Frequently Asked Questions...

What is the program like? 

We’ll meet as a group on Zoom meeting for the full day and the subsequent virtual workshops, which is where you'll do a lot of the work. I will guide you through an approach I’ve used with individuals and teams to help them assemble stories and ideas and discover the unique structure of their own 10-minute talk. You’ll have time to work on it in class, but you’ll also likely want to spend time working on it yourself. 

During the workshop we will spend time generating content, working on ideas, sharing our work, and upleveling tools—and all our work is done inside the Gateless Method,  designed to help you push past blocks and find flow in the work.

That also means there is NO criticism, judgment, or competition in the room. Instead, we point out what’s working and I will pass you tools and ideas for upleveling the work. You’ll explore your content, and the structure of the talk itself, which emerges from the work. Over the course of the program, every participant will get the chance to share and receive feedback, and get some laser coaching from me, as well. 

How much time should I expect to spend on the talk outside of workshop? 

That is totally up to you! This doesn’t have to take over your life. You’ll want some time to continue what we’ve started in class, and to sort of “metabolize” your ideas. The idea is that this can feel easeful, exploratory, and fun. And you’ll also have the weeks between the workshops and the showcase to work on it further, revisit the recordings, etc. 

What if I have to miss a session? 

That’s ok! Life happens and if you have to miss, you can catch up on the replays for the course which will be stored on your dashboard for you to access anytime. 

Can we do a longer talk if we want? 

For this course, you will be limited to a talk that is less than 10 minutes. It’s great practice to stick to this time limit.

What if I’m uneasy speaking up? Will you talk about strategies for helping with that? 

That's ok! Included in your enrollment is a replay of the Unmute Yourself workshop — which addresses some of the issues that can come up whenever you go to speak up, on stage or in a group. But not to worry—we don't presume everyone is fearless!

 Do I have to know what my speaking topic is? 

No. A big part of our work is going to be helping you define and curate your ideas and stories into a short talk that captures something you care about. I’m willing to bet you have some ideas already, and it’s totally ok if they’re not “set” yet. That’s what we’ll be doing! I can’t tell you what to speak about or why you should speak. That’s something you decide. During the workshop, you’ll get the chance to explore your ideas, stories, and topics to help you land on something you can at the very least practice constructing a talk around, so that you can use that tool whenever you need to.

Do I need previous experience as a professional speaker? 

Nope! Zero previous experience is required. Rather than worry about what you’ve done in the past, think about what you’re looking to do. Every speaker has their own goals: To do more speaking as a list-growth strategy, to find more clients, to sell books, or to simply do more speaking. It doesn’t matter what your goal is, but you do need to have one. So it’s worth giving some thought to what appeals to you about this. You don’t have to aim to do keynotes for a living, but only you can decide why it’s worth your time, energy, and resources to do it.  

What if I have done a lot of public speaking already? 

Good! Maybe it’s time to shake things up or break ground on a new topic or angle. I’m not teaching you “how” to speak as much as I am giving you tools, insights, a process, and the space to develop ideas that you as a speaker will continue to need as you and your work evolve. I have worked with plenty of professional speakers, many of whom were bored to tears with what they’d been doing and were dying for something new. I’ll be leading you through an approach to writing and speaking that can get your wheels turning, ignite your creativity, and get you excited to do more speaking! 

Will you teach us the formula for booking paid speaking gigs? 

There is no magic formula for a single talk or for landing paid speaking gigs. The majority of our time will be focused not on booking strategies, but on the content of your talk itself, because it’s hard to pitch something without knowing what it is. People pay for something that has value for them, their teams, their organization. It’s not whether one person’s talk is ‘worth’ more than someone else’s—it’s about how it’s positioned and sold, and before we can do any of that, we  have to focus on what it is you’re trying to say.  

What about TEDx talks? 

While I have no formal or professional affiliation with TED as an organization, I have given two TEDx talks of my own, coached many others to craft theirs, and been hired as a coach and emcee for independently organized TEDx events. I teach essentially a TED-style signature talk, which has become the gold standard for talks, and a modern model for more personalized public speaking. So if a TEDx talk is a goal, you can absolutely use this time to focus on yours! 

What is the Speaker Showcase? 

It’s a live, virtual event via Zoom in which you’ll get to deliver your 10-minute signature talk! You can invite anyone you like to attend, and will be given assets to promote the event, which Terri will be doing as well.  You'll also receive a copy of the recording of your talk, which you are welcome to use on your website or share online. The showcase is optional, by the way—so if you want to use the Intensive to work on your talk but don’t want to participate in the workshop, that’s ok too. Pls let us know so we can plan the showcases accordingly. 

What if I can’t make the Speaker Showcase date?

If the program fills to capacity, we may add a second second showcase date. Rest assured that if we cannot make a date work, you will have the opportunity to cancel your participation in the program, prior to the start of the workshops. 

What is the dress rehearsal like? 

During the dress rehearsal, you’ll get the chance to run through your talk in real time, become familiar with the run of show. You’ll also get supportive feedback from all of us on how great you’re doing! Most importantly, you’ll be ready, not because you’ve had a year to work on it, but because it’s time—which is really the reason any of us finally take the stage. 

How big or small is the Speaker Intensive program? 

We meet on Zoom meeting and we see each other face to face (unlike a one-way webinar). Rest assured that this is designed to be an intimate and interactive experience.