Interview with Jason Thomson

Get to know Jason Thomson. He’s a long-time creative director, copywriter, speechwriter and #communications strategist. More recently, he’s been coaching clients to make better speeches, pitches and presentations. And, he makes the occasional keynote speech himself. We talk about all of it, trends he has noticed in #events and some strategies he has used to grow his own business. Plus, his prediction for #eventprofs in the future..

Watch: https://youtu.be/KcFqLHzRdH0

Unedited Transcript.

Jim Allan: Happy New Year, Jason Thomson. It's a brand new year. It's 2023.

Jason Thomson: Yeah, it's gonna be an interesting run. Isn't it?

Jim Allan: It is now. We're recording this in December. Yes, just in for full transparency

Jason Thomson: Full Transparency.

Jim Allan: so if there is a natural disaster between December 19th and now we don't know about it We don't know about

Jason Thomson: Is that what we're calling the leafs the natural disaster?

Jim Allan: We’re Assuming Santa came through for everybody though, but we don't really know that but it is a new year. Jason, Thanks for coming.

Jason Thomson: Thanks. Thanks for having me out. It's nice to be in Oakville again.

Jim Allan: So it's a new year Do we have reason to be optimistic just in general? You're very Positive online and

Jason Thomson: which is funny for a nihilist, right?

Jim Allan: Well, do we have you're not a nihilist. You're so positive online I can feel the vibes coming through the screen. So when I'm like surfing when I'm stalking you online Well, do we have reason to be it doesn't brand new year. Do we have reason to be

Jason Thomson: everybody always has a reason to be Positive, you know, I have a friend Deb Kirby who was she was the Vice president of Wynford and and Miraposa back in the day She run ran, you know work with with the right to play and I asked her what's you know Like is the world getting better and she said to me it is it is Objectively getting better, right? Yes, there's lots I mean lots and lots and lots of horrible horrible things that are going on But by and large we live better lives than we do I can't remember the name of the the the Dutch kind of TED talk speaker He passed away a couple years ago, but he said look the world's getting better So do we have a reason to be optimistic? Yeah

Jim Allan: But you know what people who are in a good mood all the time making me suspicious, right?

Jason Thomson: And I'm not a good mood all the time.

Jim Allan: You're not, okay.

Jason Thomson: No, I good job of it Like you don't

Jim Allan: so you're not showing Your true self.

Jason Thomson: No, no that I mean people who kind of hang with me know that like I am I am truly an optimist I always have been it's one of the great gifts that I've been given And really drilled into me by my parents just that idea of like, you know what? Everything there's always an answer like the joke I always used to make when I went through a couple of my marriages was I always feel like I've jumped out of an airplane and go without a parachute and go yeah, I can fix this

Jim Allan: Okay, always I'm not gonna follow up on the couple marriages.

Jason Thomson: Go ahead.

Jim Allan: Maybe we will later but So I just looked it up seconds before you arrived the last time we saw each other was 2008

Jason Thomson: Really?

Jim Allan: Yes, so I met you So that's like 14 15 years ago the last time I saw you So you were a creative director a writer a speech writer still are pitching new business. You dabbled in photography Kind of a creative jack-of-all-trades, right? You can interrupt me anytime. Yeah I know that's it.

Jason Thomson: Some people will call me the Swiss army knife of communication

Jim Allan: So when you're a creative director in the corporate world, you're really a business strategist Would you agree with that so apps and

Jason Thomson: in fact you can be different types of creative directors in this game, right? You can be truly like that traditional corporate theater. I model myself after that strategy side of the game

Jim Allan: Okay, and you seem to really enjoy that.

Jason Thomson: I really do.

Jim Allan: Interestingly you've evolved even further, right? You're now Marketing yourself this way. Anyway, you're coaching people in the business world and how to be better speakers I got that right.

Jason Thomson: Yeah, like the whole idea is I want everybody to have the conversation of their lives and Presentation coaching is the easiest way to get into that but there's other stuff I do I do pitch coaching, you know Communications coaching and keynotes workshops and things like that But truly right now the presentation coaching is the easiest way to kind of sell me

Jim Allan: and you're back doing live events now I know and last week you're out in California I think and you were positively giddy online your youth Your you went off I've found finally found my purpose right with speak up speak out you help Public speakers speak and you're doing keynotes yourself these days, which is makes it more credible. So how do you help? Here's a softball open-ended question for you. How do you? Make public speakers better

Jason Thomson: Bottom line is 90% of the presentations that I see are Terrible and what I mean by terrible is they actively do the opposite of what the speaker intends, you know We go out there and we just it's like Jurassic Park with the with the mosquito and the amber, right? We learn these skills early in our career and we think oh, we'll just we'll just iterate The problem is is that those skills are faulty to begin with too many speakers think I'm giving a presentation I must give a presentation as opposed to who's the audience. What do they want? Who am I? What do I want? And how do I connect with this audience effectively? And that's the secret sauce connection counts most you're gonna hear me say that a lot today because That is what it's all about

Jim Allan: Right, and it's sort of that death by we both have seen that just death by a PowerPoint, right?

Jason Thomson: People just yeah, I have a course coming there read their slides with their backs to the audience People don't understand on both sides because you get people on both sides with PowerPoint It's like people will put their speaking notes on PowerPoint and then just kind of like read them But the other side you get people like I only put eight words on the slide or I only put an image neither Of those two groups understand what PowerPoint is for right?

Jim Allan: One of the best presentations I ever saw You know, it's sort of that Steve Jobs idea Where it was just a black screen behind the guy, but he had a single word in white So he wasn't he wasn't a slave to the slides But it was just maybe one word that reminded him of what he's supposed to be talking about But but also us as well was behind him while you but it also forced you to forced you to look at him But he was just a good speaker

Jason Thomson: they're buying you and not your slides However, what I will say is because you'll hear a lot of people say, you know PowerPoint's a terrible PowerPoint is a brilliant tool Yeah, if you remember this one rule, it's the GPS to your presentation audiences disengage at a rate of 100% for every 15-minute block and it's getting worse as a result of virtual And so what you have to do is you have to really make sure that people can dial back in so your PowerPoint It's a great way to do that. It can also demonstrate emotional connect one of the big lies I think for people as I'll tell you in communications You can never tell somebody how to feel lie lie lie lie lie ever watch commercial before with like sad piano music Yeah, that's telling you to be sad.

Jim Allan: Of course

Jason Thomson: Yeah, we you should tell people how to feel when it comes to the connection you're driving, right?

Jim Allan: It's part of the toolkit. They're really filmmaker, right? Yeah Music's very important. So here's a recommendation for you That was written on your website I believe this is about you quote energetic insightful spend any time with Jason and you walk away buzzing with new ideas and Approaches that help you present better teach better win pitches Anything you need to communicate it mazes me how Jason can look any content Look at any content and make it interesting relevant and effective for an audience What he teaches my team and our clients is unique and invaluable and that's from Eugenia Lista Eugenia Lista So did you write that for her that one?

Jason Thomson: I don't think I did Eugenia is actually really good But I you know testimonials oftentimes is I'll interview people and then I'll spit it back to them and then they'll say yeah

Jim Allan: No, I'm just kidding. That's what I'm just bugging you. So So one of them, okay talking about that PowerPoint idea The one thing that comes to mind too is like what's changed from 30 years ago is people used to rehearse Right. Well, and I'm about 10 years older than you people used to rehearse. Now they show up with their deck You know on a floppy or whatever it would be a stick I guess they just walk in give it to a tech if there's a tech Yeah, so things go wrong all the time. It must drive. I must drive you crazy.

Jason Thomson: it does In fact, I have a thing called the sugar stack Which is the five-step process that I use for for presentations and number five is strategic rehearsal We don't rehearse enough right at all and it's it's maddening because if you're not rehearsing you're not sharp And if you're not sharp You're not actually connecting with your audience particularly that first minute in that last minute Those are like the key pieces of real estate You have to rehearse ten times minimum and again not linearly to go out I I do my my program speak out get results on presentations 60 times a year that keynote version of it the workshop about the same 60 60 and I rehearse Five to ten hours every single time the one I did last week Like I gave that session three times last week I rehearsed for every single one.

Jim Allan: Well, you talk about that first minute. So how important is that first first minute

Jason Thomson: is critical It's about engagement You have one second one second to basically get up there and audiences are already judging you as you're taking the stage So if you're gonna pressure our face, right they will they're judging you and after seven seconds, they're actively looking for Information that supports the narrative that they've created about you So be smiling when you take the stage then you have four seconds to emotionally engage and that's the key

Jim Allan: for me as a video guy the internet changed everything because you can't have this lush long introduction because people are gonna hit the Fast-forward button or stop and or you know, if they're on the internet They'll just go to another video immediately. You have to crap them immediately. Yeah, so it changes all your content

Jason Thomson: But how do people always begin their presentations when they get on stage? They always begin the exact same way It's great to be here. So it's just lately It's great not to waste the time It's throat clearing what it is, right you have my favorite Little webinar that I've given is on first minute and it begins like this. Good morning Right picture of BTS the Korean boy band comes up and I say my job today is to turn you into a Korean boy band That's the first two lines of the presentation, right? Because that's how long I have to create Curiosity in you.

Jim Allan: So they're hooked right away.

Jason Thomson: I think oh what? Right, I've got you that yeah, are you because and this is the big thing We think about presentations as something we have to give what's the number one line. I always get as a speechwriter Here's what I want to say right doesn't matter what you want to say your entire presentation Every conversation you ever have is in service of your audience I read 11 books on relationships this summer like romantic personal relationships They all say the same thing who cares what you think it's about them, right? It's hyper empathy.

Jim Allan: Okay. Yeah Yeah, I'm not gonna touch that Marriage thing. I'm trying to keep this professional Jason

Jason Thomson: But it's I learned that because I'm writing my own book and I find that that those kind of relationship books Help you understand how to have a great

Jim Allan: slide in the plug in there. What's so what's the book? What's

Jason Thomson: gonna be called miss connected.

Jim Allan: okay.

Jason Thomson: I'm three-quarters away through writing it right now We have more tools than ever before to connect with each other and we're doing a worse job How do you hold the conversation

Jim Allan: about public speaking?

Jason Thomson: No, it's it's really and that's the thing that I had struggled with with The book was where does it fit right and where I learned it fits is is that that purpose statement? How do I help you have the best conversations of your life? You want to run a podcast you want to present you're gonna have a multi-million dollar advertising campaign these rules And that's the way the books organized as a series of four page rules How do you apply those so that you can connect with people?

Jim Allan: Okay One of the most one of the you know, we're kind of every post-pandemic I don't know it's a almost a dirty word to say that word these days my opinion.

Jason Thomson: We're pre next pandemic

Jim Allan: We're between pandemic.

Jason Thomson: Sure.

Jim Allan: Maybe that's maybe yeah with this workshop that so one of the seemingly permanent changes That's come as a result, you know in the last two or three years It's that hesitancy for full-time workers to return to the office at the time I think we all kind of agree that People are doing some sort of hybrid thing. I mean they like working at home at least part of the time, right? I mean the bosses can threaten them they can give them incentives, but they still like the convenience of being at home now, why would these same people want to go back to live events a Trade show a convention a company get together. Why would they want to go back? Why should they go back and because that's a big problem for the event industry in my opinion

Jason Thomson: It's becoming less of a problem and I'll tell you why I've done enough live events in 2022 starting my first event was in February of all times in Dubai on at the World Expo There is no substitute for human connection and the big lie that we tell ourselves When it comes to large-scale events is what happens on that main stage is the most important part of the event It isn't the most important part of any event is the networking and the networking Well, I feel that I continue to be a great student of the virtual space and very good at it and teaching others that There's no substitute for human connection. I mean, otherwise, why don't we date, you know on zoom?

Jim Allan: Yeah, I have a client of mine that did there a software client and they did the pre-pandemic they did Conventions in every province all year long then they switched to virtual. So I seamless they haven't really gone back but the people that went to those Conferences Tended to be people that were you know behind their computers all day They actually looked forward to the live Interaction because they're not used to networking and they actually it was they could look to maybe find their next employer or And I think they're slow returning to Original model we're

Jason Thomson: we're not going to return and we shouldn't one of the big lies about again I love using this word lies because we have been lied to so often when it comes to our connections is You this is a meeting. This is an event not everything needs to be alive and virtual should continue to have its space I've seen a couple of organizations that are getting really smart about their strategy on this and what they're doing is Is they say okay, we're gonna have the low-grade stuff more frequently and we're gonna do that virtually shorter sessions smarter sessions Far more targeted and then we're gonna have instead of having four live meetings a year We're gonna have two or one but man, it's going to be really really great So to find that balance because in truth, that's the joke I like to make about the pandemic is everybody started to live the life. I've been living for 30 years You know for all of my bombast and chattiness I'm a hard-eye introvert and I like to recede to my little castle in the sky in Bradford, Ontario But I know when you have to go in fact, I just did last week I just sat with my marketing team out of the UK and we targeted 12 live events where I need to be next year Because I can't convert those people into customers online. It just can't happen, right?

Jim Allan: You know, but even in you know, what I call before times You know, I go to events and my role often was I'm doing videos like talking to people like what do you think? And why should people come to your you know, blah blah blah So you're really doing like live focus grouping kind of thing, but I you know, I certainly have heard workers in the past just mutter to them to me Under their breath is like this whole event is like a waste of time So people really need to if you're doing an event you've got to step up your game and make everything really relevant to people

Jason Thomson: Yeah, what's that book by Priya Parker the one that she wrote about four years ago about it's called They are a gathering right and the first two-thirds of the book are what's the purpose of this event in the first place I mean how many times we see that this was an email most events that I see are an absolute waste of time and Honestly would put myself out of business. I like the Amazon model like for like small meetings You know when you've got your team together, you know where someone gets up and they present Instead what you should be doing is what they do which is they give them a three-page dossier that follows a template You have ten minutes to read it and then we're gonna spend 50 minutes discussing it right that more discussion That's why I like something like what like brain dating at see to Montreal When I go to see to Montreal where I have moderated Sessions in the past for Cirque du Soleil and for you know, Aurora cannabis things like that I spend all my time brain dating because it's that connection that becomes so so critical and it's organic and I again I can't get that. I can't find you You're a needle in a haystack by just kind of like scrolling through on on zoom

Jim Allan: yeah, I mean one one thing that I you know, I can't it's the pen, you know, these event companies are Just trying to survive during you know, the last two or three years and but it did drive me nuts whether yes, we're we're pivoting to to virtual and Everyone's loving it and we're doing great and I just didn't believe it for a second because I know that people like And that's

Jason Thomson: the truth is smart companies like EL productions here in Canada Apple box productions out of Atlanta is another one I really like event of here in Toronto is they they basically blew up the model of what a meeting was because With anything that you create the next iteration of it is a virtual version of the last iteration So when when events started like I literally would see interfaces that look like ballrooms and things like that That's that's that skeu morphic move like think about when you've got your phone the first time like the first iPhones the 3g and the 3gs and stuff like that They were like versions of what came before it but over time they lift off and that's what's to me is most fascinating Is that smart agencies are rethinking everything so from like we can with EL productions They assigned me as a content director. I go in first and I'm like, let's look at your agenda Oh, you want 60 minutes for the CEO? Why why do you want 60? Nobody's gonna listen to 60 minutes for a CEO and so becomes the opportunity to Recast that and smart agencies did a really really good job at that.

Jim Allan: Yeah Yeah, yeah, I do I do admire your hustle. I as I told you via email.

Jason Thomson: It's fear It's you know, it's fear right like the hustle comes from fear.

Jim Allan: Well, I can relate to that So but I see you out there online. You're giving your audience value So we follow I follow you on LinkedIn

Jason Thomson: Thanks, if not, I appreciate you

Jim Allan: perhaps other things But you provide it you're providing like free tips on how to make your presentations better So you can get Jason's stuff for free if you figure out how

Jason Thomson: I'm an infographic fiend

Jim Allan: Yes, so you're giving away these cool infographics But you're supplying value to your followers Well, not so subtly promoting your professional self And as I said to you, you know, I mean you kind of in it You can say that you inspired me on some level to do to do this.

Jason Thomson: Thanks man

Jim Allan: Somebody but you do give like you got a podcast which we'll talk about it in a minute Piles and piles and piles of free Content.

Jason Thomson: Yes

Jim Allan: Does does it work for you?

Jason Thomson: Yeah, I get this and I have gotten this before the this is the there's a divide line with Organizations, which is how much do you give away you give enough away to be created to create that connection there's a great story about a swimming pool company and They put up a video. This is how to build your own swimming pool at home, right? Got 10 million 10 million views on YouTube, right and their business went through the roof because what I do what I'm doing is I'm Creating a visual and virtual identity for myself that when you think great conversations You think me and there's a there's a color scheme and there's a language approach to it So that yeah, you're gonna get free stuff But the thing is is that are you really gonna sit down and take all that? Free stuff and be able to build the presentation of your life some will most people are like, you know what? I've got training dollars I can hire Jason Jason will get me there and I do that a lot like these like four or five coaching sessions First session is a little keynote and then three sessions where we work through structure and then we work through Engagement and then we work through but all of that means that there are infographics and pieces left behind So you'll know me immediately and that's what I want.

Jim Allan: So recently my my One of my daughters and my wife has kind of staged an intervention with me and they're yelling at me He's like, why don't you charge charge for this? I go. Well, okay money is not a money's on everything and And what they don't see is like I'm I am generating a fair bit of goodwill so like people that don't necessarily have a platform and I Maybe have an inner type of interview that they haven't kind of done before and it's kind of out there and it's kind Of you know, it kind of works for me But I'm not you know making money right doing this maybe maybe, you know, maybe somebody could sponsor me or something

Jason Thomson: But here's your strategy. It's the same strategy I have for our radio show. My radio show is not about getting listeners It's about getting guests and the guests are generally people I want to talk to because if you can say to them Hey, I want you to come not on my podcast but on my radio show that has terrestrial radio Yes, they're interested and now I've started that connection process

Jim Allan: Yes, and I've noticed that you've had some clients on the podcast And I've interviewed people that are potential clients as well. I suppose that's the strategy

Jason Thomson: That's a reason that the radio show exists,

but in preparation for our conversation today I did listen back to some of your podcasts and you know, it was clearly born of the pandemic Would you say that or the first? Okay, the first one's posted April 4th 2021

Jason Thomson: right

Jim Allan: and Even now it seems, you know listening. It's a I went to the beginning. It's kind of a blast from the past already I mean, it's not that long ago, but things have changed, right? Show titles like how to improve your zoom meetings, you know and how to organize a freedom rally in Ottawa. It's like Charming and in retrospect, okay that last

Jason Thomson: that was a great one. That was our highest show

Jim Allan: but charming in retrospect, you know I bet I mean have you I mean have you seen there's video memes online like, you know this is this is me on zoom and you know, the 2020 versus 2021 versus 2022 and I get you know first They're all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and then they're a little more Hard-beaten and beaten down by the end and they're actually quite funny. But have you seen those?

Jason Thomson: Yeah, I have I have and listen I had a I had a video published Within ten days of lockdown What happens we I got locked down. I thought my career was over We all thought our careers were over and I the first thing I did was get to work I built a studio in like five days. I had a video on like how to look great online I published an ebook within a month Like I had tons of stuff going on the radio show though was actually already in the works

Jim Allan: Okay

Jason Thomson: because I had been finished. I was on Saga 960. I had a show called parents Canada talk radio I was a co-host and it wrapped literally just before the pandemic and they had asked me the station said we really like you Which was you know meant a lot for a kid who got D a D in his presentation class in first year You want to do anything else and so, you know I had approached Jen Glynn who was the then was the president of site global, you know industry organization 4,000 people around the world and said let's do this together. So we had already been prepping right and Then the then lockdown happened and we figured out how to do this virtually. Our first episode was actually in person I went out to Port Hope in April of 2020 2020 what year is this now?

Jim Allan: Yeah, it's 2023 when you're watching this So no, but so you're committed to what 46 that's the one thing. I don't envy you You have 46 to what 48 minutes every episode 46 But you do have a co-host so that was a smart thing because then you could play off

Jason Thomson: But no one wants to listen to me for 60 well,

Jim Allan: but it's a lot of time to fill right? Yeah, I mean that like some of your online stuff say if you don't as you say the CEO It shouldn't be talking for an hour if he doesn't know he she doesn't have an hour of content So but you've got to come up you're committed because it's terrestrial radio

Jason Thomson: What we do is we I almost see it as for 12-minute segments or for 11 minutes segments, right? but like that's that's the key now some of them which is great with guests guests will always push you to like 17 18 minutes so you could and the station's been really good about being elastic around, you know What you okay, we're gonna do 10 minutes for this segment. We're do 16 for this one They've been pretty good about that.

Jim Allan: So fast-forward a bit I listened to your podcast with Ron Tite. Now I met him about ten years ago. He probably wouldn't remember me. It was on a gig Now when you're talking to him You felt like you were maybe hitting the wall in terms of the number of people you were reaching this is like a year ago, at least probably right Now you did mention one post you made is you where you discussed your personal feelings turning 50 Yeah, and that became the most read and most reacted to post of that particular year and that taught you something What did it teach you?

Jason Thomson: A couple years ago I had Keynote speaker by the name of Mike Lipkin who's a famous South African energy ball And he actually called me out. He saw me as a host and he said, you know You got three strengths as a presenter Vulnerability is your primary strength, which is you use that that you in general or he's talking about you me personally Vulnerability Expertise energy. Those were the big three and what I've learned is is that vulnerability works really really well in the in the LinkedIn universe Is that the more human you can show yourself as the better and you can see a lot of people are picking that up Here's the deal though. It actually is who I am. It's not it's not a character. I If you meet me within ten minutes, I'll tell you I've been married twice. Like I have no scruples on I have to say

Jim Allan: But your your podcast your podcast which is a radio show was very slick right from the very beginning So you knew but you knew what you were doing. So But I got the sense that okay, I better the way I took that thing with wrong tight is I should maybe evolve my content to as you said you said maybe Maybe I need to be more personal authentic be vulnerable Not just the veneer and the gloss is the quote and that's that's it

Jason Thomson: Thanks for remembering that first of all That means an awful lot that somebody would take that type of dive into my own content I don't know that I listen to myself half the time. I talk a lot. I listen harder I talk a lot,

Jim Allan: but people do like hearing about the struggle, right? Like the struggle and it really do more relatable my my actual and

Jason Thomson: I get these I get these reports from my team In the UK They sent me SEO two weeks ago and said you need to start talking about your mistakes more because that's selling right now now Okay, I get that but it's not a leap for me Because I have no problem talking about the way that if you listen to the radio show enough You'll see that in the last year as I've gone through some stuff in my personal life, right? Everything from like I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. I dropped 25 pounds I ended a relationship that had been going on for a long time I use it as almost personal talk therapy in a way and I don't have a problem with that, right? It brings people closer to me.

Jim Allan: No, absolutely. I and I agree. I do agree Yeah, I was gonna say my goal today is to like break through that veneer of Jason Thomson,

Jason Thomson: you'll find pretty quickly. It's not hard. I won't

Jim Allan: I wrote here I won't be satisfied until I leave you in a pool of tears, but

Jason Thomson: I cry a lot I don't think I'll be able to do

Jim Allan: you're like, what's the guy in the States? Boehner remember the old the John Boehner the former You don't know that speaker of the house, right?

He used to cry Yeah on on a dime

Jason Thomson: Boehner that guy was had a voice for radio. Holy smokes Boehner, right?

Jim Allan: So he Was in the news last week because he came out he's Republican Yeah, and man Nancy Pelosi is resigning as as the leader of the speaker so he was doing the bipartisan thing and he's talking saying nice things about Nancy Pelosi and You know cried like a baby as he always does so it's that gets I do that. Listen,

Have you Cried on stage?

Jason Thomson: I don't know if I've ever cried on stage You know, I have three kids and I have you know one kid who struggled mightily through university and just yesterday finished his first Final exam in his first semester third shot at it Lot of humanity with that, you know I have a 17 year old who's and I would say I would identify like if you're gonna give me a label as an empath Right. I'll find the person who's in the deepest pain in the room and I'll go directly at them and try and unpack That pain and and very human very personal like that's those people get the time to know me and then I have a kid Who is transitioning right from female to male and and so you have to have that One certain

Jim Allan: You have some stories to tell.

Jason Thomson: Yeah But the big thing I think and the parents Canada taught me that is how to be a better human being and and again You see me chatty chatty chatty, but I'm listening really hard. I'm watching you and watching your body language so

Jim Allan: Do you there was a guy out here and after it doesn't even matter who his name was like ten years ago And he just decided I'm gonna be a keynote speaker Only do you foresee that maybe in your future maybe just forget about the coaching part Which you earn money for presumably and just be a keynote guy because you can do well You know just fill in in that, you know, these companies have events in the Caribbean and they have to write off part of a you know Part of it by having some actual education business content Bring in these wacky keynote speakers on various topics, but you can make a good living do that you get on a list Presumably perhaps you're already on a list like so the goal

Jason Thomson: it's interesting You're tapping into the business strategy that I'm going through right now because I avoided being a traditional keynote speaker I have the skills. I have the energy and I have some messages that for a long time and I remember Martin Perlmuter at speaker spotlight said to me we thought of you as more of a workshop guy because My challenge with keynotes are like candy, right? Is you eat a piece of candy you get a sugar rush, right? And then 20 minutes you get a sugar crash and you just feel fat. That's the that's the little analogy I like to make okay So what I always felt was I wanted to leave good value and you've seen that you've seen that really well

Jim Allan: So you're committed to leaving something behind right?

Jason Thomson: But what I do also know is if you don't have a good halo keynote Then you're not gonna track the workshops the coaching etc The answer to your question is I I the big transition that I'm making is really from the creative direction and copywriting which I still do into Keynote workshop coaching right all three hosting MCing and hosting right so and we'll see where that all shakes out But what I needed was a main tent keynote, which is what Miss Connected will be

Jim Allan: Okay, the book.

Jason Thomson: Yeah, and some people some people will hire you for how to give a presentation speak up Get results as a keynote. I did that last week as a keynote three times, right? But often they want to see that more as a workshop, which I also do that as a workshop

Jim Allan: A workshop means what you're more interactive?

Jason Thomson: You're down basically a lot more exercises, you know keynotes 60 minutes And they they do some and I do workshops on critique them and things like yeah last week The one that I did was on a team that was trying to learn how to pitch effectively So I took them through five exercises and again I have 80 exercises and I meet with you I customize and pull them on off the shelf and make it The line I like to use as Merv meaningful interesting relevant valuable, it's not about me. It's about you period You're asking some outstanding questions today

Jim Allan: Okay, you're just but okay. You're buttering me up.

Jason Thomson: That's true No, and you know, it's funny the buttering me up thing again people who meet me also know don't trust that But like

Jim Allan: Also known as blowing smoke up your butt so

Jason Thomson: but people don't trust there There are some people that don't trust that like I had a client once for six years He was constantly trying to see what angle are you working? Right? Right? Here's the angle I'm working the angle My mom taught me my mom taught me when you like if you show up the first thing I do and again anybody in an Interactive situation will say this I'll notice your haircut your glasses your earrings or something Why you don't leave the house with these things for your own edification, right? You want the world to notice you? I notice you you're awesome.

Jim Allan: Okay. Okay, you could live here if you want I need someone to talk to me that way every every day.

Jason Thomson: Yeah, me too. I'm still looking

Jim Allan: So it's the end of the year it's the beginning of a new year it's 2023 believe it I Mean we've been you've been watching trends in business and communications probably as closely as anyone. What's your big bold? prediction

Jason Thomson: It's still gonna be messy We do not understand yet the way the matrix works in terms of what's live what's not and what should you do and So companies are still gonna try and develop that model Like there was a model for live events for a long long time, right and it shifts, right? You know the 90s business theater was really big. Hey, it's about superheroes, right? Or it's it's about the X files, right? You use that in a corporate sense and events You know like the gathering and see to Montreal and South by Southwest They really shifted what that could look like and now you start to inject this Virtual space and now you realize audiences don't want to sit for as long as they were sitting and now you realize that the traditional Keynote isn't sitting the same way. So it's still gonna be messy We're still trying to figure out what that model looks like the best though are those are gonna experiment We're gonna play we're gonna look at this and say What can this be and let's try some stuff out and I'm seeing it's actually really gratifying to see Conservative company like country like Canada, which has not done a good job I think it really bucking trends to start setting some of those trends to look at this and go Okay, let's rethink what this can be so that we can be meaningful interesting relevant and valuable to our audiences That is what I see still gonna be messy gonna see some new models I think the technology is gonna settle down a little bit and you'll see some aggregation Because that's what always happens a lot of people publish technology then stuff starts to aggregate and and you start to see some leaders I don't think you're gonna fully see that this year, but you're gonna see a better version of that than you did last year

Jim Allan: All right Okay. Well, I'm looking forward to the future now. Thanks to are you thanks to you. You've pumped me up.

Jason Thomson: So I've done my job because that idea of Inspiring those around me is part of the game. Right is I want people to walk away not being inspired what's the line that the classic line is there was a woman who dated both the Prime Minister of the UK and like the leader of the opposition and I really should button down this story because it's a good one is is that So she takes the Prime Minister and she said he was the most interesting person in the room right, right and then she dated the leader of the opposition and She said he made me feel like I was the most interesting person in the room I think for a long time I spent tried to spend in the first category and I still lob a lot of cool stuff But I really want to be in that second category I want you to walk away feeling I'm inspired not by by Jason, but I'm inspired about what Jason unlocked in me, right?

Fair enough. Fair enough food for thought certainly. Happy New Year.

Jason Thomson: Happy New Year. My friend 2023

Jim Allan: and thanks for doing this

Jason Thomson: It's an absolute pleasure. I'll come and hang out with you anytime

Jim Allan: Every day, okay.

Jason Thomson: We're new besties