Tim Gard, CSP, CPAE, is an internationally acclaimed Hall of Fame speaker, master storyteller, author, and pioneer in the use of humor to transform stress into strength, improve communication, and make learning unforgettable.
With nearly three decades of professional speaking experience and more than 4,000 presentations worldwide—from Texas to Tasmania, Tim has mastered the art of turning everyday experiences into extraordinary learning opportunities that educate, entertain, and inspire.
A recipient of the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation and an inductee of the Speaker Hall of Fame (CPAE), Tim was also honored in Washington, D.C., in 2026 as a Living Legend in the Speaking Profession.
Having worked with dental professionals, Tim understands the importance of effective communication, positive workplace humor, leadership, and resilience in today’s dental practices.
TWO SESSIONS
Presenting on Dentist & Team Days
Course Title: Change the Game: Using Humor, Perspective, and Purpose to Transform Stress into Strength
What if the secret to handling stress, difficult people, and unexpected challenges wasn’t changing your circumstances—but changing the way you see them?
Join internationally acclaimed Hall of Fame speaker Tim Gard, CSP, CPAE, for a hilarious, thought-provoking, and surprisingly practical experience that will change the way you look at everyday life. Through unforgettable stories, laugh-out-loud demonstrations, and powerful insights, Tim reveals how humor and a fresh perspective can transform frustration into opportunity, improve communication, strengthen relationships, and help us become more resilient. Designed for dentists and dental team members, this presentation delivers tools you can use immediately at work, at home, and everywhere else.
You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you may never look at life’s little frustrations quite the same way again. The game changes the moment you see another possibility!
Learning Objectives:
Recognize common sources of workplace and personal stress and describe how
individual perspective influences responses to stressful situations.
Identify how automatic reactions, assumptions, and habitual thinking patterns can
interfere with effective communication and problem-solving.
Apply perspective-shifting techniques to approach challenging situations with greater
flexibility and resilience.
Distinguish between appropriate, constructive humor and humor that may damage
professional relationships or workplace trust.
Describe how positive humor can support rapport, interpersonal communication, and a
more constructive team environment.
Use practical listening and communication strategies to reduce misunderstandings and
unnecessary conflict.
Identify opportunities to respond more intentionally to difficult patients, colleagues,
family members, and unexpected circumstances.
Develop personal strategies for incorporating positive humor, perspective, and purposeful
responses into everyday professional and personal situations.
AGD Subject Code: 550; Practice Management and Human Relations
Presenting on Key Opinion Leaders, Speakers, & Coaches Day
Course Title: Finding the Funny: Discover Your Unique Humor Voice and Make Your Presentations Unforgettable!
You don’t have to be a comedian to be funny! Join Hall of Fame speaker and humor expert Tim Gard, CSP, CPAE, for a highly interactive, laugh-out-loud workshop designed to help dentists discover and develop their own authentic humor voice. Through entertaining demonstrations and live, one-on-one hot-seat coaching, Tim helps participants uncover the humor hiding in their everyday experiences, clinical stories, and presentations. Learn how to use timing, delivery, and perspective to connect with audiences, make complex information memorable, and add humor naturally without telling jokes or compromising professionalism.
Whether you’re an experienced dental speaker or just beginning your speaking journey, you’ll leave with practical techniques to make your presentations more engaging, entertaining, and uniquely yours. You don’t have to BE funny to FIND the funny—you just have to know where to look!
Learning Objectives:
Identify characteristics of their individual humor style and recognize opportunities for
appropriate humor in professional presentations.
Describe the fundamental elements of effective humor, including incongruity,
perspective, timing, and delivery.
Differentiate between constructive, inclusive humor and humor that may undermine
professionalism, trust, or audience relationships.
Apply techniques for identifying and developing humorous material from everyday
professional and personal experiences.
Demonstrate how pauses, vocal variety, facial expressions, body language, and word
choice influence humorous delivery.
Evaluate and refine a personal story or presentation segment to incorporate appropriate,
authentic humor.
Apply humor-based communication techniques to dental education, patient interactions,
and professional speaking.
AGD Subject Code: 770; Self-Improvement