GRAHAM DAVIES
.
Graham Davies
Barrister Graham Davies is one of the funniest after dinner speakers in the country.
His professional speaking career began after being elected President of the Cambridge Union. He then started to receive invitations to speak at various dinners and now combines the life of a barrister at the Criminal Bar with that of the corporate after dinner speaker and link presenter.
His success is due to an ability to be the right person saying the right thing at the right time.
Accomplished at taking a brief, he skillfully uses background information about the company, and more importantly the audience, to ensure the delivery is precisely tailored to the occasion.
Graham’s presentational skills have taken him as far as Hawaii and New Delhi and he is an active member of the National Speakers Association in the United States. His blue chip portfolio of clients includes: BT, NatWest , Sony , Unilever, Arthur Andersen, ICL, Microsoft, Ford, Prudential, AT&T, Glaxo, Seagram, Rhone Poulenc, Rentokil, Mercedes-Benz, ICI, Unisys, & KPMG
Working at around 120 dinners a year, he has developed a punchy speaking style that combines corporate finesse with a sharp wit that is both timely and topical.
Graham uses his experience as a practising barrister in working to a brief about his audience.
His experience as an advocate brings credibility and balance to the chairing of a discussion or the staging of an interview. He can skillfully use background information about a company to ensure the delivery is precisely tailored to the occasion.
His depth of material allows him to be at home in front of any audience.
As an extension to his unique speaking style, Graham can offer two additional features. If appropriate ( and only then) he is particularly adept at targeting humour at personalities within an organisation. He is also a past master of the "wind-up".
Adopting a persona to fool the audience for the first few minutes, he gives a serious, yet controversial presentation. Incredulity dissolves into laughter as they realise they have been had.
As a link presenter, his successful blend of humour and message binds together the elements of a conference. One of the companies to endorse his effectiveness in this role is IBM whose audiences gave him an astonishing 98% satisfaction rating.
Graham prides himself in delivering an effective result through his supreme adaptability to client need. Using his legal and communication skills, he is able to enhance the impact of a conference but with his wit unsheathed, he can bring laughter to any event.
GRAHAM DAVIES NEWSLETTER...
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I continue to present over a hundred times a year at a wide variety of Events, Conferences and Dinners. As a Link Presenter and Event Host humour is not always appropriate. In many cases I provide clients with the facility to join together disparate elements of an event or conference, or else act as a catalyst for debate. Events and Conferences My recent work in link presentation has included Marriott, Abbey National, Bass Taverns and several events for IBM, EMAP and Reed Business Information. "I recognise how difficult it can be to establish the appropriate tone and balance at a meeting ......... I have experienced the embarrassment when the 'link man' gets it wrong! You however, pitched it just right. The content and delivery of your links were exactly what was required……… I would not hesitate to recommend you to anyone who is organising a similar event " Gareth Denley, Director of General Business, IBM "Graham hosted a recent high profile Awards Ceremony and Dinner for Bass Taverns and all present enjoyed his style and wit. I was also impressed with his preparation work and his grasp of the business and the market." M.L. Bramley, Commercial Director, Bass Taverns "I would like it to go on record that your 'performance' made a great contribution to a very successful conference and awards gala evening." Mike White, Recruitment Account Director, Reed Business Information. After Dinner My humorous After Dinner speaking has been greatly assisted by the recent antics of politicians, sportsmen and captains of industry who have provided an endless stream of material. Expanding Horizons As part of my development of an expanded network, I have become a regular visitor to the conventions of The American National Speakers Association (NSA). This allows me to exchange ideas with other professional speakers and grow my own speaking range. Coaching My presentation coaching partnership now provides coaching for corporate speakers in companies such as Ford UK and Tibbett and Britten plc. |
CLIENT RESPONSE TO
GRAHAM DAVIES.
IBM
Gareth Denley, Director of General Business:
"I recognise how difficult it can be to establish the appropriate tone and balance at a meeting ......... I have experienced the embarrassment when the 'link man' gets it wrong! You however, pitched it just right. The content and delivery of your links were exactly what was required …I would not hesitate to recommend you to anyone who is organising a similar event"
GRANADA FOOD
SERVICES
Frank Whittaker, Sales & Marketing Director:
"...Thank you for providing such a
professionally hilarious end to our conference dinner...I was glad when you
finished as my ribs ached and I wanted to stop crying."
AMEY plc
Brian Staples, Chief Executive:
"By a wide margin, you
were thought to be the most entertaining speaker we have had ... a tough act to
follow next year"
OPTION SYSTEMS
Ltd
Tony Russell, Director:
"...The speech itself was topical,
interesting, and cleverly constructed as well as being presented with flair and
timing...It was received extremely well by our multi national audience."
LOTUS
Diana Claridge, Business Partner Program Manager:
"...You were a fundamental
part of making the Euro Beacon Awards Dinner a great success. You had the senior
management of Lotus (US and EMEA) crying with laughter. You delivered
delightfully, to a brief, in front of a world-wide audience".
BASS TAVERNS
M.L. Bramley, Commercial Director:
"Graham hosted a
recent high profile Awards Ceremony for Bass Taverns and all present enjoyed his
style and wit. I was also impressed with his preparation work and his grasp of
the business and the market."
ANGEL BUSINESS
COMMUNICATIONS
Ros Gormally, Event Organiser:
"We were all greatly appreciative, not only of your faultless awards presentation, but for the professionalism and courtesy you displayed throughout. The reaction from the audience was indeed complimentary. In addition, I must further thank you for the expert advice you provided in advance of the presentation in relation to how best to prepare, compile, deliver and host the evening to ensure a smooth performance. Your observations were spot-on and undoubtedly contributed to a very successful evening."
ZURICH FINANCIAL
SERVICES
David Carrie, Business Systems Director:
"Graham's energy, wit and charisma uplifted a flagging audience beyond recognition."
REED BUSINESS
INFORMATION
Mike White, Recruitment Account Director:
"I would like it to go on record that your performance made a great contribution to a very successful conference and awards gala evening."
SOCPO
Susan K. Thomas, President:
"Thank you for your superb presentation ........ you really created quite a buzz, having hit the right note and made incredibly incisive comments about all of the Recruitment Awards."
RENTOKIL
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
Peter Caswell Marketing Manager:
"The fact that you
had taken so much trouble to adapt your material meant that it felt as if you
were personally involved with what we do."
IND COOPE RETAIL
Giles Kendall, Retail Sales Director:
"I have never had
such a positive response for anything that we have done in the past, including
other ‘celebrity’ guest speakers who in my view you
would comprehensively blow off the stage."
SAAB GREAT
BRITAIN
Will Edwyn-Jones, Managing Director:
"You read the audience extremely well.......a truly professional presentation."
WILLIS
Pauline Ritchie, Marketing & PR Director:
"The audience response was excellent. Graham was relevant, topical, fast, punchy, witty - very impressive. We will use Graham again."
ALLSEAS
Ard Suvaal, PR Director:
"As a central figure
in the show, you managed to hold the attention of the audience for over two
hours with ease, and you made a complicated programme into a very entertaining
experience........You paid a lot of attention to the
feeling we wanted to get over to the audience and to the needs of the type of
audience you
had in front of you."
LLOYDS BOWMAKER
Peter W. Youngs, Special Events Manager:
"He is the first
after dinner speaker I have used who actually provided HIS requirements in order
to give us a perfect speech.......Our delegates found the personal comments
absolutely hilarious......I can recommend him to any
organiser knowing that he will add immeasurably to any occasion."
FORWARD ASSET
FINANCE
Andrew Robinson, Marketing Director:
"Graham Davies was
probably the best after dinner speaker anyone in our Company has ever experienced."
MANUFACTURERS
LIFE INSURANCE GROUP
Ken Parson, Travel & Incentives:
"All his audience
made free use of the table napkins with which to wipe away tears, of laughter.
Altogether..... he was terrific."
BMW (GB) LIMITED
Kai Woiwod, Purchasing Manager:
"Your speech was
excellent and thoroughly enjoyed by our guests........ You incorporated the
information on our guests extremely professionally."
SBJ GROUP PLC
George Boden, Director:
"Everyone agreed
that you were a great success...... We will have no hesitation in recommending
you and I hope it is not too long before we can book you again."
IBM
Henning Winther Nielsen, Convention Manager:
"Your humour,
intellect and above all your timing are some of the reasons why the participants
were so satisfied with your performance."
THE INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CENTRES
"After an intensive
day listening to World Speakers our delegates found the flavour of Graham's
address to be very inspiring and witty. From the subject matter, all but those
who knew, would have thought that Graham had been associated with our company
for many years. The small amount of background information
I gave him was superbly used ... as soon as Graham began his talk I knew we had
a winner."
ALEXANDER &
ALEXANDER EUROPE PLC
Peter Tritton - Director:
"Thank you for
recommending Graham Davies as our after dinner speaker. He was a great success
even with some of the foreigners who didn't completely
understand all his subtleties. I suspect the general level
of laughter was infectious. He had carefully researched some of
our most senior and/or interesting executives and had the
character and wit to carry off the occasional scathing or sarcastic comment
....great fun."
ALLMAT LIMITED
Beryl Sayers, Marketing Manager
"Many thanks once
again in recommending Graham Davies as the After Dinner Speaker for our golfing
day. He is indeed a name to be remembered, not only by our guests to the dinner,
but also by his chosen innocent prey, all of whom were
thoroughly enjoying the end to a perfect day."