Talks

 
 

I speak regularly in the UK and further afield on the art and science of creative thinking. I’ve given talks for organisations like META, the BBC, NBC Universal, St Martin’s College, Fox and John Lewis as well as at a bunch of international conferences.

If you’d like to give your team an inspirational boost, a pocketful of failsafe creative strategies and a way of seeing the world differently then drop me a line. You can watch some of my recorded talks below. The first is the most recent.

You smashed it Richard - the feedback is consistent about how you inspired people to think differently, energised them and managed to take the whole room with you - no mean feat as it was an eclectic bunch. Thank you!
— Arabella Gilchrist, Head of The National Lottery Content Marketing
Thank you for a fantastic session. The feedback was wildly positive - 99% gave it top marks and said it was exceptional
— Dan Biddle, Strategic Partnerships Manager, META
 

The more experienced we are the harder it can be to have original ideas. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of repeating the strategies of yesterday and failing to make the most of the here and now. In Counterintuitive Creativity I encourage the audience to think differently about the way they think.

When we think like everyone else, we create like everyone else. In Change The Way You Think Forever I take the audience on an extraordinary journey via potato chips, microwave ovens, Boris Becker's tongue, hard drugs and the Bible, as I set out to discover the secrets of original thinking.

 

Coming up with a great idea is hard. Coming up with a great idea in next to no time doubly so. In How To Have a Great Idea When You've Got No Time At All, using insights gleaned from artists, musicians, film makers and others, I explore simple steps you can take to hunt down a great idea once the clock is against you.

 

In Lunatics, Junkies, Criminals & Amateurs I take the audience inside the world of outsiders to discover the lessons in creativity we can learn from those who society would shun.

 
Resoundingly positive feedback from your fantastic talk yesterday.  Thanks again Richard, it hit all the right notes and was hugely entertaining and insightful.
— Neill Torbit, Head of Brand Design and Creative, Rightmove
Thank you so much for such a brilliant presentation! We were so impressed and had so many people coming up to us afterwards to say how much they’d enjoyed it. We’d love to work with you again in future!
— Carys Bradley-Roberts, Creative Cardiff
Sometimes teams need to pause and refresh their creative process. Richard is one of the most popular speakers on the global conference circuit and people come from all over the world to be inspired by him.
— LESTER MORDUE, DIRECTOR, EUROPE CONFERENCE, PROMAXBDA
Brilliantly funny, seamlessly integrated and beautifully presented. I was particularly struck by Richard’s range of sources, and the depth in his ideas. He has been a pleasure and hugely insightful to work with. I have seen great work as a result of ideas from his talk already, and students gave brilliant feedback to his presentation.
— Sara Nesteruk, MA Graphic Design Course Leader
I want to thank you so much for your talk. It was inspirational, fascinating and affirming, a gift to the school leavers as they go off onto new paths. But I am sure that all of us took away new ways of seeking creativity and ideas; I certainly did!
— GINA WATSON, GOVERNOR, DUNOTTAR SCHOOL
A really inspiring, thought-provoking session that has got everyone talking and thinking. Loved the mix of videos, pics and thoughts.
— ADRIAN LESTER, Director of ITV Studios Marketing
Amazing session, as always. Thank you so much! I’ve gotten incredible feedback! It resonated across all levels of our membership.
— Steve Kazanjian, president & ceo, Promax
One of the best presentations I’ve ever seen! Really engaging, interesting, and inspiring.
— Audience feedback from a speech given at TURNER BROADCASTING
I loved him. He made the last hour fly-by which is saying something considering (in his words) he was the barrier between us and alcohol.
— Audience feedback from a speech given at TURNER BROADCASTING
I could listen to him talk for hours! Exactly what’s needed when you’re feeling a little worn out, especially in creative roles.
— Audience feedback from a speech given at TURNER BROADCASTING
Richard provided a fantastic presentation for our event; thought provoking with a lot of useful take-aways. His energy was evident, and he was very easy to work with – thank you!
— ELIZABETH HARPER, Event & Visual Communication Association
Very engaging and inspiring, with some great models for thinking about creativity. I have three pages of notes!
— SOPHIE SMITH, Production Coordinator, How Now Creative
David Lynch said that ideas are like fish. If you want to catch the big fish, you have to go deeper and book a session with Richard Holman.
— JULIE FAUCHER, Creative Director