Keynote Speaking

I've been around the block a few times when it comes to keynote speaking. And let me tell you, it's not about impressing a crowd for an hour or making them feel warm and fuzzy inside. It's about lighting a fire under their backsides and giving them the matches to keep it burning long after I've left the stage.

You see, in my two decades of wrangling with complex, messy situations - from transforming stubborn corporate cultures to preventing extremism (and yes, sometimes they feel like the same thing) - I've learned a thing or two about what makes people tick. And more importantly, what makes them change.

My projects have taken me from generating more agility in software programmers in Silicon Valley and across the world to assessing the impact of UN programs for refugee populations, all the way to improving leadership effectiveness in Google. And let me tell you, the challenges might look different on the surface, but underneath, it’s all about helping people make new sense of a world that doesn’t always make sense.

So, what is it exactly that sets a Tony Quinlan keynote apart?

Inspiring Change

So, if you're looking for a keynote speaker who's going to do more than just entertain - someone who's going to provoke thought, inspire action, and maybe ruffle a few feathers along the way - then we should talk. I promise I won't bore your audience with endless PowerPoint slides or fill their heads with corporate jargon. I’ll help them explore uncharted territories of thought and action. I'll give them stories they'll remember, ideas they can use, and a perspective that might just change the way they approach their work and their lives. Take them from being passive spectators to motivated participants.

And who knows? They might even have a laugh or two along the way. After all, if we can't find some humour in the face of complexity, we're all in trouble.

So, what do you say? Ready to give your audience something to really think about?

By connecting on an emotional and cerebral level, Tony inspires individuals to reflect on their own potential and see new possibilities for action. This experience empowers attendees to return to their workplaces and everyday roles with renewed enthusiasm, equipped with fresh insights and a clearer vision for the future.

Tackling Complex Challenges Without Losing Your Mind

We all know the world’s moving at a breakneck pace. New markets, emerging technologies, shifting cultures—it's all happening at once. We’re trying to change a tyre while the car’s still moving.

And here's the thing: you can't just hunker down and hope it'll all blow over. That's a one-way ticket to irrelevance. What you need are practical tools that help you navigate this chaos without losing sight of what made your organisation successful in the first place.

That's where I come in. I'm not here to give you a magic formula (spoiler alert: there isn't one). I will show you how to look at your challenges differently, how to spot opportunities in the chaos and how to build the kind of resilience that’ll keep you going when others are throwing in the towel. Let’s equip your organisation with the strategies people need to evolve and thrive.

Harnessing the Power of Stories To Connect And Inspire People (Without Sounding Like a Children’s Book Author)

We all know stories are powerful. They’re how we make sense of the world, how we connect with each other. But in the business world, we often forget this. We bury ourselves in any number of slides and jargon and written value statements – and then we wonder why our messages aren’t sticking.

I’ve spent 25 years of working with narratives and I’ll let you in on the first secret: it’s not about telling better stories. It’s about uncovering the stories that are already there – the ones that are shaping your organisation whether you realise it or not.

In my keynotes, I’ll show you how to tap into these stories, how to use them to navigate complex situations and how to change behaviours in ways that endless memos and mission statements never will. And trust me, it’s a lot more fun than yet another slide deck.

Changing Organisational Cultures

Ah, culture change. The unicorn of organisational development. Also, often a quick way to give yourself a migraine and empty your wallet.

Here's the rub: most attempts at culture change are about as effective as herding cats. Why? Because they're top-down, one-size-fits-all approaches that ignore the beautiful, messy reality of human beings and their stubborn habits.

.But don’t throw in the towel just yet. Culture change is possible. It’s just not as simple as plastering a new set of values on the wall and hoping for the best. It requires a more nuanced approach, one that taps into the deeper currents of organisational life rather than trying to dam them up.

In my keynotes, I’ll show you how to approach culture change in a way that actually sticks. We’ll look at how to engage people at all levels, how to create space for different viewpoints and how to align your organisational practices with the culture you’re aiming for. It’s not a walk in the park, but it’s a lot more effective than another round of forced team-building exercises.

Remember, changing an organisation isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about understanding the small, everyday interactions that shape your culture. Get those right, and the big stuff starts to fall into place.

So, ready to shake things up a bit? Let's talk about how we can get your people thinking differently and acting more effectively in this wild, complex world of ours

Event	Date	Topic
Complexity Lounge	March 2024	What to do when you’ve tried everything you know.
[Australian forum for leaders]	2021	Cynefin, complexity and a guide to complex facilitation
[United Nations agency]	June 2020	Using complexity and narrative techniques to deal with intractable problems
[Global conference of tech developers]	August 2019	Using Sensemaking and Complexity to change culture in a tech organisation to make software developers more able to adapt and build better products
[International conference on making policy and social justice progress]	January 2020	Monitoring change and creating shifts in complex, ever-changing environments
United Nations Forum on monitoring and assessing Preventing Violent Extremism	June 2019	An introduction to taking a complexity approach to preventing extremism
Digital Leadership conference, London	March 2019	Understanding what’s going on in the organisation (culturally) and taking action to improve the culture and outcomes
United Nations Data Literacy workshop	November 2018	Working with different forms of data to inform real, effective action
[City of London-based, cross-sectoral forum for innovation and knowledge-sharing]	March 2018	Complexity, sensemaking and dealing with complex problems
Government conference on Soft Power, Mexico	May 2014	Panel discussion on understanding and shaping population opinions