Bill Carr is a humourist and an award-winning writer, stage actor and journalist. Born in Atlantic Canada, he travels throughout North America and is famous with convention audiences for his offbeat characters and custom-tailored performances. Bill’s insightful perspective on the world takes aim at politics, people, business, sport and systems, as well as the mundane absurdities of life that often go unnoticed. He leaves nothing unscathed and prides himself on being a slave to all, but mastered by none.

Through consultations with meeting organizers, Bill will create a character who will best fit with each client’s particular needs. It could be “The Right Rev. User Page”, a zany evangelist of the Gospel of Free Enterprise, or it could be “Orville”, the world-wise janitor whose facts aren’t always straight but whose warped perspective adds insight to any gathering.

Bill Carr also delivers keynotes and workshops on how we need to lighten up and allow ourselves to dream, grow and become productive and adventurous again by putting laughter, humour and creativity back into our lives.

"Witty, well-researched, well-timed and perfectly targeted."

The Advocates' Society

"You were fabulous!  You were overwhelmingly rated 'Excellent' and to the question should we bring you back - YES, the sooner the better!"

Realty World

"There is no doubt that 'humour is the best medicine' and when it is delivered in your unique style the cure is instantaneous."

Canadian Medical Association

"I was very impressed with your fresh take...your keen ability to listen to particular IRB circumstances and come to the sessions with enough knowledge about the department, region and group to really connect on a personal level."

Human Resources, Immigration & Refugee Board (Central Region)

"The topic was very relevant to us as we move through a significant period of transformation in IITB. Your message, along with your words of encouragement, were deeply appreciated. You had us laughing and crying, all at the same time, with your real-life experiences and stories! Your message that how we see the world affects what we feel and think, which affects what we do, thereby, impacting on our future - is a perspective that each of us should, and hopefully will, keep with us throughout our lives. Excellent and timely topic presented in a rib-tickling manner. Thanks!!"

Service Canada

A word we often hear in the workplace is Change! In response to this, people are being told to be creative and innovation resulting in ongoing cries of frustration and burnout! Quite simply, people who have been maintaining the status quo are not prepared for creative and innovative thinking, just as a couch potato is not prepared to suddenly run a marathon!

In this workshop, people are prepared for creative action and innovative responses in the face of change. Myths about creativity are removed. You are shown the simple mechanisms of the creative process. Learn how to develop a creative culture in your workplace and personal life thereby enhancing your creative process and the creative potential of those around you.
Everyone is inherently creative. This workshop proves it.

Goals:

• To remove myths about creativity
  
• Show the stages of the creative process
  
• Open our language to creativity
  
• Apply this workshop to specific problems
  
• Set creative goals
  
• Infuse enthusiasm into our careers and lives
  
• Allow natural creativity to flow
  
• Have a great time and laugh a lot!

William Shakespeare said… ‘All the world’s a stage…" What happens when we seriously apply this truth to our work and lives? Bill Carr uses his extensive professional experience as a theatre artist to help you take your performance to the next level. By helping you understand your leading role Bill directs you toward achieving the performance of your life.

This entertaining, engaging, interactive workshop has been developed from Bill’s twenty years experience as a motivational speaker, and twenty five years as a theatre and film professional. His extensive work as an actor, director, producer and writer combined with years of research into companies and organizations from across Canada and beyond in his work as a humorous motivational speaker feed into one another to become what Bill calls his "life’s workshop." Bill’s theological and theatrical training, together with his business experience as an entrepreneur create a lively, fun, intensive, interactive and worthwhile event for you and your people.

Knowing that the fundamentals of theatre are in essence the fundamentals of one’s professional life- with effective dynamic communication at its very core, Acting Up! explores such issues as:

• motivation, beyond the paycheck
  
• internal and external expectations
  
• the joy of improvisation through change
  
• the significant dynamics of collaboration
  
• the roles we play
  
• action and interaction
  
• the rules written and unwritten that permeate your culture
  
• the nature of character, yours and the organizations

• Casting- Putting you in the lead role. Who are the principle characters in your life and work? What are their strengths and weakness? What are yours? What is your motivation? What is theirs? What is the arc of your character?
  
  
• Fundamentals of Performance- Who is your audience internally and externally? What is the most effective language and the most effective medium for your message; e-mail, one on one, meetings, etc. What are the secrets of timing? i.e. when to pause, and the value of silence. Words. Words. Words.
  
  
• Rehearsals- What is the place and importance of effective storytelling in your business and life? What key dialogues take place every day? What scenes are most effective for your message? What about safety and failure?
  
  
• The Creative Process (The five steps) as they apply to effective performance-Peeling the onion- getting to the essence of things
  
  
• On With The Show- putting it all together- rediscovering joy- discovering themes, how to plan and play knowing what we now know- future rewrites- rediscovering your mission statement

Humour & Creativity – a serious (but not solemn) approach to thinking and play in Business and Life.
This is a workshop that discusses a creative approach to business and life in general, that serves as a foundation for problem solving, teamwork and innovation.
This is a workshop that shows how creativity and humour involve seeing the ordinary in an extraordinary way.
Everyone has humour and is creative. It is a sad fact, however, that there are those who have had these lifesaving, invaluable natural talents suppressed by everyone from parents through teachers, friends, spouses, bosses and co-workers, to the greatest creativity buster – ourselves.
This workshop is designed to help you discover how to get past your fears and the censorship of your mind placed there by society. It will show you how to have more humour and creativity in all facets of your life.
In this workshop we examine the four steps of creativity: preparation, incubation, illumination and verification. We talk about fools, clowns, humour and where humour fits in the creative cycle.
There is a discussion of expectations and stereotypes, their use and abuse.
As well, we explore the creativity and humour needed in key relationships – you to your work, you to your family, and you to yourself.
Some of the questions we play with are:

1. Where does creativity fit in your life?
   
2. What is a sense of humour anyway?
   
3. Are you a Bog Thinker?
   
4. What is the difference between serious and solemn?
   
5. How do interest, focus, freedom, wonder and engagement come into play in the creative process?
   
6. Do you moodle enough? Then of course, what is ‘moodling’?
   
7. What about communication of your creativity and humour? Not everyone gets it?