Lewis S Eisen, BA, JD, C.I.P. — Keynote Speaker Keynote Speaker from Ottawa, ON

Lewis is a man with a message. A message about respect for other people—for our employees, our customers, our colleagues. Although it's delivered in a lighthearted, humorous, engaging tone, the message is serious: it's that we should practice what we preach. Many organizations claim to hold "respect for others" as a core value, but when you look at their rules documents, the story is different. Whether they call them "policies," "terms and conditions," or simply "guidelines," most of these rules sound like they were written by angry parents talking to bad children before the headache medicine has kicked in. Even worse, in an attempt to increase the level of compliance, the tone can range from bossy to bullying. In most cases, this heavy-handed tone of voice is unintentional. The organization's management doesn't mean to be sounding like a drill sergeant yelling orders, but too often this one slips through the cracks. The rule writers paid attention to what they were saying, but not to how they said it. And the result? Employees will tolerate being spoken to disrespectfully for only so long before they decide to leave. Customers won't tolerate it at all. And ultimately, both employee turnover and customer dissatisfaction have a direct impact on the bottom line. In the world of administrative policies, Lewis is a MIScommunications expert. He lifts the covers off your rules to see whether they are unintentionally disrespectful to your employees, customers, or visitors, and if so, he shows you how to fix them. Lewis is the founder of Perfect Policies, and works with corporations and government to train them how to write policy instruments that are clear, concise, and respectful. A former practising lawyer, he is the author of the leading text Respectful Policies and Directives: How to Write Rules that People Want to Follow. Reviews: —"I would not have believed it possible that the subject of writing policies could actually be interesting" —"His presentations were fantastic. He has communication skills that engage his audiences and provoke thoughtful responses from participants." —"Knowledgeable, witty, able to handle large groups." —"I was very impressed with the presentation and Mr. Eisen's charm and skill."