Keynote speaking
John K. Bates blends humor, neuroscience, powerful stories, and immediately practical tools to help people build trust, communicate with Emotional Credibility™, and inspire meaningful action.
Speaker for NASA Houston Flight Operations, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, and CEO groups worldwide · 8× TED/TEDx Speaker
Watch John in action
Science-grounded. Story-driven. Deeply human.
Trusted by leaders and organizations including
What your audience will experience
People understand what creates real human connection—and what unknowingly gets in its way.
Emotional Credibility™, powerful stories, and what John calls “mental Jiu-Jitsu” create new possibilities inside familiar challenges.
The insights are designed to be used immediately in conversations, relationships, decisions, and leadership.
“John's keynote for our International Women's Day was an incredible experience. His paradigm-shifting message on leadership and communication left a lasting impact on 1,000 top leaders, inspiring us all to think differently about how we connect and lead. Truly transformative!”
Tracey Seward · Managing Director, Accenture
Signature keynotes
The right topic depends on the people in the room and what you need them to believe, understand, or do next.
Leadership communication
A surprising, entertaining, and highly practical look at how leaders create trust, connection, and the conditions for people to move.
Explore Emotional Credibility™ →Storytelling and influence
How to use genuine stories to help people understand what matters, remember the message, and trust the person delivering it.
Pitches and decisions
A practical exploration of what makes ideas land—especially when attention, belief, investment, or action is on the line.
Resilience and reinvention
A deeply human reframing of failure that helps people recover, learn, and move toward more meaningful possibilities.
Is John right for this room?
John is especially effective with leaders, executives, technical experts, founders, and organizations navigating growth, change, visibility, trust, or high-stakes decisions.
Built around your audience
We begin with your audience, the moment they are in, and what success needs to look like.
The content and examples are shaped around the message your people most need to hear and use.
The experience is designed to generate connection, insight, and practical action—not just applause.
Trusted when the stakes are high
John trained all the active NASA astronauts—people who understand that, when the stakes are high, failure is not an option.
John has spoken at TED three times, spoken at TEDx five times, and coached speakers for more than 35 TED and TEDx events.
Leaders at Accenture, Boeing, Google, Johnson & Johnson, GE Aerospace, and the U.S. Air Force have trusted John’s work.
For meeting planners
John works especially well with executives, leaders, technical experts, founders, and organizations where trust, alignment, influence, or inspired action matters.
Yes. The conversation begins with your audience, the moment they are in, and what you need them to believe, understand, or do differently.
John combines neuroscience, storytelling, humor, and practical leadership experience. The goal is not performance for its own sake; it is a memorable experience people can use.
Use the contact link below to share your date, audience, and goals. John or a member of the team will follow up personally.
Start with the audience
Tell us about the event, the audience, and what success looks like. That is the best place to begin.
