Speaker Introduction for Glen Hiemstra

Glen Hiemstra (Pronounce: Heem-stra)

“If you listen carefully, you can learn what the future is telling you.”

We want to welcome Glen Hiemstra, America’s Guide to the Future, to speak to our _______ today. As a professional futurist Glen Hiemstra has been listening to the future intently for nearly two decades. Glen is the Founder and owner of Futurist.com, a company that focuses on the dissemination of information about the future and how to create it. His most recent book is Turning the Future Into Revenue: What Businesses and Individuals Need to Know to Shape Their Futures.

Glen is an internationally recognized futurist, and has advised professional, business, and governmental organizations for two decades. Glen addresses issues as diverse as transportation, aerospace, energy, telecommunications, financial services, education and health care. Recent clients include Adobe Systems, Attachmate, Boeing, Regence Health Care, Microsoft, Premera, Apax, and Atlanta Vision 2020. Several times Glen has been invited by Hollywood to act as a technical advisor for programs set in the distant future.

Glen is an expert in preferred future planning who goes beyond simple trend analysis to discuss the opportunity that we have to shape the future. Prior to going into business, Glen was an award winning professor, and he is a Visiting Scholar at the Human Interface Technology Lab at the University of Washington, where they conduct research and development in virtual and augmented reality technologies.

In addition to his recent book, Glen is the co-author of a leaders’ handbook, Strategic Leadership: Achieving Your Preferred Future. Glen is frequently cited as a resource for articles about the future, by publications such as The Futurist, the Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report, Los Angeles Times, the Detroit Free Press and USA Today.

Glen lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife Tracie. They have three adult children.

We all believe the world is changing. What if we are right? Today Glen is going to stretch our images of the future, as he discusses science and technology, culture and society, business and economics, and as he challenges all of us to create the future we prefer.

Let’s welcome Glen Hiemstra to our program.

Direct Contact: info@futurist.com; 425-576-1441

FAQ on introductions:

If I am introducing the keynote speaker, how much should I say?

When the speaker is a national celebrity, say an ex-President, very little introduction is needed. In every other case, the person introducing the keynoter should plan to say enough to help establish credibility with your event audience. Usually this takes two or three minutes.

Should I just read what the speaker sent to me?

We recommend that you personalize your introduction as much as possible. Start with the script, such as the one above. But, edit it to include what you want to say…why have we invited a futurist, what is your experience of the speaker if you have heard the speaker before, what is an important future challenge facing your audience, and so on.

If I am making the introduction, isn’t my goal just to get out of the way?

No, the act of introducing a speaker is an art in itself. You want to set the stage, create a tone, answer the question “why are we about to listen to this person,” and establish that the keynoter is indeed someone worth listening to. If you take some time to achieve these goals, the entire experience will be better received.