David Allison

Speaking topics

Presentations listed below include in-person and virtual keynotes, as well as workshops, fireside chats, and other presentation formats.

• The Blueprint for Belonging

  Discover how to create a culture of belonging from the world’s leading expert on human values.

  As a gay man and an Indigenous Canadian, David Allison knows the limits of demographics when it comes to inclusion and belonging. You can’t engage, motivate, or inspire simply by speaking to demographic labels. That’s nothing more than stereotyping, and it doesn’t work. You need to understand an individual’s values — the very things that make people who they are. So where does that leave organizations who want to cultivate a culture of belonging?

  As a human values expert, international keynote speaker and two-time bestselling author, Allison has conducted nearly a million surveys on human values in 152 languages featuring hundreds of millions of data points. Along the way, he’s identified 912 types of belonging. This keynote pinpoints which ones — in your situation — will move the needle most. Allison will then dive deeper and explore the other values that will unite the people you want to engage, regardless of their demographic differences. Our values bring us together. Our values make us feel like we belong.

  Learn how to use proven, data-driven method for identifying the shared values that will build a culture of belonging — for the people you want to reach — by honouring what they value.  These are the insights you need to drive inclusion and create real cultural change.

  Who is this for?

  • CPOs and culture leaders
  • Human resources teams
  • Organizations of all sizes

  Audience takeaways:

  • The specific power values that will empower you to engage people and influence outcomes.
  • Creative, detailed strategies to immediately put the power values to use.
  • Allison’s revolutionary values thinking process that turns shared values into actionable tactics.
  • The three telltale questions that will identify the shared values of anyone you want to engage and inspire.

• The Superhuman Antidote to AI

  Learn David Allison’s revolutionary values-driven approach to help you thrive alongside revolutionary technology.

  Businesses don’t like risk, and the blend of chaos, emotion, and complexity that we call “the human factor” is one of the biggest risks any business must face. But right now, as incredibly disruptive technologies like AI emerge at a stunning pace, the only antidote is for us to become more incredibly human than ever before. To do that, we need to make “the human factor” less risky. That’s what Allison does in this keynote.

  Allison’s team has turned human values into data, creating boardroom-friendly facts and figures to replace subjective conversations. Now, we can combine revolutionary new super-machines with a revolutionary new understanding of the humans who use them. It’s the combination needed to solve any problem and achieve any goal.

  With nearly a million surveys completed in 152 languages, Allison’s revolutionary research has revealed the values that drive us with unprecedented detail and clarity. It’s no wonder his work is included in college textbooks used worldwide and leveraged by organizations like Google, PayPal, lululemon, and the United Nations Foundation.

  As businesses strive to remain relevant in a tech-driven landscape, Allison’s message serves as a timely reminder that to thrive in the future, we must lean into what makes us quintessentially human. To thrive alongside super-technologies we must be superhuman.

  Who is this for?

  • People and culture professionals.
  • Senior strategy-level leadership in any industry.
  • Organizations faced with AI threats and opportunities.
  • AI technology creators.

  Audience takeaways:

  • The specific power values that will empower you to engage people and influence outcomes.
  • Creative, detailed strategies to immediately put the power values to use.
  • Allison’s revolutionary values thinking process that turns shared values into actionable tactics.
  • The three telltale questions that will identify the shared values of anyone you want to engage and inspire.

• Boosting Sales by Being Human

  Drive marketing ROI and sales growth with human values, using data and insights from the world’s leading expert.

  Consumers today are harder to understand than ever before, behaving in unpredictable ways and failing to fit the mould of traditional demographics like age, income, gender, and education. We have more data and insights than ever, but all that data isn’t getting us closer to achieving our goals. But what if we’re measuring the wrong things?

  For the first time, human values expert, international keynote speaker, and two-time bestselling author David Allison has turned our shared human values into accurate empirical data, conducting nearly a million surveys in 152 languages featuring hundreds of millions of data points. He’s proven a neurological fact — every decision we make, thousands of times of day, is determined by our values. It’s no wonder his discoveries are included in college textbooks worldwide and leveraged by organizations like Google, PayPal, lululemon, and the United Nations Foundation.

  The result of Allison’s global research is a proven, science-backed method for identifying the values your audience shares. His keynotes illustrate how to use specific values to drive sales and marketing efforts that really work.

  You can engage any audience, deliver any message, and create more sales with the power of shared human values. Allison’s keynote will show you how.

  Who is this for?

  • Sales teams and leaders.
  • Marketing departments and agencies.
  • Organizational leaders looking to revolutionize their businesses from the ground up.

  Audience takeaways:

  • The specific power values that will empower you to engage people and influence outcomes.
  • Creative, detailed strategies to immediately put the power values to use.
  • Allison’s revolutionary values thinking process that turns shared values into actionable tactics.
  • The three telltale questions that will identify the shared values of anyone you want to engage and inspire.

• The Next Step: DEI Beyond the Stereotypes

  Unlock the real benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion by diving deep into human values.

  Here’s the truth: marginalized groups around the world have not been treated fairly and there’s a great deal of work still to be done to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. But a strong foundation can only be built on common ground. Nothing good has ever come from doubling-down on what makes us different without also shining a light on what unites us.

  Human values expert, international keynote speaker, and two-time bestselling author David Allison — himself an Indigenous Canadian and member of the LGBTQ2+ community —  has turned our shared human values into accurate empirical data, conducting nearly a million surveys in 152 languages featuring hundreds of millions of data points.

  What does that mean for DEI efforts? It means that now we know what connects us, and we can use that data to move beyond what divides us. It means that we can see ourselves in each other and celebrate what makes us unique.

  Allison’s revolutionary research on human values equips you with tools to go beyond demographics, with insights that offer a groundbreaking, data-driven approach to understanding not just what people are, but who they are in the inside, where it counts.

  Who is this for?

  • DEI, culture, and HR leaders.
  • Marketing departments and agencies seeking to authentically embrace DEI in their messaging.
  • Organizations looking to revolutionize their business from the ground up.

  Audience takeaways:

  • The specific power values that will empower you to engage people and influence outcomes.
  • Creative, detailed strategies to immediately put the power values to use.
  • Allison’s revolutionary values thinking process that turns shared values into actionable tactics.
  • The three telltale questions that will identify the shared values of anyone you want to engage and inspire.

• The New Science of Values and Leadership

  Leverage the next evolution in values-driven leadership with a scientific breakthrough in human values data.

  Neurologists have known for years that leading people effectively requires tapping into their core values. But until now, there hasn’t been a way to determine, quantify, and read the specific values shared by large groups of people.

  Human values expert, international keynote speaker, and two-time bestselling author David Allison has turned our shared human values into accurate empirical data, conducting nearly a million surveys in 152 languages featuring hundreds of millions of data points. In his leadership keynotes, he isolates the values that mean the most to your specific audience and/or team.

  Once you learn the accurate, science-backed, shared values of your team, the transformation begins. You’ll see your true self in your work. You’ll see where your values intersect with the values of people you need to engage. And you’ll find that more effective leadership come from being more human. As Allison says, “If we let them, our values will unite us. Because we are all values driven.”

  Who is this for?

  • Leaders and managers at all levels.
  • Organizations that want to cultivate great leaders.
  • Founders and entrepreneurs.

  Audience takeaways:

  • The specific power values that will empower you to engage people and influence outcomes.
  • Creative, detailed strategies to immediately put the power values to use.
  • Allison’s revolutionary values thinking process that turns shared values into actionable tactics.
  • The three telltale questions that will identify the shared values of anyone you want to engage and inspire.