Emerging Health Leaders (EHL) Edmonton
When my colleagues Kim Poong and Karmin Hovde asked me to be a Speaker at the Emerging Health Leaders Edmonton (EHLE) PechaKucha Night, guess how long it took me to say yes? Less than a second! And please let me tell you why.
Kim and Karmin are super smart, competent, accomplished leaders who I got to know when I did my MBA at the University of Alberta School of Business. And I knew that if they had chosen to be a part of the Emerging Health Leaders Edmonton group that all of the other participants would be cut from the same high-calibre cloth. And that is exactly what I discovered when I got to attend and speak at their 1st PechaKucha event.
Another great reason to support EHLE is because of their vision, which is to:
Inspire growth and leadership with a lasting impact on the ever-dynamic field of health within the Edmonton community.
With those two major factors in mind I knew it was going to be a great night.
What I Experienced At The Emerging Health Leaders Edmonton PechaKucha Night
According to PechaKucha.org, “PechaKucha 20×20 is a simple presentation format where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. The images advance automatically and you talk along to the images.” That’s 6 minutes and :40 seconds of your life that you’re never going to get back, whether you’re giving the talk or you’re in the audience. And as a Speaker I can tell you that this format is very challenging because you have to be succinct and well prepared. Thankfully, all of the Speakers knocked it out of the park that night. Check out this awesome line up that the EHLE organizers put together.
Marni Panas shared her triumphant personal story about the the ups and downs of being authentic with her talk called “Live Your Truth And Turn Barriers Into Opportunity”
Chris Tse taught us all how to “Build A Health Movement One Tribe At A Time.”
David Pincock blew our minds as he introduced us into the world of Clinical Informatics in his talk called “Clinicians Tinkering With Computers”
Pamela Spurvey shared her very real story about “The Value In ‘Been there, done that” (you can learn more about Pamela in this great article titled “What Success Looks Like” in WE Magazine by the United Way of the Alberta Capital Region)
Marc Yu brought down the house with laughter as he explained “What Taylor Swift Can Teach Us About The Intersection Of Law, Medicine And Professionalism”
And finally Marlies van Dijk boldly showed us the new reality of change management with her talk called “Heart, Mind & Bravery”
And I can honestly say that I did not expect to be so inspired! But all of these high-impact Speakers made me laugh and gain new perspectives, and for that I am really glad I was there.
10 Ways To Create Awesome Meetings
I also enjoyed Speaking at the event. My talk was called “10 Ways To Create Awesome Meetings.” It is based on the following checklist:
- Get Real With Yourself
- Get Real With Your Team
- Know Your Total Meeting Cost $
- Get A Great Facilitator
- Link The Meeting To Your Strategy
- Create A Blockbuster A-G-E-N-D-A
- Meet In The Right Space
- Get Awesome Resources
- Follow-Up F-A-S-T
- Take Action!
Why You Should Attend An EHL Event
If you are a seasoned and emerging leader. Or maybe you want to be inspired. Or maybe you’d simply like to meet some of the most effective people in Edmonton, then I would suggest that you attend the next event that Emerging Health Leaders Edmonton puts on (here’s the events link so you can check it out – http://emerginghealthleaders.ca/edmonton/events/). And here are a few examples of some of the great events they have already put on this year!
- An evening with Helen Bevan – Chief Transformation Officer, National Health Services (NHS)
- A PechaKucha Speakers night that was unforgettable
- Socials – for example in September they held a ‘Mini-Olympics consisting of virtual golf, Sega Super GT: Auto Racing, Pro Putt and 3-ball pool.’
So not only are the Emerging Health Leaders in Edmonton smart, but they also like to have a lot of fun!
EMERGING HEALTH LEADERS (EHL) Toronto
It was wonderful to teach the ‘How To Create Awesome Meetings’ workshop to the highly motivated members of EHL Toronto!
The event was coordinated by Lauren Leon and Michell Moonesar, who are both outstanding healthcare professionals that just want continue leading through lifelong learning opportunities like bringing me in to do a meeting productivity improvement workshop.
I really appreciated everyone in the group because of their insightful comments and high level of participation throughout the session. And afterwards we enjoyed a beer at a nearby pub, which once again proved that EHL members love to learn AND have fun!

Gordon Sheppard
Gordon Sheppard is a Leadership Coach, Consultant, Facilitator, Online Training Expert, Author, and Podcaster. He helps business leaders get the information, advice and inspiration they need to be successful. He is also the CEO of Business Expert Solutions Inc.