Magician-turned-keynote-speaker Brian Miller built a speaking career on the back of a TEDx talk that went viral in 2015, then watched that career dry up within eighteen months because charisma and entertainment weren't enough to make anyone act on what he'd said. In this episode, Brian and John dig into the real argument underneath most speaker training: is a keynote about how you deliver it, or what's actually in it? Brian's answer, and the thesis of his new book "The One Page Keynote," is that design beats delivery every time, and that the entertainment industry's instinct (be more charismatic, be funnier, be more captivating) is solving the wrong problem for most professional speakers.

The conversation covers what a keynote is actually for (hint: it's not the audience's experience in the room), why "the buzz is the business" is the only metric that matters to the people who write the cheques, how to build credible expertise without a PhD, why slides should be a last resort rather than a crutch, and why the most experienced experts are often the ones most paralysed by imposter syndrome.

Key takeaways:

• A keynote's job is to shift perspective, not create lasting change. Real change needs repetition and reinforcement; a single talk from the front of the room can only move how someone thinks, which is the first domino.
• Event planners judge success by one thing: are people still talking about your talk at the coffee break, in the Slack channel, on the Monday call. If they're not, it doesn't matter how entertaining you were.
• Expertise doesn't require formal credentials. Brian built his on an unreasonable amount of obsessive attention to one niche topic, not a PhD.
• The most credentialed, knowledgeable speakers are often the most riddled with imposter syndrome, because understanding the nuance and edge cases of your topic makes you aware of everything you could get wrong.
• A talk should work with the power out and the slides gone. If it only works with the deck, the talk doesn't work.
• You don't need to out-credential the most famous person in your field. You need a different angle on the same topic; one only you can offer.
• Audiences don't care about your problem. Buyers booking and paying for keynotes care about theirs, and your talk has to speak to the problem they're already trying to solve, not the one you find interesting.

Get a copy of Brian's new book, The One Page Keynote, from all good booksellers, or even Amazon.

In the UK: https://amzn.to/4vRduAv

and for the USA: https://amzn.to/4ozkfo8

To connect with Brian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmillerspeaks

To work with Brian: https://www.clarityupconsulting.com/

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Charisma Isn’t Enough

02:02 Magician to Speaker Origin

04:35 Viral TEDx and Fast Fees

07:28 Why Rebookings Dried Up

09:59 Design Beats Delivery

15:14 No Boring Topics

17:26 Creating Memorable Moments

19:34 Props and Paintings Example

23:33 Tools Over Talent Tricks

25:39 PowerPoint and Slides Debate

25:50 Slides Without Power

26:34 When Slides Help

29:28 Defining A Keynote

31:03 Shift Perspective Goal

32:19 Buzz Is Business

34:34 Expertise Over Inspiration

38:44 Nuance And Edge Cases

42:48 Topic Angle Buyer Problem

47:27 Book Launch And Offer

50:43 Host Wrap And Next Steps

4. FAQ

Does charisma actually matter for professional keynote speakers?

According to Brian Miller, author of "The One Page Keynote," charisma is far less important to a keynote's success than the design of the talk itself. Miller argues that a well-designed talk delivered without much charisma will outperform a highly charismatic, entertaining talk with no clear message, because audiences who can't articulate what they learned won't talk about the speech afterwards or act on it.

What does "the buzz is the business" mean in professional speaking?

"The buzz is the business" is a phrase Brian Miller uses to describe how event planners actually judge whether a keynote succeeded. Miller has asked thousands of event planners what success looks like, and the near-universal answer is whether attendees are still talking about the talk during coffee breaks, in Slack channels, or in the following Monday's meeting. John Ball and Miller agree that if the audience leaves the talk in the room, the speech has failed, regardless of how well it was delivered.

Do you need a PhD or formal credentials to become a professional keynote speaker?

No. Brian Miller, who has a bachelor's degree in philosophy and no graduate qualifications, argues that expertise can be built by spending an unreasonable amount of time obsessing over a niche topic: reading everything available, talking to practitioners, and understanding the nuance and edge cases well enough to know when standard advice would be wrong for someone. Miller built his expertise in human connection this way after his 2015 TEDx talk went viral.

Should professional speakers use slides during a keynote?

Brian Miller's rule of thumb is that a keynote should work even if the slides disappear and the power goes out. Slides become genuinely useful for talks over twenty minutes, for very large audiences who can't stay engaged through proximity alone, and for explaining highly technical or visual concepts that are difficult to convey in words. Below twenty minutes, Miller generally advises against using slides at all.

How do speakers find their unique angle when someone more famous already covers their topic?

Brian Miller advises against trying to out-credential the most recognised name in your topic area. Instead, he recommends identifying the specific perspective only you can bring to that topic, drawn from your own background or experience, so that buyers aren't comparing you directly to that famous person but considering you for a genuinely different angle on the same subject.

Why do experienced experts often feel more imposter syndrome than beginners?

Brian Miller describes this as the inverse of the Dunning-Kruger effect: understanding a topic well enough to know its edge cases, exceptions, and the situations where standard advice doesn't apply makes experts acutely aware of everything that could go wrong, while beginners with shallow knowledge often feel falsely confident.

Do you want to make sure you have speaker positioning that will get you booked? Grab my free speaker positioning tool and see if your positioning needs a tune-up or a complete overhaul: https://present-influence.kit.com/363f7c1d51

Want to get coached for free on the show? Fill in the form https://forms.gle/mo4xYkEiCjqtz9yP6, and if we think your challenge could help others, we'll invite you on.

For speaking enquiries or to connect with me, you can email [email protected] or find me on LinkedIn

You can find all our clips, episodes and more on the Present Influence YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PresentInfluence

Thanks for listening. Rating the show 5* on Spotify helps their algo recommend the show, so please take a moment to follow the show and leave a rating.

You could spend years building up your stage presence, your

2

timing, working on your charisma.

3

You may already have done that.

4

Today's guest is going to tell you

that probably that's not what's

5

gonna get you booked or rebooked.

6

Here's the problem.

7

Plenty of speakers can walk off stage

to great applause, great feedback forms,

8

a standing ovation even, and never

hear from that booking client again.

9

And nobody who was there can even

tell you what the talk was about.

10

My guest today built an 11-year speaking

career on the back of one viral TEDx

11

talk, then watched it nearly collapse

because charisma alone wasn't enough, and

12

he's written a book about exactly why.

13

Today, we're talking about why

design beats delivery, what the

14

buzz is the business really means

for getting booked again, and how

15

to build real expertise without a

single qualification to your name.

16

Welcome to Professional Speaking, the show

for people who are serious about speaking

17

and becoming known, booked, and paid.

18

My name is John Ball, professional

speaking coach, keynote speaker,

19

stand-up comedian, and sci-fi nerd.

20

I'm here as your guide on the journey

to a successful speaking career

21

It's very exciting for me to

welcome to The Professional

22

Speaking Show, Brian Miller

23

Brian Miller: John, how are you?

24

Thanks so much for having me

25

John: I'm delighted that you agreed

to my invite to come onto the show.

26

And, I heard you on my friend Bob

Gentles' podcast, and I thought, "Oh,

27

that's a very interesting conversation."

28

And that made me straightaway

want to reach out to you and

29

invite you to come on this show.

30

one of the main reasons for that was you

talking about the importance of, or the

31

lack of importance of the charisma for a

keynote, and how really it's more about

32

having the speech than anything else.

33

And I thought, "Well, this is somebody

I need to have a conversation with."

34

And I know that this is to do with

your new book that's coming out,

35

and we're gonna get to all of that.

36

But first of all, I have to ask you,

As someone who's been a professional

37

magician, how did you end up making

that journey to professional speaker?

38

Brian Miller: Yeah, the journey from

magician to speaker was mostly luck,

39

which is a terrible answer 'cause

it's not useful essentially to anyone.

40

I fell backwards into it.

41

in 2015, I had been a full-time

professional magician for the better

42

part of a decade, and I-- the, within

the span of about three months, I got

43

two speaking opportunities, and I had

never pursued speaking, never wanted to.

44

In fact, I had a very

negative opinion of speakers.

45

What I thought speakers

were, were just Tony Robbins.

46

And with due respect to Tony

Robbins, it's just not my jam.

47

I don't find it interesting or exciting.

48

I find it just really a lot.

49

and I often find that style

of speaking a lot of nothing.

50

And, and so it does a

lot for a lot of people.

51

It's not for me.

52

So I thought that's what speaking

is, and so when I got an offer,

53

though One, I got invited by a

local college prep high school.

54

So it's a private high school

designed exclusively for college prep.

55

You would think all high schools are for

college preparation, but this is like

56

a dedicated college prep high school.

57

And they were having their commencement

in a few months, and they apparently

58

go to the community to find at

least one interesting person in

59

the community to speak as part

of their commencement every year.

60

And they found me and were like, "Well,

you've been a professional magician.

61

You must have something interesting to say

to our graduating high school seniors."

62

And it was incredibly kind of bizarre,

but they, but they really seemed excited

63

about the idea of me speaking to their

students and families, so I said yes.

64

I felt very fancy saying yes

to a commencement speech.

65

I pa- It was-- I genuinely, actually,

I'm being a little silly about it, but

66

the truth is, John, at that time when

they asked me that, I had a moment

67

where I thought, "Oh, I made it.

68

I didn't realize I made it."

69

Like, I actually your, head's down

trying to just make enough money

70

doing card tricks at restaurants and

local corporate events and all this.

71

I was trying to put my wife through

her master's, and I was just so focused

72

on trying, my then fiancée, I, I was

so focused on just trying to make

73

it as a magician, I didn't really

clock that I had been successful.

74

And when somebody invites you

to give a commencement speech,

75

clearly you've been successful.

76

And so it was actually this

beautiful external validation

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I didn't realize I needed.

78

and right at the same time, I got

invited to speak at a local TEDx

79

event being held at a high school,

a different high school also.

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and so both of them were the same month.

81

And so in June of 2015, I delivered a

TEDx talk and a commencement speech.

82

And when the TEDx talk hit

YouTube, it went just mega viral.

83

It went impossible viral.

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It went like one of the 100 most

successful TED or TEDx talks of all

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time viral, at, at that time in 2015.

86

And the commencement speech, I had

just-- I was flooded with just parents

87

and students coming up to me for an

hour going, "God, what a great…

88

This was so helpful.

89

It's so great to hear.

90

What a beautiful thing you said.

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It made me think of this."

92

And so those two things happened

at the same time through nothing

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I tried to will into the universe,

and I was like, "Oh, maybe there's

94

something else I can do with my life."

95

And so I started pursuing speaking.

96

John: I don't think anybody has the same

journey into speaking as anyone else.

97

There's so many different ways to go

into it, but that's a, that's certainly

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a very nice way to come into it.

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And you're not, not, not the

first magician to kind of…

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Well, do, do mentalists

count as magicians?

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Brian Miller: Well, they would, they

would be very offended for you to say

102

that, but they absolutely are magicians.

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John: Yeah, so we've had

like Keith Kong on the show.

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He's a pretty successful

well-known, mentalist.

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people did love that episode.

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And there's a lot, seems to be a

lot of parallels there as well that

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we got into on that conversation.

108

For you, what, what do you now see as

maybe being the, the parallels between

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speaking and your magic career previously?

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Brian Miller: That's a great question.

111

The parallels between speaking and

magic are far fewer than I originally

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expected when I made the transition.

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I quite expected it to

be an easy transition.

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I, I thought, "Okay, I know how to

entertain an audience for an hour.

115

I can always do magic tricks or

tell jokes or have interaction

116

if I need to, to fall back on.

117

I've got a crutch here."

118

So I thought, "Well, I really just need

to say something mildly interesting

119

or useful, do some magic and tell

some funny stories, some audience

120

interaction, and it's gonna go great."

121

And it did not.

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it-- As I started getting booked--

And I started getting paid very

123

high professional fees immediately.

124

I did not ramp up because I had a

famous TED Talk, and so big, huge

125

brands from across the world would

reach out to me, like big names would

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reach out and say, "Come do that,

but for an hour and on our stage."

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And they were paying

five, six, eight, $10,000.

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Now, th-those are very normal professional

speaker fees today, but one, as a

129

magician, and two, in 2015, these

were absurd amounts of money to me.

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I mean, it was just crazy.

131

And I felt this tremendous pressure to

over-deliver or even just to live up to.

132

Forget over-deliver, to live

up to what they were paying me.

133

I really felt like an imposter, and

the truth is, I was an imposter.

134

I really didn't, I didn't have content

matter expertise, and they were

135

treating me as if I was an expert

on human connection, 'cause it's

136

what I talked about in my TEDx Talk.

137

And I was like, "No, I have 14 minutes and

12 seconds to say about that," and I said

138

it in the talk you've already watched.

139

And so I started doing these talks by

basically just doing the 14 minutes

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worth of human connection content,

but spreading it out over an hour by

141

shoving lots of entertainment into it.

142

And what happened is all of

the charisma that I had did not

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make these successful speeches.

144

My-- I was making people laugh.

145

They were loving the magic.

146

They enjoyed the audience

interaction, but at the end of these

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speeches, kind of a nothing burger.

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Nothing was really happening.

149

The clients, it was fine.

150

They were happy enough,

but no one rebooked me.

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Nobody referred me.

152

And after about a year and a half

after the TED Talk, my career,

153

my speaking career dried up.

154

The initial burst of inquiries were gone,

and there were no, there's no momentum.

155

And then I had nothing, and I actually had

to build a speaking career from scratch.

156

And so your question of what are the

parallels, I kind of answered it in

157

the negative, but I was expecting

to, that speaking was about charisma

158

and entertainment and, and, and,

you know, captivating audiences.

159

And actually, really great professional

speaking is about content and not

160

delivery in the performance sense, but

it's about delivery of the message.

161

Is there a clear message that the audience

can understand, they can follow, and

162

they know what to do with when you leave

the room or when they leave the room?

163

And that became the journey of my

speaking career, learning how to do that

164

John: It's it's interesting, and I think

you might be one of the only guests I've

165

ever invited onto my show who I knew

that I might not completely agree with

166

on things before I brought you on, but

really wanted to have the conversation

167

because we might, I don't know.

168

But it ultimately is gonna

depend on some of the things.

169

So are you…

170

I mean, I would say that the

entertainment element is still

171

relevant in speaking, it's just

not the most important part of it.

172

Like, there still has to be some

entertainment factor, and it sounds

173

a bit like you're saying maybe

there doesn't need to be that.

174

Is, is that right or would that would

that just be the extreme of what, to

175

take where, to what you were saying?

176

Brian Miller: So here's my

position: if given the choice,

177

choose design over delivery.

178

In a perfect world, I would like to

listen to an incredibly charismatic,

179

engaging, entertaining performer

deliver a masterfully built speech.

180

It is rarely the choice

that speakers have.

181

You tend to have one of two things:

somebody who comes from entertainment

182

and has to find a message, or, like

I did, or somebody who is an expert,

183

a, an academic, a scientist, a

researcher, an industry leader, someone

184

who's an expert in their topic but

is now being asked or told to speak.

185

And what happens is the experts who are

being told, "You have to speak because

186

there's gonna be stakeholders in the

room, there's gonna be politicians who

187

can fund our research," those people turn

down speaking opportunities because they

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think they're not entertaining enough.

189

They don't think they have the

charisma to carry the room,

190

and they're wrong, sort of.

191

They're not wrong that

they're not charismatic.

192

Most of them are incredibly dull,

boring people who are just geniuses.

193

They're wrong that they can't

deliver a powerful, engaging,

194

and important presentation that

moves the needle on their work

195

simply because they lack charisma.

196

On the other hand, the people that

come in like I did, that come in

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from entertainment, what I find is

when audiences watch them, they enjoy

198

it, they laugh, they, quote-unquote,

"engage" in the most superficial

199

sense, and they leave the room.

200

And I do this at every conference.

201

I ask people after one of those

people has spoken, "Hey, what

202

did you take away from that?

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What was the big lesson?

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What was the learning?"

205

Most people within minutes of

leaving one of those talks cannot

206

give you an explicit answer.

207

They say, "Oh, it was just so inspiring.

208

It was so great.

209

I just loved their energy."

210

And, like, pardon me, but so what?

211

Like, if you're not producing action, if

the audience isn't leaving knowing exactly

212

what they should do, think, or rethink

as a result of your talk and putting

213

it into practice, what are we doing?

214

Like, so that's how I feel about it

215

John: Maybe we don't disagree

too much then after all.

216

I, I was, I was just recently

writing about, a speaker I once saw.

217

he was-- like she'd been

speaking a long time.

218

She was great on stage.

219

Presence was there.

220

The drama was there in her presentation.

221

She delivered fantastically, and the

whole talk made not one lick of sense.

222

Like I couldn't connect

the beginning to the end.

223

And every- I was looking around thinking

everyone else in there is just nodding

224

and going, "Oh, yeah, really great talk."

225

And there was just one or two other people

who were looking a bit nonplussed, like,

226

"What is she actually talking about?"

227

And I to this day, I still have no idea

what that, what that talk was about.

228

But, but I get what you're saying,

it's like all style and no substance.

229

This is something that even Marcus

Aurelius talked about back in the day

230

of like the sophists and, how it was

all performance and no, no substance

231

to it, and he didn't like that

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Brian Miller: Yes.

233

And so that my mission is essentially

for the people who have charisma,

234

performance chops, whether they

come from entertainment or not.

235

Some people don't come from

entertainment, but they just have

236

that thing, whatever that is.

237

it's teachable, sort of.

238

You know, there's, there's

some natural element.

239

There's quite a bit, teaching.

240

Those people, what I want them to do is

go, "Imagine the impact that you could

241

make on the world if you paired that

with a masterfully designed speech."

242

Right?

243

Like, what if we took-- What, what if

you designed a speech that actually

244

made sense, that had a core message,

that moved the audience to action?

245

Imagine how much easier your career

would be and how much better the impact

246

you would make on the world would be.

247

And on the other hand, my message to the

experts, which are mostly our clients.

248

We mostly serve properly

credentialed experts who have to

249

talk, not people who want to speak.

250

and so my message to them is, "You do

not need to become a charismatic jump

251

kicks, laughter, interaction performer

to make, to get your work into the hands

252

of the people who need to hear it."

253

Right?

254

You can simply deliver the talk.

255

If, if you design your talk

properly and simply do it,

256

John: Yeah.

257

Brian Miller: it will work

258

John: I, I think this is all

something that took me way too long

259

to realize in the speaking world.

260

You know, I can, I can remember,

being back at speaker trainings

261

with, with Julian Treasure, who

like we, we did training together.

262

And like in, in the, in the

competition within one of the

263

trainings, I beat out Julian.

264

I'm thinking, "Wow, I beat out…

265

Beat him out in the training."

266

And then sort of look, but he's

massively more successful, than me.

267

but he had the content

and I didn't have that.

268

I had the performance skills, I

had the charisma, the presence,

269

all that, but I didn't have the,

the other stuff that was missing.

270

Like trained, corrected

that issue since then.

271

But if you don't recognize that,

you, you can end up in this position

272

like I did of thinking, "How come all

these people are so successful when

273

I know that I'm a better speaker?"

274

Brian Miller: Yes.

275

And that, that is exactly

the thesis of the book.

276

It is, it's not-- Basically,

it's not you, it's not the

277

speaker, it's the speech, right?

278

I, especially when, experts come up

sometimes, and I've had people say

279

this, they come up and, there was a

financial advisor walked up to me after

280

I had given my own keynote one time.

281

and I speak on human connection.

282

I have my own personal brand.

283

I do corporate culture,

healthcare, stuff like that.

284

And I had given a talk, and he

came up and he said, "Man, I wish

285

I was as entertaining as you.

286

I have to give talks on personal finance

to try to get people to understand

287

why they should care more about

this and pay more attention to it."

288

And he goes, "I just, you know,

finance is just so boring."

289

And I just stared at him going-- I

thought for I thought, "First of all,

290

you've made finance your life's work.

291

Presumably, you don't think it's boring."

292

He's like, "Well, no,

I find it fascinating."

293

I'm like, "Okay, let's start there.

294

There are no boring topics.

295

There are no boring speakers.

296

There are just boring speeches."

297

Like, let's design great speeches.

298

And also, I'll toss this back to you here.

299

I, I have a thing, when people

use the word entertainment, like,

300

"I wish I was more entertaining.

301

How do I become more entertaining?"

302

They think you need to be a comedian.

303

You need to be funny.

304

And that's one way to be entertaining.

305

So is juggling, so is streaking

naked on a baseball field.

306

I've seen it happen.

307

So, like, there's lots

of entertaining things.

308

So are cat videos, right?

309

It doesn't mean that that's the substance.

310

we award almost every, Academy

Award to dramas, not to comedies.

311

So comedy is not the only

way to be entertaining.

312

Movies that are dramas

are still entertaining.

313

So what I always tell my speakers

is engagement is entertainment.

314

If you have engaged them fully,

they will be entertained.

315

They need not be laughing or

falling out of their seats.

316

John: Yeah.

317

I, I definitely agree with that.

318

There's so many different ways

to do it, and everyone thinks

319

you have to be this or the other.

320

And I think it's maybe even been

reinforced in the industry somewhat.

321

You know, there, there's standard jokes

go around about, you know, you need to

322

be able to make your audience laugh if

you wanna get paid and stuff like that.

323

It's like, well, yes,

but maybe no as well.

324

let me ask you though, I mean,

you, I, I'm sure you would've come

325

across, if not read, Dan and Chip

Heath's book, "The Power of Moments."

326

And

327

Brian Miller: I don't actually

think I've read it, so give me

328

the context that I would need

329

John: Sure.

330

So, ultimately that book is about

creating these powerful moments, these,

331

like the, remember Bill Gates' TED

Talk where he released the mosquitoes

332

or, the, there's the one, I forget

the, lady's, full name, but, Dr.

333

Jill something where she brought

out a live brain on the stage.

334

Creating those sorts of powerful

moments within a presentation.

335

Like a lot of people say that's essential,

and certainly that seems to be one of the

336

things that they allude to in that book.

337

But maybe from what you're saying,

that isn't quite so important after all

338

Brian Miller: It's-- I, I wouldn't say

that bringing out a prop essentially is

339

what you just described is essential.

340

It is one of the ways

to support your point.

341

in this new book I've got coming

out, at the very end of it, I've

342

got a chapter on, like, all the

creative ways to support your points.

343

'Cause of course you can

support it with data.

344

I have a whole chapter on data,

but I introduce the chapter on

345

data by saying essentially in

today's world, data is not enough.

346

It's necessary, but not sufficient, right?

347

It's not-- You know, I, had a line

that was cut from the book actually.

348

It's hard to remember after,

like, two years' worth of edits

349

what's actually in there anymore.

350

But there was a line that was definitely

cut where I basically introduced the

351

chapter on data saying, "In a world

where everything's made up and the

352

facts don't matter," which was, a

reference to Whose Line Is It Anyway?

353

You know, the game where everything's

made up and the points don't matter.

354

y- you know, facts don't move people.

355

They never really moved people,

but they have an even smaller

356

impact than they ever have.

357

So you need to support

your points creatively.

358

And creating moments, as you're

describing, there's so many ways to do it.

359

The most common way speakers do

it is with storytelling, right?

360

Storytelling is the thing, right?

361

We were talking before we started

recording about Francisco Mahfuz.

362

He's a renowned storytelling specialist.

363

He works with me and my clients,

which you did not know before

364

you mentioned him, which was fun.

365

so stories are real-life

examples that make a point.

366

Stories can grab people.

367

They can be funny.

368

They can be moving.

369

they can simply just paint

a picture in someone's head.

370

but I love having props.

371

I encourage lots of our clients to use

a physical prop on stage, and for most

372

of them, it never even occurs to them.

373

It only occurs to me 'cause I came

from magic, and there's something

374

very-- it's something that Like,

it, it wakes the audience up when

375

you introduce a prop, especially

uh, I have these moments where…

376

So there's a, a TEDx Talk we

worked on a bunch of years ago,

377

one of my favorite ones we ever

worked on from uh, Peter Telefsted.

378

He's a Norwegian, PR, and

communication specialist, but he

379

John: I actually know who he is, yeah.

380

Brian Miller: You know Peter?

381

Okay.

382

John: Yeah, through Speaker Lab, yeah

383

Brian Miller: Oh, okay.

384

So Peter, we, we worked on his TED

Talk and I spent two years with

385

him building his speaking career.

386

If you've followed him, he's

off doing in- incredible things.

387

worked with him on his first

book and all these things.

388

In Peter's TED Talk, which is on

forgiveness, he wanted to do a talk

389

not on granting forgiveness, which

is what you always hear about, why

390

it's useful to grant forgiveness.

391

He wanted to talk about why you

need to learn and practice the

392

art of asking for forgiveness.

393

It was a very different way of

thinking about it, and it now has, you

394

know, two million views or whatever.

395

Now, in Peter's talk, he was explaining

to me when we were working on it at one

396

point, that, at the end of his forgiveness

journey, basically, his father had had

397

two commissioned paintings done, like

physical paintings framed, done for him,

398

and showed him and said, "Here, this

one, Peter, this one represents when you

399

were, you know, heading away from us.

400

You were, you know, you, you were

moving in a different direction.

401

We felt like we were losing you.

402

But this painting represents

when you found yourself, when

403

you came home, and you…"

404

It was just very, very moving.

405

And Peter said, you know, "Do you

think I should have, you know,

406

the photos of these paintings up

on the screen during my talk?"

407

I said, "Probably, yes."

408

you know, we have a, we have a

no slides rule unless absolutely

409

necessary, but for that, probably.

410

I said to him, "But wait.

411

Let me ask you a question.

412

These paintings are obviously

incredibly valuable to you.

413

They're one of a kind.

414

They're part of your story, your journey.

415

How comfortable or not would you feel

actually bringing them to the TEDx event?"

416

And he just went, "No,

I, I could bring them."

417

And so I went, "Okay.

418

Here's what we're gonna do.

419

When you come out to do your TEDx

talk, there will be on one side of

420

you and on the other side of you two

easels, each with a painting, but

421

the audience won't know that 'cause

they'll have been covered completely,

422

top to bottom, in a sleek black sheet.

423

They will just sit there and you will not

refer to them or gesture to them once the

424

entire talk until you hit the conclusion.

425

And at the moment where you talk about

the first painting, you will take

426

the sheet off of it and reveal it.

427

And the second one, you will take

the sheet off and reveal it."

428

And he did this in the TED Talk,

and that moment of physically

429

revealing the paintings on stage

worked so much better, so much more

430

emotional, so much more engaging than

simply clicking them onto a slide.

431

So I am a fan of using audience

interaction, live polls,

432

physical props, you know.

433

But there-- you don't need to

do any one of these things.

434

You just have to choose the

right, the right thing to support

435

your point at every moment

436

John: Right.

437

Yeah, and I've got a, a client

right now who's, a professional

438

saxophonist and, moving into speaking.

439

Yeah, really awesome.

440

But one thing he's been very clear

that he doesn't want to do is

441

play the sax on his keynote tours.

442

He's like, he wants to get up and speak.

443

It's like, absolutely you

do not have to do that.

444

Just 'cause you have that talent

and ability doesn't mean you

445

need to bring it into that.

446

But there are people who definitely can.

447

I have-- But I've also seen

people who've brought in, like

448

one lady was a, a concert pianist.

449

she spent probably about 10

minutes of her keynote playing

450

piano, and it was kinda boring.

451

So it's like

452

Brian Miller: Well, so

that, there you go, right?

453

And so, but the question-- the,

what we're actually dancing

454

around is not the question should

you play your saxophone or not.

455

The question is, is there a moment

in this talk where the point, you

456

would land the point better and more

memorably by playing the saxophone?

457

So that is how I think through

the magic in my keynotes.

458

When I'm on stage for an hour, there's

probably about eight total minutes of

459

magic over the 60 minutes I'm on stage.

460

And the reason that each of those tricks

are in there is not for entertainment.

461

I don't need it.

462

I do talks.

463

I have a bunch of talks

I do with no magic.

464

However, in my primary signature

talk on human connection I've been

465

booked for for the last 11 years

since the TED Talk, there are

466

moments that I use a magic trick.

467

But the question for me is never how can

I shove a magic trick into this keynote?

468

It's always at this moment of

my talk, what element can I

469

pull from to make this point?

470

Sometimes it's straight teaching.

471

You're just teaching.

472

Other times, you're using a GIF

or a video to support something.

473

Other times, I'm doing direct

audience interaction, a live

474

poll, a stand and share.

475

Sometimes I have an easel I'm

writing things down on physically

476

on stage, and sometimes I

choose a magic trick or a story.

477

So I I mean, I would say to your

saxophonist without knowing what his

478

topic is or his content at all, missed

opportunity for not doing it at all.

479

But,

480

John: And look, he knows.

481

ultimately it's up to him.

482

that that becomes relevant at some point.

483

but he, you know, I, I get what you're

saying, it's like kind of transitioning

484

from one career into another is like

make, wanna make that transition.

485

yeah, I mean, it, it's the same kind

of principle as when you're deciding

486

what stories to use in your talk.

487

You have to decide what stories make the

most sense and fit with what you're doing.

488

But there's just this whole world of

other tools that can help you deliver,

489

more effectively and make bigger

impacts or emphasize something in a

490

way that's gonna make it more memorable

or more relevant to, to the audience.

491

So I, I definitely

particularly appreciate that.

492

It's given me something

to, to think about as well.

493

When it comes to something like PowerPoint

though, I mean, not getting TED Talk

494

short, you don't really want to have that.

495

I know although I have

seen some that, that do.

496

But what's your general

take on those anyway?

497

I mean, I know some people tend to

rely on them, and I've always sort

498

of advised clients, make your talk…

499

If you wanna use them, use them,

but make your talk so that you

500

can deliver it without them.

501

But where, where would you sit with that?

502

Brian Miller: It's what you just said.

503

I mean, my, our rule of thumb is this:

if the talk doesn't work without your

504

slides, the talk doesn't work, right?

505

That the, the-- You should be able to

stand up in a room that lost power,

506

there's no microphone, there's no slides.

507

You should be able to be as effective

as a speaker with no supports.

508

The me- the mess…

509

And that's why we prioritize

design, design of the talk.

510

The talk should work regardless

of the external conditions.

511

And then if it works, slides are

just another tool like all those

512

other ones we just talked about.

513

they're most useful in talks

that are I would say talks

514

that are over 20 minutes long.

515

If you're speaking for less than 20

minutes, generally we will say to

516

you, "No slides unless absolutely

necessary," and even then I'm

517

gonna try to convince you not to.

518

Like, that's, that's usually my line.

519

And the times that it's

absolutely necessary is, for

520

example, I have a scientist, Dr.

521

Jacob Levenson, he worked-- he's

a marine biologist collaborating

522

with NASA on the next generation

of animal tracking technology.

523

It's very complex.

524

And so we're already doing a lot of work

to help general audiences or politicians

525

or science, you know, interested

individuals understand this work.

526

But when he goes to explain a concept,

it's almost impossible to really convey

527

it to a non-marine scientist without

putting up a simple diagram that just

528

helps them orient themselves, like

visually when he's talking about time of

529

arrival technology is the inverse of GPS.

530

And here's-- it's like putting

arrows on the screen that

531

show you the opposite of GPS.

532

It's just very useful for people.

533

over 20 minutes Slides become more

useful, and once you're in the 40

534

plus, where you're doing like a paid

professional keynote, it's almost

535

impossible not to use them in 2026.

536

I would've answered

differently pre-pandemic.

537

pre-pandemic, I had never used

a slide once in a one-hour

538

speech in my entire career.

539

I had never used slides at all.

540

It was 100% me and the audience

for 60, 70, 80 minutes.

541

and I was always asked to do

long keynotes, probably because

542

I came from entertainment, so I

could, they figured I could do it.

543

I never used slides.

544

The virtual world and the pandemic

and the rapid, you know, AI, and

545

all the other things that we know

about, they did noticeably change

546

how people engage and how long they

can engage with only one medium.

547

so slides, I think for longer

talks are necessary today.

548

Not, there's certainly could do

it without it, but I think for

549

most people, slides are necessary.

550

Also, the larger the group, this

sounds-- I think this would sound

551

weird to speakers, to, to people

who are not professional speakers.

552

The larger the audience, the

more slides are necessary.

553

Because if you have just 20 people

in front of you in a boardroom, you

554

can, the, you can physically with

your energy, just being a human in

555

close proximity, keep everyone's

attention for an hour if you need to.

556

Once there's 1,000 or even like 200, the

people towards the back just have more

557

opportunities to get distracted simply

'cause they're not up close to you.

558

And so slides can just help

them stay focused, or when they

559

do get distracted, click back

into the talk without losing it.

560

So that, that's, those are

my thoughts around slides.

561

John: I, I appreciate that.

562

so, for a show that's about

professional speaking, it's weird

563

that you're gonna be the first guest

I've ever asked this question to.

564

but but it does, but it does very

much rely on the book that you've

565

written that's coming out soon,

the, "The One Page Keynote."

566

How would you define a keynote?

567

What's its purpose, and what

what actually is a keynote?

568

Brian Miller: It's a great question,

and I'm so glad that you asked.

569

What is a keynote, and

what is its purpose?

570

Yeah.

571

It's funny that you said you've

never asked that once before on a

572

show about professional speaking.

573

I had never heard anybody ask this

question, which is why a few years ago

574

I started running workshops on what is a

keynote speech and what's the difference

575

between it and other types of speeches.

576

So, the first thing that we should

be very clear about is I define a

577

keynote as at least 20 minutes long.

578

Now, this will shock … This will,

this will sound very If you go read the

579

book, you will be, you will, you will

think I'm, I'm, contradicting myself

580

here, 'cause every example in the

book is from a TED Talk we've worked

581

on, which are all under 20 minutes.

582

The reason the examples in the book are

from TED Talks is one, they're short

583

enough that the reader of the book can go

watch them in its entirety and understand

584

the system I'm teaching them, right?

585

Because they're only

10 or 12 minutes long.

586

And two, they are public,

they are available.

587

Whereas most of the keynotes

we've worked on with people, they

588

are not fully available for the

reader of a book to go watch.

589

So, the reason the TED Talks are

in the book as examples is not

590

because they're actually keynotes.

591

They're not.

592

Now, a keynote speech is at

least 20 minutes long, where the

593

audience is fully focused on you.

594

You are at the front of the

room, and you are there, you

595

are there to teach, essentially.

596

but more than teaching, you are there to

change people's perspective on something.

597

The number one goal of a keynote

speech is to shift perspective.

598

You will not create actual change.

599

It's very unlikely that you can create

actual change during a keynote speech.

600

From the front of the room, in

20 or 30 minutes, the likelihood

601

you're gonna complete, you know,

create real change … Real change

602

takes repetition and reinforcement.

603

That's why we do workshops and

consulting, all this stuff.

604

The main goal of a keynote speech

is to change how somebody thinks so

605

that they can change what they do.

606

People will not do something new

if you don't change how they think.

607

And so, most keynotes

fail, just right away.

608

They fail because they don't

change people's thinking at all.

609

They're … Most keynotes, even really

enjoyable ones, are merely interesting.

610

But people don't walk away thinking that,

or having a new set of beliefs, right?

611

There's no actual paradigm

shift for them in their world.

612

So, that's the first thing.

613

But if you're a professional

speaker, if you're being paid,

614

because again, I, I work with a

lot of people who are not paid.

615

That's not why … They're

not professional speakers.

616

They're experts who have to speak.

617

If you're a paid professional speaker,

which is most of your audience, right?

618

If not all of your audience wants

to be paid professional speakers.

619

Do I have that right?

620

John: Yes.

621

I hope so, yeah.

622

Brian Miller: So, right.

623

Well, right, okay.

624

So if the people listening are all

trying to get paid to speak, the

625

actual question you have to ask is

not what does the audience need?

626

It's what does the what

do the buyers need?

627

And so if you…

628

I've asked every event planner for

the last, you know, 11 years, so

629

thousands of event planners, I've asked

them the same question, which is a

630

version of, "What would success look

like to you when my speech is done?

631

Like, what are you actually looking for?

632

How are you going to track the success?

633

How will you know if we've done the job?"

634

And I'm telling you, nine

out of 10, if not 9.9

635

out of 10 of them all

answer the exact same way.

636

They say some version of, "I will know

your speech was successful if I hear

637

people talking about it in the coffee

breaks, at the dinner, in the Slack

638

channel, at the Monday morning meeting.

639

If I hear people talking about it, your

speech was successful," which is why I use

640

the phrase, "The buzz is the business."

641

The business of professional speaking is

to get people talking about it, because

642

if they're talking about it later, they

there's a higher chance they will actually

643

do something with what you taught them.

644

And if people don't know how

to talk about what you do, they

645

will not talk about what you do.

646

And as we said earlier, most speakers,

you get to the end, and no matter how

647

entertaining they were, you have no

idea how to describe what you just saw

648

apart from fun, interesting, engaging.

649

And so that's the purpose of a keynote

speech if you're a professional speaker.

650

It's to create buzz after

you've left the room

651

John: It's, it's a,

it's a great definition.

652

I, I just make me think what I always

say to, to my clients who I work with

653

though, if your, if your audience leaves

the talk in the room, what was the point?

654

Brian Miller: Exactly.

655

Yeah, 100% agree

656

John: very, very much with you there.

657

Okay.

658

So, so with that, your focus with the book

is very much on the content of the talk.

659

What is the right way to go about

creating a keynote, especially when…

660

Well, firstly, do you need to be an

expert in something to create that?

661

And if, if you are,

what-- where do you start?

662

Brian Miller: Yeah, so do you need to be

an expert to create that kind of a talk?

663

That's, it's, that's a tough question.

664

I, I will say All of the least

successful talks we have helped people

665

build are the clients that we no

longer accept into working with us.

666

We, we-- I am now at a point where we

turn down about 70, 60 or 70% of everybody

667

who comes into our discovery calls.

668

we're very curated, and it's because

every time I've ever worked with a

669

motivational speaker, an inspirational

speaker, or a speaker whose entire

670

speech is essentially, "I have a story

that's either tragic and I've overcome

671

it," or, you know, "I, I, you know,

I ran, you know, seven marathons in

672

seven days on seven continents, and

that's what I wanna talk about."

673

anybody who's speaking because of either

just pure life experience, a unlucky,

674

tragic story, or just they're just

such a motivational person, they just,

675

people love having them on stage, we

don't work with those people anymore.

676

And it's not because they

aren't capable of building great

677

professional speaking careers.

678

They absolutely are.

679

They can get paid, make

a living, do their thing.

680

They don't create change, though.

681

They just don't.

682

People after those speeches do not

do new things as a result, and that

683

is why, and I heard you and, just

in the previous episode you had,

684

John: Elliot

685

Brian Miller: was

686

John: Kay

687

Brian Miller: Elliot, talking about that.

688

I was so thrilled to hear Elliot

talking about that, saying,

689

"You have to demonstrate an ROI.

690

It's not 1987 anymore."

691

Right?

692

It, it's just you, you have to.

693

You have to demonstrate that

there's a return on investment.

694

If you are not actually an expert,

and I don't mean you have a PhD.

695

There are lots of ways

to become an expert.

696

I don't have a PhD.

697

I have a bachelor's degree in

philosophy that I've never used, right?

698

It's just, it was a tough

phone call home to Mom and Dad.

699

"I'm gonna abandon my PhD in philosophy

to do card tricks for a living."

700

so how did I become expert

in human connection?

701

I don't have a PhD.

702

I didn't go to grad school.

703

I didn't build a-- I'm not an

organizational psychologist.

704

Well, there's a different way to become

an expert, which is you've spent an

705

unreasonable amount of time on an

incredibly niche subject more than

706

anyone could possibly expect, right?

707

I like, just by obsessing over that topic,

reading everything I could read, talking

708

to anyone I could talk to, listening

to every podcast, interviewing people.

709

Over years of doing that over

a topic that didn't even have

710

a name when I started doing it.

711

In 2015, human connection

was not a category.

712

I kind of became the expert people thought

I was when they started booking me.

713

But it was my effort to know more about

that topic, to understand it at a level

714

that nobody else seemed to, and from a

different perspective than someone who

715

was properly credentialed would have.

716

They understand it from

their academic perspective.

717

I understand it from a lifetime of

being a professional magician, right?

718

So- I believe that you have to be an

expert in some way in the topic that

719

you speak about to create real change.

720

Because if you are not, then you

don't understand the nuance of what

721

it takes someone to change their

behavior as well, well enough to

722

actually make that behavior change

723

John: Yeah.

724

Brian Miller: I think it's

very hard to hear for people.

725

It's not to say you shouldn't speak.

726

Speak, go speak.

727

You don't have to be an expert to speak

728

John: I, I think it's really important

for, for people to get that as well

729

because, imposter syndrome kicks

in even for people who have all

730

the credentials, and it's like,

731

Brian Miller: Mostly for people, more

often for people who have the credentials.

732

It's

733

John: the

734

people who are least

735

Brian Miller: effect.

736

That's right, it's the inverse of

the Dunning-Kruger effect, right?

737

The Dunning-Kruger effect is

you have to be pretty smart to

738

know how dumb you are, right?

739

And so that when you know very little…

740

When I first started talking about human

connection, I thought I was a genius.

741

I knew a couple of things

from having been a magician.

742

And the further you get into it and you

discover the nuance and the edge cases

743

and when good advice to most people

would be bad advice to somebody else.

744

For example, one time I gave a speech,

went really well, everybody loved it,

745

feedback forms are great, but one very

shy person came up to me after the talk,

746

waited for everyone else to be gone, came

up and said, "I really enjoyed the speech.

747

I learned a lot.

748

Thank you.

749

however, you recommended at one

point, you talked about eye contact

750

for a while and how beneficial

that is to human connection."

751

And, and they said, "That's clearly true.

752

I, I know the, you know,

I've seen the data."

753

They said, "However, I'm on the spectrum.

754

I am not capable of making eye contact,

certainly not sustained eye contact.

755

It's just not something I can do.

756

It would be great if you mentioned that

when you talked about eye contact."

757

And I apologized to them, said thank

you, and then kind of forgot about it.

758

And then two months later,

I was giving a talk.

759

It went great.

760

Somebody came up to me.

761

It was like deja vu.

762

Same exact conversation.

763

Said the exact same thing to

me, "I'm on the spectrum."

764

And I went, "Once is a fluke.

765

Twice is not."

766

If two people summoned the, the courage

to walk up to me after I'd just got

767

a standing ovation on that stage and

tell me something that made them feel

768

a little uncomfortable, or they wished

I had said something different or

769

explored a different aspect of this,

then there's probably dozens over the

770

years that have felt like that and

never came up to me, maybe hundreds.

771

So, I modified that.

772

First I went and looked at the research,

talked to people who are on the spectrum.

773

My wife is a therapist, so I'm

able to use her a lot to, like,

774

help me understand some of that

world that I don't know about.

775

And then after that, my speeches, when I

get to eye contact, there's an asterisk on

776

the slide next to the word, and I say, I

say, "Eye contact," and I go, "Now, just

777

everybody see the asterisk next to that?

778

I'm coming back to that.

779

Don't forget about it."

780

And I talk about eye contact,

and then I come back to it.

781

I go, "That asterisk, if you're

someone who is either on the spectrum

782

or neurodivergent or doesn't feel

comfortable making eye contact or

783

sustained eye contact, then instead of

E standing for eye contact," I clicked

784

it, and it changes it to engage.

785

It goes, engage.

786

Just think, stay engaged, right?

787

And that's, that's, that's more about

your energy than it is about your, eyes.

788

And people started coming up to

me in droves after speeches going,

789

"Nobody has ever recognized us.

790

Nobody has ever made that caveat."

791

And that's what being

an expert actually is.

792

It's knowing the edge cases.

793

It's understanding the nuance and

making sure that while you do deliver,

794

like assertively so that people can

take your advice and do something with

795

it, that you also recognize when that

advice would not be right for someone

796

else and what they should do about it.

797

John: Yeah.

798

That's a great, a great point, and

great that you evolved and, and

799

delivered something that actually

increased the audience, the audience's

800

ability to be involved in that as

well, and to feel, to feel seen.

801

I think what, one, one thing that…

802

Well, I think just one thing to

just say for our, for our listener

803

particularly is like you, you undoubtedly

have the credentials here as well.

804

I've seen that you've recently

won like several Cicero Awards

805

for speech writing and stuff.

806

This isn't just all like, "Oh,

I'm telling you how to do this."

807

It's like, no, you're, you're out

there showing people how it's done as

808

well and being, and being recognized

for that, which is great, and the

809

book's coming up pretty soon as well.

810

Now, I'm not gonna ask you to condense

that whole book into a couple of minutes.

811

I'm sure that's not possible anyway.

812

But where, as a starting point for

people who are looking to get paid

813

for their keynote speaking, where

should they really begin in, in your

814

estimation in creating a keynote?

815

Brian Miller: Yeah, where

should people begin?

816

So, I mean, the, the first place that

people should begin is if you're if

817

you're at the stage where you're dreaming

of being a speaker, so you're not an

818

someone who's already an expert on

the topic or has been asked to speak.

819

If you're just like, like, "I would

love to do that," then the first thing

820

you have to do is step way back from

this conversation we've been having,

821

'cause we're in the weeds of…

822

We're, we're multiple levels in.

823

What you need to do is step a

few levels back and go, "Okay.

824

One, which, which topics do I

feel qualified to talk about?"

825

And you don't have to have a PhD,

but you do need to be qualified.

826

Not, it, it just, it

shouldn't be merely anecdotal.

827

Like, if you just…

828

Like some people are like, "I

just, I feel like if more people

829

were nice to each other, like,

the workplace would be better."

830

I'm like, " That's probably true.

831

Can you back that up?"

832

And it's like if you can only point

to, like, famous books that have

833

already come out, the likelihood

you're gonna break into the speaking

834

market is very low, 'cause there's

already famous people talking about

835

that with the research and the data.

836

You need to have something

to bring forward.

837

But you start to go, "What am I

actually qualified to talk about?"

838

So that's your topic.

839

And then you're looking for

essentially your differentiator, or

840

you could say your perspective on it.

841

So you go, "This is the topic.

842

Now, what's the perspective that

I'm gonna bring that would make

843

it feel different from the most

famous person in this field?"

844

Because to be honest, I, I get booked

at the same kinds of events that

845

can also afford to book Brené Brown.

846

I'm not saying I get booked over her.

847

I'm saying I get booked by the same kind

of clients that could have hired her.

848

She's clearly more qualified

than me in many ways to talk

849

about, say, human connection.

850

why am I getting booked?

851

It's not that I'm competing with her.

852

I'm not competing with her at all.

853

It would never occur to people to debate

between her and me, because I'm coming

854

to human connection from the perspective

of what I learned as a magician.

855

She can't compete with me,

I don't compete with her.

856

We're just two different people

talking about the same topic.

857

So you have your topic, and then

what's your unique angle on it?

858

So you're looking for

a topic and an angle.

859

That's the first thing.

860

Start there, but then, and I've heard

you talk about this with folks plenty

861

of times, John, so this is gonna

be a little bit of repetition, but

862

it's probably useful for listeners.

863

You then must identify the problem

that you solve that the, not

864

the audience, that the buyer is

aware of and is trying to solve.

865

It doesn't matter if the audience

has this problem if the buyer

866

doesn't think it's a problem or if

the buyer isn't trying to solve it.

867

The person writing the check or

inviting people to speak, they

868

have to be aware of the problem and

they have to care about solving it.

869

There's lots of problems that

people have that no one has any

870

interest in actually solving.

871

Like, that's a huge mistake I see.

872

They're like, "Well, this is a problem."

873

I'm like, "Yes, but the person who

writes the checks doesn't care about it."

874

They're perfectly happy

leaving that problem alone.

875

Like, it's, you know, it's-- And I'll,

this will make that more concrete.

876

When I first started selling human

connection as a, as a speaker,

877

it was very hard because in 2015,

878

about connection in the workplace.

879

That they were I was pushing a

boulder up a hill like Sisyphus, man.

880

Nobody cared.

881

You know when they started booking me?

882

When I started talking about

attract and retain top talent,

883

generate sustainable repeat

business, eliminate costly turnover.

884

When I started talking about the

problems they actually have, and then

885

human connection was merely my way to

get them to that, and I have a take

886

on that from being a magician, that's

where my speaking career took off

887

John: Yeah.

888

Man, there's so, so many other questions

that could lead me into, I think we might

889

just have to try and get you back onto the

show again in the future to, But, but lots

890

of really good stuff here, and I, I…

891

It's been, been a very

enjoyable conversation.

892

I do think that just to, onto that

point, I think our the people who

893

listen to the show regularly will

have heard recently, and will hear

894

upcoming episodes as well, about how

the information speaking age is done.

895

It's like if you are an information

speaker, that's kind of over, and,

896

well, not kind of over, it is over.

897

So, so when I see people who are still

trying to make their speaking case

898

in, in that sort of way, it's like

you, you, like, it's like trying to

899

push a double-decker bus up a hill.

900

It's, You, you're not

901

gonna get very far.

902

It's probably gonna run you over.

903

So, so very, very important stuff that you

say there, and I, I can't wait to get my

904

hands on the book when it does come out.

905

Tell, tell us a bit more about that.

906

Tell about, the, when the book's

available and how best for people

907

to find out more about that.

908

Brian Miller: Yeah, thanks so much.

909

this was just a great conversation.

910

So the book is called "The One Page

Keynote: How to Design a Speech That

911

Works Every Time, No Charisma Required."

912

That is the title of the book.

913

And the core thesis, as we discussed,

is design beats delivery every time.

914

If you have to choose, choose design.

915

And this book teaches you from start

to finish exactly how to design an

916

entire keynote speech from a blank page.

917

And once you understand the system,

the entire talk, whether it's 20

918

minutes or 60 minutes, can fit on

a single typed, printed piece of

919

paper if you needed an outline.

920

Most people don't do that.

921

But you absolutely can.

922

You can do it.

923

You can put the whole 60-minute

thing there, and you'd be able

924

to walk up and deliver that talk

with no other notes if you had to.

925

the reason for this book is primarily

that I have shelves of books, I'm

926

sure you do out as well, on speaking.

927

Lots of excellent ones,

many more terrible ones.

928

Even the excellent ones don't do this.

929

In other words, there are many

excellent books on the business

930

of speaking, on storytelling, on

performance, on presence, on slides,

931

on there's so many books on those

topics, on how to be funny in speeches.

932

You cannot find a book that

teaches you how to build an entire

933

keynote speech from scratch.

934

Go to all the books on your shelf,

and you will find that at best they're

935

given a single in other words, the, the

writing of the speech is given a single

936

chapter in an entire book on speaking.

937

And I just think to myself every time

I see that, if you're on stage for 30

938

minutes, and you talk at the average 150

words a minute, you will say 4,500 words

939

while you were on stage in 30 minutes.

940

And you're telling me that in this entire

400-page book on speaking, there's only

941

been 15 pages dedicated to the words

you're gonna say while you're on stage?

942

This is crazy.

943

So I wrote the book to solve that problem

944

John: Well, it's, it's much anticipated,

and for our listener who'd maybe like

945

to just find out more about you, what's

the best way for them to do that?

946

Brian Miller: Right.

947

So best way actually right now,

it-- the book's coming out May

948

27th, just in, just in a few weeks

from the time we're recording this.

949

If you go to keynotedesignbook.com,

950

keynotedesignbook.com,

951

you can, just jump on the wait list,

and I'm just hoping that folks will…

952

It will be $1 on launch

day, the digital copy.

953

If you can buy it on launch day, if you're

interested, there's your $1 version.

954

Everybody who buys it on launch day

will actually also get access to a,

955

full free half-day virtual intensive

on how to build your keynote speeches.

956

I will personally be leading,

if you buy it on launch day.

957

And you can find me by just looking

up Brian Miller speaker, Brian Miller

958

consultant, Brian Miller connection, Brian

Miller magician, anywhere on the internet.

959

John: Awesome.

960

Well, I'm happy to say I am on that wait

list, and I'm very much looking forward

961

to getting my hands on that as well.

962

Bryan, this has been a

fantastic conversation.

963

I'm so glad you agreed to come on the

show and, I look forward to having

964

another conversation with you at some

point in the future 'cause I know

965

there's much more we could go into.

966

But, to wrap this up for today,

thank you for coming on "The

967

Professional Speaking Podcast."

968

Brian Miller: Thanks so much for having me

969

John: Now, I don't know about you,

but I'm almost a little disappointed

970

that Brian and I didn't have a

bit more disagreement about the

971

importance of delivery and charisma,

stage presence in terms of keynotes.

972

So I mostly agree that if you have

to make the choice between design

973

and delivery, if that's a real choice

for you, design matters more than

974

delivery if you don't have any of those

other skills to bring to the table.

975

Where I might differ somewhat

really is that it shouldn't ever

976

really be the case that your keynote

could be delivered by anyone.

977

I think there has to be an essence of

you in there for it to be the kind of

978

keynote that can connect with people.

979

I have bought and read Brian's book since

this episode was recorded, and I have to

980

say there's lots of great stuff in there.

981

It is absolutely worth getting

yourself a copy of that.

982

sadly the sale price is no

longer available, so it is

983

now available at full price.

984

But I think it's highly

worthwhile, and completely

985

recommend getting yourself a copy.

986

I do plan to do an episode review

of Brian's book as well to go into

987

some more of my thoughts about it,

and perhaps some of the areas where

988

we do differ in our thinking on this

as well as what I found particularly

989

valuable and helpful from the book.

990

Now, I would say that if you are planning

to do twenty, thirty-minute talks as

991

part of your offering, then that is a

great structure for you to implement

992

and use and follow some of those TEDx

guidance elements that work so well

993

and have won Brian and his speakers

several Cicero Awards just this year.

994

So my plan for the next episode is to

dive a little more into what a keynote

995

is, what keynote speaking really is all

about, and whether keynote speaking is

996

the right career for you and what elements

of that you might want to look at.

997

I want for you to be able to know

if you're just coming into this or

998

considering speaking as a business

or career for yourself, what you

999

would actually be getting into.

00:52:52,515 --> 00:52:57,145

And if you hadn't previously thought

that this could be an actual career

00:52:57,145 --> 00:53:00,845

and business for you, then definitely

you and I should have a chat.

00:53:01,015 --> 00:53:04,165

You can get in touch with me from all

the details in the show notes, as well

00:53:04,165 --> 00:53:07,385

as finding all of Brian's information

and the link to buy the book there.

00:53:07,815 --> 00:53:10,415

And I hope that you will

come and join me next time.

00:53:10,425 --> 00:53:13,285

Do keep an eye on some of my

social media stuff right now.

00:53:13,285 --> 00:53:16,995

I'm putting out a lot of content

around speaking and growing speaker

00:53:16,995 --> 00:53:19,375

businesses that you won't want to miss.

00:53:19,675 --> 00:53:21,675

I look forward to seeing

you on the next episode.

00:53:21,675 --> 00:53:24,615

In the meantime, go and do

something worth speaking about.