Judy Bowen is one of the most accomplished speakers I've ever coached. She speaks around the world on human-centred design. She knows her craft. So when she told me I'd inadvertently helped her with a keynote for Brazil, I paid attention. I'd introduced the Audience Promise to all my TEDxRuakura speakers at a workshop. It's a simple exercise: imagine your talk is done. The audience is applauding. Now ask three questions: 1. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴? 2. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴? 3. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼? Not as a script. As a commitment to yourself. Sometime after the workshop, Judy came back to me. She'd applied the Audience Promise to that keynote she had been struggling with. And it brought the whole talk together. A few weeks later, she delivered it in Brazil to a fantastic response. Here's what struck me: Judy didn't need the framework because she was inexperienced. She needed it because she was stuck. Even world-class speakers need a way to realign Think, Feel, and Act into one coherent equation. The Audience Promise isn't for beginners. It's for anyone who cares about the outcome their words create. Do you have a framework you return to when a talk or pitch just won't come together? 😉

I'll call him Stephen. He'd written books. Run corporate workshops for years. He knew how to command a room, or so he thought. Stephen was selected for our TEDx event because he had a powerful idea backed by a compelling personal story. But when he delivered his first draft, none of that came through. It was too corporate. Too plastic. Written to project authority rather than create connection. 𝗜𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗽𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗶𝗴. I pushed back. Hard. I told him the techniques were fine, but the talk had no soul. He needed to bring in his own story. Show some vulnerability. Let the audience see the human behind the expertise. This was uncomfortable for him. He'd spent years building an authoritative persona. Letting that guard down felt risky. But he trusted me. And he did the work. The final version opened with a personal story—relatable, vulnerable, real. Within the first minute, the audience was with him. Not because he dominated the room. Because he invited them in. The talk was a success. Afterward, Stephen thanked me and said it would change how he approached every talk and workshop going forward. Here's what I've learned coaching speakers: the ones who try to project authority often create distance. The ones willing to show humanity create connection. Polished delivery without genuine connection is just performance. And audiences can feel the difference. As Eckhart Tolle put it: "𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩." Real authority doesn't come from dominating the room. It comes from serving it. Are you trying to impress your audience — or connect with them? 😉

Welcome to our new members: @Andrew Browning @Hanna Kinez @Stephen B. Henry @Robin Meder @Tim Atyeo @Araceli G (Sorry if I butchered any of your names!) This week I have a couple of Expert Resources interviews booked, I am coaching @Vince Rountree and we are making progress bringing his TEDx talk into focus. And I will be promoting some coaching over the next week or so. 😎 Have a great week! 😃

Tim Young spoke at TEDxRuakura in 2018. At 20, a snowboard accident left him confined to a wheelchair. Despite that, he earned his master's degree through online study, which sparked his passion for online education and educational games. His talk was technical. Education isn't the most exciting topic for most audiences. And without the ability to gesture or move, Tim couldn't rely on the tools most speakers take for granted. So we got creative. We changed the lighting at key moments to shift the energy. And Tim rapped a portion of his talk—no music, just clever wordplay—giving the audience a break from the technical content while still driving his point home. It worked. Tim connected with the room. At the break, he was one of the most popular speakers at the table. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆: 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲, 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 — 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝘁. Most speakers squander this privilege. They stand frozen or pace nervously, when they could be using movement as a tool. Three things to try: 𝗔𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Talk about the past on one side, the future on the other. The audience sees the transition — not just hears it. 𝗨𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. Spread your arms. Lean forward. A big gesture grabs attention and signals importance. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆. The body remembers what the mind forgets. When you blank on your next line, a practised gesture can bring it back. Tim found ways to connect without the tools most of us have. What is your favourite gesture or movement? 😉

I am stoked to have had this interview with Teri Kingston, one of Canada's top speaker coaches, where we go deep on what it takes to apply for a TEDx talk. To watch it go to the Classroom tab, click on the Experts Resources course, and click on 'Applying for TEDx with Teri Kingston'. And be sure to come back here and comment on what you found useful in the video. Also comment if there is someone else you know who would be good to put in the Expert Resources. @Jen Eriksen 👀 we may need to do one with you on the benefits of virtual events.