Speaking
“…she motivated and challenged all of us to use tools, ideas and strategies to give feedback that instigated positive change.”
Inspiring and Actionable
Keynotes to Help You
Inspiration leads to transformation, and Misti Burmeister’s keynote speaking services provide your leaders and attendees with the boost you need to gain a competitive advantage.
Build a winning culture for speed, impact, and excellence
Improve leadership performance and effectiveness
Transform organizational performance
Keynotes & Workshops for Leaders Ready to Stop Pushing and Start Leading
Speaking Topics
Most leadership breakdowns don’t happen because people don’t care.
They happen because leaders are carrying too much, reacting too late, or forcing outcomes that cost trust, engagement, and clarity.
Misti Burmeister delivers keynotes and workshops that help leaders listen earlier, communicate more clearly, and build cultures where people take responsibility without being pushed.
Her work blends deep relational insight with practical application — leaving audiences clearer, steadier, and better equipped to lead in complexity.
Lead with Voice, Not Force
How leaders get people to step up without pushing harder
When leaders rely on pressure, micromanagement, or urgency, they often get compliance — not ownership. This keynote explores how leaders can shift from force to voice, creating clarity, accountability, and engagement without carrying everything themselves.
Audiences will learn how to:
- stop overfunctioning without lowering standards
- communicate expectations clearly and confidently.
- create conditions where people take responsibility willingly
Before the Reaction
Why the most important leadership moment happens earlier than you think
Leadership leverage often exists before emotion, conflict, or decision-making. This talk introduces leaders to the power of early awareness — recognizing internal and relational signals before they turn into reaction or damage.
Audiences will learn how to:
- notice what’s happening before things escalate
- respond with clarity instead of reactivity
- trust internal signals without overthinking
Internal Authority
The leadership skill no one taught you.
Many leaders struggle not because they lack competence, but because they don’t trust their own authority. This keynote helps leaders reclaim internal authority — the ability to lead from clarity instead of approval, fear, or force.
Audiences will learn how to:
- lead without second-guessing or overexplaining
- hold boundaries with confidence and care
- make decisions rooted in clarity rather than pressure
Why Smart People Shut Down at Work
What leaders miss before engagement disappears.
Highly capable people disengage not because they lack motivation, but because environments quietly train them to protect themselves. This talk helps leaders recognize the subtle dynamics that cause smart people to go silent — and how to reverse them.
Audiences will learn how to:
- identify the hidden causes of disengagement
- create conditions for psychological safety without lowering expectations
- invite contribution instead of compliance
The Cost of Unspoken Tension
How avoidance quietly erodes trust, performance and retention.
Unspoken tension doesn’t disappear — it drains energy, erodes trust, and quietly shapes culture. This talk helps leaders recognize the cost of what isn’t being said and how to address it with clarity and care.
Audiences will learn how to:
- recognize tension before it becomes conflict
- speak into discomfort without escalating it
- restore clarity and trust through honest conversation
Feedback That Changes Behavior
Why most feedback fails — and what works instead
Most feedback doesn’t fail because it’s unclear — it fails because it arrives too late, too charged, or without trust. This keynote reframes feedback as a leadership relationship, not a performance tool.
Audiences will learn how to:
- give feedback that actually lands
- address issues without defensiveness or damage
- create feedback cultures that support growth
From Control to Clarity
How leaders stop carrying it all — and start building ownership
Many leaders become the bottleneck without realizing it. This keynote explores how control often masquerades as responsibility — and how clarity creates ownership instead.
Audiences will learn how to:
- stop being the center of every decision
- create clarity that enables autonomy
- build teams that lead themselves
Clarity Is Kinder Than Comfort
The leadership shift that replaces tension with trust.
Avoiding hard conversations may feel kind in the moment — but it often creates confusion, resentment, and mistrust. This talk reframes clarity as one of the most compassionate leadership acts.
Audiences will learn how to:
- speak clearly without damaging relationships
- replace avoidance with grounded honesty
- build trust through direct, respectful communication
Formats
Ready to Book Misti?
If you’re looking for a speaker who brings depth and practicality – without hype, pressure, or pretense – Misti would love to support your leaders.
- Keynotes
- Interactive workshops
- Leadership retreats & offsites
- Executive team sessions
All sessions are tailored to audience, industry, and organizational context.
Clients View
Testimonials
Misti’s energy and passion, her willingness to engage and challenge, and her selfless commitment to the of success of others are truly remarkable. I highly recommend working with Misti. You won’t regret it.
Devan Dewey, CTO, NEPC
Misti never ceases to amaze me with her super talent of getting business people, many of them strangers no less, to open up and communicate about difficult issues, and then follow-up with innovative solution ideas that really stretch creative abilities.
Neil Kleinberg, Founder & CEO DiliVer