👋 Hi, it’s Kyle Poyar and welcome to Growth Unhinged, my weekly newsletter exploring the hidden playbooks behind the fastest-growing startups.
I used to be terrified of public speaking. And the more I thought about it, the worse my nerves would get: my palms would sweat, my voice would crack, and I couldn’t stay present enough to connect with the audience. But I pushed through the nerves (with an assist from Big Pharma) and am absolutely glad I did.
If you’re even a little like me, you’ll want to bookmark today’s post from Vince Pierri. Vince is a Midwestern pastor-turned-public speaking guru who’s personally delivered 300+ unique talks in the last five years. He joins Growth Unhinged to share his proven framework for a better keynote — just in time for peak conference season.
Most execs dread public speaking.
Not because they’re bad leaders. But because standing on stage with 500 eyes staring back at you is a completely different game.
I’ve coached SaaS CEOs, Fortune 500 VPs, and startup founders raising their Series B. And here’s what I’ve learned: the #1 obstacle isn’t stage fright.
It’s structure.
When leaders don’t know where their talk is going, their nerves spike. And when they ramble through a messy outline, their credibility takes a hit.
The solution? A repeatable framework. One that takes you from a blank page to a confident, well-paced talk. Here’s the one I use with every client.
Step 1: Nail the intro (5 minutes)
Every great talk begins with tension.
Think of your intro as the “hook.” It’s where you earn the right to keep people’s attention. If you lose the first five minutes, you’ll spend the next twenty-five trying to win them back.
Here’s the three move formula:
Pain Point (2 min)
Start where your audience already is. What challenge or frustration do they feel? Keep it short and relatable.
Common mistake: most leaders jump straight into their solution. Don’t. If people don’t feel the pain, they won’t care about your cure.
Problem (2 min)
Go one level deeper. Reveal the underlying reason this pain keeps happening.
Example: “The real reason your churn is high isn’t your product. It’s your onboarding.”
Common mistake: vague statements like “change is hard” or “the market is competitive.” Get specific. Executives respect precision.
Promise (1 min)
End the intro with a clear payoff. Tell them exactly what they’ll walk away with.
Example: “Today I’ll show you the three onboarding shifts that cut churn by 40% in six months.”
That’s your contract with the audience. Keep it simple. Keep it specific.
Step 2: Build trust (3 minutes)
Your title might get you the microphone. But it won’t earn you trust.
Trust-building is where you prove you’ve walked the path. Three ways to do it:
Experience. A quick story of failure, experiment, or success.
Research. Credible data, case studies, or benchmarks.
Relatability. A short personal story that shows you’ve been in their shoes.
Pro tip: vulnerability is powerful here. Most execs think they need to project authority by hiding mistakes. Wrong. Admitting a real struggle makes people lean in.
Example: “When I first became a VP, I thought my job was to have all the answers. Turns out, my team didn’t need answers — they needed clarity.”
Step 3: Deliver three main points (3 × 6 minutes)
This is where most leaders crash. They try to squeeze in seven strategies, five takeaways, and twelve examples. The talk becomes a blur.
Three points is the sweet spot. Enough to feel substantial. Not so much that people forget them by lunch.
Each point follows the same mini-framework:
One-Liner (1 min)
Distill your idea into a short, punchy phrase. This is the line people quote afterward.
Example: “Churn isn’t a product problem — it’s an onboarding problem.”
Analogy (2 min)
Connect it to everyday life. Analogies make abstract ideas intuitive.
Example: “Onboarding is like the first 90 days of a new hire. If you botch it, they’ll mentally check out before they’ve even started.”
Examples (3 min)
Prove it. Specific stories, data, or cases that show the idea in action.
Example: “At Company X, churn dropped 40% after we added a guided product tour and a week-one milestone.”
Repeat this for all three points. By the end, you’ve given your audience three sticky, actionable insights.
Step 4: Close strong (4 minutes)
Too many talks fizzle at the end.
Execs summarize politely, thank the organizers, and walk off stage. The audience claps politely but forgets it by dinner.
Instead, close with a one-two punch:
Final Story (2 min)
Tell a short story about someone who applied your ideas and saw results. It shifts the spotlight from you to the impact.
Example: “One mid-market SaaS company used these three shifts and added $3M in revenue in a year.”
Call to Action (2 min)
Challenge the audience to act. Make it small and concrete.
Example: “Before you leave this conference, write down one change you’ll make to onboarding — and tell a colleague about it.”
Good CTAs aren’t vague. They’re specific enough to act on today.
The 30-minute outline
Here’s the whole thing at a glance:
Intro (5 min) → Pain Point → Problem → Promise
Your Story (3 min) → Build trust with experience, research, or data
Point 1 (6 min) → One-Liner → Analogy → Examples
Point 2 (6 min) → Same template
Point 3 (6 min) → Same template
Close (4 min) → Final Story → Call to Action
This framework isn’t arbitrary. It’s rooted in how humans process ideas.
Pain → Problem → Promise creates curiosity and motivation.
Trust establishes credibility.
One-liner → Analogy → Example makes ideas sticky.
Final Story + CTA leaves people inspired and equipped.
Think of it like architecture. Every building needs foundations, walls, and a roof. Skip one and the whole thing collapses.
Executive-specific advice
If you’re a senior leader, keep three things in mind:
Cut the corporate jargon. Nobody wants “synergize cross-functional capabilities.” Plain English wins.
Be ruthless with time. If you have 30 minutes, you can’t waste 10 on backstory. Use a timer when you practice.
Think one talk, one idea. Don’t dump your whole leadership philosophy in one go. Pick one transformation you want to drive, and go deep.
Final thought
Execs who follow this framework report two things:
Their talks finally land with audiences.
Their stage fright drops — because their content is strong.
Confidence doesn’t come from mantras or hand gestures. Confidence comes from clarity.
If you write a great talk, you’ll deliver a great talk. And if you deliver a great talk, you’ll win the room.
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