When was the last time you found yourself sitting in the audience, thinking to yourself, “When will this speech finally be over?”
Exactly. That happens to me all the time. Facts, facts, facts – and with all the numbers and charts, the meaning behind them gets lost in the clutter of my thoughts. I want to change that.
That’s why I wrote a book with speaker, author, and “Horizonautin” Barbara Messer: “Knowledge That Ignites – The Last Boring Speech” – with staging, dramaturgy, and passion. Our goal: to reconnect with our own enthusiasm and that of our audience through presentations and speeches in both science and business.
Because the world doesn’t suffer from too few speeches. It suffers from too many that fail to inspire. Too proper, too structured, too predictable, and simply too uninspiring, they stick to the safety of the ordinary.
We’ll explore a wide variety of presentation formats for you, because the occasions couldn’t be more different: business presentations, public speaking, academic talks, online speeches, FuckUp Nights, Science Slams, and more – each format serves its own unique purpose.
Bad presentations almost always suffer from the same common pitfalls. Do we really want a show filled with excessive product promotion, or would we rather have personal insights into the failures and successes of projects from which we can learn something? And if something does go wrong: Why not incorporate it into your presentation spontaneously and creatively, instead of trying to hide it?
When you read our book, sparks will fly instead of slides. Because in the end, speeches are about much more than just conveying knowledge. It’s about engaging your audience from the very first moment, so they experience your presentation as a personal conversation. And you’ll speak with enthusiasm instead of just presenting.
This book isn’t just another piece of advice. It’s an invitation to take a risk. For presentations and talks that aren’t just understood, but resonate—and where knowledge is reignited.
If nothing happens, it wasn’t a presentation!
The book „Knowledge That Ignites – The Last Boring Speech“ will be published in German by BusinessVillage in September 2026 More info and pre-order