TESTIMONIALS FROM MY PRESENTATIONS
[Viewings: 552]
1. Mark Sheridan : Capability Programme - Lead Pacesetter
I have both first and second hand knowledge of John’s ability to inspire and motivate staff.
He visited a wide range of teams in my business and I received a number of independent and unsolicited testimonials to thank the senior managers and John personally for taking the time and effort to bring his stories to the teams. His humility in the face of personal challenges and his infectious enthusiasm for the positive had a real and lasting effect on a number of people – many continue to refer to the talk as being a turning point for them – one that made them realise that despite adversity, you can always work towards a positive outcome and seek personal enrichment through gaining knowledge and experience.
On hearing John’s talk for myself, it made me realise too that as a Senior manager, I do affect people, I can make a difference and he reinvigorated my commitment to making change and development a key, not just in work, but in my personal life too. Truly inspiring, not afraid to challenge with controversy, and a passionate speaker, I think John would be a natural candidate to pick up a motivational role in the Department.
2. Graham Cook: Major Projects Directorate - Office of Government Commerce
I have just attended the talk you gave at OGC. Your talk was extremely enlightening providing great insight (no pun intended) into both your life and living without sight. I found it particularly useful that you set the scene by talking so openly about your childhood and teenage years before telling us about your experience after losing your sight. The openness coupled with a wonderful optimism and wicked (in a good way) sense of humour made the talk emotional on many levels and fascinating to listen to.
There are few people who I have listened to and felt that I had been privileged to hear them speak and you are definitely one of them. Had I never heard you or heard of you I would have been none the wiser but I am very glad that I have done both.
Keep on inspiring!
3. Rachel Richards
Now your visits to Residency have been completed, on behalf of the Residency Management Team I would sincerely like to thank you for sharing your presentation with our staff. Your talks have been motivational and inspirational to many of our staff. You’ve moved people to look at their own behaviours, careers and even motivated someone to give up smoking! I agree with a comment made by a member of staff in that your presentation should be compulsory for everyone. Actually hearing about the issues you have to face from your own perspective certainly has a much greater impact than any e-learning or training courses.
Managing an operational business area I know how tight resources are and I’d like to thank your management team for allowing you the time to deliver your presentations to Residency.
4. Anne Toone: Commodity Manager Office Supplies - Commercial Directorate
Well over an hour after your presentation finished and I am still buzzing and more to the point so is everyone else. I can’t begin to thank you for today your words really did touch me. I have already sung your praises to my husband, my colleagues and anyone else who will listen really! Your words will stay with me forever.
I think your role is exactly what HMRC needs. It was a pleasure for me to see my staff so uplifted and motivated and in such a brief amount of time. I think you should be on prescription to everyone within the department it would certainly be a better environment to work in! I truly hope that you get the opportunity to continue this in a full time role.
I would very much love to see your other presentations and please please add me to the list for the book I can’t wait for it to be published! Good luck in everything you do and thank you again for a wonderful and inspirational hour.
5. Nicola Richards : HMRC Redruth
“Just a quick note to say I have just attended John Flanner’s talk and I found it both inspirational and motivational. I understand that you had to go to considerable efforts to secure the funding for John’s “tour” of the South West. I can assure you that it was money well spent.”
“An excellent talk. You had us all captivated from start to finish.”
“A truly remarkable presentation. I trust HMRC will now employ John to do talks as his actual profession, to all other Govt Depts and private businesses?”
“If you get a chance to get him back again, please do.”
“I felt the whole event uplifting. It was good to see how someone had risen so positively above what to many people would be a major disability. It made me consider personal problems and moans to be insignificant.”
“The talk was inspiring and I’m glad I had the opportunity to attend.”
“I found John’s enthusiasm and honesty to be very inspiring. John was smiling virtually all the time. A very enjoyable talk.”
“As a manager, the talk reminded me that saying well done etc can have a great impact on people. Sometimes I forget that and need to be reminded. Thank you John.”
“After the event I felt informed, entertained and encouraged. It brought to the fore the fact that no matter how bad you think things may be, with little going your way, that at least you have the chance to change them with the right approach to life.”
“I found the talk extremely interesting and could have listened to your stories for a lot longer. You are an inspiration to us all.”
“Very interesting talk and obviously from the heart and not like so many talks from other people which can be read out in laborious fashion. Also, interesting to note that despite Johns’ blindness he still maintained eye contact with the audience.”
“The talk was really inspiring. John is a great story-teller & it will live long in my memory.”
“Your AD was correct you do have a gift for communicating and your skills are impressive and it was beneficial for us all that the AD pushed you into starting a personal development program. Thank you for providing inspiration to us all.”
I can't even begin to describe the positive effect John has had on the people around me, it truly is extraordinary. I have been in the IR/HMRC for 17 years and in all that time I don't remember ever seeing one person have such an amazing effect on so many people.
John's visit has been a huge success - we had 8 sessions in 4 locations over 3 days and John has worked extremely hard. The sessions in my home office, Redruth, took place on Monday of this week, and people are still stopping me in the corridor to tell me how John has inspired them.
I think this event was also an excellent example of how different business streams, and those who deal withdifferent business areas, can come together and achieve great things. What started as a Local event was opened to all business streams and representatives from every single stream have attended John's sessions. I know that my colleagues from different streams feel they have been brought closer together for the common purpose by John's talks and that is a fantastic achievement.
You can probably tell from the tone of this message that I am absolutely buzzing.
6. Heather Hannant : Kettering
I first met John, who has been blind since the age of 19, on an Inland Revenue course in 2004. He was a typist. We were enrolled on a 12 month programme called "Breakthrough", to help us find a way out of the rut you can so easily get into after years in the Civil Service. Over the months the group spent together, John was such an inspiration to the delegates, the tutors and the senior managers who came to watch what we were doing. His attitude was amazing, his experience so interesting and his fun so infectious. For many he was our motivation. It soon became apparent he was destined for greater things.
John began making presentations entitled "Fear, Fun & Faith" to teams within his own office in Birmingham City Centre. People were so moved to learn what it was like to be blind, weeping with tears of compassion and conviction one minute and tears from splitting their sides laughing the next. He was a tonic. The talks created such a buzz of enthusiasm amongst staff that it came to the attention of one of the Area Directors. He in turn approached John to make the presentation to bosses who were so inspired themselves as a result John was invited to make the presentation in many other offices.
7. Janet Wilkes : Manager | TEEL | Cross Cutting Group Local Compliance | HMRC | City Centre House Birmingham
I invited John to talk to my team on a couple of occasions.
John very quickly engaged his audience and built a rapport. He communicated with confidence and clarity and was very much at ease with the group. He is an active listener and by using day to day examples and experiences he gave an enlightening and interesting talk which we found inspirational. Feedback from my team members included encouragement that John should continue with these meetings and that every team should be encouraged… (Or rather it should be mandatory) to listen to what he had to say.
I also found that the team remembered the experience, not just on the day but carried their experience for many months afterwards and were very keen to hear from John a couple of years later when he gave an update on what he had achieved since the first talk.
At the original meeting a couple of my team members by their very nature were negative people and by listening to John even they found the talk beneficial and thought provoking and they learned a lot of what can be achieved in difficult circumstances. I found that I was able to use the experience at times to deflect the winging and apathy. The rest of my team all said that they were inspired and I know that a couple of them including myself sent feedback and encouragement.
The subsequent motivational talk helped my team focus on more positive outcomes and put changes within the department into perspective.
As a manager I know that both myself and my team need to be motivated, I would not hesitate to get help from John who has the ability to help engage the team’s imagination, he engenders a can do attitude and persuades people things are never that bad.”
8. Gary Meechan: Team Leader (Employer’s Helpline, EKCC)
On behalf of the fairly large number of people who attended your ‘Fear, Fun & Faith’ Diversity presentation in East Kilbride Contact Centre, I’d like to thank you.
A number of people stopped me in the passage at work to tell me that not only did they enjoy your presentation but they felt encouraged/strengthened to keep going through adversity be it domestic or work related situations. Some have said it should be mandatory that all staff attend.
Moreover, it has helped improve performance of most of those who heard you.
9. Joanna Rudkin: Area Director- Leicester Northants Area
We arranged an event for over 100 front line managers across Leics and Northants at the Walkers Stadium in Leicester. I briefed John that we wanted to inspire our managers about facing change. This was a really big challenge for John as at that time we were facing a period of major change and in some areas we were really struggling to motivate our team leaders. John worked on his fear, fun and faith presentation and adapted it to meet the needs of our managers with huge success. John’s presentation was remarkable. Whilst delivering a difficult message about facing his own fears he added the fun factor which again made people sit up and think about their own barriers in the workplace and life in general. John had a huge impact on the day and I personally received many remarks from people from who felt he had really impacted them personally. The event went extremely well and this was the first step to the Area working together as one corporately. This achievement was down to John.
10. Jan Hey: People Support Officer II Peterlee Contact Centre II Customer Contact Directorate II
I would like to thank you on behalf of the Senior Management Team at Peterlee Contact Centre for your contribution to our successful Learning at Work day here at Peterlee Contact Centre yesterday.
All those members of staff who attended one of the three sessions you gave without exception commented on how uplifted they felt and admired your positive outlook on life. It certainly sent many of them into a reflective mode.
11. Nicola Hill: Team 21 - Sunderland Contact Centre
Having just come out of one of your talks here at Sunderland Contact Centre I really just wanted to send you this mail to let you know how enjoyable it was.
Going into those types of talks I don’t think I’m alone when I say I’m always sceptical about what to expect. What I thought was really refreshing about you was the fact that you are not some outside consultant that the business has paid god knows how much to come in and tell the staff how it is done. I liked the fact that you are a genuine HMRC employee who has worked for the organisation for a substantial amount of your life.
You connected with the staff across the age bands, and you made many of the people in that room think about things that they may not have previously.
I do think that senior management have got it absolutely right on this occasion utilising someone like yourself across the business. Using our session as a sample size I would say most people who listened to you today would certainly have gained something positive from it.
12. Alison Page: SI Learning Business Partner | Edinburgh
As discussed this morning, lovely to meet up with you again and thank you very much for your presentation at our event for middle managers within Specialist Investigations yesterday. A formal evaluation report will be prepared idc which will summarise the comments and feedback from the whole event but in the meantime, I think it’s important to share with you the wonderful feedback on the End of Event Questionnaires which makes specific reference to your session:-
“John Flanner excellent speaker”
“Motivational speaker was great and made me feel positive”
“John Flanner – inspiring”
“John Flanner’s speech was very interesting and I can see how this would benefit teams with perhaps some specific issues”
“Enjoyed John Flanner’s motivational enthusiasm”
“Thoroughly enjoyed John Flanner’s speech”
“The session by John Flanner was interesting and I can see how he would be motivational to some staff”
“John Flanner was refreshing”
“Guest speaker John Flanner very good provided lots of food for thought”
“I thought John Flanner’s enthusiasm and self motivation shone through and I really enjoyed his presentation. He was an excellent Ambassador for ‘Learning & Development’ within HMRC”
“Interesting perspective from John Flanner – no-one can accuse him of wearing rose tinted spectacles but highly optimistic and a pleasure to listen to”
“Inspirational speaker was just that – inspirational”
“John Flanner speech – very different and interesting”
“John Flanner – Inspirational”
“John Flanner- very inspirational- should be invited to future events”
“Some thought provoking presentations, including time to consider leadership, plus listening to John Flanner – a fine fellow!”
“The guest speaker was excellent and very positive”
“John Flanner – very good- excellent examples of proactive engagement”
“I thought John Flanner’s talk was fantastic”
“John Flanner – very good speech/motivation”
“Inspirational speaker very inspiring”
Well done John, you’re an absolute star!
13. Alan Camplin - Comment on Book
I just want to thank you very much for sending me the copy of your book and which I have to say I have really enjoyed reading.
For some reason the first thing which grabbed my attention was your account as a youngster of looking down at your feet at school mortified to see you still had your slippers on. Maybe it's because it so closely resembles that nightmare where we are outside being chased endlessly and can't escape but horror of horrors it's all happening in our jim-jams!
I'm sure that like many others I loved the stories such as the "steak-tie" and the "beans in the handkerchief". If you'll forgive the pun (which is intended) I have already "dined-out" on those a few times already. Thank you.
I enjoyed reading a biography, for once, of someone I actually knew. That was a new experience for me. Knowing quite a number of the other people involved in your life and being familiar with some of the situations did give the read a new dimension. May I say also say, "Good for you" for your courage in being so open about so many of the difficulties you have faced in life.
I suppose what really drew me in, however was to share with you the life of faith which you have continually sought to live and the reality of the relationship with the Lord which you have enjoyed. I am both encouraged and challenged by your story. It is still living with me and I believe working in me.
Just one other thing occurs to me at this stage and that is to add, "Good for you" for Sylvia as well.
God bless and with love to you both,
Alan