Dan Pontefract

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I have the fortune of being asked to deliver a few words of inspiration, intrigue and innovation at an upcoming TedTalks event in Vancouver on October 23, 2010. (kudos to Mike Desjardins for his matchmaking and Bret Conkin and team for the invitation) The event is tailor made for me. Billed as ‘Fast Forward Ed’, it strives to attract speakers and attendees who want to crush the archaic bastion of the classic education space and build something for the 21^st century. (you know, with electricity and stuff) Specifically, the questions to answer at the event are:

As the new decade unfolds, how do we prepare secondary, post-secondary and lifelong learners for a world moving at breakneck speed?
What are skills needed by industry vs. skills being taught?
Who are the innovators succeeding in achieving learning in an environment of budget cuts, ESL, literacy challenges and wired kids?
What is the optimal use of technology in the classroom?

They had me at hello. In the spirit of true social learning, I’m asking you for your opinion. Sure, I’ve got mine … but that’s one voice (and only one crazy mind) so this forum is an opportunity for you to surface your issues, your pain points, your thoughts, your success stories, your ideas and I’ll see if I can weave them into the 18-minute or less soliloquy on stage. That’s social learning in action. I hope to hear from you. I promise to dialogue back in this space as well.

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Testimonials

Dan Pontefract’s keynote on the importance of workplace culture in employee engagement was excellent. Dan used his vast leadership experience to provide our conference attendees with practical strategies to build teams that are engaged and committed. His relatable, real-life examples were thought provoking, memorable and very personal, creating a connection to the audience. I would highly recommend Dan as an entertaining keynote speaker who delivers content that is relevant and actionable.

Michelle Hillyard, Director SCU
We are so proud to have had you at our event. Your talk was a big hit. It moved us. We can’t thank you enough.

Malin Björnell, Salesforce
Dan challenged us to have clarity of purpose, both as individuals and as an organization. He related inspiring stories drawing on his experience in business, technology and academia. As he said, ‘There is no ownership without belonging.’

Christian Pantel, D2L
Fantastic engaging talk for our global partner summit. Thank you so much, Dan!

Barb Kinnard, CEO Response Biomedical Corp
Dan not only brought his presentation to life with his charisma, but also content, style and presentation finesse. Our members were especially interested in his thought provoking and top of mind topic on the future of work and how we’re going to be leading the next generation of leaders.

Cheryl Goodwin, CPA
Dan is a conference organizer’s ideal speaker. Not only did he inspire and energize our group, but he also masterfully adapted his content so it resonated with the audience and our conference theme. As a bonus, Dan is able to nimbly navigate to adjust to a reduced time slot when other speakers went over time without sacrificing the impact of his session.

Director and General Counsel
Dan accomplished what we set out to do, which was not only to be inspirational, but also to leave everyone with tools and food for thought / self-reflection to improve their personal and professional lives.

Hermann Handa, FCT

Media Appearances