Robert J. Sawyer

Witty, challenging, upbeat, and mind-expanding, Sawyer customizes his talks specifically for each organization, and leaves audiences energized and thinking on a whole new level.

Why have a science-fiction writer speak to your group? For the same reasons that Google, Kodak, Motorola, and Canada's Federal Department of Justice have all invited Robert J. Sawyer to their headquarters:

"Sawyer has mastered the skill of turning his powerful visions of the future into relevant and thought-provoking commentary on the major issues facing us today." —Discovery Channel Canada

Sawyer has been writing and publishing about the future since 1979, exploring it not just in his bestselling novels but also in hundreds of interviews for CBC Newsworld, W-Five, Canada AM, Geraldo Live with Geraldo Rivera, and National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation, and in articles for such publications as Maclean's, The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, and Report on Business Magazine.

He can help your group deal with the accelerating pace of change, understand new technologies, and avoid future shock. His audiences have included not just scientists, doctors, and engineers, but also insurance brokers, schoolteachers, and librarians.

"What sets Sawyer apart is the rigor of his research, the shapeliness of his arguments, and the plausibility of his predictions and extrapolations." —The Globe and Mail

He will expand your group's horizons, shake up complacency, and help you prepare for the challenge of tomorrow.

"Sawyer is a writer of boundless confidence and bold scientific extrapolation." —The New York Times

Sawyer is one of only seven writers in history — and the only Canadian — to win all three of the science-fiction field's top awards for best novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Most recently, he was awarded China’s top science fiction prize, the Galaxy Award, for his body of work.

His novels are top-ten national bestsellers, appearing on the Globe and Mail and Maclean's bestsellers' lists. New Scientist calls his work "scientifically accurate and ethically important." His novel, Wake, explores what happens to our society when the World Wide Web becomes conscious. His latest novel, Watch, the second instalment in Sawyer’s WWW trilogy, will be published in April.

In Canada, he’s the host of Supernatural Investigator on Vision TV.

In recognition of his international success as a science-fiction writer, Sawyer was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Laurentian University.

The Canadian publishing trade journal Quill & Quire included Sawyer on its list of "The CanLit 30: The most influential, innovative, and just plain powerful people in Canadian publishing.”

Sawyer’s novel, FlashForward, is the basis for a television series that premiered on ABC in September 2009. He is serving as a consultant on the show and will write a first-season episode.

If your organization needs a glimpse into the future, Sawyer will show you what’s ahead.

• Facing Technology Together

  Many industries still haven't embraced 20th-century technology, and we're now well into the 21st! A look at the state-of-the-art in technologies such as voice recognition, face recognition, and artificial intelligence — and where these technologies will be in just a few years, plus an analysis of what they can do for your business.

• Genetics and Ethics

  How the fallout from the Human Genome Project will affect civil rights, privacy, employment, and access to services in the 21st century; the truth about cloning, designer babies, personalized pharmaceuticals, and life prolongation.

• Global Warming and Canada's Future

  What we can do to combat global warming, why Canada is a key player in environmental efforts even if we only produce 2% of the world's carbon emissions, and what Canada might be like in a warmer future, when a Northwest Passage opens up thanks to polar-ice melting, and the American south is devastated by droughts.

• Nanotechnology, the Singularity, and More

  Cutting-edge technologies, such as nanotechnology and inexpensive smart computers, will change everything in the next few years, as will the Semantic Web — the second-generation of the World Wide Web. The coming revolution has been dubbed the Singularity, and it will transform how we learn, how we do business, and even the very definition of what it means to be human.

• The Future of Professional Certification

  What's the future of professional certification in a world in which things change overnight? Is an engineer licensed in 1980 competent in a world of carbon nanotubes and nanotechnology? How will we handle testing and upgrading in the age of annual paradigm shifts?

• The High Cost of Privacy

  Given that ubiquitous monitoring and tracking of all our activities will be possible in the next few years, how do we safeguard privacy in the 21st century — and do we even need it? How to avoid the creation of Big Brother, and make sure that we — the public — can effectively watch the watchers.

• Web 2.0, the Long Tail, and the Future of Business

  The World Wide Web has already changed how we do business, and Web 2.0 is going to have an even bigger impact. The long tail of online retailing — selling fewer units of more products over a longer time — will produce big profits. Ubiquitous computing will make the Web even more central to people's lives — and more crucial to your business's bottom line.

• “What a fantastic job! You are a captivating, stimulating provocateur who got us outside our comfort zone and challenged us to contemplate the exciting and scary forces of change as we work to prepare our profession for an exciting and challenging future.”
  Saskatchewan Registered Nurses' Association
• “Your keynote was the perfect kickoff for our conference `Facing Technology Together.' You obviously did your research on us, and the message hit the nail on the head. Fantastic job!”
  Ontario Mutual Insurance Association
• “Thank you for your superb presentation. You focused precisely on those areas that were of most interest to the audience. Your delivery was exciting and challenging. A number of our insurance-broker guests spoke to me later about your presentation and there were several discussions later at dinner and the next day.”
  National Life
• “Engaging, intelligent, entertaining, stimulating. Although these are powerful adjectives that I don't use lightly, they still fall short of conveying the audience response to Rob's keynote. We were absolutely delighted!”
  Documentation and Training
• “Your well-researched speech was perfect for the occasion. It was informative, entertaining, uplifting and thoroughly enjoyed by all. You made us all proud to be engineers, and to be Canadians.”
  Ontario Professional Engineers
• “I don't have to tell you your talk hit the spot, as you personally saw how the audience engaged in a lively Q&A at the end of your presentation. This continued into the coffee break, which really shows how much your thought-provoking words provoked the reaction I was hoping for. Feedback from the participants was overwhelmingly positive.”
  CA (Computer Associates)
• “Your presentation was the highlight of our event. You presented the Challenge for Tomorrow with an engaging and humorous style. You presented compelling scenarios regarding what we could expect to see for healthcare in the future. It was a fascinating topic, well researched and presented by a gifted speaker and it captivated the audience throughout.”
  Grey Bruce Health Network

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