Watch my quick 90 second speaker reel⬇️

The challenge for event organisers

You've got a lot to manage as an event organiser... and you shouldn't have to stress about your speaker or MC selection.

A friend of mine once said there are three types of speakers:

  • The first is a technical speaker - perhaps an industry expert with slides packed full of graphs and insights. Most events have this in spades.
  • At the other end of the scale is the motivational speaker. Imagine Tony Robbins amping everybody up or Tina Fey cracking everybody up. 
  • In the middle, we have an inspirational speaker. (This is me). 

Inspirational speakers don't have to shout to be heard; we don't need tonnes of slides to make things relevant.

Instead, we connect on a more personal level, with less of the "look at me" vibe you might be used to.

The audience will laugh, smile and nod their heads in recognition, leaving with practical tools they can action the very same day.

I'm obsessed with how people interact - and create impact. 

And I love sharing that with people to make their work less stressful, and more impactful.

4 popular topics

The Question Effect

Lead with curiosity, for less stress and more impact

As leaders, we don’t always get to control the big picture, but we can choose how we show up in it.

This is an energising session perfect for leaders and teams feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Over it, or up for it?

Less stress, more impact

Many of us are grappling with burnout, overwhelm and toxic stress.

Curiosity is the key to all the doors that matter: success, happiness, engagement, fulfilment, and more.

If your people need a boost of energy and inspiration, this is the session you need.

Stepping Up

From expert to manager to leader

Shifting from expert to manager to leader is one of the hardest moves to make. The skills that made you great in your field - knowing the answers to technical problems - can start to work against you when you're leading others.

Ideal for both new and experienced leaders, or anyone still trying to shake the urge to fix everything themselves.

The Experience Edge

How small moments create big impacts

Whether it’s a client call, a customer visit, or a casual email, your people are creating experiences every day.

Are they doing so by accident or by design?

This energising session shows how small, intentional changes can improve your retention, reputation, and results.

Or perhaps you need an MC to bring your event theme to life

MCs play a critical role in the success of your event. When a speaker is dull (it happens), they can help lift the energy up. When the audience is confused, they can extract key messages in a way that resonates. 

I take the role of event MC quite seriously. We'll prepare together beforehand, thinking about how you want to bring your theme alive, and what role you want each session to play.

On the day, I arrive early, keep things moving, and keep the energy up - lifting the experience for everybody.

I think of the role like a lighthouse: shining my light brightly so everybody can have a safer and more enjoyable passage through your event.

Watch my
MC Show Reel⬇️

What people have said about me

Paul was recommended as a really engaging speaker for our Granicus Digital Engagement Roadshow. He did not disappoint! He got the audience interacting and engaging right from the start. He was able to share a complex message in a simple way that people could really grasp hold of. There was a mixture of stories, data and models, which worked really well. You could hear people still talking about the model over lunch, which was awesome. And we got lots of requests for access to the practical tools he shared too.

Marina Moroney

Granicus

Thank you for your awesome MC skills - for sharing wonderful and engaging stories; for great introductions; for pulling out nuggets of goodness; for all the other elements to being an MC that you brought to Tonic Conference to make it awesome for our conference go’ers. As we talked about, sometimes Tonic Conference is some people’s only opportunity to go to a conference, or not for those who get to go to lots of things like it. We so want to make it an awesome experience and you helped us to do that! Thank you!

Megan Thorn

Managing Director, Exult

On behalf of the entire team, I wanted to extend our heartfelt thanks for your work as the MC at our recent conference. Your professionalism, positive vibe, and ability to engage the audience contributed significantly to the event's success. Your time keeping, insightful introductions, and the way you kept the energy high throughout the day were appreciated by both the attendees and the organising team. Over the two days we received so much positive feedback from participants who specifically mentioned how they enjoyed your presence and how it enhanced their overall experience.

Grant Davidson

CEO, Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network

We've worked with Paul a few times now and the feedback is always outstanding. This year, he ran two workshops at our sector conference. We got lots of feedback about his fantastic presentation and delivery.

Ann Hill

Business Event Manager, Sport NZ

Paul was our opening conference speaker and we've had so much great feedback. He brought a lot of energy and a message that really hit home. It's the first time we've had a professional speaker and it made such a difference to the start of our conference. If you're um'ing and ah'ing about having Paul as a speaker, I'd say just lock him in!

Dr Ellen Clark

President, Society of Hospital and Community Dentistry

We invited Paul to open our conference on a dynamic note which would appeal to new grads as well as experienced clinicians. Paul spent time beforehand to really understand our profession – this was obvious during his presentation when he went to great efforts to really connect with the audience. I would definitely recommend Paul if you want a relevant, thought-provoking and fun presenter.

Dr Donna Kennedy

President, NZ Society of Community & Hospital Dentistry

We were looking for an energetic, motivational speaker to engage our Tier 1–3 leaders after a year of significant change - and Paul absolutely delivered. He stood out from other speakers with his relevant content, polished delivery, and ability to tailor his approach to both our challenges and the scale of our event. The pre-event prep was seamless, and his support made everything easy. On the day, Paul brought energy, humour, interaction, and insight. There was laughter, note-taking, and real connection. Our CEO personally thanked him for such a well-tailored session. We wouldn’t hesitate to work with Paul again or recommend him to anyone looking for a high-impact speaker.

Head of People and Capability

Water services company

There's a good reason why we're getting Paul to MC our Tourism Summit again this year. His professionalism, charisma, and ability to engage with our diverse audience was exceptional. His skill in facilitating the panel discussions was particularly impressive. He asked insightful questions, managed the conversation with ease, and ensured that each panellist had the opportunity to share their expertise. His ability to connect with the audience and create meaningful conversations contributed greatly to the success of the summit.

Jade Mahuika

Project Manager at Development West Coast

Paul is an exceptional MC and really extracted the most out of the event and the presenters for our Tourism Summit. He has a superb way of engaging both the audience and presenters - I am so grateful to have been part of an event that included him as a master of ceremonies! The pre-planning was led with confidence and strategic intent, Paul understood our objectives and delivered an event that exceeded our expectations! Thank you Paul! Can’t wait to work with you again!

Patrick Dault

GM, Love Taupō

Paul was an outstanding MC for the recent Manaakitanga ki te Tai Poutini Hui. Despite a packed agenda, he masterfully kept things on track and energised. He even averted the usual post lunch slump. I loved his energy, enthusiasm and sense of humour.

Jessie Creedmore

Creedmore Communicate

Paul is like a postman. Every time I see him in action, he delivers. He ran a session at our sector conference this year on how to have hard conversations. As always, I took heaps away from it. He made it interactive, with lots of laughs, stories and models that really brought the content alive.

Josh Margetts

National Partnership Manager, Sport NZ

Paul recently MCed our 2-day New Zealand Symposium and he was just brilliant. We had so much positive feedback. Whenever he was on stage, you could just feel the energy increase. Basically, he just kept things running smoothly and this just made my job so much easier. From an audience perspective, bringing the light-heartedness up in between sessions was so good. It wasn't just "this is happening next"; he was listening and bringing things back to the conference theme, and really getting people excited about what was next.

Katie Healey

IAP2

Recently enjoyed Paul's facilitation of the IAP2 Symposium held in Christchurch. He was an engaging and confident MC who brought a lot of authenticity to the role. He was quick to adapt to any issues and got more than a few laughs from the group. Would highly recommend Paul as your next MC!

Rachael Shiels

ChristchurchNZ

I had the pleasure of being one of the speakers at an event where Paul was the MC, and he was absolutely brilliant. He has a calming presence that instantly put everyone at ease, yet he energised the room, keeping the event lively and engaging throughout. He was masterful in keeping the flow of the event running smoothly, ensuring that everything stayed on schedule while being empathetic and flexible. He struck the perfect balance between humour and professionalism, helping make the day both enjoyable and interesting.

Julia Roberts

The Marketing Club

When Paul responded to my request to speak to a group of senior consultants at Christchurch Hospital I couldn't have been more excited. The brief I offered Paul was a little vague, but he understood what I wanted and suffice to say what our doctors needed. Paul was incredibly generous with his time and was very easy to work with. From the first phone call to the follow up Paul has been professional, kind, fun and inspiring. His presentation fitted our group like a glove and the feedback I received was wonderfully positive.

Karen Dreaver

Medical Education Officer, Te Whatu Ora

Paul was the MC at a two day IAP2 Symposium recently and what a fantastic MC he was. He knocked it out of the park. His energy and charisma kept the energy consistently high and he used a number of tools from his diverse and varied toolbox to assist him as well. Paul came across as his genuine self.

Nicky Astwood

Plat4m