Most Active Speaker

Pamela Paterson

Pamela Paterson

International Best-Selling Author, Business Systems Analyst, Project Manager

Ottawa, Canada

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Pamela Paterson, MS, CBAP, PMP, is an internationally recognized best-selling author and senior IT consultant specializing in business analysis and project management. With experience working with over 100 organizations, Pamela has delivered more than 200 presentations worldwide and authored 10 books, including two international best-sellers: Creating Requirements for Software Projects and Get the Job. Known for her dynamic and award-winning speaking style, she brings a wealth of knowledge from her extensive experience in systems engineering and teaching project management in Toronto, Canada. In 2023, she stands out as one of the most active speakers on Sessionize. For more details, visit her LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamelapaterson/.

Awards

  • Most Active Speaker 2023

Area of Expertise

  • Business & Management
  • Government, Social Sector & Education
  • Information & Communications Technology
  • Law & Regulation
  • Media & Information

Topics

  • Requirements Analysis
  • Requirements Management
  • Requirements Engineering
  • User Requirements
  • Eliciting Requirements
  • Communication
  • Agile Requirements Engineering
  • agile
  • Agile software development
  • Business Agility
  • communications
  • Business Communications
  • Team Communication
  • Effective Communication
  • communication skills
  • process
  • Business Process Automation
  • Business Process Management
  • Process Improvement
  • Business Process Optimization
  • Process Development
  • RFP
  • Documentation
  • stakeholder
  • Stakeholder Management
  • elicitation
  • Collaboration
  • Visual Communication
  • Interviewing
  • Software
  • systems thinking
  • systems
  • Business Analyst
  • Business Analysis
  • Women in Business
  • Business & Innovation
  • Project Management
  • Agile project management
  • Project Management Institute

Enhancing IT Project Success Through Effective Information Design

In the fast-paced world of IT projects, the clarity and completeness of project information such as requirements can make or break the success of an endeavor. Traditional methods of gathering requirements often fall short in ensuring that all stakeholders have a unified understanding of project goals and functionalities. This presentation explores the transformative power of information design in the development process for IT projects. By applying principles of information design, project teams can achieve higher levels of clarity, engagement, and efficiency. Visual tools such as flowcharts, structured templates, checklists, and data visualization techniques ensure that every aspect of the requirements is covered and easily understood by the project team. This session will delve into practical strategies for incorporating information design into your development process. Join us to discover how a well-designed information approach can lead to more precise requirements, better stakeholder alignment, and ultimately, the successful delivery of IT projects.

Key Takeaways:
- Understand the principles of information design and their application in IT projects.
- Learn how to create and use visual documentation.
- Discover techniques for engaging stakeholders through designed information.

Can be presented in a talk or workshop.

Improve Quality in Requirements Using Business Analysis Techniques

Poor requirements are the number one reason IT projects fail, yet how do we create high-quality requirements when stakeholders don't know what they want? Through proven business analysis strategies. Business analysts are specialists in requirements and have well-honed strategies to improve quality at the requirements stage, creating efficiencies throughout the entire SDLC. Not only will stakeholders be more pleased with the requirements, but they will also be more satisfied with the end solution.

Remote Stakeholder Collaboration: Navigate Your Way to Success

Excellent stakeholder collaboration has been cited as one of the key success factors in optimizing and managing projects. It is critical to our success that we understand and navigate stakeholder collaboration effectively. The problem is, how do we do it? How do we overcome inherent problems such as zoomed-out, stressed out stakeholders who don’t participate? What are the different types of stakeholders and how do we deal with each of them? What are the best techniques for each stakeholder type? Join us to learn the top techniques for effective stakeholder collaboration from Pamela Paterson, an expert and international best-selling author in business analysis.

Responding to RFPs: Strategies to Win

Learn the keys to crafting winning RFP responses that secure funding from Pamela Paterson, an award-winning writer and speaker with years of experience in writing, evaluating, and responding to RFPs up to $2B. This session will reveal proven strategies for understanding requirements, creating compelling proposals, and showcasing your value to position your organization as the top choice.

Mastering Systems Thinking: The Key to IT Project Success

Join Pamela Paterson, a renowned global author, speaker, and expert with a master's in IT in systems engineering, for an in-depth webinar on systems thinking. This session will explore how adopting a systems thinking approach can transform your ability to handle complex IT projects by viewing them as interconnected, dynamic systems rather than isolated tasks. Pamela will guide you through practical techniques to identify root causes, understand relationships between various components, and recognize how changes in one area impact the whole system. You’ll learn how to improve problem-solving, decision-making, and adaptability, leading to more effective project outcomes and enhanced collaboration. This webinar is ideal for IT professionals seeking to enhance their strategic thinking and bring a holistic, integrated approach to their work.

How to Make Your Stakeholders Talk: Techniques from Professional Interviewers

Navigating stakeholder communication is a critical skill in IT, yet it often feels like walking a tightrope. Striking the perfect balance between encouraging stakeholders to share their insights when needed and ensuring they don't overwhelm the process at other times is a nuanced challenge. Join us as we provide actionable techniques and insights tailored for software projects aiming to optimize stakeholder interactions. This session will cover how to create a structured communication flow that encourages productive input without letting discussions spiral out of control.

Key topics include:
- Techniques for eliciting timely and relevant stakeholder feedback.
- Methods to create a safe and open environment for honest communication.
- Tools and practices to keep conversations focused and on track.
- Strategies to manage and limit unproductive or excessive stakeholder input.
- Balancing diverse perspectives to enhance project outcomes without compromising efficiency.

By the end of this session, you'll be equipped with practical strategies to ensure your stakeholders provide valuable contributions at the right times while maintaining the focus and momentum of your projects. Whether you’re a developer, project manager, or team lead, this session will help you refine your stakeholder communication skills and improve your project's success.

This session can be presented in a one-hour talk, 2 hour workshop, or a half-day session.

Mastering Stakeholder Dynamics: Expert Techniques for Handling Difficult Stakeholders

Managing stakeholder relationships is a crucial aspect of successful software development, but dealing with difficult stakeholders can be particularly challenging. In this session, we will explore advanced strategies to effectively manage and navigate these complex interactions. You will learn how to transform challenging stakeholder relationships into productive collaborations that drive project success.

Key topics include:
- Identifying and understanding the root causes of stakeholder difficulties.
- Techniques for building trust and rapport with challenging stakeholders.
- Communication strategies to address and resolve conflicts.
- Tools and methods to manage stakeholder expectations and demands.
- Leveraging negotiation and influence tactics to achieve project goals.
- Case studies and real-world examples of successfully managing difficult stakeholders.

By the end of this session, you will be equipped with practical, expert-level techniques to handle difficult stakeholders with confidence and ease. You will gain insights into turning potential roadblocks into opportunities for enhanced collaboration and project advancement.

Leveraging AI in the Stakeholder Requirements Process

In the rapidly evolving landscape of software development, accurately capturing and translating stakeholder requirements into actionable project plans is crucial for success. Traditional methods of requirement gathering often face challenges such as incomplete information, miscommunication, and time constraints. In this context, Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential to enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and depth of requirement gathering processes. This presentation explores how AI can be effectively utilized to gather, analyze, and refine requirements for software projects. Attendees will gain insights into the latest AI-driven techniques and tools that streamline requirement elicitation, reduce ambiguities, and improve stakeholder communication.

Key Topics Covered:
- Introduction to AI (ChatGPT or Copilot) in requirements gathering and elicitation
- Overview of AI technologies applicable to requirement gathering
- Benefits of integrating AI into the requirements elicitation process
- AI-driven techniques for requirements gathering and elicitation
- Addressing common challenges in adopting AI for requirement gathering

By the end of this session, participants will have a comprehensive understanding of how ChatGPT can revolutionize the requirements process, leading to more precise, efficient, and stakeholder-aligned software development outcomes.

Attendees will need access to WIFI.

Creating Requirements with Stakeholders in a Remote World: Overcoming Barriers and Finding Success

Working with stakeholders and creating requirements for IT projects is one of the biggest challenges we have in a remote environment. What do we do, when we can’t rely on “hallway” networking and face-to-face interpersonal skills? A completely remote or hybrid environment can block the flow of communication with our stakeholders. There is a need for us to have a sense of personal agility, whether their workplace culture is agile or not. So, how can we, whether remote or not, continue to deliver the value expected in requirements creation and maintenance amid this constant change? Join us and learn the answers.

Beyond Q&A: Plan and Conduct Stakeholder Interviews Like a Pro

Interviewing is a key technique to elicit information from stakeholders on IT projects. Whether a single stakeholder or a group, knowing how to conduct a professional interview will get us the information and data we need to create requirements, develop processes, and do our other work. The more our stakeholders can trust in our skills, the more information they will contribute. We all know of excellent interviewers, but how do we do it ourselves? What kinds of questions do we ask and when, and for which stakeholder and scenario? Are there some question types that are better used with individuals than with groups? At the same time, how do we document responses accurately and efficiently? Join us to learn the answers from Pamela Paterson, an IT business analyst and best-selling author.

60 min talk that can be adjusted by event

Get Rid of the Waste! How to Lean Six Sigma Your Stakeholder Communication

Did you know that 80% of meeting attendees are doing something else? How many times have you found yourself sitting in a meeting and tuning out part way through, hoping for the end? There is a better way to prepare and run meetings by capitalizing on Lean Six Sigma techniques applied to a communication context. Learn how to run effective meetings that result in better outcomes with less time wasted. Get rid of the communication waste that weighs you down, and join Pamela Paterson, a senior IT business analyst consultant, who has designed unique communication methods that work with stakeholders on IT projects.

Cognitive Science Techniques for Presentations to Increase Stakeholder Success

Have you ever sat through a boring presentation, and mentally "checked out" before the end? It's likely the presenter was unaware of the latest research in cognitive studies and how to engage stakeholders visually. Given that workshops and presentations are very key to our IT work in requirements, process development, and other deliverables, it is critical that IT workers are able to incorporate cognitive theory strategies into the planning, design, and delivery of presentations for effective stakeholder engagement. Building this capability as a visual presenter is guaranteed to lead to increased stakeholder engagement and effectiveness in elicitation and collaboration, which ultimately leads to project success.

ScanAgile25 Sessionize Event Upcoming

March 2025 Helsinki, Finland

DatafestAfrica 2024 Sessionize Event

October 2024 Lagos, Nigeria

International Institute of Business Analysis (Kentucky and North Carolina)

Beyond Q&A: Plan and Conduct Stakeholder Interviews Like a Pro webinar

October 2024 Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

2024 All Day DevOps Sessionize Event

October 2024

Transforming Business Analysis with Journalistic Insights: Pamela Paterson Podcast

Transforming Business Analysis with Journalistic Insights: Pamela Paterson

In episode 37 of Blueprints for Success, we meet journalist-turned-business analyst Pamela as she discusses business analysts' role in AI, stakeholder interviewing, and job search strategies. She discusses her upcoming book on stakeholder interviewing, which uses journalistic methods to improve the process.

October 2024 Christchurch, New Zealand

International Institute of Business Analysis Vancouver

Silence Stakeholders When Needed & Make Them Talk When It Matters Most

September 2024 Vancouver, Canada

Nerdearla 2024 Sessionize Event

September 2024 Buenos Aires, Argentina

International Institute of Business Analysis Sacramento

September 2024 Sacramento, California, United States

BA Insights Interviewing Stakeholders Podcast

September 2024 London, United Kingdom

Domain-Driven Design Europe 2024 Sessionize Event

May 2024 Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Newcrafts Paris 2024 Sessionize Event

May 2024 Paris, France

Building Business Capability (International Institute of Business Analysis Global Conference)

Largest business analysis conference in the world. One of the highest-attended sessions at the conference. Standing room only.

April 2024 Orlando, Florida, United States

Project Management Institute Ottawa

Cognitive Science Techniques to Improve Presentation Success

March 2024

International Institute of Business Analysis Saskatchewan

Interviewing is a vital technique for business analysts to gather information from stakeholders. Whether it's a single stakeholder or a group, conducting intelligent interviews is key to obtaining the data needed for creating requirements and developing processes. The more stakeholders trust in this process, the more valuable information they contribute. This calls for intelligent interviewing skills that foster trust and collaboration. But how do we become excellent interviewers ourselves? What questions do we ask, and when and for whom? Join us to explore these questions and more with Pamela Paterson, CBAP, a seasoned business analyst and communications professional who specializes in preparing stakeholders for media interviews.

March 2024

Project Management Institute (PMI Global)

Project managers know that effective stakeholder management is the cornerstone of project success. However, in our ever-evolving field, traditional approaches to stakeholder engagement may no longer suffice. Join us in this thought-provoking webinar where we'll delve into the intricacies of stakeholder interviews.

In this dynamic presentation, we will explore how stakeholder interviews, when done right, can transform your project management game. You'll gain insights into advanced techniques and strategies that extend beyond the usual Q&A sessions. Learn how to extract valuable perspectives, foster deeper connections, and unlock the full potential of your stakeholders’ expertise.

Pamela Paterson, MS, CBAP, PMP will draw from real-world experiences, offering practical advice and sharing impactful case studies that showcase the true potential of stakeholder interviews. Whether you're a seasoned project manager or just starting out, this webinar will provide you with a fresh perspective on stakeholder interviews.

Join us for an enlightening journey into the realm of stakeholder interviews and equip yourself with the knowledge and skills to reimagine your project management approach. Don't miss this opportunity to distinguish yourself in your profession and lead your projects with renewed confidence and success.

March 2024

International Institute of Business Analysis (London)

Career Strategies to Beat the HR Bots

March 2024

Project Management Institute Global Webinar

4500 registrants for this online webinar about stakeholder interviewing

February 2024

Update Conference Prague

Session about interviewing stakeholders, and how to optimize the interview process to obtain good requirements.

November 2023 Prague, Czechia

Engaging Virtual Meetings Podcast

Where do virtual and hybrid conferences, like yours, go for engagement that will blow your attendees away? Pamela Paterson is interviewed by John Chen, one of the top 3 digital event strategists in the world.

October 2023

Azure Back to School 2023 Sessionize Event

September 2023

Business Analysis Connection Day Annual Conference

August 2023 Birmingham, Alabama, United States

International Institute of Business Analysis (Global) Essential Communication Skills

About 1500 registered attendees for this global session about essential communication skills for successful stakeholder engagement.

July 2023

DeveloperWeek Latin America 2023 Sessionize Event

June 2023

Agile & Beyond 2023 Sessionize Event

June 2023 Detroit, Michigan, United States

George Brown College (Guest Speaker)

Guest speaker at George Brown College in Toronto regarding #1 international best-selling book Get the Job: Optimize Your Resume for the Online Job Search

March 2023 Toronto, Canada

International Institute of Business Analysis Global

Interviewing Stakeholders: How to Get the Most (and Best) Requirements. 850 registered attendees.

March 2023 Ottawa, Canada

SQLBits 2023 - General Sessions Sessionize Event

March 2023 Newport, United Kingdom

Power BI Summit 2023 Sessionize Event

March 2023

Update Conference Prague 2022 Sessionize Event

November 2022 Prague, Czechia

International Institute of Business Analysis (Kentucky)

Speaker re: elicitation and collaboration with stakeholders -- top strategies for success

October 2022 Lexington, Kentucky, United States

dataMinds Connect 2022 Sessionize Event

October 2022 Mechelen, Belgium

Iowa Business Analysis Development Day (iBADD Conference)

Business analysis conference re: stakeholder management and collaboration, eliciting software requirements, and remote working strategies

October 2022 Iowa City, Iowa, United States

International Institute of Business Analysis (London)

Keynote speaker: Where Do I Go From Here?

October 2022 London, Canada

Business Analysis Magnified 2022 (Puerto Rico and Birmingham)

Keynote speaker for this annual conference

October 2022 San Juan, Puerto Rico

International Institute of Business Analysis (New Zealand)

Speaker re: best practices for requirements

October 2022 Auckland, New Zealand

International Institute of Business Analysis (Albany, New York)

Speaker re: requirements in a remote world

October 2022 Albany, New York, United States

International Institute of Business Analysis (Ireland)

Speaker re: removing remote communication blockers and managing stakeholders in a remote environment

September 2022

International Institute of Business Analysis (Hawaii)

Speaker: creating requirements during constant change

September 2022 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

International Institute of Business Analysis (San Francisco Bay Area)

Speaker re: creating requirements in a remote world

September 2022 San Francisco, California, United States

Teammate Live Conference (Phoenix)

TeamMate Live connects you to industry thought leaders, TeamMate's deep-domain experts, and peers from your industry and similar organizations. In 2022, we'll be meeting in person in Scottsdale, Arizona. Join us and earn dozens of CPE credits while learning best practices and techniques that will drive efficiency in your day-to-day audit work.

September 2022 Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

International Institute of Business Analysis (Edmonton)

Speaker re: creating requirements in a remote world

September 2022 Edmonton, Canada

International Institute of Business Analysis (North Carolina)

Topic: Dealing with Difficult Stakeholders

August 2022 Raleigh, North Carolina, United States

Annual Festival of Business Analysis (Australia)

Speaker re: creating requirements remotely

March 2022 Melbourne, Australia

International Institute of Business Analysis (Philippines and Kentucky)

Speaker regarding requirements and remote working

November 2021 Manila, Philippines

Toastmasters International (Guest Speaker)

Guest speaker

November 2020 Kingston, Canada

Society for Technical Communication (Toronto)

Keynote speaker on several occasions for various topics

April 2017 Toronto, Canada

HRPA (Human Resources Professional Association) Seminar (Toronto)

Speaker for international best-seller Get the Job: Optimize Your Resume for the Online Job Search

April 2015 Toronto, Canada

IEEE Seminar (Toronto)

Speaker for international best-seller Get the Job: Optimize Your Resume for the Online Job Search

March 2015 Toronto, Canada

Cannexus 2015

Speaker providing information on international best-selling book, Get the Job: Optimize Your Resume for the Online Job Search

January 2015 Toronto, Canada

Editors Association of Canada National Annual Conference (Toronto)

Speaker for international best-seller Get the Job: Optimize Your Resume for the Online Job Search

June 2014 Toronto, Canada

SIPO Conference (Toronto)

Speaker for +300 attendees for SIPO (Spreading Ideas, Providing Opportunities)

May 2014 Toronto, Canada

SIPO Conference (Toronto)

Speaker for SIPO (Spreading Ideas, Providing Opportunities) along with other speakers such as Bob Proctor.

May 2014 Toronto, Canada

University of Guelph Interuniversity Day

Keynote speaker to career development specialists regarding best strategies for resume and career development

April 2014 Guelph, Canada

City of Toronto Professional Development Seminar

Speaker for international best-seller Get the Job: Optimize Your Resume for the Online Job Search

February 2014 Toronto, Canada

Toastmasters Annual Conference District 60 (Toronto)

Speaker for international best-seller Get the Job: Optimize Your Resume for the Online Job Search

November 2013 Toronto, Canada

Society for Technical Communication Conference (Rochester, New York)

Keynote speaker for international best-seller Get the Job: Optimize Your Resume for the Online Job Search

September 2012 Rochester, New York, United States

Pamela Paterson

International Best-Selling Author, Business Systems Analyst, Project Manager

Ottawa, Canada

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