Chris HanlonYour talk should do work.
I help experts craft and deliver talks that captivate the room — and get people moving once you've finished. Not "interesting talk." Action.
Speakers coached for TEDx University of Waikato · TEDxRuakura · Kōkiri Māori Business Accelerator · Start-Up Wānanga · KiwiNet · PwC Herald Talks
You know your stuff. It isn't landing.
You've given the talk. People nodded. Someone said "interesting." Then nothing happened.
That isn't a delivery problem, and it isn't a confidence problem. It's the message. You know your subject so well you can't remember what it was like not to know it — so you end up talking to yourself instead of to the room.
Here's the shift: confidence doesn't come before the talk. It comes from the talk. Build something you genuinely believe in and the nerves stop being the main event.
By trusting in the process I was surprised to find that I actually wasn't all that nervous on the day. — Ang McGaughran, Senior Lecturer, University of Waikato · TEDx speaker
Get the message right first. Then deliver it.
There's no one right way to give a talk. A lightweight and a heavyweight don't fight the same way — and you shouldn't speak like anyone else. We run experiments, find what works for you, and double down on it.
Clarity
Work out what you're actually trying to achieve — for you first, then for your audience.
Structure
Shape it so the message lands. Hook, promise, and a path the audience can follow.
Flow
Put it in your spoken language. How you talk isn't how you write — and it shouldn't be.
Performance
Pull it all together on stage so it's memorable, and so it's still you.
Coaching founders on their pitch at Start-Up Wānanga.
The Audience Captivation Checklist
Run your next talk, pitch or presentation through this before you step up. It's the same set of checks I use with TEDx speakers.
- Spot where you're talking to yourself, not your audience
- Check your opening earns their attention — and keeps it
- Make sure there's one clear thing for them to do next
Send me the checklist
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Professors, founders, keynote speakers.
Different people, different talks. Same process.
His online material focuses on the things you need to think about before you think about them… He got me ready for the opportunity of a lifetime speaking engagement, and I haven't looked back.
Not only does Chris freakishly understand the inner workings of what makes a great talk and how to get a message across, he delivers his coaching with real clarity, empathy, warmth, credibility and mana.
I found the structured approach really helpful in focussing in on the different things that needed to be done (rather than defaulting to immediately producing a talk and trying to learn it)… The result was a better shape and structure to my talk.
Chris was consistently patient and encouraging, while also giving sharp, actionable guidance on structure and delivery… If you're preparing a TEDx talk or any high-stakes presentation, I highly recommend Chris.
Chris was able to distil complex ideas into clear and engaging storytelling across different topic areas. His guidance was always concise and practical.
He was pivotal in getting me stage ready for TEDx Ruakura and delivering the closing talk of the day to an audience of hundreds… He's direct but fair and the process he teaches, works.
The 2025 TEDx University of Waikato speakers.
"Put simply… he knows his sh!t."
Nicola Turner — Speaker, author · TEDxRuakura"From an Engineer with little to no pitch training to someone who could calmly and clearly deliver a pitch."
Angus Gieseg — Founder, Prenguin"When I delivered the keynote for PwC Herald Talks… it was clear Chris' input and coaching had been helpful."
Paul Spain — Futurist, keynote speakerI don't teach a style. I find yours.
I started in Kyokushin karate — black belt in 1989, then coaching and running a club. That's where I learned you can't teach two fighters the same way. Same punch, different person, different fight.
Sales taught me to ask better questions. A decade training at Telecom taught me how content actually lands. Then in 2014 I co-founded TEDxRuakura and became its speaker coach — and that's where it all came together.
Since then I've coached TEDx speakers, startup founders through the local accelerator, and academics at the University of Waikato. I get as much out of watching them nail it as they do.
Born in Wellington. Based in Hamilton since 1998.
Join the Compelling Communicators
A free community for experts, founders and speakers who want their message to land. Free training, live sessions, and people working on their talks right alongside you.
It's where I share what's working right now — and where you'll hear first when the next cohort opens.
The Captivation Architecture™ Cohort
Six weeks. A deadline, a small group, and an accountability partner — the same conditions that get TEDx speakers across the line. You finish with a talk you believe in, and you deliver it.
Your next talk is coming. Make it count.
Grab the checklist and run your talk through it this week.