The Ruffian Speaks

For Money

I don’t use this newsletter for self-promotion very much (except insofar as the whole thing is an exercise in self-promotion) and I do so a little nervously now. If you promise to be patient, I promise to keep this short. In fact the shortest version is this: hire me to give a talk.

At the end of last year I submitted the manuscript of my new book to the publisher. There’s still quite a bit to do before it’s ready to make its way in the world, but the bulk of the work is done. That leaves me more time for other kinds of work, including freelance advertising and communication strategy (if you’re from that world, wherever in the world you may be, do get in touch) and keynote speaking.

I love giving talks. I’ve given many over the years, to businesses, conferences, universities, in Britain and America and elsewhere. It’s always stimulating for me and more importantly for my audiences. Just in the last year or two I’ve spoken to McKinsey, Swiss Re, Lloyds Bank, Verizon, Sage Publishing, a Private Equity conference, ITV, the University of Akron, Warwick Business School, and others. There are testimonials on my website (ignore the videos, they’re terrible) and more on request.

I’m usually invited to speak on the themes of one of my last two books:

• CURIOUS. Why the trait of curiosity is more important and more valuable than ever and what everyone gets wrong about it. How it works and how to cultivate it as individuals and in teams.

• CONFLICTED. Why and how disagreements make us smarter, more creative, and empathetic. Why they go wrong. The skills of productive disagreement, which nobody ever teaches us. How to create a culture of productive disagreement.

I also speak on other themes, usually related to pieces I’ve written. For example:

• AI AND HOW TO BE HUMAN. I don’t think of AI as substituting for humans so much as raising the bar for us. Too often we respond to technology by making ourselves less human; we ought to be doing the opposite in response to this challenge. We can learn a lot about how to do so from artists. I first made this case in a post called The Struggle To Be Human. (See also How To Be Influenced.)

If you or your organisation are interested in having me come to talk, get in touch directly or via my agent.

Thanks for bearing with me. Normal service resumes on Saturday.