Are Keynotes Dead or Just Different with Katja Schleicher.

Welcome to Public Speaking with Peter George. Do you want to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then stay tuned as we discuss public speaking tips, techniques, and tactics that help you increase your impact, influence, and income.

Katja Schleicher is a sought-after communications trainer and coach who leads Impact Communication Coaching, a pan-European training office specializing in communication coaching, media and public speaking training, and business storytelling. She helps managers, teams, and professionals of all kinds improve their communicative impact in speeches, conversations, and media interviews. Here's my conversation with Katja Schleicher.

Are Keynotes Dead?

Peter: Katja, you believe it's time to rethink the keynote as we know it. What's driving that?

Katja: In my view, no one in any audience should listen to a single speaker for more than 20 minutes. Forty-five minutes for whatever? That's too long. There's too little interaction. Interaction is the new future. Turning a keynote into a conversation — even when the audience is sitting in the dark — should be the speaker's foremost priority.

Conversation Is the New Keynote

Katja: We need a new conversational intelligence as public speakers. The content, the ideas, the inspiration — it's all there. What many speakers fear is getting off script. But that's actually the best thing that can happen. The moment the audience works with you, even if it throws you off script, that's the beginning of something great.

Peter: I tell all my clients: don't think of it as a presentation. Construct it and present it as a conversation.

Stories Matter — But Don't Over-Refine Them

Katja: Narration is primal. If you're not emotionally connected to the subject, the speaker, the surroundings — nothing is going to happen. But we sometimes put too much emphasis on the drama, and we lose sight of what the audience actually needs. The emotional connection is still the most important thing. We should be turning our energy more toward the audience, not perfecting the story.

Light Up the Room

Katja: I love to have light in the audience. I draw energy from them. I'm even energized when I see someone disagreeing — that's something I can work with. Why do we put our audiences in the dark? They're already enlightened. They don't need us to enlighten them. Together — speaker and audience — we make the room brighter. In a workshop or breakout, the lights are always on because we count on interaction. We should count on that same interaction in the big rooms.

Four Pillars of Audience Engagement

Katja: There are four things I help every client hold onto. First, language — everything to do with how you express yourself. Second, body language. Third, structure — the architecture of what you have to say. And fourth, surroundings and context, which I consider the most underrated element. We zoom in so much on what we want to say that we ignore everything around us. The time of day, how many people are there, whether they know each other — this is the board you get to serve on. It builds rapport and helps your messages land.

Send Your Ego on Vacation

Katja: Don't take yourself too important. Send your ego on vacation — let it go to the Caribbean — and then you can really work. Ask yourself: why are you really on that stage? If I woke you up at 3 in the morning, would you still deliver that speech with passion? When you find that essence, it becomes easier to forgive what you call mistakes. There aren't many mistakes on stage — as long as there's content, passion, and a good idea. And then ask yourself: where is the joy in this? If you find it, your audience will find it too.

Speaking Across Cultures

Katja: Europeans aren't as quick with standing ovations as American audiences — that's a very American tradition. What can feel like skepticism from the stage is actually careful listening. The real currency is what happens after the speech: do people approach you with specific questions? Do they find you at the coffee break? That's how you know you've delivered something worth hearing. Reactions vary widely even within Europe — Finns are scarce with words, Italians take five sentences to get started, Germans go straight to the point. Know your audience before you step on stage.

Be a Full Experience, Not Just a Speaker

Katja: When you speak to meeting planners, give them much more than a list of keynote topics. Under every topic, offer a menu — content plus interaction options. Can you moderate a session? Pull together a panel? Set up an unconference? I recommend every speaker look into moderation training, because that's the foundation of real interaction. And once you have the gig — be easy to work with. Make friends with the technicians. They should be the second person you seek out after the event organizer. The conference is already complicated enough. Don't be one more complication.

Peter: Katja, where can listeners learn more about you and your services?

Katja: My website is katjaschleicher.com — one word, easy to find. I'm also very active on LinkedIn, and I'm on TikTok, YouTube, and yes, still on Twitter.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Public Speaking with Peter George. Are you ready to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then visit petergeorgepublicspeaking.com and let's make it happen. I'll see you next time.