I've been speaking for 10 years. I've never been more proud of any room than I was of the one I stood in this past weekend.
It was the final session of a six-week Command the Room program, and the people in that room were child care professionals, not speakers. Most of them had never stood on a stage before. Now they were getting ready to tell their stories to about 180 people.
If your organization has a milestone coming up, an anniversary, a symposium or an all-hands, you probably want the same thing their leadership wanted: real staff on stage, telling real stories about the work. Then you ask for volunteers and the room goes quiet.
Here is exactly how we prepared that group, step by step, and what you can borrow for your own event.
The Case: A 35th Anniversary Symposium
A Toronto-area child care agency was marking its 35th year with a symposium. Its leadership had seen people present after coaching from me at an event the year before, and they wanted their own frontline staff to share what the work meant to them.
So they brought in Command the Room, my six-week communication program. The target was a three-minute talk from each speaker.
Short enough that a nervous first-timer can own it.
Long enough to tell one real story well.
Weeks 1 to 5: Story First
Most speaker preparation starts with delivery. I start with story, and we spent five full weeks on it before anyone worked on stage skills.
On day one, I asked participants to stand up and tell their story, rough as it was. That sounds terrifying, and it is. It also builds trust in the room faster than anything else I know.
1. Pick the Catalyst Moment
I ask each person to find their catalyst moment: one specific scene that changed how they see their life or their work. One moment. A summary of a career will lose the audience every time. This is the most common mistake first-time speakers make, and I cover it in detail in the difference between a story and a timeline.
2. Add the Story, Then the Message
Once the moment is chosen, you build the story around it and then name the message it carries. One participant summed up my method better than I could: "pick this moment that you want to talk about, then add the story to it, then add the message you feel, and then what would you want to give to the audience."
The personal story is the catalyst. The closing line is for the people listening.
3. Cut Everything That Isn't the Story
First drafts are long. Coaching makes them shorter and stronger. When you take out all the extra details and you bring it down, it makes it more powerful.
Three minutes leaves no room for background, preamble or a list of thank-yous. No introduction, no preamble and no thank you very much. Just go right into the story and own it powerfully.
4. Bring It Full Circle to the Organization
For a company event, there is one extra step. I ask each speaker to tie their story back to the role they play and the organization they belong to. This is who I am in my life. This is the role I play. This has been my story. And now I'm here as part of this family.
That turn is what makes a personal story belong at an anniversary celebration.
Coaching Between Sessions
Group classes alone aren't enough. Each participant had one-hour, one-on-one coaching sessions to work through their draft. I also gave the group reflection questions to answer every single day, so the thinking kept going between classes. One participant laughed about it afterward, remembering "the way you used to ask us questions like every single day."
Individual coaching is where the notes get specific. One speaker rushed past the most emotional line in her talk, the moment she realized she was now the mom taking care of her daughter. My note: pause there and look around the room. Every mom in that audience is going to feel it with you. That's how you own a room.
Another speaker kept adding a lesson after her emotional peak. My note was simple: you're cluttering the ending. End on the line that lands, and stop.
Week 6: From Story to Stage
Only in the final week did we turn to presentation skills, and the order matters.
Stage fright first. I believe stage fright is the criticisms or judgments we have about ourselves. We see that through the eyes of the audience. Did I wear the right thing? Will they judge my accent? Did I memorize this? My tip: when I get on stage, the first thing I do is scan the room for the friendliest faces. On my first day with this group, one participant gave me a stern look that said "impress me, lady," so I looked straight over to the woman beside her who smiles all the time. At a staff event, colleagues in the audience can be those friendly faces for each other. My full guide to getting over stage fright has more.
Presence. If you've got a three-minute talk, you don't want to be pacing back and forth. Walk up, take a breath and stay grounded in your spot. I'm a fan of natural gestures, the ones you would use with your best friend in a coffee shop.
Voice. Nervous speakers rush because they don't feel entitled to the time. I tell every one of them: No, you've earned your spot. Slowly, powerfully, confidently share your story.
Connection. You're there for a bigger purpose. You're there to inspire, and to represent your organization. Speak to the audience as colleagues who are all in this together.
Impromptu practice. Each person came up without notes and I asked one easy question, then they expanded on it. One participant repeated the question back before answering, which buys you a second to let it sink in. It's a great habit for any question from the floor.
A scored run-through. Every participant delivered their full talk, and my team and I scored each one and wrote feedback. I decided not to make it a competition. Everyone was sharing their heart and soul. We chose the symposium speakers by a show of hands, so everyone who went on stage had said yes.
On the Day
Memorize the talk, then stop drilling it. The minute you have it locked in, you have to trust yourself and set it and forget it. Practicing a thousand times is like over-kneading bread dough. My guide on how to memorize a speech without sounding robotic explains why.
On the day, reconnect with how the moment actually felt. When we feel something, the audience feels something.
And at the symposium itself? I introduce the speakers, and I'm going to be the one smiling in the front row.
What Your Organization Can Borrow
Start six weeks out. Story takes time to find, and confidence takes time to build.
Put story before slides. Delivery skills matter far less than a speaker who knows exactly what moment they are sharing and why.
Keep talks short. Three minutes per speaker lets more staff voices into the program and keeps first-timers within their reach.
Make it voluntary. People who choose to speak bring a different energy to the stage than people who were assigned.
Tie every story to the mission. The full-circle ending turns a set of personal stories into a celebration of the organization.
Give speakers a friendly face. A coach in the front row and supportive colleagues in the audience change how a nervous speaker feels in the first ten seconds.
The benefit lasts well past the event. Staff who learn to tell their story with confidence speak up more at work, as I explain in why employees don't speak up in meetings.
Keep reading: How to Find Your Signature Story for a Speech · Why Human Storytelling Matters More in the Age of AI · How to Choose a Keynote Speaker for Your Event
Your Next Step
If you are planning an anniversary, symposium or all-hands and want your people on stage, I would love to help you get them from first draft to the front of the room.