Marty Wilson

Travels from: Queensland

Change Management Speaker, Trainer, Author, former Australian Comic of the Year

Categories: After Dinner Entertainers, Business Coaching, Change Management, Comedians, Communication, Facilitators, Interesting Ideas, MCs & Hosts, Sales

Full Presenter Profile & Bio

If change is a type of currency, Marty Wilson has been a very, very greedy boy indeed as his enthusiasm for breaking new ground has led to him follow his dreams and successfully launch into a number of industries.

Marty was a Pharmacist who threw away the white coat to became an Award winning copywriter, working on blue chip accounts like Coke, the NRL and launching Aussie Home Loans. He then decided to chop off his pony tail and began a comedy career full of amazing milestones. In 12 months he went from debut open mike to appearing on The Footy Show; on the way winning the prestigious Green Faces in Canberra – the only national competition judged by audience vote. Then he chased a gorgeous English nurse to the UK where he worked as a headlining artist at all the leading British and Irish comedy clubs, including The Comedy Store, The Gleeclub and Jongleurs. He moistened underwear at the Melbourne and Edinburgh Festivals, and even at the Virgin Rock Festival in London, and appeared every in major comedy showcase in the UK; including Live at Jongleurs and The Comedy Store Live.

After marrying Allie, the aforementioned English Rose, and becoming a dad Marty totally lost his appetite for working every weekend, being on the road, and moved back to Australia to become a writer and speaker. He is now the best-selling author of 18 books, writes for Reader’s Digest, the Sydney Morning Herald and a dozen magazines, and regularly appears on Sunrise. He also has a children’s book coming out next year called “What do you want, the truth or a good story?”

Marty’s life experience, plus his interviews with over 1000 inspirational people for his book series, has given him a unique capacity to notice some profound truths buried in the even the humblest life story; and just as importantly, the skills to pass that wisdom on with integrity, empathy and great big slabs of gut-busting humour.

But Marty isn’t just the funniest speaker you’ll hear this year, he has developed a systematic process – based on mountains of scientific research – to teach your people how to use humour to short-circuit their inbuilt fears and anxieties about change and sales, leaving them able to think more clearly, stay solution focussed and perform at their best.

His keynotes and workshops are rammed full of scientific knowledge and takeaway tips and strategies – all wrapped up in countless hilarious stories – so your people can enthusiastic leap into the two biggest stressors of business in a less painful, far more productive way.

Marty’s presentations are incredibly human and instantly relatable to a wide variety of audiences.

CHANGE WITHOUT FEAR

(40-60 minute keynote)

This keynote is perfect for:

• Sectors being bombarded by the need to adapt to new technologies
• Businesses feeling battered by constantly changing regulations
• Companies in the middle of change programs being resisted by their employees
• Sectors buffeted by the constant appearance of disrupted new business models
• Leaders needing to convince their people of the benefit of (sometimes even the need for) new systems and structures.
• Conference organisers wanting to energise and inspire delegates and get them to open up to the nuts and bolts of the rest of the agenda.

Some of the topics covered:

“When you refuse to change, you don’t hold onto the past, you just lose the future.”

• With advancing technology, connected customers, continual changes in regulations and the constant appearance of new, disruptive business models, accepting and even embracing change is the ‘price of admission’ to a successful business.
• The only person stopping you from embracing change is you. All the fear is in your mind, which means the power to embrace it is in you too.
• “Your business can’t embrace change until your people do.”
• Other speakers deal with change from an intellectual, left-brain perspective, like it’s a system to be laid down on top of your business. But even the best change management models often fail because they ignore the fact that they’re being implemented by human beings with doubts, fears and emotions.
• Marty helps your people embrace change on a deeper, unashamedly more emotional level, getting them to accept WHY change is necessary in the first place.

“You can’t train people who are terrified.”

• Thanks to the forces of evolution, being scared actually changes which part of our brain does the thinking and makes us want to revert to ‘what’s always worked before’. This blocks our ability to even listen to ideas that involve remembering new steps and processes. You have to acknowledge, validate and deal with your people's fear of change BEFORE they can embrace new software, new systems or new company structure.

“If success has a flavour, it’s not ham & pineapple.”

• Because relentless change is an undeniable truth, continually getting out of your comfort zone and trying new things is the path towards business success, and a full and meaningful life.

“Lighten up and Lead.”

• Marty reveals the rigorous scientific research which prove that ‘staying light’ and keeping your sense of humour are absolutely essential for leaders in times of high stress. He backs this up with case studies from the British Army and Hospital ER departments.

“Conquer your biggest fear FIRST, then all the others seem tiny.”

• Marty did comedy to 5,000 people at the Reading Rock Festival, so he knows how to handle fear. In his keynote he passes on the secret strategies stand up comics use to manage fear before a gig, and how you can use them overcome the ‘fight or flight’ response – which is huge in times of change.