Testing New Material (but not jokes this time)

Back in 2012 I spent some time telling jokes on the stage at the Comedy Store in Leicester Square, London. As you know, I’m not a successful stand-up comedian so you can guess how it went!

Comedians don’t just show up at the O2 Arena and hope their material lands. They try things out in smaller clubs first. Some even carry index cards on stage, literally testing joke after joke. If the audience laughs, it stays. If the audience stares back in silence, that one quietly disappears. Personally I love these shows as I feel I’m seeing jokes before everyone else, even if they aren’t polished.

Speakers do something similar. We may not carry index cards (well… not often), but before a big event, it’s incredibly useful to deliver a talk live, see where people lean in, where the ideas click (or don’t), and where I might need to adjust the rhythm.

So, ahead of Agile Cambridge, I’m going to run a small, “dry run” session of my new talk: Calm REBEL Leadership: Leading without losing yourself.

This will be based on my upcoming book Calm REBEL Leadership, which is now available for pre-order (UK only for the moment).

Now, because Agile Cambridge attendees are rightly expecting an exclusive, I’ll be limiting this to just 20 people. That way, the real event isn’t diluted, and this feels more like what it is: a small club, not the O2.

If you’d like to join, please only take a spot if you can make it—I’d hate for someone else to miss out.

You’ll hear the talk in full, and in return, I’ll be listening closely for what lands, what sparks, and what deserves a little fine-tuning before the big stage.

👉 Book a seat for the dry-run

Oh and if you want to go to Agile Cambridge on 1st & 2nd October (which is a great event with great speakers) you can get a discount by using the code: 10Geoff

The same code will also get you a discount at the equally brilliant conference Ripples Bristol if you want to join me and a host of other great speakers there on 4th & 5th November.

Hope to see you soon…