Useful insights
“Whenever Col speaks, the energy lifts—his enthusiasm is legendary. He has intelligence, relevance, wit, authenticity and panache like none other. I love this guy!”
Insight • Energy • Action
If I had to to summarise my intentions as a speaker in three words, they would be Insight, Energy, and Action.
In a world awash with so much data we’re often unable to sort the wheat from the chaff, insight is indispensable. It’s not about being clever, it’s about being relevant. There’s too many options, too many opinions, too many sources of information… it’s no wonder people struggle to keep up. My goal is to do the hard work of sifting through all that information on their behalf, and share only the most relevant and useful insights from the entirety of human knowledge in my fields of specialisation.
Where results are concerned, insight isn’t enough. In a world obsessed with time management, I think energy is desperately under-rated. Asked if they’d be more productive with unlimited time or unlimited energy, almost everyone responds with ‘energy’, and yet the modern environment is an absolute energy-vampire. Rigid calendars, endless meetings, 360 degree feedback and the ever presence of social media all suck the energy and vitality out of people. For the few minutes I’m with them, I do my best to pour energy back in.
Of course, all this is pointless unless action is the outcome. The most satisfying and affirming feedback I receive for my presentations comes not in the moments afterwards, when people say it was funny, informative, or entertaining. The feedback I appreciate the most comes in the days, weeks and months that follow, when I receive messages and emails from people just to say “hey, I put that idea you shared into action, and it’s making a real difference in my life”. Everything I do intends to help people create a new and better future for themselves.
(Note: For reasons of global calamity, I haven’t stood on a conference stage in over 12 months. There’s a selection of photos of this page which reflect an earlier reality. But no matter! I actually love presenting online too… possibilities are created which are incredibly rewarding to explore).
To be entrusted with the attention of hundreds or thousands of people at once is an incredible honour and responsibility. The opportunity cost of such a moment is enormous. Every single person in the audience has a job, a business, family, friends or hobby into which they could be usefully spending their time instead. Whatever the tangible expenses of a conference (whether live or virtual), they pale in comparison to the true cost: the investment of the time, energy and attention of the audience.
It is with that in mind that my approach to public speaking is very pragmatic. Whilst I do admit to being a ‘motivational speaker’ on my customs declaration form, I prefer to think of myself as an activational speaker. Providing inspiration and entertainment is simply the price of entry for speaking at a conference. The real goal is changing the internal state of the audience, and provoking them to not just consider but actively begin creating a new and better future for themselves.
“There are very few people who take the stage and you simply can’t take your eyes off of them. Col is one of those people.
He has a gift for taking a complex idea, distilling it down to its essence without losing the nuance, and delivering the message with sharp humor and unforgettable stories.”
“Col is an outstanding teacher and presenter. He is incredibly articulate and is able to distill complex concepts into bite-sized, really manageable parts. He is deeply knowledgable, enthusiastic and humble - a lovely combination.”
The truth is that designing and executing a successful conference is an absolutely herculean task. I’m filled with admiration for those that can pull it off, and I’m acutely aware of the need for speakers to adapt to the ever-evolving needs of the conference industry.
Like all professional speakers, I have a couple of presentations “in the can” which can be delivered with total confidence at a moment’s notice, but really I love to be adaptive and integrative. I love conferences that treat their delegates as more than bums on seats. I love working with organisers that want to push the envelope and create experiences for delegates that deliver real impact and value.
If you are designing an event with a particular focus or intent, and you’re worried that a ‘cut-n-paste’ presentation isn’t going to work, I’d love to spend 30 minutes with you discussing your vision for the event. I’ve spent nearly a decade contributing to collective experiences, and I remain utterly enthralled by the challenge of generating a magical shared experience.
If you’re a conference organiser driven by real belief in your event, I’d love to work with you to help you create something amazing.
“Col is one of the most engaging presenters I have seen. I admire his ability to take complex ideas and turn them into actionable activities that not only increase my awareness in the moment, but also lead to meaningful action. I highly recommend him.”
“Col has the amazing ability to transfer energy to people.”
Presentation topics
Presenting for profit
A well executed presentation is almost certainly the highest leverage moment of a knowledge worker's year. There's not another 30 minute stretch of time that can influence one's fortunes as profoundly as a well-designed and well-delivered speech. 30 minutes on stage can dramatically improve your career prospects; or inspire your team to finish a big project; or attract enough clientele to fill your pipeline for a year.
As subject-matter experts, professionals (lawyers, accountants, consultants, scientists, researchers, etc) are often given the chance to share their insights through public speaking, and yet rarely do they realise the true commercial potential of their time on stage.
It’s the most commonly missed opportunity in professional services
Getting good at public speaking is like a cheat code to commercial success. What was once a tough slog can become effortless, even easy. The task of securing client work, raising your profile and becoming more and more integral to the success of your firm is made vastly easier when you combine competent communication skills with a little strategic nous.
The problem is, when it comes to public speaking, we’re so fixated on not being bad that we never identify how to be good. We spend so much time and energy worried about what we’re going to say, we don’t think about how the audience is going to react in the days and weeks following our speech.
In this presentation, I love using humour and storytelling to help members of the audience deconstruct some of their anxiety around public speaking, and envisage a new way of preparing for a speech. His goal is that every member of the audience be more entertaining, more likeable, and more profitable next time they take the stage.
Tribe of Learning
In every industry and every business, people are the key. Leadership, engagement, motivation, and productivity are frustratingly inexact sciences, and yet we continue to invest deeply in each of them because the return on investment for each is so high. Leadership that produces engagement, motivation and productivity is one of the most powerful opportunities for leverage in business.
Progress through paradox
Workshop sessions
Honestly, among keynote presenters it’s considered slightly uncool to get booked to run workshops sessions, but you know what? I don’t care. I love the more intimate environment, the increased interaction, and the opportunity to let others share more of their stories and perspectives. I love to work collaboratively with the audience to unpack something complex, uncover new insights, and co-create a practical plan to make an impact in their world… with the first steps completed right there in the session.
If you want to explore really pushing the boundaries of progress at your next conference, there’s nothing I love more than creating a space for possibility for people, and encouraging them to step up and do it.
Articles For Humans
