WHY?
Prior
to rowing the Atlantic he was only a novice rower and had
never been to sea. Prior to starting
his preparations for his Arctic Challenge he had never skied
and had never been further north than Leeds!
Norman
sees his Arctic Challenge as a way of inspiring others
to follow
their dreams. Norman explains: “It’s within
most of us to achieve the extraordinary. With commitment,
thorough preparation, hard work and a little bit of passion
anything is
possible”.
The psychological
tests of such challenges appeals to Norman, it’s
very much a case of mind over matter. They are as much
psychological challenges as they are physical ones.
Norman was
inspired by various people including his old
PE teacher Roger Ramsbottom and the Olympic rower Sir
Steve Redgrave. He now hopes to pass on a small
bit of inspiration to others by demonstrating, no matter
who
you are,
that it doesn’t
have to be “other people” that do these sort
of things.
THE TALKS
If you would
like Norman to give a talk to your business, school or organisation
please do not hesitate
to contact
him.
He has given
talks to many organisations from primary schools to blue chip
companies. The talks vary from
the purely
educational to the motivational and can be tailored
to meet your needs. 
For
a list of themes and topics please contact Norman.
The emotion
of Norman’s
experiences always come across and the talks have
been described as “entertaining” and “inspirational”.
Audiences are left in no doubt about their own
ability to achieve the extraordinary.
For
his Ocean row he
had two challenges. One was to row the Atlantic
and the other, and greater of the two, was
to get to the start line prepared and ready
to go. He started from scratch with only a
dream and a passion to row the Atlantic. He
was not in a privileged position to fund it
himself and had no wealthy benefactors or access
to other funds.
He set up his project under the name ‘Atlantic
2001’ and ran it as a business. This
involved raising over £80,000, building
and fitting out a plywood boat, hours of research,
all the physical and mental preparation, the
testing and trialling of equipment & food,
organising PR and fund raising events, building
a support network, recruiting a strong support
team, the logistics… the list goes on.
Norman
powerfully illustrates his talk with slides
and video footage, and covers
all the
highs and lows of an emotional voyage that
pushed him to his psychological and physical
limits. The emotion of Norman’s experiences
always come across and the talks have been
described as “moving”, “humorous”, “entertaining” and “inspirational”.
Credits include:
x
Lecture at the University of Bath
x Chamber of Commerce President's
Lunch (“The Power of Positive Thinking”)
x Grant Thornton
x National Power
x Swindon College’s Graduation ceremony
(gave the Key Address)
TALK TESTIMONIALS
(a selection from business leaders)
“Your
story was fascinating and I found myself wanting
to know more than the time allowed you to share.
Your courage and determination are inspiring
but what was particularly appealing was your
message that ordinary people can do extraordinary
things. In a world where many people feel helpless
and hopeless, there is a crying need for us to
be reminded of what the human spirit can do.” “I
was stunned both by your rowing achievement,
and by the powerful emotion with which you
related it. You represent an incredible icon
not just of the Swindon community, but also
of the human race, to continue to stretch yourself
and push the envelope further out.”
“It
was fascinating to hear about your adventure
and I should think getting to the North Pole
would be easy by comparis “I’m sure there must be many, many more experiences to share (don’t forget about the book!). Many people that I’ve
met in business and socially talk about
the power of positive thinking but rarely
is it backed up by any real substance of
achievement. It was a great pleasure to
hear the talk AND see the experience that
went with it.”
“A
very entertaining and enlightening
presentation. The feedback I have received
has been very positive”
BIO
Norman
Butler lives with his young family in
Swindon.
His
interests include sport, politics,
community work and
music.
He is a member of Mensa and the British
Mounataineering Council
Born
1964, Bucks. Educated at the local Grammar
School,
competing in tennis, rugby, basketball,
rifle shooting, chess, cricket and cross-country.
Selected to play basketball for his county.
After six years of Greek, Latin and a
more than full curriculum and his time
at the University of Essex he took a
break from the academic life.
After
a spell in a group he
formed with old school mates he managed
and promoted a locally acclaimed group.
He also turned his hand to various entrepreneurial
ventures,
which included the provision of security
for a respected live music venue
and later Wembley Stadium.
His professional career in Finace gave
him the opportunity to work for many
of the top companies in the country including
ABN Foods, EMI, Zurich, Motorola and
National Power.
In 2001 he rowed the Atlantic unassisted.
In
2003 he was a member of 4 man team
that was taking part in a polar expedition
to the Magnetic North Pole. As team
leader he took on responsibility for
organising the training, team building
and logitics.
He is now Senior Consultant for his
own Speaker and Event Promotion business,
C&S Elite. He is a member of the
Swindon Chamber of Commerce.
RECOGNITIONS
x Presented with a "People Of Wiltshire Award"
x Guest of Honour at Swindon College’s
Graduation ceremony
x Invited to meet Royalty at Buckingham Palace
x Guest of Honour at Swindon Town Football Club
x Public acknowledgement of his achievements by Sir Steve Redgrave
“Your
Atlantic Ocean crossing ... was a great achievement for someone who had no
previous rowing background. You
showed great strength, courage
and dedication. I am sure
you have inspired many people not only in your local community, but also throughout
the country.”
Sir Steve Redgrave CBE
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