Meet Dr. Holly Sullenger: CEO of Dr. Holly Speaks, PhD, LLC – Corporate Speaker, Trainer and Facilitator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Holly Sullenger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Holly, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
According to training industry research, the skills college graduates acquire during college have an expected shelf life of only five years. For this reason and many others, continuing professional education is a billion dollar industry around the globe. Interestingly, once I started working as a leader in the field of corporate training, I realized quickly that great corporate trainers are exceptionally hard to find.

Continuing professional education is mandatory for anyone who wants to stay relevant in their field, necessitating the field of corporate training and the job of corporate trainer. The individual who makes the best corporate trainer is a very different beast. I tried using college professors and community college instructors over the years. Not only did they not appeal to the audience, they, themselves, hated working as a corporate trainer. I also had many SMEs (subject matter experts) insist they’d make great trainers, and they did not – and were not sad to leave that experiment behind.

Corporate trainers have to have skills sets that other instructors do not. To appeal to the business audience, they have to cut to the chase quickly. They have to be able to entertain as well as inform. They have to be expert at classroom orchestration – they have to engage the audience, help them interact with each other, and give a plethora of memory hooks along the way. And they have to go over and above – all the time – to keep industry attendees coming back for more. In other words – they sell as they facilitate. They have to in order to survive.

Therefore, the best corporate trainers are also expert salespeople. My own dissertation showed that there are six sets of expectations that the business audience brings to every corporate training experience. The “trainer of excellence” knows how to deliver to all sets of expectations, expertly, to the point where the audience continually wants more.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I own my own corporate speaking, training, facilitation and consulting firm, Dr. Holly Speaks, PhD, LLC. I provide these services in three key areas: leadership, professional development, and technology. I am absolutely passionate about helping my corporate clients stay relevant in their field, learn new tools that help them reach the next level of success, and/or find new ways of working that save them time and money.

I am known for providing service of excellence. I make sure that my offerings dovetail with client needs – in fact, most of my work is customized for each organizational team. During my engagements, I work hard to draw my attendees into meaningful conversation and dialog. And I always extend respect to all of my participants immediately – which has never failed to give way to amazing learning experiences and interactions.

I learned early on that by giving my clients more than they ask for, I have clients for life. And because I truly enjoy what I do, and am passionate about helping others get the knowledge they need most, my participants sense my intent and respond in kind. It’s the golden rule of corporate training.

On the lighter side, I’m often called “Dr. Speaks” when, in fact, my name is “Dr. Sullenger.” I picked “Dr. Holly Speaks” as a business name to give my clients an easy way to remember what I do. Apparently it works!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I live in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area of North Carolina. I purposefully came here from the west coast many years ago, and have never loved a place more.

This area offers music, dining, theater, art, amazing college sports, great institutions of higher education, and is in very close proximity to both the mountains and the beach.

I typically take guests to all of those places, depending upon the time of year (and North Carolina has great weather most of the year!) The food scene is quite diverse – from traditional southern fare to exotic ethnic offerings. One of my favorite restaurants in Raleigh is Bida Manda, a Laotian restaurant. Two hours away we have Wrightsville Beach, and three hours away we have the famous mountain city of Asheville. And finally, I love to go to Franklin Street in Chapel Hill (close to the University of North Carolina) and people watch. It is quite impossible to be bored in North Carolina! Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
All of my success is owed to my father, Charles Sullenger.

My dad was one of the last to get polio in our country. He contracted it at the age of 3, and when he had recovered his right arm was completely useless. It never grew, and the muscles never worked. However, he never considered himself “handicapped.”

In spite of an abusive father, a mother who committed suicide, and continual teasing about his arm, my dad became one of the most positive, loving people anyone ever met. He encouraged me. He believed in me. His daily courage and positivity became my gold-standard for living a good life.

When I was in college, my dad discovered my fear of public speaking. His response was to take me with him to his Toastmasters meetings every week for two years. By the time I was asked to teach my first class, I was already discovering how much I enjoyed helping others find knowledge.

He also encouraged me to follow my educational pursuits. I have five college degrees, including a PhD in Adult, Workforce and Continuing Professional Education – or Corporate Training.

My father was, and still is, the best man I’ve ever known.

Website: https://www.DrHollySpeaks.com

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