Terry Williams

Leadership Trainer | Keynote Speaker | MC & Comedian

About Terry

Terry Williams helps leaders get better at the people part of their job. He has spent more than 25 years as a corporate trainer and facilitator, and around 20 years as a professional stand-up comedian, and he uses the second to make the first stick. As he puts it, the comedy is a means to an end.

His point is a simple one: most managers are promoted for technical excellence, then left to lead people on instinct. Terry gives them practical frameworks and a common language that holds up under pressure. There's no vague motivational rah-rah, just tools people can use on Monday.

Based in Auckland, he works across New Zealand and the Asia-Pacific region.

Career Highlights

Terry's original trade is training, but he has real-world leadership experience behind it, having held senior roles across insurance, sales, telecommunications, gaming and government. Since 2008 he has worked with more than 200 organisations and 5,000 leaders across New Zealand, including Red Bull, Kia, TSB, Toyota, MinterEllisonRuddsWatts, Southern Cross Healthcare, Fonterra, the RNZAF, McDonald's and New Plymouth District Council.

He is one of only a handful of New Zealanders to hold the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, and he writes a regular workplace column for Employment Today magazine.

As a speaker he has addressed audiences of 4,500 in Singapore twice over, and more than 6,000 across a nationwide roadshow on building winning teams. He has also performed in several New Zealand International Comedy Festivals and on cruise ships.

Author

Terry has written five books that take psychological research and make it useful for people who need to influence others:

  • The Brain-Based Boss

  • Getting Better Buy-In

  • 2 Dangerous Things A Year

  • Live Work Love

  • THE GUIDE: How to kiss, get a job & other stuff you need to know

Speaking Topics

  • 2 Dangerous Things A Year. Why we should change, why we don't, and how we can. Test yourself now so you're ready when life tests you later.

  • From Tough Conversations to Confident Conversations

  • Getting Better Buy-In. How to move your people to move with you.

  • The 3 Elements in Building a Winning Team

  • Leadership in a Changing World