Prior to his speaking career, John created and produced the Broadway musical, "Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?" which is presently playing in over a dozen cities.

He is the author of four best selling books, the most recent being, "The Junk Drawer, Corner Store, Front Porch Blues."

John Powers earned a Ph.D. degree in Communications from Northwestern University and was a professor of Speech & Performing Arts at Northeastern Illinois University. He has created and hosted a PBS series on how to be an effective public speaker and has hosted several interview specials for PBS. He has been a guest on hundreds of radio and television shows including Oprah and Today. John has received two Emmy awards for his work in television.

John's business background includes producing his own musical for four years, raising capital of over a million dollars and coordinating the daily efforts of over two hundred artistic, financial, sales and marketing people. In 1988, he founded the Powers of Motivation Institute and since then has worked with over a thousand major corporations and national associations to provide programs on how to succeed in a changing world.

John Powers does his homework. Before each presentation, he conducts extensive research into his clients' organization, its internal workings, needs and goals. He and his staff at the Powers of Motivation Institute work with the client to make that meeting the best one the client has ever had.