Clare Murphy is a world-renowned storyteller, best known for becoming the proud Director of Story for Mission Critical Team Institute. Having begun her professional career as a talented actress, she utilises her on-stage experience to captivate audiences with her complex stories. Known for covering all kinds of fascinating topics, from Irish mythology to quantum physics, her performances are treasured by audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Now passionate about educating audiences on the power of narrative, Claire has become a popular speaker for events of all kinds.
A natural-born performer, Clare secured her first acting role in Rosie, Slow Dance on the Killing Ground for the Shadow Theatre Company in 1999. Passionate to learn more about the common themes utilised within the acting community, she completed a BA Hon International Degree in English, Spanish, Philosophy, Sociology, and Politics at the University of Galway before becoming the proud founder of Story Night. Admired for her captivating storytelling, Clare was selected to become an International Storyteller for the Crick Crack Club in 2008 and has continued to advance upon her storytelling success ever since.
In 2009, Clare became the renowned founder and Host of Myth Off, a storytelling event where the performers are pitched against each other under a theme and the audience votes on the winner. Alongside this, she is currently working as a Storyteller in Residence for several creative organisations, including the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture, the University of The Arts London, and the NHS South West Leadership Academy. Since 2020, Clare has served as the Director of Story for Mission Critical Team Institute, allowing her work to go beyond performance into the realms of teaching, training, and consulting.
A leading authority in her field, Clare Murphy is now highly sought-after to attend speaking engagements internationally. With experience performing at multiple world events, including the National Storytelling Festival, the Watch This Space Festival and StorySpark at the Ark, her versatility and professionalism as a storyteller are truly one-of-a-kind throughout the industry. When looking to hire an inspirational speaker to attend your upcoming events, do not hesitate to hire Clare today.
How to hire Clare Murphy
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Clare Murphy for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Clare Murphy's official speaking topics are listed below:
How to Stop Telling Boring Stories
Delivered in one hour, this is a hilarious interactive keynote. Everyone knows what boring speaking looks like, and everyone is terrified it'll be them. It comes down to the belief that we're either natural both storytellers or we're not. The truth is that yes some people are born with a skill for story, but the rest learn it. It's a muscle and it can be improved with practice. That practice is delivered playfully by Clare. Your fears will dissolve in laughter as you understand how the skills of storytelling can easily be applied. She delivers straightforward tools to help anyone tell a great story. These skills make team meetings more bearable, speeches enjoyable and let's face it, life worth living. The fear of public speaking is quite high in the list of fears, often placed above the fear of death, but never above the fear of spiders. Clare's work will dismantle those fears and put passion and communication at the heart of your delivery. You won't realise until later how much you've learned along the way.
Key Takeaways:
- Increased confidence in delivery
- Embodied practice of telling a story
- Tools to manage your fear/nerves of public speaking
- The building blocks to tell a good story
The Power of Narrative
What if the Power of Narrative was in your hands? What if you could turn on the cinema of the minds of your audiences? In this keynote, Clare takes you on a journey exploring the power that stories have always had throughout human history. She delves into the immense capacity the story has to change the world for the better (or blow it up). Understanding the Power of Narrative is fundamental on a human, organisational and world level. Stories have been a part of human culture and communication for 100,000 years. Our brains have evolved to make meaning out of the world through stories. Clare explores the transformational journeys that stories take us on. She unpacks the role empathy plays in creating loyalty, trust, connection and community. When people care, they invest when they invest, they remember when they remember they carry your story forward. This keynote will illuminate how a story is a force for transformational good in the world; from inspiring people with Alzheimer's to speak, to supporting internationally displaced people to find strength and encouraging veterans who've lost limbs to empower a new generation with their resilience and integrity. The story is the vehicle that carries meaning from one generation to the next. When we understand that, we can change the world.
Key Takeaways:
- Strategies for using story at work
- Belief in the power of narrative
- A greater personal relationship to narrative
- Inspiration to use a story in work and life
How Story Builds Powerful Team Culture
In this keynote, Clare highlights how attending to the story of your organisation will make you a stronger team. Whether it is in a one-to-one, a group or as a leader, using story will create a healthier team culture. A notable example is a team from Quantico, who've started to bring in fireside telling as part of their leadership training course for military police. When you have a culture where you can't tell the stories of what has happened or is happening, you can choke out the team's capacity for growth, belonging and connection. Story-work allows for the exploration of the whole team and the whole human. Clare explains that the trick is to take away the idea that storytelling is this longwinded Kumbaya kind of thing and shows how to start using stories with intentionality. This will increase empathy, appreciation, understanding and reflection within your team. When we attend to the Story of our organisation that means we understand our origins. We understand where we've come from and where we want to go. If you don't know who you are as an organisation then someone else will tell your story better than you do. It's time to take the Power of Story into your team and into your culture.
Key Takeaways:
- Strategies for micro changes in your team culture
- Learn how to create small moments that lead to significant change
- Harness the power of all the different stories of your team
- Activate the use of story today to increase team cohesion, connection and success
Belonging, Community & Story - How We Belong to Each Other
There is a huge lack of community in the world at the moment and it's time to create the change together. Clare weaves her magic in this keynote that focuses on what it means to affirm and reaffirm community wherever we find it with storytelling as the key. We have to design a culture that creates belonging. True community is about Connection, Belonging and Becoming (Sacred Design Lab). Acting as a guide, Clare unpacks how a community comes from the connections we make and reaffirms them regularly. One of the most effective ways to create these connections is through Story. Join Clare as she shares stories of some of the greatest teams in the world who know and do this. Even in time-poor high-stress environments, these teams prioritise stories to reinforce a healthy culture. Significant change happens when stories are told in a community that cares to listen. Bonding, healing and transformation take place.
Key Takeaways:
- Deep understanding of how a simple story can make a mighty difference to the people around you.
- Knowledge that the elite teams in the world are doing it as best practice.
- Stories as transformation tools for the entire community.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Clare is one of my favourite guests I've ever spoken to on this podcast. I would definitely be asking her back. She is a professional storyteller, deeply knowledgable and passionate about storytelling as an art form and an astounding storyteller and an incredibly interesting person." - Blindboy
"Clare is one of the best-received speakers we've ever welcomed to Leaders." - Leaders Performance Institute
"To say the team was inspired was an understatement... there was a total transformation in the belief that THEY too could tell great stories and capture the hearts and minds of an audience." - Staffbase
"Clare has inspired many hundreds through both an outstanding workshop series and as curator of the Slow Swimming Club." - NHS Leadership Academy
"Clare will inspire you when you work with her. She has immense capacity to captivate an audience through raw talent and cultivated expertise." - Refugee Action
- 2023 - Creator of Storytelling: A 2-day Foundation course at Brigit's Garden, Galway
- 2021 - Storyteller In Residence at the NHS South West Leadership Academy
- 2020 - Director of Story at Mission Critical Team Institute
- 2014 - Guest Lecturer at the University of The Arts London
- 2014 - Associate with the National Theatre Learning Department
- 2013 - TheatreWorks Trainer at National Theatre Theatreworks
- 2013 - Storyteller in Residence at the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture
- 2009 - Founder and Host of Myth Off
- 2008 - International Storyteller at the Crick Crack Club
- 2006 - Founder of Story Night
