Corporate, Public, and Academic Speaking
I speak regularly within academia, and I am a keynote speaker for companies, trade groups, and associations. If you are interested in having me speak to your organization or at an event, email me (prof.simons@gmail.com) or contact my speaking agent, Tom Neilssen.

TOM NEILSSEN
BrightSightGroup Speakers

268 Wall Street
Princeton, NJ 08540
(609) 924-3060
tom@brightsightspeakers.com
www.brightsightspeakers.com
Talk Topics
All of my presentations involve interactive demonstrations, practical examples, and compelling stories, backed by scientific evidence. My academic presentations typically focus on failures of visual awareness, especially the limits of perception, attention, and memory. My non-academic speaking touches on similar themes, but with a more practical focus. I speak on a number of topics, and can customize a presentation or workshop to fit the needs of your audience. Keynote speaking topics include, among others:
  • Nobody's Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We can Do About It: This talk describes how those looking take advantage of us weaponize our otherwise effective cognitive habits, skills, and tendencies - and what we can do to counteract them.
  • The Invisible Gorilla: What We See And What We Miss: This talk explores why your customers might not notice your vivid and memorable message and what you can do about it.
  • Invisible Gorilla Leadership: This talk addresses the many ways that faulty perceptions and mistaken assumptions can undermine effective leadership, and helps leaders to better see the world as it really is.
  • The Gorilla in the Operating Room: This talk shows how effective medical decision making, by everyone from nurses and doctors to insurers and policymakers, requires understanding when to trust your intuition and "go with your gut" and when to take a step back and think twice.
You can read more complete descriptions of each of these talks and learn more about them on my speakers page at the BrightSight Group.
Talk Examples
TEDxUIUC (Feb. 2011): Seeing The World As It ISN'T
TEDxUIUC (Apr. 2010): Counter-Intuition