Keynotes Archives | The Real Mike Evans

Most Speakers Deliver an Hour. I Deliver a Result.

by Mike Evans | Aug 11, 2026 | Accountability, Distinction, Keynote Speaker, Keynotes, Leadership, Speaking, Speaking Industry

Most Speakers Deliver an Hour. I Deliver a Result. Robert had the sharpest ideas in every meeting he sat in. Colleagues came to him first when a project stalled. Eighteen months after his company’s AI initiative kicked off, almost nothing had actually changed in...

A Speaker Posted His Own Evaluation Criteria. Here’s Where I’d Push Back.

by Mike Evans | Aug 4, 2026 | Distinction, Keynote Speaker, Keynotes, Speaking, Speaking Industry

How to evaluate a speaker is a question every planner eventually has to answer, whether they realize it or not. A keynote speaker named Peter Chatteris posted something worth reading this week. His own four-question test for evaluating a speaker before you book one....

Intel Paid $120,000 for One Hour. Twenty Minutes In, They Pulled the Speaker Off Stage.

by Mike Evans | Jul 28, 2026 | Event Planning, Keynote Speaker, Keynotes, Leadership at all Levels, Real Stories, Speaking

Intel Paid $120,000 for One Hour. Twenty Minutes In, They Pulled the Speaker Off Stage. Seventeen years ago, I watched a client pull one of the most respected voices in business off the stage, mid-speech, in front of 3,000 people. It’s the clearest example...

Everyone Wants the Closing Keynote. I’d Rather Open. Here’s Why That’s Not a Downgrade.

by Mike Evans | Jul 28, 2026 | AI Disruption, Artificial Intelligence, Event Planning, Keynote Speaker, Keynotes, Leadership, Leadership at all Levels, Speaking

Everyone Wants the Closing Keynote. I’d Rather Open. Here’s Why That’s Not a Downgrade. Melissa Spencer, a speaker manager at Spencer’s Consulting, posted something last week that most planners never say out loud: opening vs closing keynote is...

I Thought He Was About to Tell Me I Wasted His Time

by Mike Evans | Jul 7, 2026 | 5 Ingredient Kryptonite, A.I., AI Disruption, Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Intelligence Impact, Change, Disruption, Future Work, Keynote Speaker, Keynotes, Leadership, Leadership at all Levels, Speaking Industry

I don’t use a podium when I keynote. I wander the room, down the aisles, close enough to see faces. Most of the time that’s a gift, you can watch a room shift in real time, watch the exact sentence that lands. But it also means you see the ones who...

Ten Minutes Before Taking the Stage, I Made Her a Bet

by Mike Evans | Jul 1, 2026 | Brand You, Branding, Distinction, Keynote Speaker, Keynotes, Leadership at all Levels, Resiliency, Speaking, Talent

I take keynote preparation seriously with every client, but one client in particular put that commitment to the test. Her name was Erin. She was my main point of contact for a keynote in front of a large room of senior leaders. For four months leading up to that day,...

Most Speakers Deliver an Hour. I Deliver a Result.

A Speaker Posted His Own Evaluation Criteria. Here’s Where I’d Push Back.

Intel Paid $120,000 for One Hour. Twenty Minutes In, They Pulled the Speaker Off Stage.

Everyone Wants the Closing Keynote. I’d Rather Open. Here’s Why That’s Not a Downgrade.

I Thought He Was About to Tell Me I Wasted His Time

Ten Minutes Before Taking the Stage, I Made Her a Bet

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