Graeme Bowman was put on this planet for two reasons:
- To stop people falling asleep during conferences and events
- To inspire people to think more creatively
How does Graeme stop people falling asleep?
As a Corporate Comedian, MC, and Hoax Speaker, Graeme has many years of experience at turning ho-hum into ha-ha at conferences, launches and awards presentations. An audience that is laughing is not sleeping.
How does Graeme inspire people to think more creatively?
As a Lateral Thinking Trainer, accredited by the De Bono Institute, Graeme offers an entertaining keynote address that will motivate your people to challenge their current thinking style, then give them valuable tips on how to think more creatively, in order to kick-start the process of innovation. This keynote can also extend into a workshop.
Can Graeme mix and match these types of presentations?
Graeme's great advantage over other speakers, comedians and MCs lies in the versatility he brings to each event. For example, at a 2-3 day conference, he may appear at the welcome dinner as a hoax speaker, then next morning deliver his creativity keynote, and also MC the entire conference, sprinkling impressions, humorous songs and comic routines throughout.
Graeme can also combine his hoax and MC talents, to create a Hoax MC character – very popular at Awards presentations. Or he can combine a hoax speech with a genuine creativity keynote – a truly unique conference presentation.
Hoax Speaker
From a German grocery guru or a British technology consultant to a French wine expert or your new American CEO, Graeme Bowman can become any 'expert' you like, and fool any audience you care to provide. Just watch their faces as the 'expert's' credibility gets stretched to breaking point.
While a hoax speech is often used for pure entertainment, you can also use it to explore topical or controversial issues from different and unusual angles, and really play with the perceptions of your audience.
During an event such as a Gala Dinner or Awards Night, a hoax speech can be combined with a Master of Ceremonies role, to create a Hoax MC.
A hoax can also be combined with a genuine creativity keynote, through Graeme’s unique presentation, ‘Uncork your Creative Genie.’
Master of Ceremonies
Graeme Bowman is highly regarded as an MC for conferences, launches, awards presentations and special events. A big key to Graeme's success is his ability to switch from funny to formal and back again, as the mood and nature of the event requires.
For example, at a Gala Dinner or Awards Night, his first appearance is often in a crumpled shirt and shorts, as David Attenborough's long lost brother, Bruce, who delivers a hilarious routine about the evolution of your organisation. He may then launch into a rock song also tailored to your audience.
But a few minutes later, Graeme is back on stage, dressed in a suit. Most importantly, he treats the formal part of his MC role with restraint. This means that if he is introducing a VIP, he does it respectfully. And if he has a role to play during an awards presentation, he knows that the award winners are the heroes. (The last thing you want at this time is an MC who makes fun of the winners or trivialises the awards.)
By the way, a hoax speech can be combined with a Master of Ceremonies role, to create a Hoax MC.
At a lengthy conference, what people need most, in between business presentations, is a mental or physical breather. Graeme can provide that through short humorous routines and stretch breaks. The whole aim is to keep your audience awake, and focus their attention on the things that really matter.
Corporate Comedy
Graeme Bowman has a wealth of corporate comedy material that can either be delivered in a single feature segment, or interspersed throughout an entire conference or event. This material is often combined with his work as an MC.
Stuck in the Middle – stand-up comedy
Graeme Bowman is stuck in the middle. And it makes him grumpy. He’s stuck in the middle of the generations, with dependent children and dependent parents. He’s stuck in the middle of neighbours who want to kill each other. Name any two extremes, and Graeme gets caught in the middle, trapped between them. And all he wants is a normal life. Fat chance. Oh by the way, did I say this makes him grumpy? Well it does. And when this grumpy bugger has a good old moan, the results are hilarious.
Bruce Attenborough Opener
One of Graeme's most popular comic characters is David Attenborough's long lost brother, Bruce. This 3-5 minute tailored routine, which talks about the evolution of your organisation, industry or product, is often used to open a conference, launch or awards presentation. Graeme usually then becomes the event's MC.
Creative Thinking Keynote and Workshop
Graeme Bowman is a certified Lateral Thinking Trainer, accredited by the De Bono Institute, and his highly entertaining keynote address, ‘How to Suck Great Ideas out of Your Head, hones in on the attitudes and skills needed to create innovative ideas – the sort of ideas that save money and make money. This address will motivate your people to challenge their current thinking style, and give them valuable tips on how to think more creatively.
This humorous but informative presentation is designed to keep your audience laughing and learning, even during the ‘graveyard shift’ after lunch.
The keynote can also extend into a workshop, where participants get the chance to put creative thinking tools into practice.
Graeme’s creativity keynote can also be combined with a hoax speech, through his unique presentation, ‘Uncork your Creative Genie.’
Hoax MC
The Master of Ceremonies and Guest Speaker for your event is an English or American gentleman with a fairly innocent sounding name like George Connor. George is now living in Australia and has two main attributes:
• He is a very experienced MC
• It just so happens that he also has a strong background in your industry
As MC, he is very professional, respectful and energetic, with a good sense of humour.
George's professionalism and credibility are also obvious during the first few minutes of his after dinner speech. But gradually that credibility gets stretched to breaking point, as his presentation goes off on all sort of tangents. And some of his ideas and opinions don't seem to stack up.
The result is that, for most of George's speech, the audience is roaring with laughter.
After the hoax speech, George reveals himself to be Graeme Bowman, and any further MC duties are conducted by Graeme.
Uncork your Creative Genie
Presented by Dr Elwood Jefferson, world renowned innovation guru. (Or is he?)
Entertain and challenge even the most hardened audience with this unique keynote and workshop from Graeme Bowman.
Can your people tell if something is true or false? Real or fake? More to the point, when Dr Elwood Jefferson takes the stage, will your audience be able to separate fact from fiction? Because, in this unique presentation, your audience is going to get both: genuine tips on how to think more creatively, plus a hearty dose of codswallop. And plenty of laughs.
‘Dr Elwood Jefferson’ is actually Graeme Bowman, not only one of Australia’s leading hoax speakers, but also a certified instructor in Lateral Thinking, accredited by the De Bono Institute. So Graeme is well qualified to take your audience on a highly stimulating intellectual roller-coaster, while also outlining skills and attitudes that create innovative ideas.
Devil's Advocate Characters
Devil's advocate characters have a role in even the most serious of conferences and product launches, as their role is to raise, in a dramatic or comic way, the key issues on the mind of the audience. These issues can be quite sensitive or controversial. Once highlighted, such issues can be addressed by a presenter.
Highly effective devil's advocate characters include:
- A cynical audience member who jumps up from his seat and challenges the speaker.
- A disgruntled customer who highlights a perceived weakness within the client's organisation. This weakness would generally be one that is about to be improved.
- An arrogant competitor who enters the room by mistake and then boasts about their superiority in a certain area. Again, the area emphasised would be one the client is about to improve.
- A grumpy shareholder who wants to know how company performance will be improved.
The use of devil's advocated characters results in powerful communication that helps to deliver your message in a way that's fresh and memorable.
