Will Schwalbe

Will is a true gem. He spoke lovingly about his relationships with books, his time spent with his mother and the importance of reading in his life and all of our lives. He couldn’t have been more on-point for our organization. What he said resonated with our attendees and his natural ease and humor charmed the room. Our whole organization could not recommend him more highly as a speaker. Everyone who met Will that day was impressed with his genuine kindness, his joyful spirit and his obvious love of reading and books.

Our evening with Will was a tremendous success and we could not be happier. We had about 500 in attendance, a number that we were really pleased with considering the date change, etc. I was sitting at the back of the house during his presentation, and I can tell you that the audience was completely engaged. You could hear a pin drop and everyone was listening intently. He was so gracious during the Q&A—actually throughout the entire event, from reception to the end of the book signing. Just made us love him even more!

Mr. Schwalbe’s three days with our hospice and palliative care team in Madison were phenomenally effective and successful. We could not be more satisfied with his visit and the lessons learned from our time together. I would recommend anyone interested in a discussion about human relationships, the importance of reading, lessons on living and dying, or to share a meal with a culinary professional consider bringing Mr. Will Schwalbe to their event.

What an incredibly gifted speaker! Will’s style of presentation embraced every one of our 600 dinner guests as warmly as the intimate conversations he shared with his mother. This exceptional author and presenter captivated us with the tenderest of tales about a mother’s love and love of literature while sharing one powerful insight after another. Losing your mother could never be easy, but Will’s reflections on that journey gave us a glimpse into a life rich with humility, grace and courage, making us feel as much a part of it as her family. If you’re inviting Will to present at a banquet, do yourself a favor and follow this advice – have him speak before you eat. You will not only enjoy your meal more, your conversations will be elevated immeasurably.

The students (and faculty) absolutely loved Will’s presentation, and are, in fact, still talking about it. He was an absolute delight and a true inspiration, not to mention a perfect start to our 11-day writing residency. The students have been asking all the speakers ‘What are you reading?’ and it’s really setting the tone for a lot of writing that’s being done.

Will is an incredible person, a fabulous speaker and a great advocate for our work. This year’s luncheon was the best attended and most well-received we’ve had in years.  We also raised more money for Mile High United Way than we ever have. Much of that success comes from how inspired we all were by Will’s story and how he brought all of the messages together. We also sold out of books!  We cannot thank you enough.

Will Schwalbe was a pleasure to listen to, his soft tone and engaging discussion created an atmosphere of openness. He shared his process of writing about his relationship with his mother, his journey at the end of her life and the profound impact this has had in his own life.

Will Schwalbe was great – people are still talking about it.  He was so warm and willing to share his experiences that it inspired us. It was good to learn about him, his mother, his life and to hear about his writing process and other endeavors. The book club discussion was exciting, and it was a pleasure having Will for Trend Week and at Hallmark.

Will Schwalbe and David Shipley came to Scholastic and spoke to the entire trade division of approximately 200 people. Afterwards, many employees at all levels of the organization sought me out to say that it was by far the best presentation they had heard. While the subject is email etiquette, David and Will’s talk actually tackles a much bigger organizational issue. It is a thoughtful, practical, and highly entertaining look at improving one’s communication in the workplace.

Every employee was also given a copy of the book. Afterwards, we all saw a marked difference in the way we communicated with each other.

I would highly recommend their presentation to any organization interested in shedding a light on the value of thoughtful, positive communication.

I wanted to thank you again for attending our event.  I have already received emails from many of the attendees saying that this was the best forum to date and your session was a big hit.