The Sweeney Agency

About Bill Carr - Actor and Speaker on Humor and Creativity in the Workplace:

Bill Carr is known as an actor, humorist, writer and motivational speaker. His humour is always directed straight to the point of the event in order to help achieve the outcomes which the organizers are working so hard to achieve. Bill Carr 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. His presentations are all about communication, change, joy, motivation, performance, the big picture and people, people, people!

His thirty-year career has seen him perform on stages across the country most notably here in Nova Scotia at Neptune Theatre, Mermaid Theatre and the Atlantic Theatre Festival.

He has written and performed in numerous radio dramas for CBC and has made appearances on countless television programs, several movies and more advertisements than he’d care to think about. Bill studied philosophy, English and theatre at Acadia University, followed by three years of theology working on his Masters at Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax.

Bill serves on the Board of The Alzheimer's Society of Nova Scotia, The Community Justice Society of Nova Scotia, Actra, The Atlantic Comedy Festival Society and Wyndholme Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Bill’s volunteerism in his community is extensive. He is the honorary spokesperson for the Alzheimer’s Society and an honorary Trustee of the IWK Hospital for Children. He contributes his talents as a fundraiser for these causes appearing yearly on the IWK telethon as well as Master of Ceremonies for annual events in support of the IWK and Unicef as well as events in support of Neptune Theatre, Mermaid Theatre, the Atlantic Theatre Festival, Symphony Nova Scotia, the Canadian Breast Cancer Society, the Abilities Foundation, Reaching out for Adolescent Mental Health and Phoenix House and the CNIB, and currently is Honorary Chair of a mail campaign for Bonnie Lea Farms and a Stocking Stuffer for the Salvation Army.

What Bill Carr Talks About:

Acting Up! Taking Your Performance to the Next Level
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

Humour & Creativity
A serious (but not solemn) approach to thinking about 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:

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

As well, there will be a number of questions arising as the workshop evolves. This is a workshop for business people, managers, employees, spouses, teachers, government workers, students and everyone else who could use a richer approach to problem solving, teamwork and the fuller, richer, living of their daily lives.

Lighten Up: Creating Your Future with a Positive Approach to Change
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.

The goals of this presentation are:

• 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!