Art of Awakening

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗵?

My friend Scott Friedman once offered math: “1,000 speeches.”

Along the way to that elusive number, there are countless lessons in stagecraft, presence, delivery, language, energy, audience engagement, and much more.

We explored this recently at the Singapore Keynote Lab.

Six speakers. Four coaches. Seven minutes each.

In that space, we experienced a wide variety of styles, stories, and sticky ideas.

I captured the evening in visual notes, and a few themes stood out.

🎤 Start with a story

🎤 Presence matters

Bring intentionality to the stage.

Own the space.

🎤 Engage your audience

Who are they? What do they need?

Take them on an emotional journey. Leave them on a high.

Give them permission to laugh.

🎤 Focus on value

What problem are you solving?
Turn features into benefits.
Show us the transformation.
Share your top three power tips.

🎤 Use visual language
Because our brains love it.

My favourite tip of the night, from , CSP :

“Give people what they want so you can give them what they need.”

As always, visual notes help make the learning memorable.

What keynote are you carrying that the world hasn’t heard yet?

Join us at the next Keynote Lab or the APSS monthly meeting on June 23.

And if you’d like to learn how to create compelling visual notes like these, join us for our upcoming introductory Visual Sketchnote Essentials Masterclass on July 11.

𝗣𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟭–𝟮 𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵. 🥊🎨

In storytelling, you might begin with a wide-angle shot…

…then move into the close-up.

For me, it’s drawing and storytelling.

Drawing has always come naturally to me.

First as a kid trying to share ideas…
and now through workshops, visual facilitation, and keynotes.

I’ve found that when I talk and draw at the same time, something shifts.

People lean in.

Complex ideas become clearer.

The child-like curiosity starts to wake up again.

Speaking, though, has always been my “learning zone.”

So I intentionally keep stepping into it.

One piece of advice I’ve always loved:

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”

Or maybe:
“…that challenges you.”

Over the years, we’ve blended speaking + drawing in many ways:

• Live visual storytelling

• Interactive workshops

• Visual keynotes

• Learning festivals

• TED-style talks

• Lunch-and-learns

And honestly…

it works because our brains love pictures and stories.

We’re wired for them.

Drawing creates an emotional bridge.

It helps people see, remember, connect, and feel part of the conversation.

The strange thing is that hand-drawn visuals are still often dismissed in business spaces:

“It’s messy.”
“It’s not professional.”
“I can’t draw.”

Part of my mission is to help reconnect people with their innate visual creativity…

…and expand awareness of how visual tools can support leadership, communication, learning, and human connection.

Every room can benefit from the combination of pictures and stories.

What’s your 1–2 punch?

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

At some level, this narrative still dominates our executive functioning control panel.

So rather than fighting against it…lean into it.

Make the change visible.

That’s what we’ll be exploring in our upcoming session with the community of professional facilitators International Association of Facilitators (IAF):
“Making Change Visible”
An introduction to visual facilitation and seeing the conversation.

🗓 Sat 23 May
⏰ 8–10pm Singapore time
(Open to IAF members)
Join us here:

Here are 3 ways you can make change visible in your next meeting:

1. Create a large visible road map. Put it up on the wall. Then build, iterate and map the story of change together with your stakeholders.

2. Create quick sketches and diagrams to reflect complex issues or pivotal points on the change journey . Put a marker in thier hands and Invite group to discuss , add to and iterate on these points.

3. Invite participants to tell a story about the change they want to see, and what it might look like in thier eyes. Have on hand visual image cards, markers , modelling clay and other materials to draw out these stories.

Which of these will you try in your next meeting? Share in comments below.

What becomes possible when people can actually see the change?

Throwback to one of our earlier speaking opportunities>

HR Summit 2016

The title of this 90 minute interactive visual keynote was: “visual tools to transform HR”.

My 3 intentions:
1. Visuals clarify your thinking.
2 Visuals encourage innovation and collaborative problem-solving.
3. Visuals support many HR functions including goal setting, team alignment, and leadership visioning.

My invitation was simple: draw a picture of your next meeting.

We got them started with a smile visual alphabet

Keynotes are still a great platform to scale the impact of this visual work , and to help large groups to reframe their thinking around creativity and embrace drawing as a tool to transform your communication