After over 1500 talks, I’ve pretty much spoken to every type of audience imaginable, large and small. Please understand that I am not a motivational speaker, nor am I interested in speaking at inside-the-company events. My talks work best at association events, where people are away from the office, less focused on the bottom line, more thinking about the horizon. These industries/audiences work best with my content and style. Fees are determined through a conversation about connections, expectations, time, venue and interests.
1. Design
This includes pretty much anything in the AEC industries. I’ve been on the board of both the American Institute of Architects-Wisconsin as well as the AIA National board. The majority of my talks in the last ten years were with design audiences. For a sense of my speaking style and content, see these videos: Designs on the Future delivered to the Society for Experiential Graphic Design and a mostly extemporaneous talk for the American Institute of Architecture Students, which was the fifth time I had keynoted their annual forum. As you might suspect, all of my talks are tailored to each specific audience.
Sitting down to the @DavidZach lecture at #AIAS #MidwestQuad. Mind, prepare to be blown. Charlie Klecha, AIAS 2014 President
2. Agriculture
My talks work really well within the ag industry. Maybe it’s because I grew up just outside of a small farm town and still have a lot of the values learned there. Agriculture is a natural for thinking about the future trends, avoiding fads and respecting principles. It might also be because I understand how much the ag industry has changed over the past few decades and what shouldn’t change about agriculture. About ten years ago while at InfoAg, I had wandered through the exhibit hall and was amazed at all the drone exhibits. One might be tempted to say, “This is not your grandparents’ farm…” but actually, it still is. The technology changed but the principles have not. If the principles have been lost, maybe that’s the problem. In my talks, I weave together future trends and future traditions. Just because something is new, does not mean it’s good. Just because it’s old, doesn’t mean it’s outdated. It might just be old because it’s timeless.
3. Chambers and Economic Development
I’m a big believer in what some call “flyover country.” I grew up outside of a small town and love living in Wisconsin. Throughout my career, many would ask, “Why does a Futurist live in Milwaukee?” The implication was that city was not where the future was. It might not be where the dramatic, “hey, look at me!” future happens, but there’s lots of innovation going on there that’s paying more attention to the long-term. For more on the future of medium-sized communities, read The Human City by Joel Kotkin.
Here’s an example of a successful Chamber of Commerce event and how I approached it. Before speaking at the Rockford’s Chamber’s 100th anniversary I went for a visit, first virtually by searching for gems online, and then I drove down and spent a day wandering and visiting. One of my first stops: a cemetery. After all, anyone who had been a member of the chamber 100 years ago was long gone. Crafting a photo story of the names on the stones and who they might have been, along with the struggles of the day, made for a fun story that brought strong applause. The video for this 2010 talk can be viewed here.
On my early visit, I also found a printery shop and gallery that participated in First Fridays. Turns out, it was the largest single event for Rockford’s First Fridays, but was completely off the official radar. This led to introductions and a vast expansion of understanding of what else is happening on those evenings.
Finally, I wandered through a variety of shops in the downtown and ended up at The Coronado Theater. This is a beautifully restored 1927 atmospheric theater, popular in the early years of cinema theaters. Bringing images from my impromptu tour nicely tied together Rockford’s past with the present and with a sense of community commitment and vision, how those can lead into the next 100 years.
3. Technology
Remembering that I am a keynote speaker and not an industry speaker, my value to this audiences is on that bigger picture. My job is not to know (or predict) the next bleeding-edge direction of technology, but rather to ask “What else does this new technology mean?” We can look in the labs and the marketing plans to know what’s coming next. What comes after what comes next is where the fun starts and the role of this Futurist begins.
My job is not to tell people about the future of their industry. If they’re asking me to do that, they’re in more trouble than they thought. My job is to have some understanding of their problems and opportunities and then point my knowledge and perspectives in towards their center. I help provide broader, often unexpected context to their decisions.
My keynotes make people think, but are done in such a way that they’re not threatened by such thinking. That’s why my talks are funny. Anything you can laugh at isn’t quite as threatening. Humor plays with paradoxes – and that helps the audience members see multiple sides of an issue and that gives them lots to talk about with each other during the rest of the conference. That’s the real value of my talks: after the keynote, attendees have something to talk about during the breaks and even in their calls back home. A frequent comment made after my talks is, “I wish my kids had been here to hear that.”
4. Association Conferences
Beyond the above industries, my fit with your audience needs to be determined case by case. And, it’s important to repeat here that I’m not the best fit for the corporate market. My talks are not about just the bottom line, they’re much more about the horizon. At an association event, people are more relaxed and more social. At corporate events, there’s always a little bit of tension. Another way of expressing this: I am not a motivational speaker. If your people are not motivated, that’s your problem. Most of those showing up at industry conferences are already motivated. They want to learn. They want to network. I can help inspire them and get them talking. The content of my talk gives them lots of conversations starters that will carry through the entire event and beyond.
5. Unique Experiences, Audiences and Venues
A key attitude towards the future is a willingness to be surprised, and sometimes first considerations about a speaker/audience fit can be reconsidered. I will not take a booking just to get a booking. If we’re not a good fit, I will be honest and try to steer you in a better direction.
Having said that, I can resist everything except temptation. Negotiations that require second glances often lead to great connections. For example, back in the late 1990s, I got a call from the president for the Juneau, Alaska School Board. They had a small budget for the commencement speech… and then he said that he and his wife owned a B&B. The offer: host me for a week: flight-seeing, wanderings through the local parks (Did you know that bald eagles up there are pretty much like pigeons are down here?), use of a car, and even fishing in Juneau Bay. I caught a 30 lb. King Salmon. The students were great and we had some intriguing conversations as they asked me about their career ideas and skill sets. Very fond memories. Negotiating for cool things works for me.