Mike Rayburn

RAYBURN: I want people to tap into the innate ability we all have to be innovators and peak performers. I teach specific, memorable tools to do just that.

RAYBURN: I do a pre-event call to learn the theme, messaging, daily activities, current challenges, and specific outcomes desired by my client in regard to my presentation as well as the overall conference. I then do my own research online. At the event when possible, I attend the presentations preceding mine. In doing so, I can often pick up on messages and points that dovetail with my own and help me present a congruent message.

RAYBURN: Many! One time I was preparing at the big stage at Carnegie Hall. One of the sound guys knew that at a later date I was going to play in Zankel Hall, a smaller auditorium there, so after the sound check, he said, “Hey, come with me, but don’t make any noise.” I followed him through a maze of halls and emerged in a back corner of the extraordinary Zankel Hall. Yo-Yo Ma was warming up for a concert there that night. Everything, from the sound to his artistry, all in a casual setting, was unbelievable!

RAYBURN: I love any audience where attendees feel a strong sense of purpose in their careers, because they’re more engaged. I end up finding that in obvious groups like teachers, caregivers, and healthcare employees; and in less obvious audiences too, like financial services workers and some sales groups.

RAYBURN: My message, along with the entertainment elements I use to deliver it, is universal, so it applies to pretty much anyone. I know that goes against “niche” marketing, but I don’t always follow conventional wisdom. Although my top sector is financial services, my audiences come from many areas like healthcare, dentistry, education and manufacturing. Anyone who needs to improve innovation and performance can benefit from my message.

RAYBURN: I was headlining at a comedy club when a friend took me aside and said, “Mike, you’re clean, you’re funny, and you have a message… you’re a speaker and you don’t even know it.” Later on I joined the National Speakers Association.
Speaking’s the perfect and only combination of my three gifts: music, comedy and exhortation. It’s always been important for me that the people around me do better. I actually teach artistic tools, but in a business context, so that people can become more innovative, “virtuoso” performers. Growth in one area -guitar, comedy, and message- feeds the others and as a whole, produces my keynote.

RAYBURN: I deliver one keynote: “What If…?” It is unique, first, because all attendees remember it and repeat it, asking “What if?” throughout the rest of the conference as well as in the months and years that follow. The most unique aspect of my keynote is the delivery: I actually PROVE the message on stage through my guitar and unusual approach to comedy, which is ALWAYS clean, of course. Furthermore, I constantly improve my presentation, practicing my own message. I even have an optional closing now with a hologram that’s very cool.

RAYBURN: Orkin reported a 36% sales increase in one year plus an additional 6% increase the following year thanks to their application of “What If?”
Sprint said, “Your ‘What If?’ message went viral through our company.” You might remember that the following year their entire advertising campaign was, “What are your ‘What ifs?’” I have double digit numbers of bookings with Wal-mart/Sam’s Club, Wells Fargo, MetLife, Hilton, Ford, National Apartment Assoc., Seattle Study Club, and others.

RAYBURN: Personal stories and humor are integral to my presentations. I find that people tend to tire of statistics so I offer other substantiation, similar to the style of Ted Talks, not to mention that I actually prove my message by demonstrating it on the guitar; it really works.