I’m finishing my third month of a seven month structured program to build part of my business that will offer keynote speaking. This is very different for me than workshop speaking, and it is requiring big stretches and great leaps of faith. 😅 My workshop approach and voice are pretty refined after 20+ years! Everything about workshops feels natural to me, from how I prepare to what I say, not to mention the heavy emphasis on strategy and tactics, with the ultimate goal of action.

Keynotes however? They exist on a different plane from workshops, and focus on the big picture. I’ve spoken in that big picture, visionary way for a few minutes at a time, usually during the facilitated sections of workshops, while responding to something that’s come up organically in conversation. It’s a big change to fill 45 minutes this way, all planned, totally uninterrupted. No questions the audience answers out loud, no verbal interaction.

I’m glad I have a few coaches to help guide me. It’s truly humbling to write a fairly complete outline of a talk and be encouraged to start over, haha. Not so much on content, but on style — I’m still processing everything through a very technical lens, and I guess I need to loosen up. Imagine!