SPEAKING
Keynote speaker, media guest, and more
Nancy Grant is a friendly, knowledgeable, and engaging speaker. She works carefully with meeting planners, as well as special event and festival coordinators, and podcast hosts, to customize her appearances to meet the needs of each audience. All Zoom and in-person presentations feature PowerPoint slides, real-world examples, practical tips, clear insights, and a question-and-answer session.
As a working journalist and researcher for more than 30 years, a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and a field naturalist for more than 20 years, Nancy shares her expertise clearly and concisely. Nancy’s speeches and media appearances are completely non-partisan with no political agenda.
For interviews with podcast and other media hosts she provides a complete advance briefing kit.
Nancy is now booking engagements (either in-person or virtual) for 2024 and 2025. Nancy Grant speaks throughout the United States and makes arrangements directly with meeting planners. Call Nancy now at 502 641-9614 to check for available dates and to discuss all options to meet your needs.
Nancy Grant speaks about three major topic areas:
- Birdwatching and exploring nature for all levels of experience
- Communications strategies for professionals and others
- The electric utility industry for general audiences
Scroll down for more detailed descriptions of current offerings in each topic area.
Birdwatching and exploring nature
Hummingbirds and Flowers: A Love-Love Relationship
Did you know that Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are plant pollinators? Bees and other insects get all the PR, but hummingbirds play a unique role as the pollinators for certain native plants. The relationship between hummingbirds and flowers is an intricate story — and it’s a love affair that benefits both. How do birds recognize good nectar sources? Why do some plants want to attract birds instead of insects? And what does it all have to do with seed production?
With color photos and engaging stories, Nancy offers fascinating insights into the private lives of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. In this presentation you’ll understand what it’s like to be a hummingbird and discover intimate details about their lifestyle.
This program is available anywhere, anytime throughout the United States or via Zoom worldwide.
Where the Birds Are: Exploring Kentucky’s Varied Habitats
Sure you know the robin, hummingbird, and owl. But did you know that Kentucky’s bird life includes more than 300 other species? Who are they? Where are they? And why do they choose the Bluegrass State to nest and raise young during summer, spend a few winter months in the state, or visit during their long migration journeys? If you’re a bird, what’s so great about Kentucky’s habitats?
In this presentation, lavishly illustrated with her color photos, Nancy provides fascinating insights into the lives of Kentucky’s birds throughout the seasons. While sharing stories about searching for birds in all regions, she provides practical tips for more outdoor fun. This program is suitable for explorers of all levels of experience. Come along for an adventure!
This program is available anywhere, anytime throughout the United States or via Zoom worldwide.
Enjoying Birds: A Chat with The Friendly Birder
Have you recently started watching the birds in your backyard or a neighborhood park? Have you added birdwatching and nature groups to your social media, but don’t always know what the other people are talking about? What’s with FOY and lifers and eBird? How do you learn to recognize bird songs? How do birds migrate? How do birds find the right kind of food? You have a lot of questions — and this program is especially for you!
Nancy Grant, The Friendly Birder, begins this presentation with a short overview of the many different ways to enjoy birds, either watching, listening, taking photographs, making sketches, or perhaps joining a citizen science project. If you want to know more about the lives of birds, but aren’t sure what to do to expand your enjoyment, this fun and practical talk will help. After the introduction, the main portion of this program features questions from the audience, with Nancy answering right on the spot.
This program is available anywhere, anytime throughout the United States, and is especially popular at public libraries and parks.
This program is also designed as a break-out session during birding festivals, and fits into a 50-minute time slot.
Birds on The Move: How do birds migrate?
Have you ever wondered how a bird knows when to leave one place and fly to another? How does it navigate to a place for the summer and then a different place for the winter? In this presentation you’ll find out what senses and skills birds use for their long-distance lifestyles, and how scientists are continuing to make new discoveries about their activities before, during, and after migration. You’ll find out about traditional pathways and stopovers, the effects of weather, and much more in this look at what’s going on in the sky above and the habitats below in spring and fall.
This program is available anywhere, anytime throughout the United States, and is especially popular at public libraries and parks.
This program is also designed as a break-out session during birding festivals, and fits into a 50-minute time slot.
Communications strategies for professionals and others
Transform your technical writing
Maybe it’s not rocket science, but it is really complicated. Here’s how to make your subject matter clear!
This seminar is designed for working journalists, as well as professionals in engineering and scientific fields, who need to provide accurate information to non-specialty colleagues or general audiences.
Do you need to explain highly technical concepts to people who don’t have your depth of experience? In this seminar, Nancy Grant gives practical tips and techniques to keep readers and listeners awake and engaged as you discuss your specialized topic. Nancy shows you how to balance precise terms with everyday language, how to organize material logically, and make your point clearly.
Before you answer that question
A practical guide for those times when you must talk to the media
This presentation is designed for business people who are not trained in public relations, but often end up in the spotlight.
Worried about putting your foot in your mouth? Accidentally giving away company secrets? Looking clumsy or unsure of yourself? If you’ve ever been caught off guard by a reporter, this session is for you!
During this presentation you’ll learn how the news media works, and understand how to be at ease giving appropriate responses to questions in any situation.
The electric utility industry
Keeping the lights on
What will the power grid of the future look like?
Nancy Grant researched and wrote the award-wining “Future of Electricity” column for an electric cooperative magazine from 2002 through 2016, and continues to cover developments in the industry for a variety of clients.
This presentation is for general audiences, and works well for civic groups and professional associations whose members want to be prepared for change.
In this engaging look ahead, Nancy Grant draws on her in-depth knowledge and on-the-scene experience with the everyday nuts and bolts of every part of the electric power system. She discusses the small and large changes in power generation, distribution, and transmission that are most likely to occur during the next decade. She also talks about the potential environmental and economic impacts of changing regulations and consumer attitudes.
Nancy Grant provides accurate information about possible developments, but does not advocate for any particular course of action. This presentation focuses entirely on practical matters, and does not support or oppose any political proposals.
*All Photos by Nancy Grant unless otherwise credited.