Public Speaking Accelerator
For busy but ambitious marketers, entrepreneurs, and leaders
With coaching and lessons from me, you’ll develop, practice, and deliver the 3 most important parts of a talk which instantly transform any presentation from meh to memorable. This is built for extremely busy professionals.
Next cohort begins May 6
Save your spot now to secure early bird pricing:
The bar is SO low to give great presentations in the business world. Learn to leap over it.
Through a blend of learning, practice, and direct coaching from me, you will master the 3 most important elements of a presentation you can add to immediately make it great.
We’ll also cover speaking strategy (how to align your approach to your brand and offerings) and how to pitch event organizers & community leaders to get booked more.
From scattered thinking to focused message.
From passive audience to passionate fans.
From “wall of smarts” talks to powerful presentations, built get buy-in and create follow-up opportunities.
An 8-week Cohort Consciously customized for crazy Calendars
(And also attendees who adore alliteration.)
You receive:
PILOT COHORT ONLY: one-hour 1:1 call with me
PILOT COHORT ONLY: Multiple rounds of notes on your work from me
6 hours of group coaching/workshopping with me, alternating between Wednesdays and Thursdays, 12:30ET
5 video lessons covering strategy, pitching, generating follow-on business, and developing stronger speeches (openers, closers, stories, structure, and more)
All relevant templates, resources, and prompts accessible forever
Kickoff is May 6, 12:30ET — All calls recorded
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📅 Week “0”(after registering, before kickoff)
You’ll receive my calendar link to book a 60-min 1:1 coaching call.
You’ll also get a video lesson on getting more results from your speaking (covering strategy, pitching events, and how to generate follow-on business from your speaking)
I’ll even give you a brief look at how I really negotiate my own speaking engagements, including paid gigs.
📅 Tuesday, May 6 from 12:30 to 2pm ET:
In this 90-min session (also recorded), we’ll get a chance to meet live to build rapport and to discuss:
Getting the most from the program
How to structure effective talks for impact and flow
An intro to the frameworks and techniques we’ll be mastering in the program
Plus plenty of discussion and initial Q&A with me
📅 Weeks 2-7, you’ll experience as two-week modules (for a total of 3 modules)
Each module emphasizes 1 of our 3 key areas of immediately and noticeably improving your speaking.
Once you understand each, you’ll be able to immediately increase the impact of any talk or presentation.
These two-week modules follow the same cadence:
LEARN IT (the first Monday, you’ll get a video lesson via email from me along with relevant resources I’ve built and curated, plus prompts and templates you’ll be using)
WRITE IT (You then have several days to answer the prompts and develop a draft of the work. You’ll have the option of submitting the draft to our cohort’s online portal for direct feedback from me. You’ll also see others’ drafts and my notes for them, so you have a broader array of insights.)
PERFORM IT (You’ll then submit a recorded version of you performing what you built. This is due 10 days after the video lesson arrives. You’ll have the option of submitting the recording for my feedback too.)
IMPROVE IT (Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 each offer a 1-hour group coaching call with me for Q&A and workshopping material. I’ll alternate between Wednesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-1:30pm ET, to try and cover as many time zones as possible.)
📅 Week 8: Showcase + Celebrate
On Friday, June 27, 11-12:30 ET, you’ll gather with me and the cohort for one final celebration. Volunteers will be confirmed ahead of time to deliver a sampling of their speech.
Watch me rework a client’s work in realtime:
In this video, I rework the all-important intro of a talk, fixing the opener of an entrepreneur’s signature webinar.
Brendan Hufford is a SaaS consultant, helping grow the pipeline and revenue of tech companies who are ready to scale. His 40k+ followers on LinkedIn and his network of executive clients means he’s often showing up publicly to give webinars, guest on podcasts and panels, and deliver in-person speeches too.
ABOUT MY SPEAKING AND SPEAKER COACHING:
Hi, I'm Jay Acunzo! I'm the former head of content at HubSpot, a digital media strategist at Google, and VP of content and community at NextView Ventures, a seed-stage VC. But since 2016, I've been traveling the world giving keynote speeches. As a professional, I've spoken in 25 states and several countries, to crowds as big as 4,000 marketers and as tightknit as 40 CEOs in a closed-door meeting. I can charge five-figures for a speech, but I also use my speaking both virtual and in-person to drive leads and sales of my client services.
For the last few years, I've spent most of my time coaching and consulting dozens of entrepreneurs, consultants, creators, business authors, and small business owners to help them package and communicate their expertise for impact. That means messaging, speaking, and thought leadership, with a big idea we develop and they eventually own in the market. I help others compete on the impact of their ideas, NOT the volume of their marketing. When you matter more, you need to hustle for attention less.
I've also partnered with brands like Salesforce, Mailchimp, Wistia, and GoDaddy to help improve their storytelling.
“It was like a magic trick … I was honestly blown away.”
—Steve Pratt, veteran entrepreneur, marketer, and podcasting OG, on his coaching calls with me.
Steve is a brand consultant & cofounder of Pacific Content, which built podcasts for Slack, DELL, Zendesk, and more.
Most speaker trainings pose 2 problems for business communicators and leaders:
We feel too pulled away from the "real" work. We have so much going on that we can't hit pause and go learn or practice, and we're also worried most speaker trainings aren't tailored for (A) the business world and (B) producing the work DURING the training. So we have some fun (or maybe cringe) doing group exercises, but we haven't made tangible progress on actual work ... all while we're stressed about taking time away from the rest of our jobs.
We aren't well-served by most trainings, which emphasize the extremes. Most individuals and orgs focus on beginners (i.e. the fear of speaking) or outliers (paid keynote speakers; execs and celebs addressing huge audiences constantly, with massive stakes each time). The thing is, you aren't a beginner. You're a professional communicator. But you're also not spending much time thinking about all the talks you'll give this quarter to 20,000 attendees or millions of viewers.
This accelerator is tailor-made for business builders using speaking as a powerful marketing approach, but not a career path
“A night & day difference from when I came to him.”
Justin Moore is a well-known entrepreneur and business owner in the creator economy who trusted me to help him develop his signature talk when the stakes were highest: he was looking to expand his revenue by meeting new types of clients, meeting his existing buyers earlier in their journey, and building the talk associated with his new book to get on bigger stages.
FAQ’s
Do I need to attend live? What if I have conflicts?
Everything will be recorded, and all video lessons (except Week 1) happens entirely asynchronously via email too. The most important live element are the office hours to get questions answered and workshop materials with me.
Is this like your “Design My Signature Talk” bootcamps?
It certainly benefits from having honed that material, but no, this is different in 2 important ways, given what I learned from my bootcamps:
More emphasis on instantly and radically improving your abilities to craft and deliver exceptional talks. My bootcamps emphasized your talk’s structure and flow. This will contain elements of that of course, but it’s much more built to actively develop, practice, and receive my feedback on your work both 1:1 and 1:few, asynchronously and live.
More tailored to busy pros with busy schedules (and lives!). I've moved this from the previous 2-day virtual intensive, which some folks said were tougher to make time to attend, to instead be an 8-week experience. I’ve also separated out the teaching I’m doing (now delivered async) from the coaching (now more highly emphasized and of course delivered live, because there’s so much value in the back-and-forth).
What’s your refund policy?
I’ve had people contact me for prior programs about radical changes in circumstance, where they really need their money back to cover that life change or issue. To be sympathetic to those cases, I’m offering a full refund to anyone who requests it of me up until 7 days prior to kickoff. After that, I do not offer any refunds.
The Next cohort starts May 6
Not Ready for the accelerator? No worries. 2 ways I can support YOu:
Or read below to learn about my 2-day virtual bootcamps. The next one will launch late summer 2025.
Coming August 2025:
Design My Signature Talk
Two-day Virtual intensive
Learn to develop keynotes, breakouts, webinars, and workshops that get picked and drive leads and sales.
Leave with clear direction and actual progress on a speech to serve your cause.
Built to help you grow your business and evangelize your ideas through stronger speeches.
[FEBRUARY IS SOLD OUT - subscribe to my newsletter to be the first to know when the next bootcamp opens]
“Much of the bootcamp felt like 1:1 coaching with the added benefit of learning from others getting notes from Jay, who is quick on his feet providing real-time feedback. It was liberating. I feel less imposter syndrome and more inspired and confident. Jay busted myths I've long held and built back up a framework I'll be using for all my creative work.”
—Dr. Jade Wu (author and sleep psychologist)
Some talks are blog posts with a runtime.
Your talk should stir hearts and engage minds.
In this bootcamp you will…
Acquire all the tools and frameworks needed to develop your signature talk.
Make meaningful progress, guided by me, in a small group setting. I’ll ensure you have clearer direction and feel greater confidence and momentum than you’d otherwise experience building your speech alone.
“Transformative in a way I didn’t expect”
“The most inspired I’ve been in the longest time”
Common needs we address together:
🏗️ Structuring engaging speeches
Turning too many ideas into a succinct talk 🎯
✅ Packaging and pitching your speech
Translating ideas you usually write into effective spoken word ♻️
❤️ Crafting stories for the stage
Whether, when, and how to use CTAs in your talks 🚦
In this intensive, We will:
create a draft of your signature speech and move it forward based on what you uniquely need
acquire the techniques to evolve from smart expert to trusted thought leader and storyteller
ensure your speech generates follow-on business and invitations to keep speaking
learn to use your talk to inform a stronger public platform, everywhere you go
"I've been delivering keynote talks for over 20 years. To say this was outstanding simply would not give it justice. Jay, in a very short period of time, was able to dissect the message I was struggling with and taught me to actually deliver it concisely. He found a premise for me that worked and the flow to my new outstanding talk that I cannot wait to release out into the world. If you want your talk to go to the next level, you want to work with the best in the business, and I don't say that lightly. Jay Acunzo is your man."
—Shawn Shepheard (performance coach for small business owners)
Your signature talk is the densest dose of your brilliance and influence you can deliver online and offline
It’s a repeatable, ever-improving speaking product you develop, hone, and distribute, opening new doors to bigger, better opportunities.
It’s the single-best way to show others (not just tell them) why they’d care about you and your ideas.
Next bootcamp: Feb. 25 +27
Everything is recorded and shared.
Tues, Feb. 25 + Thurs, Feb. 27
(No programming on Wednesday.)
Both days, Session 1 is 11-12:30 ET, with optional office hours for 30 minutes to follow
Both days, Session 2 is 2:30-4 ET, with optional office hours for 30 minutes to follow
To help you as you execute after, I’m also offering a bonus office hour 2 weeks later: March 13, 1-2 ET
Topics covered:
Intro to signature speech development (rethinking what makes an effective talk)
Structuring your speech for maximum impact (making a stronger case for your ideas)
Effective storytelling in a speech (how to ensure your message sticks)
Gripping and moving the audience (crafting better opens and closes + navigating CTAs in your speech)
Our focus Over 2 days shifts from viewing to doing
All four sessions involve a blend of live learning, discussion/Q&A, and prompted work, but you’ll spend more time on the latter as we move through the agenda, so you can make meaningful progress on your actual talk.
Why “Signature” Talk?
Because you’d proudly sign your name to it.
Your signature talk is the key to getting in front of densities of your ideal client or audience, but even more importantly, it’s the means to ensure they actually care about you, your ideas, and your offerings.
A signature talk can change your career or business, just as it changes others who see you deliver it.
Effective talks can be designed to differentiate your message and resonate with others, so you can stop demanding action and start inspiring it.
Your Talk should create fans, customers, and more speaking opps.
But you have to escape the commodity cage.
“You pull out the raw ideas (even when kicking and screaming) and help hone it into something brilliant. Holy Dude you’re good.”
—Sarah Stockdale (CEO of Growclass)
Who Is this for? How can I decide?
This intensive is for anyone using speaking to build their business and evangelize their ideas. However…
This is NOT meant to help clarify your overall message or sellable offers. You should have at least a rough idea of what you teach, what you’re saying to the world, or at very least, what problem you want to solve for others.
This bootcamp centers on how to intentionally design a speech to resonate, but part of being intentional means actually rehearsing the talk and actually giving the talk, so you can rapidly improve. No talk is “final” after designing it in theory in just two days. But you WILL leave with a far superior product than you arrived with.
A bootcamp is an intensive. That’s a specific type of learning experience. We’ll move fast, cover a lot, and do some active, prompted work that might make you feel a little uncomfortable, but I promise to provide a helpful, encouraging hand as I push you slightly outside your comfort zone.
This is NOT a substitute for my 1:1 coaching and consulting. My job is to steward the entire group forward, while personalizing to everyone as best I can. But for deeper, ongoing 1:1 support, visit jayacunzo.com/services.
Still not sure? Contact me here
We can swap emails or even schedule a call
I will NOT push you to attend. Unhappy registrants hurt my business. (Also? My heart.) If you contact me, I’ll be honest with you. Maybe the intensive isn’t right for you, maybe it is, or maybe it’s right for you but just not at this time.
Contact me, and we can either swap emails or set up a 10-min call.
