How This Presentation Can Be Used

     The “Beautiful Like Aunumn Leaves …” presentation debuted at the 2005 NHPCO conference in Atlanta in a large ballroom. The performer and composer, Gary Malkin, played the piano as Jim spoke and then Gary performed the original song, “The Light of Day,” that they had created together. Two large screens, one on either side of the stage, held the photographic images that changed in slow dissolve as Jim spoke and as Gary sang. That’s the perfect way to show this presentation. But it’s not the only way.
     This 45- to 60-minute presentation (Jim can vary it, based upon your time parameters) is ideally suited as a keynote presentation for meetings of end-of-life professionals. Jim carries most of the presentation on his laptop. Sometimes he provides his own video projector; other times he uses equipment that’s available locally. The song can be played from a CD over a sound system if Gary is not present. Other than a projector screen and a way to amplify Jim’s voice, there are no other special requirements.

Additional Input Sessions
     If yours is an all-day event, Jim can present an additional keynote address, perhaps in the morning, with the “Beautiful…” presentation being the concluding talk. If yours is a multiple-day event, he can present a keynote talk or talks on other days.
     Sometimes, if the timing works and the theme of the conference fits Jim’s areas of expertise, he will lead a workshop session as a part of the day’s events.
     Your hospice or palliative care organization can also hire Jim to do an all-day workshop, either just for your staff or for your larger community, and he’ll make this presentation one component of the day. Using a different design, Jim can lead an all-day or multiple-day retreat experience for your whole staff or some part of your staff, including using a variety of his photographic presentations.
     Some hospices hire Jim to spend part of his time with them alone and then sponsor another part of his time with people from the area, whether it’s other professionals (about caregiving and healing presence, for example) or people from the community at large (about dealing with loss and grief, for example).

How This Presentation Can Be Customized

     Jim does all the photography he uses in his presentations. That means he can come equipped to photograph at your location too, if you wish. Usually that means bringing him out a day or two before your scheduled event, so that he can spend time with your staff and patients. He will photograph at your site, in clients’ homes, or anywhere your staff works. Then he’ll insert some of these images in the “Beautiful…” presentation before it’s shown to your folks. Advanced technology allows him to do this with a digital camera, a high-end laptop, and specialized software.
     His experience is that audience members tend to be rather moved as they are affirmed in their work through his presentation. But they’re doubly moved when some of the images they see on the screen are of themselves, their patients, their site, taken just a day or two before!

How to Book This Presentation

     Call Jo Cavender at Speakers on Healthcare, 800/697-7325, to discuss bringing Jim to your area.

An interview with Jim Miller about the "Beautiful..." presentation
The lyrics to the song "The Light of Day"
An outline of the presentation  •  Testimonials