About Mark Ortman
Brief Summary:
Mark served over 35 years in the field of communication as a consultant, coach, mediator and workshop leader, Mark focused his skills on strengthening the way people communicate in their daily lives. His Masters degree is in Communication from the University of Denver, and Certified as a Mediator Practitioner. Mark is a ten-time national award-winning instructor and author of six books, including his most recent: The Secret to Everyday Communication (Without Argument).
Biography:
Growing up in a family with three older brothers and one younger brother, Mark quickly recognized the value of communication. Little did he realize reading Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People at nine years old would change his life. In 1983, Mark received his Master's degree in Communication from the University of Denver. Upon graduation, he accepted a position with Dale Carnegie Training® in Seattle and certified as an instructor in the Effective Speaking and Human Relations program. Over twelve years, Mark coached and listened to more than 24,000 personal stories students shared about what works and what doesn't when tensions arises in conversation. Patterns emerged leading to his first book titled: Now That Makes Sense, a collection of quotations relating to people with wit and wisdom. He went on to became a ten-time national award- winning instructor.
In 1985, Mark met his mentor, Al West (1915-2010), who shared a deep curiosity in human nature and communication. Over the next 25 years, Al made his vast library and wealth of wisdom on psycho-linquistics, semantics, syntax and philosophy available. Translating these subjects into practical use in everyday life became Mark's passion. These where the seeds that influenced Mark's development of his popular It's Not What We Say workshop series.
In the Fall of 1993, Mark proposed his first workshop titled: It's Not What We Say, It's How We Say It! to Bellevue College in Washington State. This course grew in popularity over the years, resulting in a Part Two version by the same title, focusing on advanced communication skills in navigating disagreements. Over the decades, these workshops have been refined and presented to tens of thousands of participants from municipalities, corporations, and colleges around the country.
In 2002, Mark trained to be a Certified Mediator Practitioner (CMP). He mediated cases including: workplace, marriage dissolution, parent-teen, neighborhood and small claims over a decade long period. Customers requested more about conflict resolution resulting in a third workshop titled: Dealing With Discord - The Manager As Mediator designed to teach a simple, yet powerful method to facilitate communication between two people in conflict.
Mark's other books include: The Teacher's Book of Wit, So Many Ways to Say Thank You (Currently out-of-print), A Simple Guide to Self-Publishing, and A Simple Guide to Marketing Your Book. His books have sold nearly 90,000 copies in five continents. His latest book: The Secret to Everyday Communication Without ArgumentBooks, was released in April 2022.
As a hobby, Mark composes music in his home studio. People liken his relaxing music to a soundtrack in a movie. In 2020, he released his fourth album titled: Strange Occurrences. Mark currently resides in Scottsdale, AZ.
Brief Summary:
Mark served over 35 years in the field of communication as a consultant, coach, mediator and workshop leader, Mark focused his skills on strengthening the way people communicate in their daily lives. His Masters degree is in Communication from the University of Denver, and Certified as a Mediator Practitioner. Mark is a ten-time national award-winning instructor and author of six books, including his most recent: The Secret to Everyday Communication (Without Argument).
Biography:
Growing up in a family with three older brothers and one younger brother, Mark quickly recognized the value of communication. Little did he realize reading Dale Carnegie's book How to Win Friends and Influence People at nine years old would change his life. In 1983, Mark received his Master's degree in Communication from the University of Denver. Upon graduation, he accepted a position with Dale Carnegie Training® in Seattle and certified as an instructor in the Effective Speaking and Human Relations program. Over twelve years, Mark coached and listened to more than 24,000 personal stories students shared about what works and what doesn't when tensions arises in conversation. Patterns emerged leading to his first book titled: Now That Makes Sense, a collection of quotations relating to people with wit and wisdom. He went on to became a ten-time national award- winning instructor.
In 1985, Mark met his mentor, Al West (1915-2010), who shared a deep curiosity in human nature and communication. Over the next 25 years, Al made his vast library and wealth of wisdom on psycho-linquistics, semantics, syntax and philosophy available. Translating these subjects into practical use in everyday life became Mark's passion. These where the seeds that influenced Mark's development of his popular It's Not What We Say workshop series.
In the Fall of 1993, Mark proposed his first workshop titled: It's Not What We Say, It's How We Say It! to Bellevue College in Washington State. This course grew in popularity over the years, resulting in a Part Two version by the same title, focusing on advanced communication skills in navigating disagreements. Over the decades, these workshops have been refined and presented to tens of thousands of participants from municipalities, corporations, and colleges around the country.
In 2002, Mark trained to be a Certified Mediator Practitioner (CMP). He mediated cases including: workplace, marriage dissolution, parent-teen, neighborhood and small claims over a decade long period. Customers requested more about conflict resolution resulting in a third workshop titled: Dealing With Discord - The Manager As Mediator designed to teach a simple, yet powerful method to facilitate communication between two people in conflict.
Mark's other books include: The Teacher's Book of Wit, So Many Ways to Say Thank You (Currently out-of-print), A Simple Guide to Self-Publishing, and A Simple Guide to Marketing Your Book. His books have sold nearly 90,000 copies in five continents. His latest book: The Secret to Everyday Communication Without ArgumentBooks, was released in April 2022.
As a hobby, Mark composes music in his home studio. People liken his relaxing music to a soundtrack in a movie. In 2020, he released his fourth album titled: Strange Occurrences. Mark currently resides in Scottsdale, AZ.