CARL HONORÉ
Voice of the Slow Movement
Age Disruptor
TED Speaker
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
Carl Honoré is an award-winning writer, broadcaster and TED speaker. He is the voice of the global Slow Movement.
His two main-stage TED Talks have racked up millions of views. His TED Course is entitled How to slow down. Carl travels the world to deliver powerful keynotes that put time and tempo in a whole new light. His counter-intuitive message is simple but game-changing: To thrive in a fast world, you have to slow down.
Published in 36 languages, his books have landed on bestseller lists in many countries. Post Book Club. Carl’s first book, In Praise of Slow, chronicles the global trend toward putting on the brakes in everything from work to food to parenting. Under Pressure, his second book, explores how to raise and educate children in a fast world and was hailed by Time as a “gospel of the Slow Parenting movement.”
In his third book, The Slow Fix, Carl explores how to tackle complex problems in every walk of life, from health and relationships to business and politics, without falling for superficial, short-term quick fixes.
Bolder: Making The Most Of Our Longer Lives, Carl’s latest book, explores ageing – how we can do it better and feel better about doing it. It’s a spirited manifesto against ageism.
Recently, Carl published his first children’s book: It’s The Journey, Not The Destination.
Carl featured in a series for BBC Radio 4 called The Slow Coach in which he helped frazzled, over-scheduled people slow down. He presented a television show called Frantic Family Rescue on Australia’s ABC 1. He also spent three years on the Board of Trustees of Hewitt School in New York City. In 2024, he was named an Advocate for Aging by the American Society for Aging and Next Avenue.
Carl is a father of two and lives in London. While researching his first book on slowness, he was slapped with a speeding ticket.
TOPICS
Slow down, Power up!
In the modern workplace, faster is often better. But not always. Sometimes slowing down is the best option. As The Economist put it: “Mastering the clock of business is about choosing when to be FAST and when to be SLOW.”
In any organisation, harnessing the power of SLOW will supercharge: Productivity, Creativity, Leadership, Decision making, Problem solving, Communication, Collaboration, Strategic thinking, Health, Purpose.
Finding Your Inner Tortoise
To thrive in a fast world, you have to slow down. Doing so will boost your health and bring more depth, pleasure and meaning to your life. It will also make you more creative and productive at work.
As the actress Mae West once said: "Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly." Using stories and research from around the world, Carl shows how to work, play and live better by unleashing your inner tortoise.
How to Age Better and Feel Better About Ageing
We are living better for longer than ever before. Scientists, artists and entrepreneurs are hitting their stride later in life. Pop culture, from movies to modelling to the media, is carving out more room for people past the first flush of youth. Bottom line: there has never been a better time in history to grow older.
Drawing on the latest science, personal experience and case studies from around the world, Carl inspires audiences to embrace ageing as both a privilege and an adventure.
Slow Education: Teaching Children in a Fast World
Drawing on examples from around the world, Carl shows how slowing down can supercharge a school: By building resilience, social skills and emotional intelligence. By boosting analysis, learning and debate.
By unleashing a creativity revolution. Carl also offers workshops for pupils of all ages and teachers. Attendees learn how to identify where the pressure to rush is coming from – and how to resist it. He shares practical steps for slowing down school life and bringing everyone (staff, parents, pupils) along for the ride..
How to Tap into the Power of a Multigenerational Workforce
Conventional wisdom tells us that an ageing workforce is a bad thing. Conventional wisdom is wrong. Older workers are productive, creative and socially adroit. They also have a strong yen to help others. No wonder mixed-age teams perform better on every metric.
Drawing on the latest research and on case studies from around the world, Carl shows how your organisation can thrive by embracing older staff and multigenerational working.
Slow Parenting: Helping Children Thrive in a Fast World
Children need the time and space to explore the world on their own terms, to play freely, to rest and reflect, to get bored even. Children need slowness. They also need us, as parents, to slow down.
Touching on themes ranging from technology and extracurricular activities to schooling and safety, Carl shows parents how to help their children live at the right pace.
