It can be scary to take a risk. But as the saying goes: No risk, no reward. Last month, I spoke at the 2025 edition of the Summer School of Rhetoric in Hämeenlinna, Finland. My talk was about how speakers can connect with their audiences when speaking. One of the
A sore throat is exactly what I was dealing with earlier this month in Hämeenlinna, Finland. I was speaking at the Summer School of Rhetoric (Retoriikan kesäkoulu). On 5 June, I ran a full-day workshop for 25 people and on 6 June, I gave a 40-minute talk to 200 people
Your movement on stage is important. Moving 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 on stage can be a simple, but powerful way to emphasize an idea. When you want to emphasize a positive idea, take a step or two forward. When you want to emphasize a negative idea, take a step or two
People often speak to me about the challenges that they face with their voice when when they present. In short, they say that they speak in a monotone voice and don’t know what to do about it. While there are many things that you can do to improve your voice,
Team presentations are dynamic. Having different speakers is a great way to showcase the skills and expertise of multiple individuals within an organization. However, to ensure that your team presentation is effective and engaging, it is essential that you pay attention to the transitions between presenters. Too often, they are
I had the good fortune to work with three dynamic individuals who have founded an exciting company in Munich, Germany. Among other things, I helped them with a three-minute pitch for funding from the European Union. While rehearsing for the pitch, they learned an important lesson, as I explain in
Imagine walking out your front door and there, right in front of you, is a giraffe. A living and breathing giraffe just standing there and looking straight at you. Your first questions will not be about the physiology of the giraffe, or the biological classification of the giraffe, or the
Charisma is not who you are. Charisma is what you do. Many people bemoan the fact that they “are not charismatic”. But this kind of thinking is not productive. Anyone can be more charismatic if they are willing to work at it. Because charisma is all about actions and behaviours.
There are three key words that every speaker needs to master. In many respects, they are the most important words that one can say on stage: “I”, “you” and “we”. Each has its place. “I” and its variants (“my”, etc.) “I” is all about the speaker and his or her
Karsta Goetze
TA Leader, Gore and Associates
Andy Yen
CEO, Proton Technologies
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
