"What others say about David"
"I simply want to thank you for your presentation. I felt privileged to be sharing the same room as someone who is living evidence of what can be achieved by strength of mind; this created a sort of magic which made you realize that all things are possible if you can direct your mind in ways which you clearly demonstrated."
Phil Jeffrey
Senior Consultant
Pole Arnold Chartered Accountants
"David is a very real person. He is humorous, honest and completely genuine. I never realized that such a successful person could be so real that I could find comparisons with myself. That is what David's presentation enables you to discover. Success is not magic; it is not a gift from the Gods. Success is something that we can all achieve. He made me realize that success does not have to be a spectator sport."
Helen Jones
Baan Corporate Office Solutions
Keynote Speech
"It's not the cards you are dealt in life but the way that you play them"
David Thomas's unusual and inspirational life story is one of overcoming appalling adversity to achieve world class success in his field. It is this story and the lessons he has learned which he shares in his speech to motivate his audience delegates to achieve their own potential.
"Not a great start to life"
He was born in England and suffered an abusive childhood at the hands of his alcoholic mother and aged physically abusive stepfather who was 65 when he was 7. By the time David was 16 he was putting his drunk mother to bed every night and it finally got to him. In a 6 month period he committed multiple burglaries, was cautioned by the police, committed more burglaries, got caught again, assaulted a police officer with an iron bar, attempted suicide, went to court, received a criminal conviction and was expelled from school. Not a great start to his adult life.
He became an operational firefighter at the age of 20 and did that for 11 years. Along the way, he failed his promotion exams and was told by his superior officers that he would never get promoted. Then things changed.
"That television program"
One night, he saw a guy memorize a pack of playing cards on television and spent $10 on buying his memory book. He thought it might help him pass his exams. He found he had a certain ability and inside 8 months went to the World Memory Championships, coming 4th in the process.
"Guinness Book of Records®"
David has since gone on to develop one of the most powerful memories in history. He has broken a Guinness Book of Records® memory record by reciting the math formula Pi, 3.14159…, to 22,500 digits from memory, become one of only 2 (and the highest rated) International Grandmasters of Memory in the US and set a world best by memorizing and reciting 100 packs of individually shuffled packs of playing cards. Out of 5,200 cards he got just 12 wrong.
He is now an international speaker, best selling author and media personality, even appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
"Key Strategies For Success"
David shares the lessons he has learned that have taken him to international acclaim. Delegates who hear him speak walk away excited by what they have heard, motivated to take control of their lives and better equipped to deal with issues that challenge us all on a daily basis like change and uncertainty.
They take away their own Successful Performance Toolkit full of tips, tools and techniques that they can implement immediately.
Here are the three main elements of David's presentation:
- It's not where you have come from, but where you are going
- Success does not happen by accident
- You have potential that you don't even know exists yet
"Customized content"
David's talk has universal appeal but it will also be tailored to the needs of your audience and the theme of your conference. That way, it will enhance the other key messages you want to get across and create a lasting impact on your delegates, long after David has received his ovation.
"He doesn't just share, he interacts"
David does a fun interactive exercise with the whole audience that proves that his techniques work….even before the delegates have left the room.
"When you laugh you learn"
David blends entertainment, education and motivation to deliver a high energy, passionate, funny and inspirational speech. He uses personal real life stories and lots of humour to get his messages across. He also gives demonstrations of his own incredible abilities.