Thinktastic

HUMOUR IS GREAT FOR BUSINESS

‘If I can pretend to have your attention for just a few moments, my ex-husband, my new boyfriend and their divorce attorney are going to show you the safety features aboard this 737 800 series’
They listened, they laughed and they relaxed. Fear of flight forgotten. Commitment to fly again cemented for 9 out of 10 passengers. This was the start of Air hostess Marty Cobb’s comic version of the standard take-off announcement.

Marty works for South West Airlines who encourage humour in their mission statement ‘A warrior spirit and a fun- loving attitude’ She appeared on TV with Helen De Generes, when a passenger video went viral.

Does humour work? Yes.

As a baby we laugh 400 times a day, but over 35? That average reduces to 15 and more at weekends than weekdays.

Let's make laughter work again.

GREAT CONVERSATION I WAS HAPPY TO TAKE PART IN

Some big points raised...

ACEs Conversation Series 2021 – Relational Leadership Our ACEs Conversation Series 2020–2021 creates a space in which to explore a wide range of themes relevant to the Adverse Childhood Experiences movement. In ...

VA VA ZOOM TO LOVE

Every business, every third sector organisation and every public service needs to up its game. What do you think?

This is a determined mission to bring the love to employees and customers.

I am told that this event is selling out fast. It will be a cracking night and you will meet some stellar people.
Get in there.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/unlock-your-potential-with-mike-stevenson-tickets-62570700650?aff=utm_source%3Deb_email%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_campaign%3Dnew_event_email&utm_term=eventurl_text

Unlock your potential with Mike Stevenson An exciting opportunity for you to come along and listen to Mike Stevenson talking about his journey. From rough sleeper to award winning entrepreneur, Mike is a tour de force who surprises and delights in equal measure. Founder of Thinktastic, a company which specialises in motivational communicati...

Do you have a staff awayday coming up?

Then get Mike Stevenson to lead the event. No-one does this better. You will see spirits and confidence lift like self-raising flour and challenges turned into ideas.

Most frequent feedback phrase is: "We are still buzzing days later..." Don't delay and phone Mike for a chat about your ambitions: 07778 781846

EVENT PLANNERS

Make a date with me and I will truly ignite your audience. Enquiries and showreel at:

https://www.mikestevenson.net/

Where do you go for genuine and lasting inspiration?

Phil Lynott’s words marked a new phase in my life over 50 years ago

A doctor at Charing Cross Hospital had told me in April 1968 that I would be lucky to see the age of 22. Perhaps his words struck a warning or maybe, as my father later observed, “I simply craved a life on the cliff edge to thrive and survive.” What I do know is that end of July 1968 was the start of a life-changing chapter in my young life. I moved from my life on the streets of London to Dublin - replacing blanket with guitar, amphetamines with Guinness and sense of impending doom with new hope.

I had struck up a friendship with Nick, a Lebanese bongo player who suggested that we busk to support our new lives in Dublin. Over the next few days we practised day and night until we were ready for our first performance. We set ourselves on a paved triangle on Grafton Street, opposite St Stephen's Green, which offered a natural stage and a busy crossroad

Money and praise

I think the first song I sang was Hey Joe, quickly followed by ‘Not Fade Away’ and ‘To Love Somebody.’ After our opening songs I dared to survey the scene around us. It was extraordinary. We had drawn a large crowd and people were even getting off the buses to get a closer look at our performance. You can hardly walk the length of yourself in a modern city without encountering your first busker but in those days they were a genuine rarity, especially in Dublin. If they existed at all, they were usually playing a squeezebox or a fiddle. To our knowledge, no-one had ever stood in a Dublin street playing a guitar before, far less a bongo, and we became an immediate sensation and after a 40 minutes session we retired to Bailey’s Bar with more than £10 in our pockets. That’s £120 in today’s money

That night in Bailey’s we were introduced to two local rock stars – Phil Lynott and Brian Downey who had formed a new band called Thin Lizzy.

‘We saw you guys today, said Phil. ‘You were pretty cool.’

‘Yeah, that was great guys – a fantastic show,’ enthused Brian.

Such praise was just the confidence boost we needed. Had we known that it was coming from the lead singer and drummer of what would soon become one of the world’s biggest bands, our heads may well have burst. I liked Brian immediately. He was warm, chatty and curious while Phil was more aloof. Like me, he was of mixed race – an Irish mother and a father from British Guyana. I think we recognized that in each other.

Each day our performances were getting stronger. To entertain an Irish pedestrian audience you have to offer a combination of musicianship and performance. You learn to project your voice and maximise the acoustic potential of the guitar. I didn’t know it then but this was the best training imaginable for so much of what has followed in my life since. The challenge of entertaining passers-by and retaining their attention for a whole set is an enormous one. Yet, that is precisely what Nicky and I were doing. My voice was getting stronger by the day and our presence seemed to grow with each performance. Our notoriety as performers was getting us noticed. An Irish Times photographer turned up and we featured in the following day’s edition. People would come from miles around to see us perform and each night we had a choice of parties to attend.

That was 50 years ago. Much has happened since of course, but I will always look back on that time in Dublin as the start of my career as a performer. Now I speak but, the confidence to take centre stage and belt it out?

Dublin is where that is rooted. The tragedy is that I outlived Phil Lynott by 32 years.

What the last 50 years has taught me above all else, is this. No matter where you are in your life, your destiny is not carved in stone. Young people, respond so readily to this message and I want to tell my story, because it speaks to their anxieties, hopes and dreams and puts no time limit on them.

TOMORROW AT GLASGOW'S SECC

Mike Stevenson is speaking tomorrow morning at the biggest assembly of social enterprises, charities and voluntary organisations in the country. He will talk of the enormous contribution the sector makes to the economy and jobs and, of course, the nation's wellbeing. He will chart his own journey from serial loser to entrepreneur and celebrated speaker and talk of how community work gave him the vital break into employment.

https://scvo.org.uk/the-gathering-2019/event-programme/community-jobs-scotland-sustaining-employment-and-growing-organisations

Spread the word if you believe

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-off-switch-seems-only-option-mike-stevenson/?published=t

When the OFF switch seems the only option We can all do more to prevent lives being lost to avoidable self-destruction There are moments, countless moments, moments when darkness descends, moments that obscure hope and relegate happier moments to dusty relics. Moments that threaten violence – not perpetrated by a third party, but by self-...

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/people-first-placemaking-mike-stevenson/?published=t

People first placemaking Short-termism is killing our cities – you only have to look at the proliferation of new home build projects to see how few would pass muster on any test which measures aesthetics, resident well-being, child friendliness and environmental impact. Most city centres have been saved by the legacy of t...

Is this today's most important message?

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/seasonal-plea-from-personal-place-mike-stevenson/

Seasonal plea from a personal place In spite of multi-billion pounds spent to achieve the contrary we still allow too many people to be marginalised, sidelined, victimised and impoverished. Then, down on their luck, we hear of them being buffeted, bullied or belittled by those paid to help.

WHAT A WEEK AND A SUNNY OUTLOOK TO FOLLOW

There are weeks that make your heart sing - this has been one. On Tuesday, I spoke to hundreds of Aviva staff - morning and afternoon. It was an uplifting day. But, this comment, left on a feedback sheet and, there were many others, left me truly humbled.

"THANK YOU for the opportunity to attend. Mike Stevenson is a phenomenal speaker, for me it was a moment in time I would liken to the “I have a dream” speech, powerful & inspiring. More of the same please. One of the most memorable days I have spent at Aviva and I have been here almost 40 years. The opportunities are greatly appreciated. Great to see Aviva leading the way."

Then yesterday, I spoke at a Financial Industry Conference in London, sharing the bill with the likes of Nick Watt, Political Editor of Newsnight. Again fantastic feedback from the audience.

No sooner off stage when my agent, Kenny Donaldson at Speak Out Celebrities tweeted this: Just received some of the best feedback we've ever had for Mike Stevenson for his talk at an event in Glasgow. For inspiration, you need to seriously consider booking this man. Great work Mike.

Oh, and when I get home late last night, a message from an audience member in London.

"You blew us away with a gust of fresh wind. Financial Services conferences are never like this. But, you marched on stage and delivered a thunderously brilliant speech. Your stories were astounding and from outside our normal weather system. Sorry about the meteorological references but you really did bring sunshine to a wet and dreary London - thanks so, so much."

Bring sparkle and edge to your event

Do you want people who attend your event to feel the passion, laugh out loud, be the centre of attention and then walk away at the end with new friends and a spring in their step? If not look away. You won't want me.

But for intelligence, wit, audience engagement, heightened motivation and high octane energy phone me: Mike Stevenson on 07778 781846.

Still time. One call. A thousand positives.

Youth Talks in Scotland

Tomorrow, below the looming presence of the old Forth Road Bridge young people from South Queensferry and Kirkliston will have the chance to shape their communities and they will do so in collaboration with local leaders and influencers. This is the next leg in the highly regarded Youth Talk programme, initiated in south Edinburgh and now spreading across the city. I have been with them all the way and will once again host the occasion - I know from experience energy, enthusiasm and great ideas will flourish. Why is this so important? Because no city will truly prosper in the future if its young people are not part of its development. We have been mightily slow to catch on to the inestimable value of listening to the young in this country. Now, thanks to Youth Talk, sense and imagination is beginning to prevail. I am so proud to be a small part of this successful story.

SPEAKING UP FOR A BETTER WORLD
I have delivered over 400 keynotes and hosted over 30 events over the past 15 years. The feedback is unerringly positive. I do not though, judge my success by the level of applause or immediate feedback, but by the impact I have on how people think and act in the days, months and years that follow.

My purpose is always to challenge, inspire and shift mindsets. I am always on point and high on motivation - drawing on my own story of reinvention and the people and events that have shaped my journey. (my biog is attached) I weave stories in at every stage and engage the audience from the word go. But, there is no off-the-shelf speech – it is always tied to client purpose. I work hard to ensure that what I say is audience relevant and has a clear and ambitious aim.

For bookings contact me on +44 (0)7778 781846

YOUR POWER OF INFLUENCE

Would you like a chance to learn today’s must have skill with the best in business

Would you like to present with power and influence? Of course you would. Acquire the skill and you open doors, your confidence gets a huge boost and your presence improves immeasurably. Yet, for too many, the thought of presenting in front of an audience strikes fear into the belly. If that applies to you – fear no more.

My specially crafted programme really does give you the confidence and skills to become more influential, magnetic and memorable. That is the power you pack when you learn how to present yourself, your vision and your ideas.

During my one-day workshop you will learn how to:

♣ engage your audience and keep them on the edge of their seats
♣ introduce unexpected twists and turns
♣ make facts and figures utterly memorable
♣ use the power of story
♣ get the result you want from each presentation

This workshop is based on over 40 years of hard-earned stage experience. It is a learning experience with a difference – it focuses on you and your unique personality, it is fun from beginning to end and it features all the tricks and techniques you need to be a powerful and persuasive presenter. By the end of a session you will walk away with a spring in your step and life-changing skills and confidence.

Like, if you are interested.

Here is my full interview with Inspired Edinburgh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5xTAj6llXc

Mike Stevenson - Thinktastic | Inspired Edinburgh Mike Stevenson is the founder and Managing Director of Thinktastic, Scotland’s motivational communications agency that helps move organisations from 'we can'...

Coming soon to Inspired Edinburgh we have Mike Stevenson.

Mike is the founder and Managing Director of Thinktastic, Scotland’s motivational communications agency that helps move organisations from 'we can't do it' to 'we can do anything'.

He is a multi award winning entrepreneur and one of the UK’s most sought after inspirational speakers and creative thinkers with an exceptional record of transforming organisational fortunes.

With more than 30 years' top-level experience working with clients such as the NHS, Sky, Standard Life UK, University of Leeds, and The Scottish Government, his aim is to set the world alight with new ideas and fresh approaches that will lift people and make home, work and community life more fun, more inventive, and more productive.

'Homeless to fearless', 'This man changes lives'.

Proof of the inestimable power of children's ideas.

A number of years ago I was on a panel of judges at a Young Enterprise Event at the Glasgow Science Centre. It featured primary age children from schools around Scotland pitching their business ideas.

What struck me above all else was the children's ability to challenge our notion of what we believe is possible. A case in point. One idea was for a shoe that grows as you grow. I remember another judge remarking that it was a lovely idea but unrealistic.

"And, in any case, she asked, "how would you make money if the consumer didn't have to keep returning to upsize their footwear?

The answer was as swift as it was decisive: "In our world we will not always need to make profit." Here a few years later, she was proved wrong and a ten year old's vision has come to pass. And, the profit statement - well. If the shoe fits....

www.theshoethatgrows.org

The Shoe That Grows - Practical Compassion for Kids in Need With shoes, kids are more healthy, attend school more often, and are more confident. The Shoe That Grows has 5x the impact of ordinary shoes because it expands 5 sizes and lasts for years.

New Year, new ambitions