Speaking

Keynotes and workshops on learning, performance, and the brain

I'm a neurologist and the author of The Genius and the Impostor. My keynotes combine the science of learning and performance with live music.

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Josh Turknett

Who I speak to

I've given talks at business and HR events, research institutes, medical conferences, learning and development gatherings, and music camps. I've also worked one-on-one with musicians and athletes on performing under pressure. Each audience comes in with its own questions:

  • Business and HR leaders: why their best people freeze in the big meeting, and how to build talent instead of just hiring for it.
  • Educators: what learning science says about the kid who "isn't a math person."
  • Physicians and researchers: how the brain builds expertise, and how neurology can help capable people perform.
  • Musicians and performers: why the piece they played perfectly at home falls apart on stage.
  • Athletes and coaches: why a skill that's automatic in practice breaks down in competition, and what a coach can say to help.

Before every talk, I find out what your audience is asking, and I build the talk around it.

Signature talks

The Genius and the Impostor

Why Skilled People Underperform When It Matters Most

You've seen it happen. Someone who knows their stuff cold walks into the high-stakes moment and delivers half of what they're capable of. The skills didn't go anywhere. So what happened?

The skills you've mastered run on non-conscious expert networks, built by the part of your brain I call the Genius. They work best when the conscious mind stays out of the way.

When the stakes go up, you feel a rush of nerves. That rush is your brain getting ready to perform at its best.

The trouble starts when the voice in your head, which I call the Impostor, turns the moment into a test of who you are and grabs the controls. The Impostor lives in the conscious mind, and the conscious mind is a novice. It doesn't know how to run those skills.

Your audience will learn:

  • What's happening in the brain when skilled people choke
  • How to keep the Impostor from taking over, so their skills keep working when the stakes are high

Good fit for: leadership and corporate teams, sales and client-facing groups, athletes and coaches, musicians and performers.

The Special Brain Story

What Neuroscience Says About Talent

Most of us grew up with some version of the same story. I call it the Special Brain Story.

Some people are born with a gift for math, or music, or sports, and the rest of us aren't. Schools sort kids by it, and companies hire by it. And most of us decided long ago which things we're "just not good at."

Neuroscience tells a different story. Every brain starts in the same place, and every skill, including the ones that look like genius, is built through learning. The differences between people come from what they've built.

Your audience will learn:

  • Where skill and intelligence really come from
  • What changes when schools and organizations focus on building ability instead of sorting people by it

Good fit for: educators, HR and talent development, learning and development teams, general audiences.

Josh Turknett playing banjo on stage

With live music

Every keynote includes live music.

More topics

I also speak on these, and I'm happy to build a talk around your event's theme.

  • The Neuroscience of Practice. Why some people practice for years and plateau, while others improve faster with less time.
  • Training That Sticks. What the brain needs to hold on to new learning and use it on the job, and how to design training around it.
  • The Neuroscience of Coaching. Why some of the most common things coaches say make performance worse, and what to say instead.
  • Performance Neurology (for medical audiences). What happens when neurology's diagnostic methods are aimed at why capable people fail to perform.
See the full list at the Institute for Performance Neurology →

Search my speaking topics

Describe your event and your audience to see which of my talks would fit them best. If you like the talk idea that comes back, you can send it to me along with your inquiry.

Formats

Keynote

45 to 60 minutes of science and live music. Works for conferences, all-hands meetings, and kickoffs.

Workshop

A half or full day, with more time on the science and exercises your group works through together. Best for leadership teams and groups who want to put the ideas to work.

Extended program

Several sessions over multiple days, with talks, workshops, and music throughout. Best for retreats.

Tell me about your event

I'll get back to you within a few days.

Tell me about your event