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David Allison

Speaker Featured

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Human Behavior Expert & Leader of the Disrupt Demographics Movement

David Allison is a human values expert, international speaker and 2X best-selling author. He is focused on changing how we understand ourselves, the people around us, and those we hope to engage with in our work. As the founder of the Valuegraphics Project – the first global inventory of core human values – he has transformed human values into measurable data and created an entirely new type of human-centric insights. He helps big brands like PayPal, Five Star School Supplies, the United Nations Foundation, and Google connect with people by honoring their values.

Keynote Speeches

Virtual Keynotes & Webinars
Contact us for more information about this speaker & their virtual presentations. Click here for some of the most popular formats for virtual events.
The Blueprint for Belonging

Discover how to create a culture of belonging from the world’s leading expert on human values.

As a gay man and an Indigenous Canadian, I know the limits of demographics when it comes to inclusion and belonging. Just like everyone else, you can’t engage, motivate or inspire me simply by speaking to my demographic labels. That’s nothing more than stereotyping, and it doesn’t work. You need to understand my values — the things that make me who I am deep inside my heart.

So where does that leave organizations who want to cultivate a culture of belonging?

As a human values expert, international keynote speaker and 2x best-selling author, I’ve conducted nearly a million surveys on human values in 152 languages featuring hundreds of millions of data points. Along the way, I’ve identified 912 types of belonging, and this keynote pinpoints which ones – in your situation – will move the needle most. And that’s not where it ends. Together we will dive deeper and explore the other values that will unite the people you want to engage, regardless of their demographic differences. Our values bring us together. Our values make us feel like we belong.

Let’s use our proven, data-driven method for identifying the shared values that will build a culture of belonging – for the people you want to reach – by honoring what they value.  These are the insights you need to drive inclusion and create real cultural change.

WHO IS THIS FOR?

  • CPOs and culture leaders
  • Human resources teams
  • Organizations of all sizes

AUDIENCE TAKEAWAYS

  • The specific Power Values that will empower you to engage people and influence outcomes.
  • Creative, detailed strategies to immediately put the Power Values to use.
  • David’s revolutionary Values Thinking Process that turns shared values into actionable tactics.
  • The Three Telltale Questions that will identify the shared values of anyone you want to engage and inspire.
The Superhuman Antidote to AI

Learn David Allison’s revolutionary values-driven approach to help you thrive alongside revolutionary technology.

Businesses don’t like risk, and the blend of chaos, emotion, and complexity that we call “the human factor” is one of the biggest risks any business must face. But right now, as incredibly disruptive technologies like AI emerge at a stunning pace, the only antidote is for us to become more incredibly human than ever before. To do that, we need to make “the human factor” less risky. That’s what David Allison does in this keynote.

David’s team has turned human values into data, creating boardroom-friendly facts and figures to replace subjective conversations. Now we can combine revolutionary new super-machines with a revolutionary new understanding of the humans who use them. It’s the combination we need to solve any problem and achieve any goal.

With nearly a million surveys completed in 152 languages, David’s revolutionary research has revealed the values that drive us with unprecedented detail and clarity. It’s no wonder his work is included in college textbooks used worldwide and leveraged by organizations like Google, PayPal, lululemon, and the United Nations Foundation.

As businesses strive to remain relevant in a tech-driven landscape, David Allison’s message serves as a timely reminder that to thrive in the future, we must lean into what makes us quintessentially human. To thrive alongside super-technologies we must be superhuman.

WHO IS THIS FOR?

  • People and Culture Professionals
  • Senior strategy-level leadership in any industry
  • Organizations faced with AI threats and opportunities
  • AI technology creators

AUDIENCE TAKEAWAYS

  • The specific Power Values that will empower you to engage people and influence outcomes.
  • Creative, detailed strategies to immediately put the Power Values to use.
  • David’s revolutionary Values Thinking Process that turns shared values into actionable tactics.
  • The Three Telltale Questions that will identify the shared values of anyone you want to engage and inspire.
Boosting Sales by Being Human

Drive marketing ROI and sales growth with human values, using data and insights from the world’s leading expert.

Consumers today are harder to understand than ever before, behaving in unpredictable ways and failing to fit the mold of traditional demographics like age, income, gender, and education. We have more data and insights than ever, but all that data isn’t getting us closer to achieving our goals.

But what if we’re measuring the wrong things?

For the first time, human values expert, international keynote speaker and 2x best-selling author David Allison has turned our shared human values into accurate empirical data, conducting nearly a million surveys in 152 languages featuring hundreds of millions of data points. He’s proven a neurological fact: every decision we make, thousands of times of day, is determined by our values. It’s no wonder his discoveries are included in college textbooks worldwide and leveraged by organizations like Google, PayPal, lululemon, and the United Nations Foundation.

The result of David’s global research is a proven, science-backed method for identifying the values your audience shares. His keynotes teach you to use specific values to drive sales and marketing efforts that really work.

You can engage any audience, deliver any message, and create more sales with the power of shared human values. David’s keynote will show you how.

WHO IS THIS FOR?

  • Sales teams and leaders
  • Marketing departments and agencies
  • Organizational leaders looking to revolutionize their businesses from the ground up

AUDIENCE TAKEAWAYS

  • The specific Power Values that will empower you to engage people and influence outcomes.
  • Creative, detailed strategies to immediately put the Power Values to use.
  • David’s revolutionary Values Thinking Process that turns shared values into actionable tactics.
  • The Three Telltale Questions that will identify the shared values of anyone you want to engage and inspire.
The Next Step: DEI Beyond the Stereotypes

Unlock the real benefits of diversity, equity and inclusion by diving deep into human values.

Here’s the truth: marginalized groups around the world have not been treated fairly, and there’s a great deal of work still to be done to acheive diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. But a strong foundation can only be built on common ground. Nothing good has ever come from doubling-down on what makes us different, without also shining a light on what unites us.

Human values expert, international keynote speaker and 2x best-selling author David Allison — himself an Indigenous Canadian and member of the LGBTQ+ community —  has turned our shared human values into accurate empirical data, conducting nearly a million surveys in 152 languages featuring hundreds of millions of data points.

What does that mean for DEI efforts? It means that now we know what connects us. And we can use that data to move beyond what divides us. It means that we can see ourselves in each other, and celebrate what makes us unique.

David’s revolutionary research on human values equips you with tools to go beyond demographics, with insights that offer a groundbreaking data-driven approach to understanding not just what people are, but who they are in the inside, where it counts.

WHO IS THIS FOR?

  • DEI, culture, and HR leaders
  • Marketing departments and agencies seeking to authentically embrace DEI in their messaging
  • Organizations looking to revolutionize their business from the ground up

AUDIENCE TAKEAWAYS

  • The specific Power Values that will empower you to engage people and influence outcomes.
  • Creative, detailed strategies to immediately put the Power Values to use.
  • David’s revolutionary Values Thinking Process that turns shared values into actionable tactics.
  • The Three Telltale Questions that will identify the shared values of anyone you want to engage and inspire.
The New Science of Values and Leadership

Leverage the next evolution in values-driven leadership with a scientific breakthrough in human values data.

Neurologists have known for years that leading people effectively requires tapping into their core values. But until now, there hasn’t been a way to determine, quantify, and read the specific values shared by large groups of people.

Human values expert, international keynote speaker and 2x best-selling author David Allison has turned our shared human values into accurate empirical data, conducting nearly a million surveys in 152 languages featuring hundreds of millions of data points. In his leadership keynotes, he isolates the values that mean the most to your specific audience or team.

Once you learn the accurate, science-backed, shared values of your team, the transformation begins. You’ll see your true self in your work. You’ll see where your values intersect with the values of people you need to engage. And you’ll find that more effective leadership come from being more human. As David says: “If we let them, our values will unite us. Because we are all values driven.”

WHO IS THIS FOR?

  • Leaders and managers at all levels
  • Organizations that want to cultivate great leaders
  • Founders & Entrepreneurs

AUDIENCE TAKEAWAYS

  • The specific Power Values that will empower you to engage people and influence outcomes.
  • Creative, detailed strategies to immediately put the Power Values to use.
  • David’s revolutionary Values Thinking Process that turns shared values into actionable tactics.
  • The Three Telltale Questions that will identify the shared values of anyone you want to engage and inspire.
Customized Keynotes

David will create a custom keynote packed with powerful insights from the proprietary Valuegraphics Database of surveys from around the world. This is the new science of understanding and changing behavior and it’s 8X more powerful than ever before.

David also offers customized presentations on cannabis, real estate, luxury, retail and more. View a full list of his presentations here.

Platform Plus Presentations

Unique formats and ways to connect with audiences.
Special Edition Sessions
Sometimes the board of directors, an HR team, or the marketing department wants to apply Valuegraphics to specific situations. These sessions could be a master class, an additional keynote, or even a casual dinner speech to help make the conversation flow.
The Values Thinking Workshop
Values Thinking workshops teach everyone how to create values-driven solutions. These can be live, or delivered as an on-demand online course.
The Values-Driven Power Panel
We share our research insights with three to five panelists of your choosing in advance of your event. On stage, David facilitates a lively discussion. This resonates deeply with the audience – these are the thought-leaders they respect sharing their values-driven ideas.
The Personal Valuesprint Finder
Everyone wants to know what their own values are. When they register for your event, participants get a link to take a survey. They are sent their Valuesprint results, and how they compare to each other. Your attendees know that their values will be part of David’s keynote: they will definitely want to attend! For even more intense engagement, we include a series of live one-on-one speed-coaching sessions, or Valuegraphics Labs, to help attendees apply valuegraphics in a highly customized way.
Valuegraphics Micro-Workshops: A Unique Interactive Opportunity
Event planners are searching for more engaging and collaborative educational programs. Adding Micro-Workshops to your event gives your attendees both a transformative keynote speech, plus the opportunity to custom-tailor the take-aways in a private one-on-one consulting session. Each 30-minute micro-workshop guides just one person (or one team from one company) as they use the custom data from the keynote, roll up their shirt sleeves and actually get the work done. They will leave with an implementation plan to engage and influence the people they want to reach with the enormous power of shared human values. Because it's all about values. Always has been and always will be. When you know what people value you can speak directly into their heart, and engage them like a trusted friend.

Audience reviews:

  • David is the Mick Jagger of human values and our People & Culture attendees were thrilled with what he delivered. - Director, Cube Business Media Inc.
  • Smart, relevant, engaging: an absolute delight to work with. On a scale of 10, he’s a 12!

    - Director of Education, Canadian Society Of Association Executives
  • David is one of our favorite speakers to book for business conferences. Each time he speaks, the feedback from delegates is excellent.  They enjoy his energetic and fun delivery but more importantly leave with information that asks them to look at the world in a different way.  Pushing people out of their normal day-to-day thinking is a part of what educational events such as ours strive to do, and David helps us meet those objectives regardless of the size or makeup of the audience. - Director, Conference Management & Marketing | Global Exhibitions | INFORMA EXHIBITIONS
  • Our internal shared values and those of our customers must be a priority, and David's research makes values a useful tool for meeting business objectives. He's a great speaker too! The whole room was excited and interested in thinking about big new thoughts!

    - President & CEO, Intracorp North America
  • David Allison sees and hears the patterns in the noise — and is then able to tell us what the real signal is. He's a born storyteller and people love him.


    - Douglas Coupland | Artist, Author
  • Audiences could listen to him all day!



    - Producer and Managing Director, Big Picture Conferences
  • Entirely new and quite priceless audience insights.

    - VP Consumer Innovation & Design, AMER SPORTS, Finland
  • Engaging, thought-provoking and overall fantastic!

    - Planner, Challenger Summit 2019
  • Amazing delivery! Hit it out of the park!! Well Done!

    - CEO, Middle East Council of Shopping Centres
  • So customized for us, a whole new perspective, a joy to work with. Book him!

    - VP Member Services, National Gift Association
  • He was absolutely phenomenal and we are so grateful for his energy, message and amazing keynote to kick off the Symposium! The audience loved his presentation and he was a super professional from start to finish. - Destination Canada
  • The best speaker we’ve had since Malcolm Gladwell. - Deputy Exective Director, American Gem Society
  • David’s keynotes inspire everyone with the transformational power of values. - CEO, IMEX Group
  • Phenomenal. People were raving! - VP Global Public Relations, Hines
  • Freddie Mercury, Winston Churchill, Tony Robbins and Seth Godin all rolled into one! - Managing Director of Business Development, MJ Hudson
  • Extremely well received and already getting our people to think differently! - COO, Meeting Professionals International

Speaker Biography

After decades of helping big brands engage people, David Allison recognized that demographics weren’t working like before. Gender roles were blurred, age has nothing to do with how we behave, and our income doesn’t change what’s in our hearts. Instead, our values drive our behavior and our shared values that engage people and influence outcomes. So he launched the Valuegraphics Project to turn human values into data and create a revolutionary new approach to inspiring action – with the enormous power of shared human values.

Today, after nearly a million surveys in 152 languages, David is the world’s foremost human values expert, with two best-selling books and an international speaking career. Innovative organizations like PayPal, Lululemon, and the United Nations Foundation use David’s data to connect with people in new, more profound ways – by honoring what they value. He coined the term valuegraphics to describe his unique approach to understanding people, which now appears next to demographics in textbooks used on campuses worldwide. Valuegraphics have been featured in Forbes, INC Magazine, and the Harvard Business Review, and his latest book, The Death of Demographics, was hailed by critics as “Convincing, insightful, and…revolutionary.”

He’s developed an entirely new and powerful way to address any issue, and seize any opportunity by leaning deep into a fundamental human truth: we are what we value. His highly engaging and passionate keynote delivery, combined with game-changing insights, make his keynote presentations entirely unique can’t-miss events.

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