"All The Great Speakers Were Bad Speakers At First."

– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Public speaking: A skill you need

In surveys conducted by Microsoft, Fast Company, LinkedIn, Forbes and others, senior executives were asked about the skills they look for in future leaders of their organizations. Consistently at the top was the ability to speak well in public.

If you can communicate an idea in a manner that is clear, compelling and memorable, you will make an impact. You will have more opportunities, personally and professionally, and you will be highly sought after.

Many people say, “Yes, I know public speaking is important, but I’ve never been a good speaker.” I always tell them what the American poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “All the great speakers were bad speakers at first.”

If you want to improve your public speaking and presentation skills or those of your team; if you are looking for a keynote speaker or moderator for your next event; if you would like to boost your team’s collaboration and creativity skills through the world of improv, let’s talk.

How can we work together?

Coaching

Training / Coaching

I offer one-day and two-day courses that give participants the skills and insights they need to become powerful communicators who make an impact and produce stunning results. From preparation to structure to delivery, we will cover the A to Z of public speaking.

I also coach individuals one-on-one. Whether you want to improve specific speaking skills or are working on an important speech or presentation, I will help you achieve your goals.

Keynotes

If you have a major conference, event or summit planned and you’re looking for a dynamic, inspiring speaker, let’s talk. I bring my energy and experience, my storytelling and passion to every speech I deliver. I want to challenge my audiences with thought-provoking ideas that stick long after they have left the venue. Topics include: being bold and taking risks; corporate creativity; service; and the power of public speaking. In addition, I work with clients to create bespoke keynote addresses.
Public speaking
Speaking at a conference

Moderation

A good moderator is the glue that holds a conference together. As a moderator, your job is to make other people shine. You have to work with the organizers, speakers, technicians and others to make sure that they have what they need to do their jobs with confidence. You also have to create an engaging atmosphere for the audience and keep everything on schedule. I love being a moderator and have chaired conferences from Toronto to Geneva to Buenos Aires. If you are looking for an experienced moderator for your next event, let’s talk.

Improv

Improvisational comedy or “improv” teaches skills such as quick thinking, cooperation, active listening, creativity and leadership. When these skills are applied in business, it's no longer “business as usual.” Improv principles are relevant for professional development and can help you be a better leader, manager, colleague and speaker. That’s why improv is now taught at leading business schools and companies around the world. An improv workshop could be just what your team is looking for.

Clients

Testimonials

Testimonials

"John delivered a keynote address about the importance of public speaking to 80 senior members of Gore’s Medical Device Europe team at an important sales event. He was informative, engaging and inspirational. Everyone was motivated to improve their public speaking skills. Following his keynote, John has led public speaking workshops for Gore in Barcelona and Munich. He is an outstanding speaker who thinks carefully about the needs of his audience well before he steps on stage."
Karsta Goetze
TA Leader, Gore and Associates
"I first got in touch with John while preparing to speak at TED Global about my work on ProtonMail. John helped me to sharpen the presentation and get on point faster, making the talk more focused and impactful. My speech was very well received, has since reached almost 1.8 million people and was successful in explaining a complex subject (email encryption) to a general audience."
Andy Yen
CEO, Proton Technologies
"One of the most knowledgeable trainers I have met in 20 years of team coaching. John invests a huge amount of his personal time in perfecting his craft through reading, writing, research and, most important, practical experience. A true pleasure to work with."
Tony Anagor
Managing Director, Lifestyle DMC - Corporate Events Specialists
"John gave the opening keynote on the second day of our unit’s recent offsite in Geneva, addressing an audience of 100+ attendees with a wealth of tips and techniques to deliver powerful, memorable presentations. I applied some of these techniques the very next week in an internal presentation, and I’ve been asked to give that presentation again to senior management, which has NEVER happened before. John is one of the greatest speakers I know and I can recommend his services without reservation."
David Lindelöf
Senior Data Scientist, Expedia Group
"After a morning of team building activities using improvisation as the conduit, John came on stage to close the staff event which was organised in Chamonix, France. His energy and presence were immediately felt by all the members of staff. The work put into the preparation of his speech was evident and by sharing some his own stories, he was able to conduct a closing inspirational speech which was relevant, powerful and impactful for all at IRU. The whole team left feeling engaged and motivated to tackle the 2019 objectives ahead. Thank you, John."
Umberto de Pretto
Secretary General, World Road Transport Organization
"Be BOLD. Those two words got stuck in my head and in the heads of all those ADP leaders and associates that had the privilege to see John on stage. He was our keynote speaker at our annual convention in Barcelona, and his message still remains! John puts his heart in every word. Few speakers are so credible, humble and yet super strong with large audiences!"
Guadalupe Garcia
Senior Director and Talent Partner, ADP International
rethoric-game

A Public Speaking Game

Rhetoric – The Public Speaking Game™

Public speaking. The mere thought of it can set hearts pounding! And yet, being able to communicate one’s ideas in public is an important and sought-after skill.

Rhetoric – The Public Speaking Game™ will help you become a better speaker and have fun in the process!

RHETORIC will challenge, engage and entertain you with a series of public speaking tasks. You and your fellow players will step onto the stage and take turns delivering a series of short speeches, as determined by the squares on which you land.

For the past few years, people around the world have played the board game version RHETORIC in companies, organizations and homes. RHETORIC is now available as an app. RHETORIC is now available as a multilingual app. For more information, please visit rhetoricgame.com.

Testimonials

John delivered a keynote address about the importance of public speaking to 80 senior members of Gore’s Medical Device Europe team at an important sales event. He was informative, engaging and inspirational. Everyone was motivated to improve their public speaking skills. Following his keynote, John has led public speaking workshops for Gore in Barcelona and Munich. He is an outstanding speaker who thinks carefully about the needs of his audience well before he steps on stage.

Karsta Goetze

TA Leader, Gore and Associates

I first got in touch with John while preparing to speak at TED Global about my work on ProtonMail. John helped me to sharpen the presentation and get on point faster, making the talk more focused and impactful. My speech was very well received, has since reached almost 1.8 million people and was successful in explaining a complex subject (email encryption) to a general audience.

Andy Yen

CEO, Proton Technologies

John gave the opening keynote on the second day of our unit’s recent offsite in Geneva, addressing an audience of 100+ attendees with a wealth of tips and techniques to deliver powerful, memorable presentations. I applied some of these techniques the very next week in an internal presentation, and I’ve been asked to give that presentation again to senior management, which has NEVER happened before. John is one of the greatest speakers I know and I can recommend his services without reservation.

David Lindelöf

Senior Data Scientist, Expedia Group

After a morning of team building activities using improvisation as the conduit, John came on stage to close the staff event which was organised in Chamonix, France. His energy and presence were immediately felt by all the members of staff. The work put into the preparation of his speech was evident and by sharing some his own stories, he was able to conduct a closing inspirational speech which was relevant, powerful and impactful for all at IRU. The whole team left feeling engaged and motivated to tackle the 2019 objectives ahead. Thank you, John.

Umberto de Pretto

Secretary General, World Road Transport Organization

I was expecting a few speaking tips and tricks and a few fun exercises, but you went above and beyond – and sideways. You taught me to stand tall. You taught me to anchor myself. You taught me to breathe. You taught me to open up. You taught me to look people in the eye. You taught me to tell the truth. You taught me to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. I got more than I bargained for in the best possible way.

Thuy Khoc-Bilon

World Cancer Day Campaign Manager, Union for International Cancer Control

John gave a brilliant presentation on public speaking during the UN EMERGE programme in Geneva (a two days workshop on leadership development for a group of female staff members working in the UN organizations in Geneva). His talk was inspirational and practical, thanks to the many techniques and tips he shared with the audience. His teaching can dramatically change our public speaking performance and enable us as presenters to have a real and powerful impact. Thank you, John, for your great contribution!

Sara Canna

HR Specialist, World Health Organization

John is a genuine communication innovator. His seminars on gamification of public speaking learning and his interactive Rhetoric game at our conference set the tone for change and improvement in our organisation. The quality of his input, the impact he made with his audience and his effortlessly engaging style made it easy to get on board with his core messages and won over some delegates who were extremely skeptical as to the efficacy of games for learning. I simply cannot recommend him highly enough.

Thomas Scott

National Education Director, Association of Speakers Clubs UK

John joined our Global Sales Meeting in Segovia, Spain and we all participated in his "Improv(e) your Work!" session. I say “all” because it really was all interactive, participatory, learning and enjoyable. The session surprised everybody and was a fresh-air activity that brought a lot of self-reflection and insights to improve trust and confidence in each other inside our team. It´s all about communication and a good manner of speaking!"

Jon Lopez

General Manager Europe, Hayward Industries

Thank you very much for the excellent presentation skills session. The feedback I received was very positive. Everyone enjoyed the good mix of listening to your speech, co-developing a concrete take-away and the personal learning experience. We all feel more devoted to the task ahead, more able to succeed and an elevated team spirit. Delivering this in a short time, both in session and in preparation, is outstanding!

Henning Dehler

CFO European Dairy Supply Chain & Operations, Danone

Thanks to John’s excellent workshop, I have learned many important tips and techniques to become an effective public speaker. John is a fantastic speaker and teacher, with extensive knowledge of the field. His workshop was a great experience and has proven extremely useful for me in my professional and personal life.

Eric Thuillard

Senior Sales Manager, Sunrise Communications

John’s presentation skills training was a terrific investment of my time. I increased my skills in this important area and feel more comfortable when speaking to an audience. John provided the right mix between theory and practice.

Diego Brait

Director of the Jura Region, BKW Energie AG

Be BOLD. Those two words got stuck in my head and in the heads of all those ADP leaders and associates that had the privilege to see John on stage. He was our keynote speaker at our annual convention in Barcelona, and his message still remains! John puts his heart in every word. Few speakers are so credible, humble and yet super strong with large audiences!

Guadalupe Garcia

Senior Director and Talent Partner, ADP International