Speaking
- by Holly Burton
Hey Holly, I heard that you are an amazing keynote speaker. Tell me about it!
What a lovely compliment!
Of course, flattery will get you everywhere, so let's talk.
Yes, I love speaking, and my audiences love it too. I talk about some pretty charged topics -- women in male-dominated industries, feminism, leadership, and diversity & inclusion -- and I always leave my audience feeling challenged, but also safe, loved, and laughing.
I speak to a wide range of audiences from small women's leadership organizations, to large mining conferences, all the way up to senior leaders in tech companies. I have talks suitable for all genders and, as a former mining engineer, I have a special talent for speaking and relating to technical staff.
Cool. What kinds of things, specifically, do you talk about?
All kinds of stuff!
My expertise is on women in male-dominated industries and the intersection of feminism, leadership, and career.
In particular, I nerd out hard about things that keep women stuck at work. I've got lots of talks about internal patterns and contexts that hold women back, and just as many on what employers should do to help retain their female staff.
You can count on me for excellent talks in the following areas:
- Diversity & Inclusion
- Leadership
- Feminism
- Career
Nifty! Do you have a list of talks you've given in the past?
Heck yes, I do!
Here's a taste of some talks I give regularly (and links to detailed descriptions of the talks):
- Escaping Your Career Plateau: Perfectionism, Risk, and What's Actually in the Way
- 5 Conversations I'm Sick of Having About Diversity
- Diversity: Playing Talent Moneyball
- Negotiation 101: The Foundation
- The Weeds Are Not Safe
- How Leadership Training Creates the Glass Ceiling
- The 3 Pillars of Success for Women in Male-Dominated Industries
Check 'em out, and keep in mind that this is just a sample. I love coming up with new topics and angles all the time, so if you don't see something you're into here, ask me!
Awesome! Do you have any videos of these fantastic talks?
You betcha!
Am I the Crazy One? Gaslighting & Gender in the Workplace
5 Conversations I’m Sick of Having About Diversity
Coaching to Retain Women in STEM
Those are some compelling videos!
So who's had the pleasure of hearing one of your world-famous talks?
So many people!
Here's a sample of the organizations I've worked with:
Damn, girl! What did those people have to say about you?
Only the best things, obviously!
"Holly's talk was very intereactive and relevant. She is a great speaker and she discusses sensitive issues in a very constructive, direct manner. Very effective."
Cathy -- The Society of Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST)
"This talk by @hmkjburton about Gaslighting & Gender hits so damn close to home. This is so so real."
Nicole -- Infrastructure Engineer
"Great talk on diversity by @hmkjburton at @devopsdaysyvr “play talent moneyball!”"
John -- Director of Information Security
"Holly, once again hearing you speak was the highlight of my DevOpsDays! Thank you so much!"
Tay -- Systems Engineer
"Holly is interesting, entertaining, engaging and well researched! I loved Holly's personal stories and also how she backed up her theories with research and stats."
Darelle -- The Women in Leadership Foundation
"Your talk really resonated with me. I'm so happy that you exist and are doing this brave work!"
Victoria -- Lead, Technology & Innovation (Mining)
Woah, those are some superfans!
Hey, is there anything else I should know about you as a speaker?
Yes! I'm Actions-Obsessed!
I've been to enough talks in my lifetime that left me excited and inspired but feeling short on strategies for moving forward. Bleh. The worst. Inspiration-only isn't enough!
I don't want to subject my audiences to that special inspiration-only hell, so I ground my talks in actionable, clear, and specific steps people can take to change their situations. Every single one of my talks comes with a list of concrete actions for the audience to take on.
I don't speak just to hear the sound of my own voice (although it is lovely). I speak to help people create change, and change comes with action.
Ok, I'm convinced! How do I hire you to come and speak at my event?
Easy-peasy!
The next step is for us to get in touch and talk about what you want to do! So you can shoot me an email and tell me what you're looking for, or else grab time in my calendar for a phone call and we can talk it out. I can't wait to hear from you!