Dillon Mendes

Ideal for: School Assembly, Keynote Address, Leadership or Business Conference, Welcome Back Event

Overview: Many young people struggle to believe they can make a difference in their school community and create a positive school culture. In this keynote, Dillon shares three major lessons he has learned over the past number of years regarding making an impact. Firstly, the importance for young people to be their true authentic selves in a society that promotes herd behaviour. Secondly, Dillon showcases the power of what can happen when a community comes together to achieve a common goal. Lastly, he helps young people understand that individuals thrive off belonging and connection. Dillon uses storytelling, humour, and motivation in this keynote to drive these points home and educate students in a fun and engaging way.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn how to start making a difference in their communities
• Recognize that authenticity, belonging, and connection is the foundation of community engagement
• Learn the necessity to seek discomfort to grow as an individual
• Understand the power young students can have on their community

Ideal for: School Assembly, Keynote Address, SHSM, Careers Conference

Overview: Given the vast amount of post-secondary options young people have, a large percentage of teenagers struggle to believe they can find their place in our society after high school. In this keynote, Dillon shares lessons he has learned over the past number of years regarding pathway discernment. Firstly, young people should choose the correct path for themselves instead of satisfying other people’s opinions. Secondly, Dillon shares the necessity for students to set an aim in their life to attain, as that is what can give life meaning. Lastly, he shares the need for each student to feel a sense of belonging in their community regardless of their path. This keynote is filled with personal anecdotes, research, and humour!

Key Takeaways:

• Seek clarity when choosing potential post-secondary pathways
• Gain perspective and relieve some of the stresses of post-secondary discernment
• Understand the importance of being a part of a community after graduation
• Realizing that choosing the correct path comes down to trying and doing different jobs as opposed to reading/pondering

Ideal for: Intern Orientation, New Hire Onboarding, Keynote Address, Leadership or Business Conference

Overview: When Dillon studied finance at the University of Waterloo, he completed 3 coop terms working in Advisory at Deloitte, Technology Consulting at KPMG, and Growth and Operations at DarwinAI. After graduating from the University of Waterloo, he was hired as a Strategy Consultant at Monitor Deloitte. When working at each company, Dillon always tried to move the needle by challenging the status quo using his entrepreneurial background. In this keynote, Dillon shares the importance for new hires to become intrapreneurs and challenge the status quo, build a mindset of resilience, and always bring new ideas to the table, regardless of their position/tenure.

Key Takeaways:

• Be empowered to share new perspectives and challenge the status quo
• Understand that leadership is not a status, but an action
• Recognize the importance of building a resilient mindset

Ideal for: Student Leadership Workshop, Leadership Conference, Session with Leadership Students after School-Wide Keynote

Overview: As a former Camp Director, Managing Director of UWAC (Canada’s largest student-run accounting conference), and the Co-founder of a youth-led national movement, Dillon understands the intricacies of student leadership in communities and aims to teach students about his 5 pillars of effective student leadership. Students often have great ideas but are unable to turn those thoughts into actions. Dillon explains how change stems from serving a community and takes students on a journey inward, where he shows them how to lead themselves, so they can effectively lead others and create an impact in their communities.

Key Takeaways:

• Breakthrough society’s conditioning of thinking small
• Understand how to leverage social proof to change the culture of your organization
• Learn how to change one’s perspective to increase performance and overcome challenges
• Recognize how consistency and grit can help foster change

Ideal for: Leadership Conferences, Educators, Businesses, Public Speaking Classes, SHSM

Overview: Growing up, Dillon despised public speaking, mainly due to the severe stutter he had for 12 years of his life. He had trouble speaking to 1 person, let alone the thousands he speaks to now. Without the help of speech therapists or speaking coaches, Dillon overcame and got rid of his speech impediment and is now a TEDx speaker who travels across North America speaking to thousands of young people annually. He is the perfect example showcasing that anyone can become an effective communicator.

In this workshop, Dillon explains the strategies he used to become such a renowned communicator and face his fear of public speaking. These include the importance of storytelling, vocal mastery, the art of persuasion, and non-verbal communication. Whether Dillon is speaking to a group of developers at a tech firm, or a group of students/educators who desire to improve their speaking ability to become more influential, this workshop is transferable to multiple audiences.

Key Takeaways:

• Learn the art of effective storytelling to capture the attention of a group
• Recognize how to master your vocals to keep an audience engaged
• Understand the importance of non-verbal communication skills
• Discover how to conquer your fear of public speaking