading in Chaos: Fire Service Insights for Decision-Making, Resilience, and Agility
  • From Ideas to Impact: Change Starts Today!
  • Leading Effective Meetings (including virtual and hybrid)
  • IMPROVing Team Engagement: Boosting Creativity & Collaboration with Improv
  • Managing Constructive Conflict
  • Pushing Buttons: Using the Power of the Pause
  • Avoiding Burnout and Feeling Better Through Energy Management
  • Developing Social Capital: Networking & Mentoring
  • A Case Study in Organizational Culture Change

Very informative, easy to digest information, and implementable actions.

Charleene Magwood, Vice President of Events PMI South Alabama after a session on organizational culture change

Previous speaking engagements include:

Proudly nominated and accepted into the Project Management Institute (PMI) Speaker Hub resource list for PMI Chapter Leaders!

For detailed audience feedback please visit https://www.talkadot.com/s/chriswhaley

The talking points were straightforward and didn’t have a lot of jargon. Topic had specific tools to use later on.

Anneliese Mondorf, East Tennessee PMI Vice President of Policy & Governance after a session on “Pushing Buttons”

How did an engineer by training transition into project management and eventually become an HR executive and consultant/speaker? Check out this episode of the “Teach The Geek” podcast to find out!

Check out our founder Chris Whaley on the “Teach The Geek” podcast talking about his background, approach to team development, and tips on public speaking!

Looking for something customized to your team needs? Click here to learn about our workshops using an anonymous team assessment survey, escape room experience, and facilitated workshop modules.

Upcoming Speaking Engagements
  • September 13-16, 2026: Tennessee Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) live in Knoxville, Tennessee (you do NOT need to be a member to register HERE!)
  • October 3, 2026: Office Professionals of Tennessee live in Murfreesboro, Tennessee (members only)
  • Sept 29, 2026: University of Tennessee Heath Integrated Business and Engineering Program live in Knoxville, Tennessee (invitation only)
  • December 9, 2026: American Council of Engineering Companies of Michigan (ACEC-MI) virtual event details HERE!

Reach out today to see how we can help plan and facilitate your next event! info@EscapeToExpand.com