December 2, 2024 • 36 mins
Have you ever attended a keynote that truly wowed you—one that stood out, engaged the audience, and provided an unforgettable experience?
Let’s face it, most keynotes do the job, but very few deliver that multidimensional magic.
In today’s episode, I sit down with Julia Korn, the founder and CEO of The Authenticity Guide and a recent client.
We worked closely together to create her new keynote, from the content to the magic touches that made it a 10 out of 10.
How did she do it? That’s what we’re diving into!
We explore:
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The step-by-step process Julia used to land her keynote slot a year in advance (hint: proactive pitching matters!).
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Why the concept of a Personal Board of Directors became the winning topic that resonated with her audience.
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How Julia and I worked together to create a keynote that went beyond content to deliver an experience, including interactive elements like a creative game show featuring Oprah, Yoda, and even Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg!
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The importance of storytelling and vulnerability, including how Julia captivated her audience with her personal story of a career demotion—and even laid flat on the stage to drive her point home.
We also discuss the work that goes into crafting a stellar keynote:
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Balancing humor, audience engagement, and actionable takeaways.
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Collaborating with AV teams to nail the technical elements.
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Hiring a videographer to capture powerful moments for future sizzle reels.
Julia shares the audience’s reactions, from laughter to tears, and how her keynote set a transformative tone for the rest of the conference.
She also provides valuable tips for speakers who want to make a lasting impact, whether they’re on a keynote stage or pitching their next big speaking opportunity.
About My Guest: Julia Korn is the founder and CEO of The Authenticity Guide, an executive coaching company focused on empowering ambitious leaders to find success without sacrificing joy. Julia is a self-described recovering perfectionist. She has been named a Business Insider Most Innovative Coach and she is also a Contributor to Forbes. She has been featured on BBC World News, Fox Business News, and more. Her recent TEDx talk, Break Up With “Should” In Your Career was named a TED Editors Pick of the year. In 2024, she launched the first of its kind community just for female emerging leaders, called The Emerging Leader Collective. Her greatest creation of all, however, is her two-year-old daughter.
Links:
Show notes at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/422/
Julia’s website: https://www.theauthenticityguide.com/
Discover your Speaker Archetype by taking our free quiz at https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/quiz/
Attend our 1-day speaking workshop in Orlando: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/workshop/
Check out our coaching programs: https://www.speakingyourbrand.com/work-with-us/coac
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Carol Cox:
Hi there and welcome to the Speaking Your (00:00):
undefined
Brand podcast. I'm your host, Carol Cox.
Have you ever seen a keynote delivered at a
conference where you're like, wow, that was
a ten out of a ten.
That was amazing.
Something that I didn't expect.
Um, probably not, because let's face it,
there are a lot of fantastic speakers out
there, but there are a lot, also a lot of
(00:21):
keynotes that we see that just kind of do
the job that share some content with you,
maybe share some insights or some takeaways,
but just really don't give you that
multidimensional experience.
Well, that's what we're talking about today
with my guest, Julia Korn, because she
recently delivered a ten out of ten keynote.
And that is not me saying that.
(00:41):
And that's not Julia saying that, although
we are saying that it was people in the
audience and many people in the audience who
went up to Julia and the event organizers
afterwards and said, wow, that was amazing,
including the AV and the sound people.
And, you know, they see a lot of keynotes at
conferences. Julia is the founder and CEO of
The Authenticity Guide, an executive
(01:02):
coaching company that works with ambitious
leaders. She also recently did a TEDx talk
earlier this year called Break Up with
Should in Your Career, which was named as a
TEDx Editor's Pick of the year.
I'll include a link to that Ted talk in the
show notes as well.
Julia, welcome to the podcast.
Julia Korn: Thank you. Carol, I'm such a fan of yours and (01:19):
undefined
of the podcast. So it's it's a real honor to
be here.
Carol Cox: Well, I have had such so much fun working (01:25):
undefined
with you. We started working together in the
very beginning of August, and your keynote
was just last, well, last week as of we're
recording this, so November and we worked
really hard on this keynote on only the
content, but so many of the different
aspects of it. And so I want to really dig
into what, what makes a ten out of ten
(01:47):
keynote. Before we get there, though, let's
talk about how did this keynote come about
in the first place?
Julia Korn: Yeah. So I um, this was sort of a a warm (01:53):
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lead, if you will.
And so I started off in my business not
doing keynotes, which I know is common for
many people. I was doing workshops, and when
I started my business, I was giving
workshops for free, um, and getting footage
(02:13):
and getting testimonials.
And I had gotten to the point where I was
giving workshops, um, for money at
conferences. And I gave a workshop at this
exact conference three years ago, um, before
I had a child. And I, I loved the audience,
I loved the event planners, and those went
(02:35):
really well. And so I was able to keep those
relationships warm over the years.
And so, uh, when I reached back out to
inquire about keynote slots and yes, I
reached back out, um, they already sort of
knew who I was and knew that I had already
received positive feedback from their
(02:56):
audience and cared about their audience.
And so I had circled back because of my fond
feelings, and it was sort of like they
wanted this mutual assurance that I cared
about this audience.
They had some social proof from me.
And so it made sense to partner on a keynote
because, um, I pitched them a topic that
they, that they liked.
Carol Cox: And I think this is such a great point that, (03:15):
undefined
number one, you already had spoken there.
So they were familiar with you, because I
say that speaking is the best way to get
more speaking engagements and to get higher
profile speaking engagements, because they
have to see you as a speaker and they have
to know what you can do.
But the second thing is that you didn't you
didn't wait for them to just kind of like
dawn on them.
(03:36):
Oh, maybe we should go back to Julia and see
if she could be our keynote speaker, because
they have a lot of things on their plate.
They have a lot of speakers that they've
seen. So I love that you were proactive in
pitching them to do this.
And so this conference, as I mentioned, was
just this November.
When did you send them the proposal for the
keynote?
Julia Korn: It was probably a year before that. (03:54):
undefined
Um, we had a really, really long lead time.
Yeah. They were, you know, they're, um,
they're extremely organized.
They plan really far in advance.
I think they had just wrapped up this
conference for the year prior.
They had just finished, like taking their
post conference breath, and then they were
ready to start thinking.
And so, you know, the lead time is pretty
(04:14):
long between getting them to respond to your
email, getting on the calendar, pitching the
topic, them taking the topic back to the
powers that be, getting the contract right.
And so, um, so it was, I would say like ten
months before the conference, I was like
signed and ready.
Carol Cox: That is so important also to keep in mind, (04:31):
undefined
because four keynote slots, especially a lot
of conferences, do book a year in advance,
sometimes 18 months in advance of the actual
conference. So for those of you listening,
keep that in mind. You're not probably going
to get a keynote slot a month before the
event unless something happens and you
already know the people. All right.
So let's talk about the topic that you
pitched them. So tell us what that topic
(04:52):
was, and why you felt this would be a great
fit for their audience.
Julia Korn: So they were really insistent that this was a (04:56):
undefined
group of individuals who needed professional
development. That wasn't just your typical
professional development, they needed
something more sophisticated than sort of
the generic topics on leadership and
(05:18):
emotional intelligence.
And right. Like that was sort of same old,
same old. And they were really clear that
this is a group of people who want to level
up their careers.
They love substance and takeaways and action
items, but they also like to have fun.
Um, and so one, one topic.
So I pitched them. I will say, I think this
(05:39):
is important for your listeners too.
I pitched them three different topics.
Right. Like and I think sometimes that's
okay. Right. To play a little bit, I think I
hear a lot of like have one keynote like do
it perfectly and sure.
But but they wanted to kind of spitball a
little bit. And so I pitched them a few
things. I think I pitched them something on
imposter syndrome, um, which they were like,
(06:00):
nah, something else.
And then the thing that hit for them was
this idea of building a personal board of
directors. And so they were like, wait, what
is that? Tell me more.
And I, you know, I was like, well, this is
something I do with my coaching clients
where it's not enough to have one mentor.
You have to have a board of people in your
corner, um, to help with your career, to
help get to the next level.
And this is something where it's I'm
(06:22):
introducing a concept, but I'm also
introducing the practice of doing it and the
how. And there's takeaways and it's tangible
and it's new.
And so they they loved that because they
felt like okay it's a cool big idea.
But you can also get into the weeds with it.
And they're like these women come with
notebooks and pens. They want the details.
Right. And so I was like, okay, it's got to
be inspirational, but it's got to be detail
(06:42):
oriented, right? It's always kind of toeing
that line. And so, um, so that's what we
landed on.
Carol Cox: And I love this idea of the personal board of (06:48):
undefined
directors because it's a fresh topic.
It's not something that they've heard
before, so it definitely piqued their
interest, but it still aligns with a lot of
the same things that people are
experiencing, whether it is imposter
syndrome or stalled career growth or not
knowing how to advance in their career.
So it hits on that.
But it's from a very fresh angle versus the
(07:09):
same old, same old. Like, I'm just going to
talk about how to strategically advance in
your career.
Julia Korn: Yep. Yeah, exactly. (07:14):
undefined
And interestingly, there was a section that
I didn't, you know, overtly call imposter
syndrome in the talk where I said, you know,
you might have this feeling like, who am I
to do this? And interestingly, there were
like five people afterwards who came up to
me and said that specific part, that
question of who am I to do this?
That really spoke to me, that imposter
(07:34):
syndrome piece. And I was like, interesting.
Okay, so you can really sort of work when
you know that a topic is going to resonate
with your audience, you can find ways to
kind of give them what they need versus what
the conference planners want do I ask for
it? And I know Carol, we're going to get
into that.
Carol Cox: Oh, yes we are. (07:49):
undefined
Yes we are. Well, and this and the reason I
feel like that resonates with so many
people, this idea of who am I to ask for
this? Or who am I to want this is it goes to
understanding our identity and who we are
and how we want to come across and how we're
perceived. And I always say that keynotes,
the best keynotes are really about helping
the audience understand themselves better
(08:10):
and where they fit into the world, because
as humans, that's ultimately what we want.
And to your point, event organizers say they
want the audience to have, quote, tangible
takeaways and action steps and action plans.
And I think they see this again out of the
goodness of their hearts, because they feel
like they want valuable content for their
audiences. But I don't know, I feel like
(08:32):
they probably have seen enough presentations
over the years to know better by now,
because this is what I call the expert trap.
And I know Julia, we talked about this in
the very beginning of working together, that
it's so easy for us to fall into the expert
trap, and we did this initially.
Like, let's tell them all the ways that they
can put together their board of directors.
And then we ended up, we realized that that
(08:53):
was not going to create the ten out of ten
keynote. So let's back up just a moment.
Julia, why did you decide that you wanted to
work with someone on your keynote
specifically, you know, coming, finding me,
speaking your brand. And because I know you
create great presentations and I know you
could have done a great job on this.
So why did you decide to work with someone?
Julia Korn: So I was ready to take things to the next (09:13):
undefined
level. Right. Like I have, you know, I think
I was getting paid to talk like in the five
K to eight K range, and I was building my
own content and it was good.
Like exactly that, that way of saying like,
oh, that was good.
(09:34):
Um, and like that just wasn't good enough
for me. I was so ready to get those
stateside referrals to just be the person
people think of, to just be dynamite.
And I'm sure, like a lot of your listeners,
I have sat in on keynotes where it's like
the middle aged white man jogs on stage to
eye of the tiger eye.
Carol Cox: Oh my God, do they still do that? (09:54):
undefined
I really? Yes.
Yes. Okay, well, news flash, I think this is
going to become even a bigger thing next
year.
Julia Korn: Yeah. All right. (10:05):
undefined
Um, so.
And I just was like, I'm, I'm I'm ready.
And I have to give your copywriter credit
and and your website and your SEO, because
normally I don't work with coaches who I
don't have a warm referral from.
I didn't know anyone who knew you, Carroll.
But you came up in my internet search and I
(10:26):
went on your website, and I like I was like,
wait, is she. She's looking at me like she.
Does she see me?
Because it spoke to my soul.
I was like, I'm comfortable in an academic
environment. I convey information really
well. I like I'm In size.
I'm. I'm fat based like, yeah, maybe like a
joke or two, but I, I'm conveying
(10:47):
information. I'm just I'm not thinking like,
I'm not thinking of this as a performance.
And I know it needs to be.
So I need to ratchet down the academia and I
need to ratchet up the show, and I have no
idea how to do that.
And so it's interesting.
I like we spoke and we didn't actually work
together for a little while after we spoke,
(11:09):
but like, it was almost like like I was on
your newsletter. I was listening to your
podcast. And so I was in your ecosystem even
before I paid you.
Um, and so it was just like, anytime my mind
strayed, I would be brought right back to
you through a podcast episode that resonated
or through a newsletter.
And the more my panic rose about about this
keynote and feeling like it just wasn't
(11:30):
going in the direction that I thought would
be dynamite. The more I was like, I need
Carol, I need some help. And so that's what
made me pull the trigger. I was like, I
just, I need I need a spirit guide on this
note to like, decrease my blood pressure and
just give me the assurance that it's going
to be dynamite.
Carol Cox: Well, and it was. (11:47):
undefined
It was a lot of hard work.
I mean, you put a lot of hard work into it.
We did during our coaching sessions
together. I did, you know, brainstorming and
marinating on things in between our coaching
sessions to really think about how can we
make this different, unusual, something
that's really going to stand out.
And to your point about the website copy is
(12:08):
that and I do have to thank my copywriter,
Ashley Harvey. And actually we're doing a
joint retreat in London, England next summer
all around building your bold brand voice,
because she is such a great copywriter and
brand messaging expert.
So but this expert trap, the reason I talk
about it so much is because not only do I
see so many women fall into it, but I myself
(12:29):
fall into it. I have, and I, and I still
catch myself doing it because it is our
default. It is our instinct.
But we have to consciously and intentionally
reel ourselves out of that, not only for our
benefit, for the benefit of our audiences.
So, Julia, let's dig into how we shaped the
keynote. And as I mentioned a little bit
ago, we very assuredly started going down
(12:52):
that expert trap.
Right. We mapped everything out and you're
like, let's tell them exactly how to build
their board of directors.
So tell me what that looked like.
And then how do we reel ourselves back in?
Speaker3: Yeah. (13:03):
undefined
Julia Korn: So you you spent so much extra time with me (13:04):
undefined
because we did several versions of this
keynote. And it was funny how we both, we
both sort of fell into the expert trap the
first round. Right? Because I was like, oh,
I have all this information like, let me
just convey it. And you were like, great,
let's convey it. Let's fit all of these
stories in. And in the first round, I think
we like I was talking about my infertility
(13:26):
story, like it was like every story you
have, let's do it.
And like every description, let's do it.
And it was just like it was I mean, we both
knew it as we were doing it.
We almost just had to get all the spaghetti
on the wall first to to just like say, this
is I'm mixing metaphors to like, say goodbye
(13:46):
to it. Um, we just had to work through it.
And then once we had like the first version,
we took a breather and we came back and I
was like, this isn't working.
And you were like, yep, this isn't working.
Like, this is too much information.
And like, it's kind of boring.
And and we were like, we both had this
moment of like we both fell into the expert
(14:06):
trap on this one. And it's such a good
reminder that having that extra person to
just be your gut check can be so helpful.
Carol Cox: You know, I likened it to writing the first (14:14):
undefined
draft of a book. Yeah.
Right. So, like. Yes.
Like they always say your first draft is
going to suck. It's not going to be what
ends up being published, but you have to get
it out because it's almost like you have to
see, like you said, what's not working or
you have to just get all the stuff out that
you think, well, maybe that would be a good
idea. Maybe I should put this story in.
If you don't have a place to put it.
(14:35):
It kind of. Just stays in your mind and you
think, well, what if what if I put that in?
But I feel like we got it all out.
And then we kind of went back to the drawing
board and a lot of ways and we're like,
okay, let's so we, we kind of we.
So act three is the end and we really save
that to the very, very end.
We didn't work on that until probably a few
weeks before your keynote.
(14:56):
But we I decided that we really needed to
focus on act two, which was the main thing,
like, how are we going to not only tell the
audience about this personal board of
directors and how it benefits them, but how
are we going to show them what it's like?
So, Julie, you had already can you tell us a
little bit about what the board of directors
is, what what the different kind of roles
(15:18):
are? Because then you had the idea that each
role kind of represented someone in the
cultural zeitgeist.
Julia Korn: Yes. Yeah, exactly. (15:24):
undefined
Yeah. So there was a lot of like ideation
and spitballing here. So your board of
directors, uh, has a number of roles on it.
And so there's a connector, and that person
is someone who essentially has a mental
Rolodex and connects ideas and people.
(15:44):
My vision was that the connector would be
like a Yiddish yenta, kind of like a
matchmaker. Um, uh, there's the mentor, uh,
who that's sort of self-explanatory.
And I thought the mentor could be Yoda.
And the sponsor is a very high level person
in your organization who can say your name
in a room and things happen.
And so I was like, that's got to be Oprah.
(16:06):
Uh, and then there's one more that is the
friend. Um, and I was sort of like, I don't
maybe we'll do maybe like a Martha Stewart
Snoop Dogg, we like played with what that
would be. And so I had this idea that it
would be really funny to have a visual of
all of these people sitting around a
boardroom table, because no one would really
expect that. And so I like I got there, but
(16:28):
the how was still the big question mark
because it was like, am I just telling
people like what these roles are?
Because even though the characters are
interesting, the telling is still really
boring, right?
Carol Cox: Because again, you had so you had the (16:40):
undefined
characters Yoda and Snoop Dogg and Oprah,
which was fun, and we had props for each of
them. Like, we had thought about that so
that you could add those to your talk, but
right to your point, it's like, okay, but
then. Right. Do we just like go run down the
list and say, now go think of people who
could be in these different roles and then
go put together your board of directors and
like, yes, in a conference breakout session.
(17:01):
You could do that and have some activities.
But this was a keynote on a big stage with a
big audience, so we knew we had to bring it.
So I remember I was working, uh, you know,
thinking about things in between one of our
sessions. And I was thinking like, different
audience engagement activities we could do
to kind of just get the audience more
involved. And all of a sudden, I'm a very
visual thinker pops into my mind, is that
(17:22):
old game show Hollywood Squares, you know,
where you had, like the nine squares, like
tic tac toe, and then they would have
different celebrities. So I was thinking
celebrities, Oprah and Snoop Dogg and Martha
Stewart. I'm like, oh, what if you had,
like, each celebrity in one of those boxes
and you could just, like, reveal to the
audience who they were one by one?
And then that's where we came up with this
whole game show idea.
(17:44):
So can you tell us about that?
Speaker3: Yeah. (17:45):
undefined
Julia Korn: So from my perspective, I got an email from (17:46):
undefined
you in between. We sort of left a session
off being like, let's just each go back and
think. And I got an email from you.
I think it was like 48 hours later and it
was like, okay, you might hate this, but dot
dot, dot. What if we made it a game show?
And like and and you had some examples that
(18:07):
like we didn't end up like going with.
But I was just like I think she just nailed
it. Like it just I had it was like like it
just was like this. It was like, that's it.
Like, yes, this will be a game show.
And then, um, and then I had the idea that
what the game show would be was that I would
get people to come on stage and read poems.
(18:29):
And so I was like, so excited because I'm
like, oh, I get to write poems for all these
roles, and those are clues, and the audience
can guess it. And so, um, and that was
really fun for me because I really like
writing poems, and it's so silly to write a
poem about Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg.
Speaker3: So they were so good. (18:43):
undefined
They were so good. Yeah, they.
Julia Korn: Came out really good. And, um, and that (18:46):
undefined
moment of doing that was like.
That's when it started being fun again.
To write the keynote.
Speaker3: Yes, yes. (18:54):
undefined
That's when I.
Julia Korn: Knew we were nailing it because it was fun to (18:56):
undefined
write. And it was it was so much fun to play
it out. And that's when we were just like
100 miles an hour.
Carol Cox: And. Yeah. And so you had these clues and (19:05):
undefined
you, you found people who were going to be
attending the conference, and you talked to
them ahead of time to let them and ask them
if they would be willing to come on stage
because you weren't just going to leave it
to chance and have random audience people
come up to read. So you planned all this?
I think you laminated the poems, the clues,
so they would have that.
And then you also had a call with the AV
(19:27):
people at the conference.
So can you tell us about that and what some
of the things that you ended up doing there
at the keynote?
Julia Korn: Yeah. So not every conference is going to be (19:33):
undefined
as buttoned up and professional as this one
was with hiring an external AV vendor who
was just really on top of it.
Um, but we, you know, we went through all of
my slides. And so the audio became really a
really important component of the keynote.
That's always such a wild card with
keynotes, no matter how good the sound guys
are. And I Carol, I don't know if I told you
(19:54):
this. We had sound issues, even though the
sound was like they were so good, but it
was. I mean, it didn't. I'm a big believer
in like moments of vulnerability helped
humanize you. And so it ended up being fine.
But, you know, I have this one slide where I
when we transitioned to like to this act
two, where I'm like, I'm not just going to
stand up here and tell you these roles, that
would be so boring.
(20:14):
So we're going to make it a game show.
And then I hired a voiceover actor from
Fiverr or one of these freelance platforms
to say, it's time to play Guess you're bored
with, like, this old timey, like music.
And it's like the flashing neon lights.
And so I was like, I really need that sound
(20:36):
to hit. And of course it didn't.
Speaker3: Um, so I had like, this moment of like. (20:39):
undefined
Julia Korn: So just in case you didn't hear me, we're (20:42):
undefined
gonna make it a game show, right?
And he's like, so then it went on the
second. The second go.
Um, but yeah, so they, they sort of like,
knew in advance which side was going to cue
that. Um, I had a song at the end that I
needed them to play, and it was very like
volume dependent.
Soft at the beginning, loud at the end.
(21:03):
Right. So they were, um, there were some
important pieces that I needed to to get
them on board with, but it's so great
because now I know I have like the seven
bullet points that are really, really key
for that AV team. And I have now bolded
these are the things that are most likely to
screw up. So how can we prepare for these
things? And they also were great because I
(21:23):
wanted to do. I was like a little bit extra.
I wanted to do the like DJ bullhorn for the
correct answers after the poems like the pew
pew pew and they were like, we want to give
you everything that your heart's desires,
Julia. But like the bullhorns not happening.
Speaker3: I was like, maybe the next keynote. (21:38):
undefined
Yeah. So, you know, it was.
Julia Korn: Like, you know, I was like, okay, the most (21:42):
undefined
important things then are this and this.
Um, but yeah, working with them and then
honestly showing up an hour before my stage
time was so crucial because I was on the
stage and I was like, here's where that
hits. Know that volume gets higher, that
rate. So like that hour before the keynote
was also crucial to getting it right.
Carol Cox: Well, and this also shows how much work real (22:01):
undefined
work goes into creating an amazing keynote.
It is not just like you dust off some slides
and you update a couple of things, and then
you roll out of bed and you show up, you
know, your call time and you hope everything
works like. And this is why I am such a big
advocate of conferences, paying their
(22:21):
keynote speakers and paying them well.
And unfortunately, some conferences and a
lot of women's conferences don't pay their
keynote speakers very well.
It's because you want to invest in that
speaker, because they're going to be much
more committed, because they know that their
it is a business relationship.
Julia Korn: Yeah, exactly. And the things that I did that (22:40):
undefined
went above and beyond, they were so
appreciative. I mean, talking to attendees
before my talk, that was a standout thing
for these event planners, because what I was
able to do, it was sort of a I mean, I kind
of hit two birds with one stone, right?
I got to hear from my audience in advance.
(23:00):
And so I was like, what are your pain
points? What do people misunderstand about
you? Right. Like all of these really meaty
questions and synthesize their answers, use
quotes from them in the keynote.
So everyone in the audience is like, yes,
she sees me. She gets it.
She's speaking our language.
But then at the end of those interviews, I
also got to say, would you read a poem on
stage? I think you would nail it.
(23:22):
Right. And so it's like I got these two
things from these women.
And the conference planners were like the
fact that you took the time before this
keynote to understand our audience.
They felt so seen.
They felt so understood.
So it really it really was a win win to
just. And when you pay keynotes, they can
take that time to do those interviews.
And you're not customizing the whole
(23:43):
keynote, you're customizing 10% of it.
But that 10% really stands out.
Carol Cox: Absolutely. Yes. (23:47):
undefined
And okay, so that was so we talked about act
two, which was really this game show idea to
talk about this board of directors, what it
looks like, but in a very fun and engaging
and interactive way.
So and then we ended up kind of we, we tied
up the loose ends in act three.
But let's go back to act one, which is the
opening, because the opening, as we know, is
really critical for setting the stage
(24:09):
literally, for bringing the audience in to
letting them know, what are we going to be
talking about? Who is Julia?
Why should we care about her?
Why should we listen to her?
Does she understand us?
Is she relatable?
Can we trust what she's saying?
So we. So talk to us about how we decided to
open the keynote.
I said the royal we.
But how you.
Speaker3: Decided to open the keynote. (24:27):
undefined
This was like.
Julia Korn: I don't know if act two or this part was the (24:30):
undefined
hardest for us. I mean, we really struggled
because, you know, it needs to be like, so
you you want to be funny and
self-deprecating and engaging right off the
bat. And so I ended up going with, just like
a quick little story about my daughter first
and like, taking a plane with her and like
that being a disaster and like, baby on a
plane. Right. It's like people can relate to
(24:51):
that. And then we decided instead of any
other fluff, like jump right into this story
of how I got demoted in my 20s.
And that story, like that story was like
such buy in from the audience just
immediately because I was just, you know,
it's like my bio is like, she's a
contributor to Forbes, she has a TEDx.
(25:12):
And I was just like, everyone's just like,
oh, like, I hate her.
Speaker3: And. Okay, wait wait. (25:17):
undefined
Carol Cox: Wait, Julie, I'm not going to say that. I'm (25:19):
undefined
going to say, wow, she's amazing.
I aspire to be her, but does she really
understand where I am right now?
Julia Korn: Okay, that's a fair. That's a fair. (25:25):
undefined
Speaker3: Phrasing. All right. (25:27):
undefined
Julia Korn: And so I get up there and I'm saying I was I (25:27):
undefined
was a special assistant to a C-suite person.
So I had the same role that you have.
And I'm walking into my performance review
thinking I'm getting promoted.
Obviously the story is a lot longer and a
lot more funny, and I get demoted.
And interestingly, actually, I don't I
didn't tell you this. I'm excited to tell
you this part. So a lot of what we talked
about was the importance of having a bit and
(25:48):
I think, um, a signature bit, right, that no
one else can do that. You do.
I think the game show was, was a big bit,
but a smaller bit was a little bit more
impromptu. And that was when I'm describing
the demotion, I talk about how my boss takes
out the the dreaded org chart, and I say,
(26:08):
and he took his finger and he drew it lower
and lower and lower and lower.
And I lay flat on the ground.
Speaker3: Oh, good for you. (26:15):
undefined
Carol Cox: I am so glad you did. (26:16):
undefined
Julia Korn: I laid on the ground for like one, two, three (26:17):
undefined
Mississippi. When I tell you like they were,
like, peeing in their pants.
Because it's like you're just like.
That was my frame of mind in the moment.
Like when I felt dead on the ground and like
the lowness on the org chart, it just.
It worked. And they're not expecting it.
Right? Like, I'm in this dress, I look nice
(26:39):
and I'm just laying.
And so I think that was a really good moment
of like, oh, is she gonna lay down on the
stage like she's gonna tell this story?
And so from there, it was just like they
were locked in.
Speaker3: Well, you. (26:49):
undefined
Carol Cox: Committed to the performance. (26:50):
undefined
Speaker3: Right of the keynote. (26:51):
undefined
Carol Cox: And that's what that takes, really, to be (26:52):
undefined
willing to do that. And this is why I love
improv, and this is why we do improv at our
speaking workshops, because it gets you to
use your body. I lay on the floor and do
silly stuff and improv, because then I know
I'm going to take that to the stage.
Speaker3: Yeah. All right. (27:04):
undefined
Carol Cox: So, Julie, so we figured out the opening, (27:05):
undefined
which was the the story about your daughter
on the airplane, which was cute again,
self-deprecating. It was funny, kind of just
like lightened the mood, brought the
audience in. But then you had your real
story, which was the story about getting
demoted. And I remember we kept cutting and
cutting and cutting and cutting because I
knew from my experience helping clients with
(27:27):
Ted talks that less is more.
The more you cut, the actually, the stronger
the stories are going to be.
And I know that there were some parts we
ended up cutting where you're like, oh, I
like that part. I'm like, yes, I like it
too. But let's just see how it feels to keep
cutting it down to the essence, keeping the
humor, keeping the storytelling, but then
keep cutting it. And I think it was much
more effective.
Julia Korn: It was so much more effective. (27:47):
undefined
We had one session where we had our shared
Google doc up, and you were tracking
changes, and you were highlighting entire
pages and just hitting delete and the red
thing, and I was just like, ha ha ha.
But then, like, I practice it that way the
next week. And I was like, huh, that was a
lot better.
Carol Cox: Yeah, I have no I have no sacred cows. (28:06):
undefined
I'm like, I am an editor galore.
I will cut, cut, cut, cut, cut because I
know we can always bring it back.
We can always bring it back if it feels like
it's a little too empty.
But I think I just feel like it is much
better. All right. So let's talk about then
the feedback you got.
So you're at you're there.
You sent me a video that morning of the
stage which looks incredible.
And all the chairs and the audience before
(28:27):
people got there, you're like, oh my God.
I'm like, I know you're going to be amazing.
Just have fun with it.
And so glad you did. So you do your thing.
It goes great.
And then what happens?
Julia Korn: So immediately after I get off the stage and (28:36):
undefined
there's just a line of people waiting to
talk to me, which is such a fun feeling.
And it was like talking to me.
But they also wanted pictures with me, and
they wanted to ask me specific follow up
questions and to tell me like what resonated
with me. I had at least three women, like,
break down and cry in my arms about how,
(28:58):
like something in particular I said
resonated with them and changed the course
of how they're going to think about their
career. Um, and so it was this mix of like,
that was so fun. What an engaging first
keynote, But also, you made me think about
something I'm doing in my life in a new way.
And so I just was filled with like, just
(29:19):
gratitude for the audience and joy at
feeling like this was this was as impactful
as I had hoped it would be when I first
pitched it. And so the the first, I was like
25 minutes after the keynote was just like
that. Um, and then I sort of looked up and
the room had cleared and the line was gone.
And, uh, conference planners were sort of
(29:43):
running around and they were like, that was
freaking incredible.
Um, like just I could see the joy on their
faces and walked out, and the sound guy sort
of walked out with me, and he was like, he
was like, you were phenomenal.
And I. He was like, I just have to share
something funny with you, which you alluded
to earlier, Carol. He was like the tech guys
(30:03):
I brought with me. They they do like, you
know, 1 to 2 keynotes a day.
1 to 2 conferences a day.
And they I overheard them saying, usually
the keynotes at these things like kind of
suck. But she was freaking incredible.
Speaker3: And I was like, that's. (30:19):
undefined
Julia Korn: The highest compliment I'll take. (30:20):
undefined
And then the AV guy was like, let me know
how I can be of service to you and refer
you. And like, because I would love to work
with you again. And I was like, you were
such a pleasure. Like. And so it was so such
an interesting like that was a connection
that was made, um, from just sort of being,
(30:41):
being a team player and like being happy to
work with other people.
Um, other than the conference planners.
Carol Cox: Yes. I love that, Julia. (30:47):
undefined
And in the the feedback was not, wow, those
are a lot of great takeaways that that I,
that I wrote down in my notebook.
Speaker3: Yes, yes. (30:55):
undefined
Julia Korn: And you know they did and like but it was you (30:56):
undefined
know what it was though, which I loved.
It was a lot less writing in notebooks and
this screen phone, phones taking pictures.
And when I tell you no, not a single person
was like on their phone. I like I do a lot
of audience scans during my talk.
I speak to the audience.
Nobody was on their phones like people were
(31:16):
so engaged. The only time phones came out
were, you know, the slides with the quotes
like that, that snapping pictures.
Um, and yeah, so like there were takeaways,
but it was, it was an experience.
Like we gave them an experience.
Carol Cox: Exactly. An experience they'll remember an (31:30):
undefined
experience that really they felt they not
only heard, they thought it in their mind,
but they felt it in their bodies, not only
because of the sensory elements that you
have, but because of this idea of, wow, I
can make a difference in my career in a way
that I didn't think was possible before, or
in a way that I didn't even think of before.
Julia Korn: Yeah, yeah. (31:50):
undefined
And I had a number of people say to me, what
an empowering way to start this conference,
because now the mindset that I'm using going
into all of these other sessions is totally
different. And so I think the or like the
keynote opening the conference, that was
another piece of specific feedback that I
got was like this, as the opening was very
powerful. So that's something else that I
(32:11):
can take with me as I pitch this to other
conferences. Right? It's like, what's your
opening keynote slot?
This is what this does for participants.
Speaker3: Absolutely. (32:17):
undefined
Carol Cox: And Julia, the other thing that you did is (32:18):
undefined
that you hired a videography company to come
and film you because even though some a lot
of events will film on their own, you don't
necessarily know when you're going to get
the footage or how much of the footage or if
they're going to film the whole thing.
So I highly recommend it that you bring in
your own video team. So tell us about that.
Julia Korn: Yeah. Um, so it was it was super easy and I (32:37):
undefined
really appreciated you pushing me on it.
I initially asked the conference planners if
they knew anyone. They didn't.
I asked someone in my network who lives in
Miami. She recommended someone awesome.
Um, it was, you know, it it was an expense,
but it wasn't terrible.
And I'm not having them edit anything.
(32:58):
It's just kind of raw footage that I'll get
and eventually put into a, like, more high
level sizzle reel than the one I have now
when I have more gigs accumulated.
Um, but it was so great.
I mean, they were so professional and it was
just the focus was just on me.
The goal was me. It wasn't the whole
conference. And so they brought two cams,
which was great. One was stationary at
(33:19):
different points in the audience and the
other followed me.
And so and I was really intentional about
all of the different shots I wanted to get,
and we got it beforehand. So we had that
right before I went on stage like, hey, I'm
Julia, I'm about to go on stage to talk to
this audience about this. I'm super excited.
Follow me. And then he was right behind me
when I ran up on stage.
So he got the jogging up on stage shot.
(33:39):
He got the like leaving the stage, I baked
it. This was sort of, um, a little bit sly.
But the end of my keynote, I get everyone to
stand and put their arms around each other
and do a sing along. So then I walk off
stage. Everyone's already standing and
clapping. So it's sort of you like stage?
The standing ovation a little bit.
Speaker3: Oh my God, it's so brilliant. (34:00):
undefined
Right?
Julia Korn: And so then the camera pans as I'm walking (34:02):
undefined
off stage. Everyone's standing doing this
right. So it's an amazing visual and it's an
amazing feeling for me and for the audience
to have that. And so we captured all of
those moments, and I wouldn't have done that
if I just went with conference videography
like they wouldn't have. Oh, and
testimonials right after.
So my camera guy is standing right next to
me, every person who's coming up to me in
(34:23):
line and saying these amazing things, I'm
like, would you just repeat that for this
guy over here? And they did.
Right. And so I was able to get these sort
of real time, like, what did you think of
it? How did you feel? Testimonials.
Carol Cox: Amazing. Well, Julia, congratulations on (34:33):
undefined
really all the hard work that you put into
this, not only pitching yourself for this
keynote, but all the speaking work you did
leading up to it. Obviously, all the hard
work you did on the keynote itself, all the
practicing and rehearsing and logistics and
all of that. I mean, it is so well deserved
and I am so excited for you to take this on
(34:53):
the road and to speak to a lot more places.
Julia Korn: Thank you for everything, Carol. (34:56):
undefined
I appreciate you more than you could know.
undefined
Brand podcast. I'm your host, Carol Cox.
Have you ever seen a keynote delivered at a
conference where you're like, wow, that was
a ten out of a ten.
That was amazing.
Something that I didn't expect.
Um, probably not, because let's face it,
there are a lot of fantastic speakers out
there, but there are a lot, also a lot of
(00:21):
keynotes that we see that just kind of do
the job that share some content with you,
maybe share some insights or some takeaways,
but just really don't give you that
multidimensional experience.
Well, that's what we're talking about today
with my guest, Julia Korn, because she
recently delivered a ten out of ten keynote.
And that is not me saying that.
(00:41):
And that's not Julia saying that, although
we are saying that it was people in the
audience and many people in the audience who
went up to Julia and the event organizers
afterwards and said, wow, that was amazing,
including the AV and the sound people.
And, you know, they see a lot of keynotes at
conferences. Julia is the founder and CEO of
The Authenticity Guide, an executive
(01:02):
coaching company that works with ambitious
leaders. She also recently did a TEDx talk
earlier this year called Break Up with
Should in Your Career, which was named as a
TEDx Editor's Pick of the year.
I'll include a link to that Ted talk in the
show notes as well.
Julia, welcome to the podcast.
Julia Korn: Thank you. Carol, I'm such a fan of yours and (01:19):
undefined
of the podcast. So it's it's a real honor to
be here.
Carol Cox: Well, I have had such so much fun working (01:25):
undefined
with you. We started working together in the
very beginning of August, and your keynote
was just last, well, last week as of we're
recording this, so November and we worked
really hard on this keynote on only the
content, but so many of the different
aspects of it. And so I want to really dig
into what, what makes a ten out of ten
(01:47):
keynote. Before we get there, though, let's
talk about how did this keynote come about
in the first place?
Julia Korn: Yeah. So I um, this was sort of a a warm (01:53):
undefined
lead, if you will.
And so I started off in my business not
doing keynotes, which I know is common for
many people. I was doing workshops, and when
I started my business, I was giving
workshops for free, um, and getting footage
(02:13):
and getting testimonials.
And I had gotten to the point where I was
giving workshops, um, for money at
conferences. And I gave a workshop at this
exact conference three years ago, um, before
I had a child. And I, I loved the audience,
I loved the event planners, and those went
(02:35):
really well. And so I was able to keep those
relationships warm over the years.
And so, uh, when I reached back out to
inquire about keynote slots and yes, I
reached back out, um, they already sort of
knew who I was and knew that I had already
received positive feedback from their
(02:56):
audience and cared about their audience.
And so I had circled back because of my fond
feelings, and it was sort of like they
wanted this mutual assurance that I cared
about this audience.
They had some social proof from me.
And so it made sense to partner on a keynote
because, um, I pitched them a topic that
they, that they liked.
Carol Cox: And I think this is such a great point that, (03:15):
undefined
number one, you already had spoken there.
So they were familiar with you, because I
say that speaking is the best way to get
more speaking engagements and to get higher
profile speaking engagements, because they
have to see you as a speaker and they have
to know what you can do.
But the second thing is that you didn't you
didn't wait for them to just kind of like
dawn on them.
(03:36):
Oh, maybe we should go back to Julia and see
if she could be our keynote speaker, because
they have a lot of things on their plate.
They have a lot of speakers that they've
seen. So I love that you were proactive in
pitching them to do this.
And so this conference, as I mentioned, was
just this November.
When did you send them the proposal for the
keynote?
Julia Korn: It was probably a year before that. (03:54):
undefined
Um, we had a really, really long lead time.
Yeah. They were, you know, they're, um,
they're extremely organized.
They plan really far in advance.
I think they had just wrapped up this
conference for the year prior.
They had just finished, like taking their
post conference breath, and then they were
ready to start thinking.
And so, you know, the lead time is pretty
(04:14):
long between getting them to respond to your
email, getting on the calendar, pitching the
topic, them taking the topic back to the
powers that be, getting the contract right.
And so, um, so it was, I would say like ten
months before the conference, I was like
signed and ready.
Carol Cox: That is so important also to keep in mind, (04:31):
undefined
because four keynote slots, especially a lot
of conferences, do book a year in advance,
sometimes 18 months in advance of the actual
conference. So for those of you listening,
keep that in mind. You're not probably going
to get a keynote slot a month before the
event unless something happens and you
already know the people. All right.
So let's talk about the topic that you
pitched them. So tell us what that topic
(04:52):
was, and why you felt this would be a great
fit for their audience.
Julia Korn: So they were really insistent that this was a (04:56):
undefined
group of individuals who needed professional
development. That wasn't just your typical
professional development, they needed
something more sophisticated than sort of
the generic topics on leadership and
(05:18):
emotional intelligence.
And right. Like that was sort of same old,
same old. And they were really clear that
this is a group of people who want to level
up their careers.
They love substance and takeaways and action
items, but they also like to have fun.
Um, and so one, one topic.
So I pitched them. I will say, I think this
(05:39):
is important for your listeners too.
I pitched them three different topics.
Right. Like and I think sometimes that's
okay. Right. To play a little bit, I think I
hear a lot of like have one keynote like do
it perfectly and sure.
But but they wanted to kind of spitball a
little bit. And so I pitched them a few
things. I think I pitched them something on
imposter syndrome, um, which they were like,
(06:00):
nah, something else.
And then the thing that hit for them was
this idea of building a personal board of
directors. And so they were like, wait, what
is that? Tell me more.
And I, you know, I was like, well, this is
something I do with my coaching clients
where it's not enough to have one mentor.
You have to have a board of people in your
corner, um, to help with your career, to
help get to the next level.
And this is something where it's I'm
(06:22):
introducing a concept, but I'm also
introducing the practice of doing it and the
how. And there's takeaways and it's tangible
and it's new.
And so they they loved that because they
felt like okay it's a cool big idea.
But you can also get into the weeds with it.
And they're like these women come with
notebooks and pens. They want the details.
Right. And so I was like, okay, it's got to
be inspirational, but it's got to be detail
(06:42):
oriented, right? It's always kind of toeing
that line. And so, um, so that's what we
landed on.
Carol Cox: And I love this idea of the personal board of (06:48):
undefined
directors because it's a fresh topic.
It's not something that they've heard
before, so it definitely piqued their
interest, but it still aligns with a lot of
the same things that people are
experiencing, whether it is imposter
syndrome or stalled career growth or not
knowing how to advance in their career.
So it hits on that.
But it's from a very fresh angle versus the
(07:09):
same old, same old. Like, I'm just going to
talk about how to strategically advance in
your career.
Julia Korn: Yep. Yeah, exactly. (07:14):
undefined
And interestingly, there was a section that
I didn't, you know, overtly call imposter
syndrome in the talk where I said, you know,
you might have this feeling like, who am I
to do this? And interestingly, there were
like five people afterwards who came up to
me and said that specific part, that
question of who am I to do this?
That really spoke to me, that imposter
(07:34):
syndrome piece. And I was like, interesting.
Okay, so you can really sort of work when
you know that a topic is going to resonate
with your audience, you can find ways to
kind of give them what they need versus what
the conference planners want do I ask for
it? And I know Carol, we're going to get
into that.
Carol Cox: Oh, yes we are. (07:49):
undefined
Yes we are. Well, and this and the reason I
feel like that resonates with so many
people, this idea of who am I to ask for
this? Or who am I to want this is it goes to
understanding our identity and who we are
and how we want to come across and how we're
perceived. And I always say that keynotes,
the best keynotes are really about helping
the audience understand themselves better
(08:10):
and where they fit into the world, because
as humans, that's ultimately what we want.
And to your point, event organizers say they
want the audience to have, quote, tangible
takeaways and action steps and action plans.
And I think they see this again out of the
goodness of their hearts, because they feel
like they want valuable content for their
audiences. But I don't know, I feel like
(08:32):
they probably have seen enough presentations
over the years to know better by now,
because this is what I call the expert trap.
And I know Julia, we talked about this in
the very beginning of working together, that
it's so easy for us to fall into the expert
trap, and we did this initially.
Like, let's tell them all the ways that they
can put together their board of directors.
And then we ended up, we realized that that
(08:53):
was not going to create the ten out of ten
keynote. So let's back up just a moment.
Julia, why did you decide that you wanted to
work with someone on your keynote
specifically, you know, coming, finding me,
speaking your brand. And because I know you
create great presentations and I know you
could have done a great job on this.
So why did you decide to work with someone?
Julia Korn: So I was ready to take things to the next (09:13):
undefined
level. Right. Like I have, you know, I think
I was getting paid to talk like in the five
K to eight K range, and I was building my
own content and it was good.
Like exactly that, that way of saying like,
oh, that was good.
(09:34):
Um, and like that just wasn't good enough
for me. I was so ready to get those
stateside referrals to just be the person
people think of, to just be dynamite.
And I'm sure, like a lot of your listeners,
I have sat in on keynotes where it's like
the middle aged white man jogs on stage to
eye of the tiger eye.
Carol Cox: Oh my God, do they still do that? (09:54):
undefined
I really? Yes.
Yes. Okay, well, news flash, I think this is
going to become even a bigger thing next
year.
Julia Korn: Yeah. All right. (10:05):
undefined
Um, so.
And I just was like, I'm, I'm I'm ready.
And I have to give your copywriter credit
and and your website and your SEO, because
normally I don't work with coaches who I
don't have a warm referral from.
I didn't know anyone who knew you, Carroll.
But you came up in my internet search and I
(10:26):
went on your website, and I like I was like,
wait, is she. She's looking at me like she.
Does she see me?
Because it spoke to my soul.
I was like, I'm comfortable in an academic
environment. I convey information really
well. I like I'm In size.
I'm. I'm fat based like, yeah, maybe like a
joke or two, but I, I'm conveying
(10:47):
information. I'm just I'm not thinking like,
I'm not thinking of this as a performance.
And I know it needs to be.
So I need to ratchet down the academia and I
need to ratchet up the show, and I have no
idea how to do that.
And so it's interesting.
I like we spoke and we didn't actually work
together for a little while after we spoke,
(11:09):
but like, it was almost like like I was on
your newsletter. I was listening to your
podcast. And so I was in your ecosystem even
before I paid you.
Um, and so it was just like, anytime my mind
strayed, I would be brought right back to
you through a podcast episode that resonated
or through a newsletter.
And the more my panic rose about about this
keynote and feeling like it just wasn't
(11:30):
going in the direction that I thought would
be dynamite. The more I was like, I need
Carol, I need some help. And so that's what
made me pull the trigger. I was like, I
just, I need I need a spirit guide on this
note to like, decrease my blood pressure and
just give me the assurance that it's going
to be dynamite.
Carol Cox: Well, and it was. (11:47):
undefined
It was a lot of hard work.
I mean, you put a lot of hard work into it.
We did during our coaching sessions
together. I did, you know, brainstorming and
marinating on things in between our coaching
sessions to really think about how can we
make this different, unusual, something
that's really going to stand out.
And to your point about the website copy is
(12:08):
that and I do have to thank my copywriter,
Ashley Harvey. And actually we're doing a
joint retreat in London, England next summer
all around building your bold brand voice,
because she is such a great copywriter and
brand messaging expert.
So but this expert trap, the reason I talk
about it so much is because not only do I
see so many women fall into it, but I myself
(12:29):
fall into it. I have, and I, and I still
catch myself doing it because it is our
default. It is our instinct.
But we have to consciously and intentionally
reel ourselves out of that, not only for our
benefit, for the benefit of our audiences.
So, Julia, let's dig into how we shaped the
keynote. And as I mentioned a little bit
ago, we very assuredly started going down
(12:52):
that expert trap.
Right. We mapped everything out and you're
like, let's tell them exactly how to build
their board of directors.
So tell me what that looked like.
And then how do we reel ourselves back in?
Speaker3: Yeah. (13:03):
undefined
Julia Korn: So you you spent so much extra time with me (13:04):
undefined
because we did several versions of this
keynote. And it was funny how we both, we
both sort of fell into the expert trap the
first round. Right? Because I was like, oh,
I have all this information like, let me
just convey it. And you were like, great,
let's convey it. Let's fit all of these
stories in. And in the first round, I think
we like I was talking about my infertility
(13:26):
story, like it was like every story you
have, let's do it.
And like every description, let's do it.
And it was just like it was I mean, we both
knew it as we were doing it.
We almost just had to get all the spaghetti
on the wall first to to just like say, this
is I'm mixing metaphors to like, say goodbye
(13:46):
to it. Um, we just had to work through it.
And then once we had like the first version,
we took a breather and we came back and I
was like, this isn't working.
And you were like, yep, this isn't working.
Like, this is too much information.
And like, it's kind of boring.
And and we were like, we both had this
moment of like we both fell into the expert
(14:06):
trap on this one. And it's such a good
reminder that having that extra person to
just be your gut check can be so helpful.
Carol Cox: You know, I likened it to writing the first (14:14):
undefined
draft of a book. Yeah.
Right. So, like. Yes.
Like they always say your first draft is
going to suck. It's not going to be what
ends up being published, but you have to get
it out because it's almost like you have to
see, like you said, what's not working or
you have to just get all the stuff out that
you think, well, maybe that would be a good
idea. Maybe I should put this story in.
If you don't have a place to put it.
(14:35):
It kind of. Just stays in your mind and you
think, well, what if what if I put that in?
But I feel like we got it all out.
And then we kind of went back to the drawing
board and a lot of ways and we're like,
okay, let's so we, we kind of we.
So act three is the end and we really save
that to the very, very end.
We didn't work on that until probably a few
weeks before your keynote.
(14:56):
But we I decided that we really needed to
focus on act two, which was the main thing,
like, how are we going to not only tell the
audience about this personal board of
directors and how it benefits them, but how
are we going to show them what it's like?
So, Julie, you had already can you tell us a
little bit about what the board of directors
is, what what the different kind of roles
(15:18):
are? Because then you had the idea that each
role kind of represented someone in the
cultural zeitgeist.
Julia Korn: Yes. Yeah, exactly. (15:24):
undefined
Yeah. So there was a lot of like ideation
and spitballing here. So your board of
directors, uh, has a number of roles on it.
And so there's a connector, and that person
is someone who essentially has a mental
Rolodex and connects ideas and people.
(15:44):
My vision was that the connector would be
like a Yiddish yenta, kind of like a
matchmaker. Um, uh, there's the mentor, uh,
who that's sort of self-explanatory.
And I thought the mentor could be Yoda.
And the sponsor is a very high level person
in your organization who can say your name
in a room and things happen.
And so I was like, that's got to be Oprah.
(16:06):
Uh, and then there's one more that is the
friend. Um, and I was sort of like, I don't
maybe we'll do maybe like a Martha Stewart
Snoop Dogg, we like played with what that
would be. And so I had this idea that it
would be really funny to have a visual of
all of these people sitting around a
boardroom table, because no one would really
expect that. And so I like I got there, but
(16:28):
the how was still the big question mark
because it was like, am I just telling
people like what these roles are?
Because even though the characters are
interesting, the telling is still really
boring, right?
Carol Cox: Because again, you had so you had the (16:40):
undefined
characters Yoda and Snoop Dogg and Oprah,
which was fun, and we had props for each of
them. Like, we had thought about that so
that you could add those to your talk, but
right to your point, it's like, okay, but
then. Right. Do we just like go run down the
list and say, now go think of people who
could be in these different roles and then
go put together your board of directors and
like, yes, in a conference breakout session.
(17:01):
You could do that and have some activities.
But this was a keynote on a big stage with a
big audience, so we knew we had to bring it.
So I remember I was working, uh, you know,
thinking about things in between one of our
sessions. And I was thinking like, different
audience engagement activities we could do
to kind of just get the audience more
involved. And all of a sudden, I'm a very
visual thinker pops into my mind, is that
(17:22):
old game show Hollywood Squares, you know,
where you had, like the nine squares, like
tic tac toe, and then they would have
different celebrities. So I was thinking
celebrities, Oprah and Snoop Dogg and Martha
Stewart. I'm like, oh, what if you had,
like, each celebrity in one of those boxes
and you could just, like, reveal to the
audience who they were one by one?
And then that's where we came up with this
whole game show idea.
(17:44):
So can you tell us about that?
Speaker3: Yeah. (17:45):
undefined
Julia Korn: So from my perspective, I got an email from (17:46):
undefined
you in between. We sort of left a session
off being like, let's just each go back and
think. And I got an email from you.
I think it was like 48 hours later and it
was like, okay, you might hate this, but dot
dot, dot. What if we made it a game show?
And like and and you had some examples that
(18:07):
like we didn't end up like going with.
But I was just like I think she just nailed
it. Like it just I had it was like like it
just was like this. It was like, that's it.
Like, yes, this will be a game show.
And then, um, and then I had the idea that
what the game show would be was that I would
get people to come on stage and read poems.
(18:29):
And so I was like, so excited because I'm
like, oh, I get to write poems for all these
roles, and those are clues, and the audience
can guess it. And so, um, and that was
really fun for me because I really like
writing poems, and it's so silly to write a
poem about Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg.
Speaker3: So they were so good. (18:43):
undefined
They were so good. Yeah, they.
Julia Korn: Came out really good. And, um, and that (18:46):
undefined
moment of doing that was like.
That's when it started being fun again.
To write the keynote.
Speaker3: Yes, yes. (18:54):
undefined
That's when I.
Julia Korn: Knew we were nailing it because it was fun to (18:56):
undefined
write. And it was it was so much fun to play
it out. And that's when we were just like
100 miles an hour.
Carol Cox: And. Yeah. And so you had these clues and (19:05):
undefined
you, you found people who were going to be
attending the conference, and you talked to
them ahead of time to let them and ask them
if they would be willing to come on stage
because you weren't just going to leave it
to chance and have random audience people
come up to read. So you planned all this?
I think you laminated the poems, the clues,
so they would have that.
And then you also had a call with the AV
(19:27):
people at the conference.
So can you tell us about that and what some
of the things that you ended up doing there
at the keynote?
Julia Korn: Yeah. So not every conference is going to be (19:33):
undefined
as buttoned up and professional as this one
was with hiring an external AV vendor who
was just really on top of it.
Um, but we, you know, we went through all of
my slides. And so the audio became really a
really important component of the keynote.
That's always such a wild card with
keynotes, no matter how good the sound guys
are. And I Carol, I don't know if I told you
(19:54):
this. We had sound issues, even though the
sound was like they were so good, but it
was. I mean, it didn't. I'm a big believer
in like moments of vulnerability helped
humanize you. And so it ended up being fine.
But, you know, I have this one slide where I
when we transitioned to like to this act
two, where I'm like, I'm not just going to
stand up here and tell you these roles, that
would be so boring.
(20:14):
So we're going to make it a game show.
And then I hired a voiceover actor from
Fiverr or one of these freelance platforms
to say, it's time to play Guess you're bored
with, like, this old timey, like music.
And it's like the flashing neon lights.
And so I was like, I really need that sound
(20:36):
to hit. And of course it didn't.
Speaker3: Um, so I had like, this moment of like. (20:39):
undefined
Julia Korn: So just in case you didn't hear me, we're (20:42):
undefined
gonna make it a game show, right?
And he's like, so then it went on the
second. The second go.
Um, but yeah, so they, they sort of like,
knew in advance which side was going to cue
that. Um, I had a song at the end that I
needed them to play, and it was very like
volume dependent.
Soft at the beginning, loud at the end.
(21:03):
Right. So they were, um, there were some
important pieces that I needed to to get
them on board with, but it's so great
because now I know I have like the seven
bullet points that are really, really key
for that AV team. And I have now bolded
these are the things that are most likely to
screw up. So how can we prepare for these
things? And they also were great because I
(21:23):
wanted to do. I was like a little bit extra.
I wanted to do the like DJ bullhorn for the
correct answers after the poems like the pew
pew pew and they were like, we want to give
you everything that your heart's desires,
Julia. But like the bullhorns not happening.
Speaker3: I was like, maybe the next keynote. (21:38):
undefined
Yeah. So, you know, it was.
Julia Korn: Like, you know, I was like, okay, the most (21:42):
undefined
important things then are this and this.
Um, but yeah, working with them and then
honestly showing up an hour before my stage
time was so crucial because I was on the
stage and I was like, here's where that
hits. Know that volume gets higher, that
rate. So like that hour before the keynote
was also crucial to getting it right.
Carol Cox: Well, and this also shows how much work real (22:01):
undefined
work goes into creating an amazing keynote.
It is not just like you dust off some slides
and you update a couple of things, and then
you roll out of bed and you show up, you
know, your call time and you hope everything
works like. And this is why I am such a big
advocate of conferences, paying their
(22:21):
keynote speakers and paying them well.
And unfortunately, some conferences and a
lot of women's conferences don't pay their
keynote speakers very well.
It's because you want to invest in that
speaker, because they're going to be much
more committed, because they know that their
it is a business relationship.
Julia Korn: Yeah, exactly. And the things that I did that (22:40):
undefined
went above and beyond, they were so
appreciative. I mean, talking to attendees
before my talk, that was a standout thing
for these event planners, because what I was
able to do, it was sort of a I mean, I kind
of hit two birds with one stone, right?
I got to hear from my audience in advance.
(23:00):
And so I was like, what are your pain
points? What do people misunderstand about
you? Right. Like all of these really meaty
questions and synthesize their answers, use
quotes from them in the keynote.
So everyone in the audience is like, yes,
she sees me. She gets it.
She's speaking our language.
But then at the end of those interviews, I
also got to say, would you read a poem on
stage? I think you would nail it.
(23:22):
Right. And so it's like I got these two
things from these women.
And the conference planners were like the
fact that you took the time before this
keynote to understand our audience.
They felt so seen.
They felt so understood.
So it really it really was a win win to
just. And when you pay keynotes, they can
take that time to do those interviews.
And you're not customizing the whole
(23:43):
keynote, you're customizing 10% of it.
But that 10% really stands out.
Carol Cox: Absolutely. Yes. (23:47):
undefined
And okay, so that was so we talked about act
two, which was really this game show idea to
talk about this board of directors, what it
looks like, but in a very fun and engaging
and interactive way.
So and then we ended up kind of we, we tied
up the loose ends in act three.
But let's go back to act one, which is the
opening, because the opening, as we know, is
really critical for setting the stage
(24:09):
literally, for bringing the audience in to
letting them know, what are we going to be
talking about? Who is Julia?
Why should we care about her?
Why should we listen to her?
Does she understand us?
Is she relatable?
Can we trust what she's saying?
So we. So talk to us about how we decided to
open the keynote.
I said the royal we.
But how you.
Speaker3: Decided to open the keynote. (24:27):
undefined
This was like.
Julia Korn: I don't know if act two or this part was the (24:30):
undefined
hardest for us. I mean, we really struggled
because, you know, it needs to be like, so
you you want to be funny and
self-deprecating and engaging right off the
bat. And so I ended up going with, just like
a quick little story about my daughter first
and like, taking a plane with her and like
that being a disaster and like, baby on a
plane. Right. It's like people can relate to
(24:51):
that. And then we decided instead of any
other fluff, like jump right into this story
of how I got demoted in my 20s.
And that story, like that story was like
such buy in from the audience just
immediately because I was just, you know,
it's like my bio is like, she's a
contributor to Forbes, she has a TEDx.
(25:12):
And I was just like, everyone's just like,
oh, like, I hate her.
Speaker3: And. Okay, wait wait. (25:17):
undefined
Carol Cox: Wait, Julie, I'm not going to say that. I'm (25:19):
undefined
going to say, wow, she's amazing.
I aspire to be her, but does she really
understand where I am right now?
Julia Korn: Okay, that's a fair. That's a fair. (25:25):
undefined
Speaker3: Phrasing. All right. (25:27):
undefined
Julia Korn: And so I get up there and I'm saying I was I (25:27):
undefined
was a special assistant to a C-suite person.
So I had the same role that you have.
And I'm walking into my performance review
thinking I'm getting promoted.
Obviously the story is a lot longer and a
lot more funny, and I get demoted.
And interestingly, actually, I don't I
didn't tell you this. I'm excited to tell
you this part. So a lot of what we talked
about was the importance of having a bit and
(25:48):
I think, um, a signature bit, right, that no
one else can do that. You do.
I think the game show was, was a big bit,
but a smaller bit was a little bit more
impromptu. And that was when I'm describing
the demotion, I talk about how my boss takes
out the the dreaded org chart, and I say,
(26:08):
and he took his finger and he drew it lower
and lower and lower and lower.
And I lay flat on the ground.
Speaker3: Oh, good for you. (26:15):
undefined
Carol Cox: I am so glad you did. (26:16):
undefined
Julia Korn: I laid on the ground for like one, two, three (26:17):
undefined
Mississippi. When I tell you like they were,
like, peeing in their pants.
Because it's like you're just like.
That was my frame of mind in the moment.
Like when I felt dead on the ground and like
the lowness on the org chart, it just.
It worked. And they're not expecting it.
Right? Like, I'm in this dress, I look nice
(26:39):
and I'm just laying.
And so I think that was a really good moment
of like, oh, is she gonna lay down on the
stage like she's gonna tell this story?
And so from there, it was just like they
were locked in.
Speaker3: Well, you. (26:49):
undefined
Carol Cox: Committed to the performance. (26:50):
undefined
Speaker3: Right of the keynote. (26:51):
undefined
Carol Cox: And that's what that takes, really, to be (26:52):
undefined
willing to do that. And this is why I love
improv, and this is why we do improv at our
speaking workshops, because it gets you to
use your body. I lay on the floor and do
silly stuff and improv, because then I know
I'm going to take that to the stage.
Speaker3: Yeah. All right. (27:04):
undefined
Carol Cox: So, Julie, so we figured out the opening, (27:05):
undefined
which was the the story about your daughter
on the airplane, which was cute again,
self-deprecating. It was funny, kind of just
like lightened the mood, brought the
audience in. But then you had your real
story, which was the story about getting
demoted. And I remember we kept cutting and
cutting and cutting and cutting because I
knew from my experience helping clients with
(27:27):
Ted talks that less is more.
The more you cut, the actually, the stronger
the stories are going to be.
And I know that there were some parts we
ended up cutting where you're like, oh, I
like that part. I'm like, yes, I like it
too. But let's just see how it feels to keep
cutting it down to the essence, keeping the
humor, keeping the storytelling, but then
keep cutting it. And I think it was much
more effective.
Julia Korn: It was so much more effective. (27:47):
undefined
We had one session where we had our shared
Google doc up, and you were tracking
changes, and you were highlighting entire
pages and just hitting delete and the red
thing, and I was just like, ha ha ha.
But then, like, I practice it that way the
next week. And I was like, huh, that was a
lot better.
Carol Cox: Yeah, I have no I have no sacred cows. (28:06):
undefined
I'm like, I am an editor galore.
I will cut, cut, cut, cut, cut because I
know we can always bring it back.
We can always bring it back if it feels like
it's a little too empty.
But I think I just feel like it is much
better. All right. So let's talk about then
the feedback you got.
So you're at you're there.
You sent me a video that morning of the
stage which looks incredible.
And all the chairs and the audience before
(28:27):
people got there, you're like, oh my God.
I'm like, I know you're going to be amazing.
Just have fun with it.
And so glad you did. So you do your thing.
It goes great.
And then what happens?
Julia Korn: So immediately after I get off the stage and (28:36):
undefined
there's just a line of people waiting to
talk to me, which is such a fun feeling.
And it was like talking to me.
But they also wanted pictures with me, and
they wanted to ask me specific follow up
questions and to tell me like what resonated
with me. I had at least three women, like,
break down and cry in my arms about how,
(28:58):
like something in particular I said
resonated with them and changed the course
of how they're going to think about their
career. Um, and so it was this mix of like,
that was so fun. What an engaging first
keynote, But also, you made me think about
something I'm doing in my life in a new way.
And so I just was filled with like, just
(29:19):
gratitude for the audience and joy at
feeling like this was this was as impactful
as I had hoped it would be when I first
pitched it. And so the the first, I was like
25 minutes after the keynote was just like
that. Um, and then I sort of looked up and
the room had cleared and the line was gone.
And, uh, conference planners were sort of
(29:43):
running around and they were like, that was
freaking incredible.
Um, like just I could see the joy on their
faces and walked out, and the sound guy sort
of walked out with me, and he was like, he
was like, you were phenomenal.
And I. He was like, I just have to share
something funny with you, which you alluded
to earlier, Carol. He was like the tech guys
(30:03):
I brought with me. They they do like, you
know, 1 to 2 keynotes a day.
1 to 2 conferences a day.
And they I overheard them saying, usually
the keynotes at these things like kind of
suck. But she was freaking incredible.
Speaker3: And I was like, that's. (30:19):
undefined
Julia Korn: The highest compliment I'll take. (30:20):
undefined
And then the AV guy was like, let me know
how I can be of service to you and refer
you. And like, because I would love to work
with you again. And I was like, you were
such a pleasure. Like. And so it was so such
an interesting like that was a connection
that was made, um, from just sort of being,
(30:41):
being a team player and like being happy to
work with other people.
Um, other than the conference planners.
Carol Cox: Yes. I love that, Julia. (30:47):
undefined
And in the the feedback was not, wow, those
are a lot of great takeaways that that I,
that I wrote down in my notebook.
Speaker3: Yes, yes. (30:55):
undefined
Julia Korn: And you know they did and like but it was you (30:56):
undefined
know what it was though, which I loved.
It was a lot less writing in notebooks and
this screen phone, phones taking pictures.
And when I tell you no, not a single person
was like on their phone. I like I do a lot
of audience scans during my talk.
I speak to the audience.
Nobody was on their phones like people were
(31:16):
so engaged. The only time phones came out
were, you know, the slides with the quotes
like that, that snapping pictures.
Um, and yeah, so like there were takeaways,
but it was, it was an experience.
Like we gave them an experience.
Carol Cox: Exactly. An experience they'll remember an (31:30):
undefined
experience that really they felt they not
only heard, they thought it in their mind,
but they felt it in their bodies, not only
because of the sensory elements that you
have, but because of this idea of, wow, I
can make a difference in my career in a way
that I didn't think was possible before, or
in a way that I didn't even think of before.
Julia Korn: Yeah, yeah. (31:50):
undefined
And I had a number of people say to me, what
an empowering way to start this conference,
because now the mindset that I'm using going
into all of these other sessions is totally
different. And so I think the or like the
keynote opening the conference, that was
another piece of specific feedback that I
got was like this, as the opening was very
powerful. So that's something else that I
(32:11):
can take with me as I pitch this to other
conferences. Right? It's like, what's your
opening keynote slot?
This is what this does for participants.
Speaker3: Absolutely. (32:17):
undefined
Carol Cox: And Julia, the other thing that you did is (32:18):
undefined
that you hired a videography company to come
and film you because even though some a lot
of events will film on their own, you don't
necessarily know when you're going to get
the footage or how much of the footage or if
they're going to film the whole thing.
So I highly recommend it that you bring in
your own video team. So tell us about that.
Julia Korn: Yeah. Um, so it was it was super easy and I (32:37):
undefined
really appreciated you pushing me on it.
I initially asked the conference planners if
they knew anyone. They didn't.
I asked someone in my network who lives in
Miami. She recommended someone awesome.
Um, it was, you know, it it was an expense,
but it wasn't terrible.
And I'm not having them edit anything.
(32:58):
It's just kind of raw footage that I'll get
and eventually put into a, like, more high
level sizzle reel than the one I have now
when I have more gigs accumulated.
Um, but it was so great.
I mean, they were so professional and it was
just the focus was just on me.
The goal was me. It wasn't the whole
conference. And so they brought two cams,
which was great. One was stationary at
(33:19):
different points in the audience and the
other followed me.
And so and I was really intentional about
all of the different shots I wanted to get,
and we got it beforehand. So we had that
right before I went on stage like, hey, I'm
Julia, I'm about to go on stage to talk to
this audience about this. I'm super excited.
Follow me. And then he was right behind me
when I ran up on stage.
So he got the jogging up on stage shot.
(33:39):
He got the like leaving the stage, I baked
it. This was sort of, um, a little bit sly.
But the end of my keynote, I get everyone to
stand and put their arms around each other
and do a sing along. So then I walk off
stage. Everyone's already standing and
clapping. So it's sort of you like stage?
The standing ovation a little bit.
Speaker3: Oh my God, it's so brilliant. (34:00):
undefined
Right?
Julia Korn: And so then the camera pans as I'm walking (34:02):
undefined
off stage. Everyone's standing doing this
right. So it's an amazing visual and it's an
amazing feeling for me and for the audience
to have that. And so we captured all of
those moments, and I wouldn't have done that
if I just went with conference videography
like they wouldn't have. Oh, and
testimonials right after.
So my camera guy is standing right next to
me, every person who's coming up to me in
(34:23):
line and saying these amazing things, I'm
like, would you just repeat that for this
guy over here? And they did.
Right. And so I was able to get these sort
of real time, like, what did you think of
it? How did you feel? Testimonials.
Carol Cox: Amazing. Well, Julia, congratulations on (34:33):
undefined
really all the hard work that you put into
this, not only pitching yourself for this
keynote, but all the speaking work you did
leading up to it. Obviously, all the hard
work you did on the keynote itself, all the
practicing and rehearsing and logistics and
all of that. I mean, it is so well deserved
and I am so excited for you to take this on
(34:53):
the road and to speak to a lot more places.
Julia Korn: Thank you for everything, Carol. (34:56):
undefined
I appreciate you more than you could know.
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