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Michael Tougias

NY Times bestselling author
Decision-making  
Adversity, Change



SPEECH TOPICS

 Overcoming adversity

 Leadership, teambuilding, management

 Inspiration, motivation

 Stress (harnessing it into action)


SPEECH TITLES

Overboard!: A Survivor’s Story


Survivor Loch Reidy and author Michael Tougias give this joint presentation about one of the most harrowing and inspiring survival stories of all time. Learn the mindsets that Loch (“an ordinary man”) harnessed to become an extraordinary survivor, enduring three days and two nights treading water 300 miles in the middle of the storm-tossed Atlantic Ocean. When Loch’s sailboat first capsized, he was with his injured captain in the water, and he did everything he could to keep him alive. The captain died, but Loch vowed to bring his body back to his loved ones. Using slides from the actual storm and rescue, Reidy and Tougias put the audience right into the action. There will be tears, gasps, and astonishment from the audience. (Loch Reidy is a resident of Florida.)


Extreme Survival: Lessons from Those Who Have Triumphed Against All Odds


Having interviewed approximately 100 people whose survival stories are seemingly miraculous, Tougias has unlocked the mindsets and decision-making that allowed them to make it to the other side of life’s most daunting challenges.


Tougias wows audiences with his multi-media presentations of survivor stories and the lessons learned that we can all use in our day to day lives for peak performance under pressure and overcoming adversity.


14 Steps to Strategic Decision-making: President Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis (or for Florida non-business groups: “The Untold Story of the Cuban Missile Crisis)


In this multi-media presentation, author and keynote speaker Michael J. Tougias provides the information you need to make winning decisions. Tougias first chronicles the thirteen harrowing days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and then outlines the steps President Kennedy made to reach the decision on a course of action.


The information is based on Tougias’ book about the President and the U-2 spy plane pilots titled Above & Beyond: John F. Kennedy and America’s Most Dangerous Spy Mission. Kennedy’s deliberate method of decision-making is a worthy case study for all those who face rapid change, increased competition, career choices or a significant personal challenge. JFK’s leadership and the manner in which he demanded teamwork during the crisis was spot on, and Tougias explains why. (Booklist singled out this book in a starred review, calling it “Superb, a real page-turner.” (Florida and Cuba were the center of most of the U.S. action during the crisis)


The Finest Hours: Leadership, Teamwork and Resilience


Michael Tougias, co-author of The Finest Hours, chronicles the gripping story of Chatham Coast Guardsman Bernie Webber and the incredible leadership he displayed in the most daring rescue in American history. This book was made into a Disney movie called The Finest Hours starring Casey Affleck and Chris Pine. 


Tougias describes the harrowing attempts to rescue the seamen on a sinking oil tanker, focusing on four young Coast Guardsmen who had to overcome insurmountable odds to save the lives of 32 crewmen off Cape Cod. Tougias shares the teamwork, leadership, and decision- making lessons from this event that can help all of us perform under pressure. 


The author also discusses how the true-life hero of this story overcame adversity in his professional career to go on to achieve real success. In this edge-of-your-seat presentation, audiences will see slides of the storm, the sinking of two tankers, the rescues, the survivors, and the heroes of this historic event. (The hero of this story is from Florida)

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