Speaking & Workshops
Keynotes, workshops, and executive education on building uncertainty intelligence for individuals, teams, and organizations.
See John in Action
Engagement Formats
Flexible formats designed to meet your organization's needs
Keynotes
High-energy, story-driven presentations (60-90 minutes) perfect for conferences, annual meetings, and all-hands events. Interactive moments keep audiences engaged.
Workshops
Half-day or full-day sessions combining instruction with hands-on exercises. Participants leave with practical tools and action plans they can apply immediately.
Executive Education
Multi-day programs for leadership teams, often integrated with custom pre-work and organization-specific case development. Virtual and in-person options available.
Speaking Programs
Reclaiming Wonder: How to Thrive When the Future Won't Hold Still
For: Conferences, annual meetings, all-hands events—anyone seeking inspiration and renewed confidence in uncertain times
Remember when uncertainty meant possibility? This uplifting keynote explores a fascinating truth from developmental psychology: children naturally possess the exact capabilities we need to thrive in unpredictable environments. Through compelling stories and interactive moments, participants reconnect with their innate capacity for navigating the unknown and leave energized by the realization that they already have what they need—they just forgot they had it.
Formats: 60-minute keynote, 75-90 minute extended keynote, half-day workshop, virtual delivery
The Success Penalty: Why Your Best People Feel Most Vulnerable
For: Mid-career professionals, individual contributors, managers (5-20 years experience)
Your accomplished professionals are experiencing a paradox: the expertise that earned promotions now feels like a cage. This session reveals why success in predictable environments creates vulnerability in uncertain ones, and provides a clear framework for evolving expertise without abandoning professional identity. Participants learn to distinguish between surface expertise (what becomes obsolete) and deep expertise (what compounds), then design practical experiments for strategic adaptation.
Formats: 60-90 minute keynote, half-day workshop with individual action planning
From Prediction to Preparation: Strategic Foresight for Leadership Teams
For: C-suite executives, senior leadership teams, board members
Traditional strategic planning assumes you can predict what's coming. But when industries transform in 18-month cycles, prediction fails. This executive session introduces uncertainty vectoring: a dynamic alternative to scenario planning that maps how multiple uncertainties interact and evolve in real-time. Leadership teams leave with customized future maps and frameworks for making robust decisions when you can't predict outcomes.
Formats: Half-day or full-day strategic working session with custom pre-work
Situated Expertise: Building Teams That Thrive in Chaos
For: Department heads, project managers, team leaders managing cross-functional groups
Individual uncertainty intelligence isn't enough—teams must navigate ambiguity collectively. But most teams fragment under pressure: engineers retreat to technical solutions, marketers default to customer data, finance focuses on cost models. This session teaches prospective sensemaking: how teams create shared understanding of uncertain futures before they unfold, maintaining collective intelligence when stakes are high and information is incomplete.
Formats: 90-minute workshop with intact teams, 3-hour intensive with multiple teams
Future-Proofing Your Workforce: Building Organizational Learning Agility
For: Business unit leaders, Talent Development leaders, HR teams, OD professionals
Your L&D strategy assumes you know which skills employees will need. But when job requirements shift constantly, skill-stacking doesn't work. This session reframes workforce development around meta-capabilities: anticipatory awareness, strategic adaptability, and learning agility. Participants redesign talent systems to build capacity for navigating unknown futures rather than training for predicted scenarios.
Formats: Half-day workshop with templates for redesigning talent programs
Reading the Market Before It Moves: Anticipatory Awareness for Revenue Teams
For: Sales leaders, account executives, business development, customer success
Your best salespeople don't just respond to client requests—they anticipate needs before clients articulate them. This session systematizes that intuition. Participants learn to detect weak signals in customer conversations, identify when client problems are shifting beneath surface requests, and position solutions for emerging challenges rather than yesterday's pain points.
Formats: 60-90 minute keynote for sales kickoff, half-day workshop with real customer scenarios
What Clients Say
"Dr. Austin is not just an author and speaker; he is a high-energy force that challenges audiences to perceive opportunities in uncertainty. His ability to customize strategic foresight for any audience sets him apart."
VP Professional Services, Momentus Technologies
"John strikes a fantastic balance of authority and approachability. He is one of the best at finding the right equilibrium among instruction, activities, and facilitated discussion. His ratings are consistently the highest."
Associate Professor, Penn State University
"John brings deep knowledge, extensive experience, and powerhouse credentials—all wrapped in a persona that is personable, positive and present. Consistently we receive feedback that John is 'fantastic,' 'engaging,' and 'easy to talk with.'"
Senior Expert Network Manager, Udemy Business
"Dr. Austin's expertise and perspective were tremendously valuable, and his ability to engage and connect with the participants made the session truly remarkable."
Learning & Development, Westfield Insurance
"Dr. John Austin is a polished, dynamic and highly-rated speaker whose program offered eye-opening and practical insights into the dynamics of decision-making for issues that involve significant uncertainty."
Chair, IMS Columbus
"John's talk was interesting and insightful. His message was presented clearly and he created great energy in the room by making the session interactive and engaging. I was left with several key take-aways."
Owner, Barbara Boldt Global Communications
Book John for Your Event
Interested in bringing uncertainty intelligence to your organization? Let's discuss how these programs can be customized for your team.