Greg Bennick - Keynote Entertainer

AVAILABLE PRESENTATIONS

CHANGE: Managing the Unexpected - Change is an inevitability, and as long as we are in the right mindset, we will be ready for anything and prepared to take action. As a juggler for almost thirty years, Greg is an expert at change: every ball flies in a different direction. How do we manage change? What perspectives to we need? Using laughter and entertainment as a vehicle, Greg delivers answers to these important questions in his incredible keynote. Learning points include new perspectives on dropping the ball and failure; how to continue even in the midst of setbacks; and perspectives on the creative process itself and the peaks and valleys it brings.

CUSTOMER SERVICE: A Juggling Act - Gone are the days when we could just SELL to people and think we could get away with it, marketing anything at anytime to consumers. This is a new era. We need to listen to people, and be willing to adapt to their whims. Consumers have learned to choose the colors of their products, and now people are trained to want that way in all areas of the customer experience. Greg offers insight into how creating relationships with the people you serve, developing a sense of community on a larger scale, and adapting to sudden change can lead to new levels of success...and a different kind of success than simply profit.

TEAMWORK: An Individual Experience - The success of any organization is dependent on how its people work together. In this keynote, Greg uses his proven techniques of audience participation to demonstrate how effective we can be when we work together. but from the perspective of knowing ourselves. How can we transform being let down by others in the past to being inspired to try again in order to work together effectively? Teamwork demands vigilance, patience, commitment, and determination. Most importantly, its teamwork WITH the people we serve not in opposition to them that yields truly sustainable alliances. Learning points: self esteem and its role in our interactions; from where do interpersonal conflicts emerge; and how to resolve those conflicts when they flare up.

COMMUNICATION: The Foundation of Any Team - For any team to succeed, clear communication is at the core of their success. Greg brings two decades of research into communication styles along with comedy and entertainment to share insights about communicating with your group. Everyone will learn something by the end of the keynote, and everyone takes part. People who have felt disempowered will gain a greater sense of their value as individuals. And those who have disempowered them will have shifts in perspective that will bring new clarity.

LEADERSHIP: To Listen is to Lead - We often think of leaders as having powerful voices, but the best and brightest leaders are actually the greatest listeners. We explore, through audience participation and laughter, the core concepts of being an effective listener as part of a team and how that leads to outstanding leadership. Greg's real life experience with leadership includes the World Leaders Project, an initiative Greg started that had him meeting face to face with world leaders to discuss dynamics of power, control, and effective balance. You need a speaker who talks the talk and walks the walk. And one who can be funny in the midst of important ideas. Greg is all of those in one.

GREG BENNICK: Global virtual keynote speaker, interactive comedian, event emcee & host!

Greg Bennick works with you to deliver impact! Greg thinks about why we do what we do. He shares how to move into a better future when we build a better now®.

Build a Better Now® explores the relationship between focus and our self esteem and what this means to us as individuals and as a team.

Greg’s keynotes are interactive and engaging. He offers creative solutions for world changers, and he has fun with audiences while doing it.

“A fantastic presentation…the agents loved all your takeaways!”
- Windermere Real Estate (50th Anniversary Conference, Seattle, October 2022)

Greg shares new angles on team building, managing conflict, leadership, and effective communication. He examines how our self-doubt, fear of failure, and our approach to challenges either enhances or inhibits us.

Based in Seattle, he’s been flown everywhere from Syracuse to Singapore to share his unique brand of engaging ideas, and potent spoken word.

“We’ve worked with many speakers and entertainers, but never before has someone taken the time and energy you did to get to know our niche industry. It was so well-received - I’ve been fielding texts from members all evening. It was exactly what our audience needed.”
- Karen Ladany, NAAGL (virtual keynote)

Note: The ratio of ideas to entertainment in any of Greg’s keynotes is entirely customizable. Inquire to find out more about Greg’s customization process.

A recent client had this to say:
“We’ve worked with many speakers and entertainers, but never before has someone taken the time and energy you did to get to know our niche industry. It was so well-received - I’ve been fielding texts from members all evening. It was exactly what our audience needed. We can’t thank you enough and look forward to working with you again in the future — hopefully next time in person!" (Karen Ladany, NAAGL)

Consider this as an addition to your event: groups have so much fun learning to juggle as a team. Your group will love the empowering lesson as they overcome challenges and shift from "I can't do it" to "I DID IT!!!"

If you're looking for a dynamic EMCEE & HOST to your event, someone who can guide ideas and experiences throughout a day or a weekend, Greg has emceed events in size from two dozen to up to seven thousand people.


Book him today and he will get to work customizing a presentation just for your organization.

WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY:

“If I was a speaker and magician like Greg Bennick, AEGIS would be a ten billion dollar company by next year.” (Aparup Sengupta, Global CEO, AEGIS)

“A juggler and inspirational speaker: it’d be hard for anybody to balance such extremes, but Bennick seems to do it with grace.” (Seattle Times)

“My client thought I was a genius for finding such an amazing entertainer and passed that praise along to my boss…I then passed that praise along to my parents as a sign that my college education wasn’t a waste. So, from both a professional and personal angle, thank you for an amazingly successful and highly entertaining event.” (Tyson Flandreau, for Safeco)

TOPICS

BUILD A BETTER NOW®
Focus. How do we find it, and why do we lose it? If you want to build a better future, build a better now®. The future is up to us, in this moment, and the choices we make regarding our mindset. Greg shares experiences about managing constant distractions in a world which pulls us in every possible direction. How do we maintain our focus amidst that...and what does it mean to the strength of our team?

FAIL BETTER: Don’t Be Afraid to Drop the Ball!
Greg is fascinated by gravity as a metaphor: by dropping objects he learns constantly to FAIL BETTER. What do we learn about success from our failures? The Seattle Times called him “A juggler of objects and concepts.” What do you learn about success from a path where the journey is filled with mistakes and failure? You learn focus and courage. Greg shows you the way. (Perfect for any group looking to enhance positive mental attitude among their team members and looking to laugh throughout a presentation)

FIND YOUR VOICE: Strengthen Your Community with Creativity
Developing community is about strengthening teams from within. For Greg, touring and exploring the world for thirty years has taught him about CREATIVITY, COMMUNITY, and USING COMEDY to channel energy in positive directions. Your work, personal, and local communities need every voice to thrive. Learn the benefits, and discover powerful new perspectives on teamwork through comedic approaches on self esteem and connectedness. (Perfect for all organizations who truly value their people and who are interested in energetic new ideas)

And these additional topics...

CHANGE: Managing the Unexpected
Change is an inevitability, and as long as we are in the right mindset, we will be ready for anything and prepared to take action. As a juggler for almost thirty years, Greg is an expert at change: every ball flies in a different direction. How do we manage change? What perspectives to we need? Using laughter and entertainment as a vehicle, Greg delivers answers to these important questions in his incredible keynote. (Learning points include new perspectives on ‘dropping the ball’™ and failure; how to continue even in the midst of setbacks; and perspectives on the creative process itself and the peaks and valleys it brings.)

TEAMWORK: An Individual Experience
The success of any organization is dependent on how its people work together. In this keynote, Greg uses his proven techniques of audience participation to demonstrate how effective we can be when we work together. but from the perspective of knowing ourselves. How can we transform being let down by others in the past to being inspired to try again in order to work together effectively? Teamwork demands vigilance, patience, commitment, and determination. Most importantly, it’s teamwork WITH the people we serve not in opposition to them that yields truly sustainable alliances. (Learning points: self esteem and its role in our interactions; from where do interpersonal conflicts emerge; and how to resolve those conflicts when they flare up.)

LEADERSHIP: To Listen is to Lead
We often think of leaders as having powerful voices, but the best and brightest leaders are actually the greatest listeners. We explore, through audience participation and laughter, the core concepts of being an effective listener as part of a team and how that leads to outstanding leadership. Greg’s real life experience with leadership includes the World Leaders Project, an initiative Greg started that had him meeting face to face with world leaders to discuss dynamics of power, control, and effective balance. You need a speaker who talks the talk and walks the walk. And one who can be funny in the midst of important ideas. Greg is all of those in one.

GET INVOLVED: Make a Difference in the World
This keynote is for those who want to leave the world better than how they found it. Greg follows up his words about WHY and HOW you can get involved with making the world a better place...with solid actions: He is the founder of One Hundred For Haiti, a humanitarian relief and development organization focusing on supporting Haitian-led development projects around clean water and building houses. In this position he learned ironically that listening creates every possibility for leadership and success. Greg's ideas and creative work have been seen on ALL seven continents (a claim that very few if any other speakers can make), and in dozens of countries for tens of thousands of people. His work globally has inspired thousands, and can do the same for your group.
(Perfect for any group inspired to help transform the lives of others for the better, non-profits, corporate social responsibility events)

GREG BENNICK - Comedy Keynote Speaker & Emcee/Host
TECH RIDER

The good news: Greg’s tech needs are very basic, simple, and typically are met already by what’s on hand and available for any well-planned event. Give these a read. If you have any questions, please let him know!

SOUND REQUIREMENTS
Being heard is so important. The good news: it’s easy to make sure everything sounds great.
• Greg brings his own wireless microphone that he will plug into your sound board. Voilà. Done.
• His microphone uses an XLR cable, which is a standard mic cable for a standard sound board. He carries adapters with him in case your particular sound board was made in 1940 or was purchased at a street fair in a far-off land.
• Please make sure there is a three prong plug nearby that Greg can use to plug in his wireless microphone.
• If someone is introducing Greg onstage, please have a microphone for them. Greg won’t share his. Not because he is selfish, because he’s actually very friendly and nice. But he would love for them to have their own microphone.

LIGHTING AND STAGING REQUIREMENTS
• Its always a good idea to have solid amount of light onstage. You’d be surprised how often people forget this. A general wash of the stage, meaning white light everywhere onstage so everyone can see easily, is ideal.
• Keep the audience in the dark. We don’t mean don’t tell them about the show. Just keep them unlit, or in dim light.
• A performance space of 10 feet deep by 15 feet wide is ideal. Greg can make do with less if necessary but please let him know beforehand. He once arrived at an event to find a 4’ x 4’ performance space. No lie. It was a challenge!
• Its great to have stairs leading up to the stage for people so they don’t have to climb or jump up onstage in their evening attire and special gowns/tuxedos/etc. It would look awkward and weird. Stairs for the win.
• One thing to think about: ceiling height. Do you have 10’ ceilings? If so, YAY. If not, let Greg know and he will work with whatever you have. Or if he’s feeling ambitious he will rent you a new venue with taller ceilings as a present. Unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

SEATING AND LOGISTICAL REQUIREMENTS
• Want to make Greg happy? Have the audience facing him. If people are at round tables, have the chairs be set so that no one has their back to the stage. He will be happy. You know, it’s odd that this rider is being written in the third-person tense when its Greg who is writing it. Greg is happy that he is referring to himself as “Greg.”
• Ok now that you know it’s me, I will tell you that having me perform or speak while people are eating is a terrible idea. I wouldn’t want my spaghetti interrupted, and neither would you, no matter how funny the performer is. Wait until desserts are served, placed on the tables and THEN let’s start. You’ll be glad you did and so will the audience!
• Let’s go over the order of events for the show before the date, and that way I can advise on getting my gear onto and off of the stage in a way that is simple, quick, and not disruptive to whatever might come after me onstage.

BEFORE THE SHOW, A COUPLE MORE LOGISITCAL POINTS, AND MY INTRODUCTION
• Its important for everyone in the audience to be excited for the show. Have whoever is introducing me read my intro multiple times out loud beforehand to practice. My introduction is on page two of this rider. If you didn’t get a page two, well, don’t get upset, or scream and yell. It’s totally ok. Just ask for one and it shall be yours.
• Its only happened once, but please have whoever introduces not mention or touch my onstage gear before introducing me. Someone once gave away a show secret beforehand by playing with my props and equipment and it wasn’t my favorite experience. I’m not upset about it anymore. They’re totally forgiven. But still.
• Let’s talk before the show about anything that needs to be cleared off the stage before the show starts.

I think that’s it! Let’s have an incredible event. I am excited you chose me, and I will – I mean – Greg will do everything to ensure the success of your event! It will be great!

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GREG BENNICK
Comedy Keynote Speaker & Emcee/Host INTRODUCTION

Notes to presenter:

--> Do not read this section out loud.

--> Please get everyone’s full attention before reading this introduction. If they don’t listen, try a couple times. It’s important to have people paying attention.

--> Please read this introduction with ENERGY and EXCITEMENT especially the last line with Greg’s name.

--> Please practice reading this introduction aloud, at least twice, all the way through before reading it before an audience. THANK YOU!

INTRODUCTION:

This is going to be fun! I am excited.

Our performer tonight has a life that is entirely up in the air. The Seattle Times called him “a juggler of objects and concepts” and he makes people laugh everywhere he is onstage.

In the last few decades, he has presented in over twenty-five countries for tens of thousands of people at events ranging from corporate functions to theatres and more. In 2020 he performed virtually from such virtual exotic locations as his home in Seattle, his home in Seattle, and his home in Seattle. But now that that’s over, he is excited to be with us tonight.

A humorous speaking champion two times over, Greg’s words and ideas have been shared on all seven continents, a claim that few performers or speakers can make.

Please get ready to laugh and have a great time as we welcome from Seattle Washington...
GREG BENNICK!