312-485-3833
Dale@dalespencer.com
I invited Dale Spencer to be an expert guest on Aging Info Radio for our show on fear. Dale is a Key Note Speaker for “Fear Not ~ Embracing Life’s Journey”. He was of course, the perfect guest to discuss fear, based on his personal journey. Hearing Dale’s story and how he has developed his life from a devastating event to being so dynamic, is nothing less than an extraordinary and amazing journey! Many times in life, we think we have challenges until you take note of someone else, who has bigger challenges than we could ever dream of. Dale could have chosen differently by all the twists and turns he had to deal with. Instead, he has made his life work, his story. Hearing Dale’s story will inspire and move you while shifting your perception back to what truly matters. I highly recommend having Dale speak at any and all events. Your audience will be appreciative and absolutely, so inspired!
Sue Zawacki, Founder & Show Host
Aging Info Radio, Inc. 
If you are looking for a speaker for any event you have found the perfect fit with Dale. He has it all. He uses personal experiences to relate to his audience and remind people that overcoming obstacles is not a burden but a requirement that every person in this world faces. He enlightens participants that they choose how to react to their own obstacles. Dale engages his audience and pushes them to understand what challenges they are facing and how they can change the way they attack these challenges to better themselves both personally and in business. Dale uses humor to make the time you spend with him educational and enjoyable. His presentation style offers a fresh approach to the motivation speech. Very few people like to be talked at, instead they want to be included in a conversation and Dale understands the difference. I would highly encourage you to contact Dale about your next event. I am certain upon calling Dale you will immediately know you have found the right person for the job!
Carolyn LaBahn
Deli Time
It was very enlightening and good to be reminded that we need to step over those fears! At first I could not think of any fears then as the people began to talk and I thought, Yeah, that happens to me sometimes and that, and that. Thanks again Dale!
Jim Griseto Roppolo Realty, Inc.
June 2014
To Whom It May Concern:
I had the pleasure of working with Dale Spencer this spring on a testimonial video in support of Hollister Secure StartTM services. My team and I asked Dale to participate in this project because of his optimistic outlook and strong speaking skills. Dale did not let us down: he told his story with confidence and conviction and the process of working with him was very enjoyable. Dale is a wheelchair user, however his independence, “can do” attitude and thirst for adventure rival most able bodied individuals. Dale is an inspiration for anyone looking to do better.
Lydia C
Hollister Incorporated
Dale was an amazing asset to our statewide ThinkFirst workshop! As Keynote speaker of the day, he was instantly engaging, energetic and connected really well with our audience. He is a talented speaker who has a gift for motivating audiences to live a life of meaning, with a purpose and passion. Several comments were made “this was the best workshop to date”
Penny L
ThinkFirst Missouri
Columbia, MO
Dale is the ideal speaker. He captured and held the attention of the audience immediately. He was engaging and relevant. The students were inspired and asked him the best questions we’ve heard all year. We definitely want him back.
Thank you for all you do!
Katie Giannatasio
Dale Spencer provided the perfect closing keynote for our event. His message is inspiring and universal, and it resonated with participants. They walked away feeling inspired and returned to their workplaces with a positive, success-driven attitude.
Kevin Menzer Chief Operating Officer Management Association of Illinois
“Today we had a speaker that shared his story about being able to oversome adversity! It was really good AND he’s an NIU Fan!”
-Eddy G., 8th Grade Student at Frost Jr. High, 2013
Dale Spencer spoke to our students for 45 minutes, as the room filled with 600 teenage students was silent! That speaks volumes. Dale’s message was inspiring, informational and peppered with humor. His experiences and real life stories were prepared and presented with the audience in mind. The students were captivated by his presentation, which they were able to relate to and learn from. It was a great kickoff for our Rally for Respect, and Dale led out the day giving us a feeling of encouragement and hope as we face diversity in our lives. Thank you, Dale, for a wonderful experience. It was a pleasure working with you and we appreciate you tailoring your presentation to precisely fit our needs!
I was recently asked to help coordinate bringing a guest speaker to campus, and had the pleasure of working with Dale Spencer to have him come and speak to our students. I currently serve as a member of NIU’s Presidential Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities, and we wanted to be able to bring a speaker to campus who would be able to share with students a unique perspective, that would hit home with a wide variety of student backgrounds.
Dale fit that bill perfectly. We hosted an event with about 100 students in attendance, and Dale presented his “Don’t Fear It: Embracing Life’s Journey” program. He adapted it perfectly for a college-aged audience, and given that so much of his experience stems from an accident that occurred when he was a college student himself, his message hit home with everyone in attendance.
Uniquely, this was not the first opportunity I had to hear Dale speak. I actually had been a student in one of the first lecture classes that Dale presented to here at NIU, back in the mid-1990’s. What impresses me is that I vividly remember him (and his message) from his talk back in that initial class experience in the fall of 1996, so when I recently had the opportunity to reconnect with him now that I work at NIU, I knew right away that I had already met him all those years ago.
Even though his speaking had an impact on me at that time, I can say that he has evolved and grown as a speaker since then, and his message still resonated with me today, as it did then.
Working with Dale on coordinating for this event has been a pleasure. Not only am I confident that he had a great impact on the students who heard him speak, but I was also quite impressed with the individual time he was willing to take with students afterwards, who had questions for him one-on-one.
From a logistics standpoint, the process of working with Dale to coordinate the event – from arranging a date and time, to determining the format of the event, to making specific requests to meet our students’ needs – Dale was very accommodating to all of it. I highly recommend considering hosting Dale as a speaker for your organization.
Unbeknownst to me prior to this course, it not only proved to be
informative but also impacted me as a person. The speaker who
resonated most with me was NIU alum and key note speaker, Dale
Spencer. I am so glad I went to see him speak because although we had
no conversations personally (I left right afterwards because it was getting
late and I despise NIU bus system), I could relate and connect with a lot of
what he was saying. I was in a horrific accident during the end of a spring
semester in 2012- right before my finals. And in that accident I lost a best
friend and broken all of the largest bones in my body on my left side. So when I
heard him speak about how his accident occurred so unexpectedly and how he
felt about it afterwards, I could relate; and his success since then gave me
hope to someday have my own. If he refused to not let live conquer him over
his permanent disability, surely I cannot allow myself to let life conquer me. I
was inspired by his story and how far he has come and intrigued by his outlook
on life and where he is headed. It is in my strongest opinion that more students
should have gone to hear him speak because they missed out on an impactful
person and story of refusing to let emotions, handicaps, and social stigmas
about abilities to hold him back in life. I could write a whole paper alone on my
thoughts of Dale Spencer’s presentation and the importance of his message to
me; definitely my favorite opportunity of the course of this semester that was
offered in this class.
“I would highly recommend Dale Spencer as a speaker! His professionalism and speaking ability are impressive. Dale has spoken at “Crash!: A Teen Driving Summit” in Birmingham, Alabama two years in a row. The student evaluations consistently rate Dale as an effective, motivating speaker that they would like to hear each year. Professionally, Dale has been a pleasure to work with. He tailors his message to fit the content of the speaking engagement, and his professional yet “laid back” demeanor fits with a variety of age groups. Dale has been an invaluable speaker to my organization, and I hope to work with him more in the future!”
“As a guest lecturer at Elmhurst College, Dale poignantly inspired my classroom full of future human service providers on the topic of People with
Disabilities. Dale provided real life examples to bring the curriculum to life for my students. His speaking style engages and invites participation. My students continue to talk about the ways their lives were altered by this experience. I highly recommend Dale as a keynote speaker to any audience.”
“I had the pleasure of having Mr. Dale Spencer speak at a group that I host and moderate which averages 50 high level attendees in transition every Friday in Naperville. The focus of Mr. Spencer’s speech was to inspire the attendees to overcome their anxieties and to learn to take on the various challenges we face in life head on.
In summary, Wow! Mr. Spencer delivered on all accounts. He told us in detail what caused his spinal cord injury that has left him in a wheelchair with intense details of what happened the night of the accident, the following days, and then the immediate challenges of the next weeks and months. He does this to let everyone know how challenging it was to learn how to do everything again including many things we take for granted like getting dressed every day. He then jumps ahead to the steps he took to go back to college and live in the same fraternity house he was at before the accident and what it was like to live at home post-college and ponder what he should do next while getting pushed with some tough-love from his mother.
Mr. Spencer then catered his speech to the audience jumping ahead 20+ years to current day where he has become a very successful businessman. Like most successful businessmen he talks about learning to let go some of some of his work to others in his office so he can continue to grow his practice which is full of demanding clients who expect him to execute and deliver satisfaction just like everyone else in the industry. At this point in his life and career his handicap only limits him some as he is very independent and even downhill snow skis and rides horses. However he makes it clear that none of this would have been possible if he had not pushed himself to conquer his handicap early on by learning to adapt patience and perseverance while overcoming the many fears and early limitations immediately after the accident.
Finally it should be noted I like how Mr. Spencer jotted down notes of various comments/questions the group sprouted prior to his speech and then crafted his speech to incorporate some of these comments that he realized were important to them. I found this to be very impressive and illustrates that he is able to customize his speeches for most impact depending on the assignment and the group.
To summarize Mr. Spencer would be an asset to any group looking to utilize his services as a keynote speaker. He is charismatic, personable (stayed 45 minutes after taking on all one-on-one questions from individuals), observant, a great networker, insightful and a great inspiration. I highly recommend him.”
“…Dale’s presentation was both articulate and personal, the perfect blend that allowed my students to gain knowledge as well as an understanding of the impact of a spinal cord injury. He was generous with his time, and indulgent of the many questions my class asked. My students were impressed with his honesty, his positive energy, and his film production skills as well. The short film shared a variety of perspectives from young people dealing with spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries, and provided a platform for discussion. Overall, Dale made quite an impact, and sparked an interest in injury prevention as a potential career focus for a few of my students…”
“Dale’s presentation is nothing short of inspiring. Dale completely captures his audience with his energy, conviction and the undeniable truth of his message. His presentation is uplifting, entertaining and enlightening.”
“Dale is a real visionary with great people skills, follow through and attention to detail. People respond instinctively to Dale’s winning personality and I am proud to have worked closely with him and see his leadership capabilities.”
“Thanks for the opportunity to support Dale Spencer as a Keynote Speaker. I have now known Dale for many years, through his participation in the Thinkfirst National Injury Prevention Foundation. One of the strengths of the Foundation is that we have VIPs, voices of injury prevention, that go out to teach the curriculum from the perspective of someone who suffered an injury. Dale is perhaps the premier Thinkfirst VIP in the nation. His commitment to the cause and his speaking abilities are such that he rose to the level of the Board of Directors of the national ThinkFirst foundation, and I got to know him very well when I served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. I am continually impressed by his commitment, and the strength and motivation of his words. Hearing him speak has called me to action on many occasions, and he has affected countless youths with his words. You cannot go wrong with Dale Spencer.
“…As a Keynote speaker, or as a team panelist, you are a passionate and professional presenter. You have a gift for connecting with people in the most genuine way, whether it is one-on-one, in the Board room or speaking to an auditorium filled with kids. I have seen you in action for nearly twenty years, and you continue to capture my attention, along with every restless teenager in the room with your warm and thought-provoking style; from the moment you begin, you have everyone’s attention.”
“We could not be happier to have had Dale Spencer as our guest speaker. Every year the Bartlett Rotary Club invites all the straight-“A” students from the local high schools to our “Honors Luncheon”. The event celebrates those who have achieved excellence in their high school years and introduces them to Rotary International. Because of the caliber of the guests, outstanding speakers are sought. Mr. Spencer does not disappoint.
His presentation titled “Overcoming Adversity and Fears” chronicled his accidental spine injury in college and his subsequent challenges and successes. He spoke frankly about the initial mental and physical hurdles which included depression and literally learning how to live within his new constraints. Rather than dwelling on the injury itself, Dale adroitly and with some humor relayed his minor achievements which led to his being totally self reliant.
Dale’s presentation was well prepared, easily understood, and riveting. He told his story with humility and humor. He obviously considered his audience in his preparation. Although his story is of such incredible adversity, the achievement of overcoming that adversity was the main message.
If ever you have a chance to have Dale Spencer as your guest speaker, do not hesitate. He is most cooperative in the scheduling process, arrives well prepared, and delivers a unique message. I would recommend him to anyone without hesitation.”
“Dale Spencer delivers an inspirational personal story about living life after a spinal cord injury. In spite of a sudden and devastating loss of a young man’s dreams and goals for a bright future, Dale tells how he overcame the struggles, worries and doubts after his injury through courage, determination and continued inspiration he receives from others injured before him. Dale relates to his listeners with empathy and encouragement with a very personable and candid style of communication.”