Laurel is a professionally trained speaker and available for your next conference or gathering as an MC, keynote speaker or workshop facilitator

Laurel thrives on connecting delegates with each other, and helping the organising committee to create an amazing event full of inspiration, education and engagement.

As an MC, I love bringing warmth, connection and continuity to your special event.

The MC is a critical role in your conference team. As the first person who your delegates hear from, they have an important role to play in setting a professional scene, whilst inviting a relaxed and safe environment for people to not only learn, but maybe even take a risk and participate!

Some conference organisers like to hire a celebrity MC to bring some sparkle into their event. But so often, these MCs dash in and out, and don’t have the time to spend with the team prior to the event to ensure that the conference themes, aims and goals are understood. And at the events, they may not be available in the breaks to mix and mingle around the room.

For me, it’s a privilege to be part of your team! I love spending time with you beforehand to give you comfort and reassurance that your event is going to run super smoothly (and any hiccups or unforeseen challenges can be sorted with minimal disruption). Once the event is underway, I make sure that not only am I checking in with you regularly, but also spending time with the delegates and ensuring that people are engaged, happy (and warm!).

And once it is all over, I recommend we catch up again and review how things went, and how they could be done even better.

Here is an overview of how it might work;

Twinovate!

I am lucky enough to be an identical twin. Josie lives in San Francisco and works for Google. She is a very clever cookie, and one of the reasons I working with industries like science, engineering, finance and tech. We call ourselves left and right brained twins. She is left brain, and all about facts and black and white. I am right brain, and all about stories and grey! Together we have formed a speaking collaboration, and have presented at some very cool places in the US, including Apple, Sales Force and Grace Hopper, the largest Women in Tech gathering in the world! Josie is now spending more time in New Zealand, and we are available for conferences and workshops as a novel, entertaining and informative double act.

Other speaking topics

I love supporting individuals to design bespoke careers, lives and/or businesses, challenge the status quo and launch personal projects that illuminate. This doesn’t require a huge leap into the unknown, sometimes its just about looking at your present situation a little bit differently!

I also help company founders craft attractive organisations, ones where they are visible, their values are reflected, and people choose to work there. This is because they can fulfil their own bespoke careers and feel that they can be themselves and consequently bring their best to their workplace.

I am available for keynoting and workshops. Please contact Laurel at laurel@laurelmclay.com if you would like to find out more or feel free to download my speaker pack here.

I am highly energetic, have been trained in speaking by the leader in this field, Matt Church, and ensure that my sessions are interactive and engaging. I have also been trained to an advanced level in presenting by Paulus Romijn of Presenter’s Platform, and received media coaching by Louise Pagonis.

Our world is changing dramatically; we now have an opportunity to design a role, business or personal project that fits us beautifully. 

Speaking Topics

While I am capable of speaking on many topics around commercial success, authenticity, career, mindset, confidence, positioning, thought leadership, influence and sales, the following are some examples of the type of material I have delivered.

1. The danger of status quo  

How our world is changing in all areas, and particularly in careers and relationships; doing things the same old way may not be the way forward, but it’s a good idea to balance old with new. This includes the hours/days we work, who we live with, where we work (eg home or office) and how we collaborate as teams. Looking at things a different way can not only crate a more productive working environment, but significantly lessen turnover in organisations.

Audience Challenging status quo, both personally and globally affects EVERYONE, this is a universally appealing and relevant topic.

Overarching themes Change, Productivity, Innovation

2. Upgrading your current role and team

As much as a change of career, lifestyle or direction can be exhilarating and appeal to our ‘shiny new object’ obsession, sometimes you are in exactly the place where you can do your best work; you just don’t realise it. A small shift can result in significantly increased engagement and fulfilment within your present role and team (but not always!).

Audience Teams and organisations that could do with a lift in engagement; teams going through change.

Overarching themes Engagement, Change, Productivity

3. Personal ROI

Where you can spend your time, energy and resources in a way that works for you across all areas of your life (wellness, career, relationships and finance), to get the best return. One size does not fit all; by finding the way that fits you best, not only will you get better results, it will be way more enjoyable. Stress and lack of engagement is impacting us and those around us; there is a sense of urgency to find a way that works! It’s time to give up driving ourselves at the frenetic pace which has become ‘normal’.

Audience Anyone who wants to change things for the better and might be sick of spending money on gym membership, coaches, programs and advice without getting an acceptable return.

Overarching themes Productivity, Management (accountability), Engagement.

4. Designing a career, business or personal project

What would be an example of ‘your best work’? Do you know? How big a difference do you wish to make? It doesn’t need to be big if you don’t want it to be! What’s in the way from you doing so? It might just be that our decision making criteria is all up the whop, or we decided we weren’t creative when an art teacher at school said something disparaging (supposedly 50% of us have had such an experience). Creativity isn’t just about painting and poetry; learn how you are the creative force in your life, and how you can do your best work. This might be as simple as launching a personal project that you have been thinking about for a while. Refer to topic 2 to see how your best work may be carried out in your present role or business.

Audience Appeals to all levels in an organization, business owners and those who would like more fulfilment in their lives (in other words everyone!)

Overarching themes Innovation, Career, Engagement

5. Customised Influence strategies

When you want to bring something to life, eg a new job, business or even a project, there are people you are going to want to influence. This will include people who will be impacted by your work, both directly (eg prospects and potential investors) and indirectly, eg your partner or children. It comes down to a simple influence lifecycle as follows (note these can be designed in a way that works for you).

Step one: More walk, less talk - getting out there and getting known

Step two: More heart, less hype - connecting with people one to one or one to many about your project

Step three:  More care, less crap - keeping in touch, nurturing and updating , making sure you are adding value at every interaction.

Note that this content can be tailored to address where support is most needed for your audience; eg it can mainly focus on step one if your company needs to get more leads or reach, or on step three, if your customers are feeling ignored.

Audience People who are confronted and challenged by getting themselves ‘out there’, and known, who resist making invitations (eg sales calls, authoring or speaking), particularly sales professionals and leaders.

Overarching themes Leadership, Communication, Sales

6. Support and structures that serve

There are a large amount of experts out there telling you how you can get results across all areas of your life, and quite frankly, some approaches are quite dogmatic and don’t really serve you at all. You have every right to find the way that works for you, and a good dose of reality helps too! This particularly covers what you eat, how you exercise, how you manage your time and how you set personal goals (including various vision board and manifestation approaches!). If you have found ways that work for you already, stick to them, but if you are finding that they are causing you to simply feel like a failure, then it’s time to throw them out once and for all!

Audience Wide audience appeal; it is helpful for all individuals to find out support and structures that help them to work out what they want and then make it happen.

Overarching themes Productivity, Engagement, Innovation

7. The Attractive Organisation

How to make sure that your company is considered a desirable place to work, both from those within it, and those who are outside it (and either presently involved, eg suppliers/clients, or considering getting involved,eg talent). In a recent Herald CEO survey, 47% said that sourcing skilled staff kept them awake at night. It is vital that you do the work to ensure that individuals feel safe to be themselves at work and motivated to bring their best to you. This is about way more than the bowl of free fruit and the ping pong table. And how are you showing up as a leader? Is your company a representation of you and your legacy? An invisible CEO is not a leader, it’s time to craft an attractive organisation by showing up and inspiring, and embracing new ways of thinking to future proof your workplace/

Audience  Anyone in a leadership role, or who wants to be in a leadership role, primarily to inspire others.

Overarching themes Leadership, Communication, Engagement

Please contact Laurel on +64 27 285 9113 or laurel@laurelmclay.com to discuss your upcoming event, and to explore how you can work together and provide an illuminating experience for your audience.