Rick Brinkman

Biography

Dr. Rick Brinkman has been sharing his human behavior insights and practical communication strategies in his trademark entertaining and educational style, both nationally and internationally, since 1980. He is best known for his "Conscious Communication" expertise, conveyed to millions of people via keynotes and trainings, radio, television, print interviews, and numerous award-winning books, videos and audio programs. After graduating with a Bachelor's of Science degree from State University of New York at Oneonta, Dr. Brinkman earned his Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Following his residency in obstetrics and psychology, he opened a practice specializing in mind/body medicine. His success with his patients led him to further study communication and how it can profoundly affect one's quality of life. During this time, Dr. Brinkman earned his certification as a Master NLP Practitioner, and became a trainer and professional speaker in association with the Tom Peters Group and other companies. In 1994, Dr. Brinkman co-authored the international bestselling book, Dealing With People You Can't Stand: How to Bring Out the Best in People at Their Worst, which has been translated into twelve languages. In 1998 he co-authored the book, Life by Design: Bringing Out the Best in Yourself, which is available in three languages. In 2002, Dr. Brinkman released his third book, Dealing With Relatives: Bringing Out the Best in Family at Their Worst. In addition, he is the author of four audio and two video training programs on customer service, communication and life management. Dr. Brinkman has received numerous awards, including "Funniest Speaker of the Year" by the Sales Forum and the Institute for Management Studies Distinguished Faculty Award. His audio tape, "Dealing with Difficult People," is on Columbia House's all time top ten bestseller list. In 1988, Dr. Brinkman was one of only fifteen people selected by the Tom Peters Group to present the "In Search of Excellence" and "Thriving on Chaos" programs. Committed to helping people to become better leaders, as well as inspiring organizations to improve workplace performance and the bottom line, Dr. Brinkman's signature "educating through entertainment" style has made him a favorite with Fortune 1000 companies, association events and government meetings. An energetic, larger-than-life presenter, his topics are universal, and his humor is loved by everyone.

Titles

Conscious Communication® Gets results by teaching people how to separate 'personality' from 'behavior'. Think of behavior as the way people are acting in the moment and personality as just a generalization we make based on the behavior we observe. We may know someone who is very pushy at work, but don't realize what a pushover he becomes in a different context or a different relationship. If a person believes in 'personality' then she assumes that is the way this person is and there is no changing him. When we realize that personality is just a generalization, and people are simply engaging in different behaviors based on their needs in the moment, stress level, and reactions to us, then we open up the possibility of changing their behavior.