Trainer-Inspirational Speaker Becomes an Inspiration to All, Minneapolis Star Tribune
Professionals Motivated by Magic, Minnesota Business & Opportunities Magazine
East Sider's Life, Work Nationally Renown, by David Forster
Rob Chalmers '72: A Little Magic, A Lot of Ability, Macalester Today
Maybe We Can Start Making New Mistakes, by Rob Chalmers, Pioneer Press Op-Ed
From the Minnesota Business & Opportunities Magazine, December 1997.
THE INFORMATION ANY SPEAKER, trainer or motivator tries to get across is most often quite simple. But each has their own performance method to capture and engage their listeners. In fact, no matter how practical and useful the concept, without the right delivery, it is likely the speaker will not accomplish their purpose.
St. Paul-based trainer and consultant Rob Chalmers has gone so far as to dress his message in scarves and illusions. Using magic for an entertaining and unique way to illustrate his point, Chalmers explains, "For some reason, people enjoy witnessing fictional events created by a magician, even though they know they are simply being deceived by what they perceive.
Chalmers' message gets audiences to look at how individual attitudes and preconceived notions affect a business climate. He motivates his audience to look at a situation or individual with fresh eyes to gain a productive, new perspective. In his presentation, Chalmers depicts old and tired perceptions by using various colored scarves and changing their colors. He says, "Magic is a creative, entertaining way to deliver important messages without detracting from the content."
Chalmers explains the theory behind his perception-changing illusions, "The human process of developing attitudes and perceptions is obviously subjective. And when we label people, we may be isolating them and creating a distancing factor in the workplace. We may be putting them in a box." Chalmers discusses the challenging preconceptions he has met as a person with cerebral palsy. Using analogies to his own life's examples, Chalmers invites people to challenge preconceptions to enhance productivity in professional activities, "which is, after all, the real bottom line," he adds.
Chalmers was recently awarded the Courage Center's Judd Jacobson Memorial Award for entrepreneurship and success with his consultancy, People Magic. His clients include names such as 3M and IBM, and he plans to promote his business nationally to target audiences in the near future.
Minnesota Business & Opportunities Magazine
December 1997
Used with permission
