284: Speaking as a Solution Provider: The Right and Wrong Way to Present on Stage

Sean Barnes attends 40 to 50 events a year, usually as the keynote or conference chair, and he has watched the same speaking mistakes trip people up over and over. In this episode he breaks down what separates the presenters who own the room from the ones who lose it in the first thirty seconds. He starts with the habit that quietly wrecks credibility: filler words. He explains why audiences mentally check out the moment a speaker starts stacking up filler, and he shares the simple practice that fixed it for him, recording yourself on a tripod and watching it back until you can feel the filler coming and pause through it instead.

From there Sean tackles the trap sponsors and vendors fall into most, opening with their company name and slide deck instead of a story. He walks through the difference between leading with a pitch and leading with a hook, using his own introvert-turned-HR-leader opening as the example. He closes with the physical side of presenting, moving across the stage instead of planting your feet, making real eye contact, and never turning your back to point at slides. He ties it together with a story about a field CTO at a Nashville cybersecurity event who stood out for one reason: he told a story and made an offer instead of pitching.

Key Moments

00:00:02 Sean intros the episode and his 40 to 50 events a year as keynote, chair, or panelist.

00:00:24 Mistake one: filler words and why they kill credibility.

00:01:24 Sponsors spend 5,000 to 30,000 dollars to get on stage and still lose the room.

00:01:54 The fix: record yourself, watch it back, get used to how you sound.

00:02:35 Get comfortable with the pause and let the audience process.

00:03:03 What the process feels like as you start catching the filler.

00:03:59 A reminder that this takes reps, not an overnight fix.

00:04:22 Mistake two: opening with your name and slide deck loses people fast.

00:04:42 The better way: open with a story, shown through Sean's introvert-to-HR hook.

00:05:41 Why it keeps happening. VPs send people on stage with no prep.

00:06:00 Mistake three: planting your feet instead of working the floor.

00:06:44 Never turn your back to your slides. If they wanted to read them, email them.

00:07:11 The Nashville field CTO who got it right by telling a story, not pitching.

00:08:19 The payoff: people come to you after you step off stage.

Key Takeaways

Filler words lose the room fast. The moment they stack up, people drop to their phones. The fix is reps, not talent. Record yourself, watch it back, and keep going until you feel the filler coming and pause through it.
Lead with a story, not your slide deck. Opening with your name and what you do loses people immediately. Hook them with something human first, then earn the right to talk about the what and the how.
Your body and eyes carry the message too. Use the whole stage, move toward people, make real eye contact, and never turn your back to read your slides.

Podcast Show Notes – Episode 284 | 06.02.2026

Episode Title: Speaking as a Solution Provider: The Right and Wrong Way to Present on Stage

Host: Sean Barnes

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