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? 😉

Most speakers want to start by introducing themselves and their topic. "Hi, I'm Emma Nicholson, and I'm a volcanologist. Today I want to talk about sustainable mining..." 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀. Instead, I tell my speakers to do one of two things: 𝟭. 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆. Emma's actual opening: "I'm crouched in the ice and snow on the side of a mountain with two delicate pieces of scientific equipment, desperately wishing I had a third arm. This was a bad time to discover that duct tape doesn't work in sub-zero temperatures..." You're hooked. You don't know who she is or what the talk is about yet—and you don't care. You're on that mountain with her. 𝟮. 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗿𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻. Emma could have started: "Mining is one of the most wasteful, inefficient processes on the planet. Tonnes of waste rock, massive energy expenditure. But what if we could suck the metal straight out of the magma—creating no waste, with far greater efficiency?" Now you're leaning in, wanting to know if this is even possible. Here's why this works: 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟱 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Starting with credentials or topic explanations is like starting a movie with the credits. Nobody came for that. Story or question. Middle of the action or the tension of possibility. That's how you earn the next 14 minutes.

Welcome! This community is here to help you communicate better with groups of people, on both live and virtual stages. Here are your next steps 👇 1. Start a free course: TEDx Speakers Bootcamp 2. Book your free 1-1 call: 3. Join the weekly coffee & chat calls: in the Calendar 4. Introduce yourself: Name, Country, and your goal. 5. Stay active: ask questions, help others, share wins, make friends, have fun! To your success! Chris 😃 PS: What’s your biggest goal for the next 30 days?