After a 7-hour train journey from Frankfurt, I arrived in Ruhpolding, ready for the Speakery Summit conference. This little town welcomed me with small fairytale-like houses that have rows of flowers sitting perfectly on their balconies. Accompanied by a backdrop of the Alps, this wasn’t your typical location for a business conference.
As with most events I attend, I went alone. Que the ice-breaker moment: “My name’s Alisa, I’m from London but live in Frankfurt.” Await a confused look from the recipient and reply with “I moved from London to Frankfurt 9 years ago because I studied languages and didn’t want to lose my German skills.” It’s a rinse-and-repeat story that I’ve been telling for almost a decade. But it always leads to a decent conversation, so I guess it does the job.
As these conversations went on and small groups formed, I soon realised that I was one of many different types of people whom Marcus John Henry Brown, host of the Speakery Summit, had invited to his event. From freelancers, consultants, and first-time founders to CEOs, authors, and even the winner of Miss Germany 2024. We were a real mix, and I was starting to wonder why. Well, I was wondering how I fit in with all these successful people. That’s the truth!
So yes, I was feeling a bit insecure. But Marcus did a great job of getting us into the Speakery Summit spirit. He was “born in England, but made in Germany,” (words taken directly from Marcus’ website), and honestly, it was so refreshing to hear a bit of British humour. But Alpine Horns welcomed us to the event, fully immersing us in the local culture, and it was lovely to see the venue hosts wearing their Dirndls and Lederhosen. We were in for a treat.
Again, this was not your typical conference location. I quickly noticed how cosy the main event room was. The audience chairs were set up in a crescent shape very close to the stage, which was simply an elevated platform. Also, there was no backstage, so you could barely tell who was a delegate and who was a guest speaker. I was finally starting to understand. Marcus wanted a cosy, intimate, no-hustle-and-bustle-of-the-city atmosphere where we could all interact with and learn from each other, hierarchy-free. What’s more, the guest speakers attended the event with us delegates. So instead of disappearing after their talks, we were able to converse and share personal experiences face-to-face, in real conversation.
Talking of personal experiences, I had a transformational moment that I had in no way anticipated. During one of the sessions, Marcus asked us to write down a question that we’d like to answer in a talk or presentation. I chose my typical ice-breaker story, “Why did you move from London to Frankfurt?” because, as I will probably be telling this story for the rest of my life, it would be great not to get bored of telling it, and to add a new splash of excitement to the delivery.
At this point, I should mention that whilst listening to the talks, I had become very aware of my feelings. I began to jot them down because I was feeling something that I hadn’t felt for a very long time. Discomfort. Like, really, out of my comfort zone. “You are always in your comfort zone. Get out,” ran from my pen to my paper without a second thought.
What I wasn’t expecting was that minutes later, Marcus would ask me to answer my question on stage.
And that was it. I was out of my comfort zone. Dammit. It wasn’t meant to happen so quickly. I was standing on stage, and a wave of nervousness crashed through my body. I realised I was trembling, tears in my eyes.
But if you want to gain something from this type of discomfort, you need to sit with it in that precise moment. So I stayed on stage.
Marcus, public speaking and storytelling coach, stood directly in front of me, held my hands, and told me to imagine I’m in my comfort zone. The audience began to blur as I was mentally no longer on stage in front of the summitteers. I was back home in London with my forever friends. And physically, only on stage with Marcus, who, in that moment, I came to trust greatly. So, I looked Marcus in the eyes and began to answer my question, “Why did you move from London to Frankfurt?”
No notes.
Just my experience.
As it happened.
I’ll be honest, I don’t remember the exact words I said. But I didn’t need my notes because I shared my lived experience. All the way back from when 13-year-old Alisa set off on her first flight without her parents for her German exchange trip. A week that took a while for her to warm up to, but that put her on a new trajectory for life. I then shared that 20-year-old Alisa’s study year abroad was the most pivotal year of her life, which, after spending some time back at home in London, encouraged her to take another leap and move to Frankfurt – a city she’d never been to before.
I told my story with truth, passion, and jest, and went from being full of nerves to speaking naturally in just seconds. All while Marcus slowly stepped back, but remained by my side, letting me take centre stage.
But why was being on stage this time different to any other time?
Well, when I was in front of the sumiteers, the raised platform suddenly felt like a big empty stage with just me on it. This is enough to take someone out of their comfort zone. But honestly, what threw me even more was that the guest speakers and delegates at this conference were incredible. People I have watched speak on stage at big conferences and who I have been following on social media for years. I guess I couldn’t believe they were about to listen to my story. My little story. On what felt like a huge stage.
The exact words I used are now a blur, but do you know what’s clear as day?
When on stage, taking myself to my safe space, I told Marcus I was with my friends, and someone from the audience said, “We are your friends!” I will never forget how much this comforted me. It built trust. I could feel the speakers and delegates encouraging me as I told them all my story as though we were sitting together at a friend’s house over dinner. Not only that, but as the summit continued, so many of these new friends approached me to congratulate me for pushing through and delivery well in a truly daunting moment, and sharing that with them.
Friendship comes in different forms; sometimes, it takes just one shared experience to feel that bond. And through such a transformational experience, I made friends. And looking back, I’m not sure why I saw them as successful superhumans who probably weren’t interested in my story. These were the most supportive and engaged people I could have wanted to share my story with.
This is what the Speakery Summit, a conference like no other, is about. Carefully curated to bring unique styles and perspectives that spark enlightening conversations between both speakers and delegates.
I attended this conference to gain insights on public speaking and storytelling. I expected to take home some half-decent notes and get a few good photos. But I left with a new light on my personal strength and potential, and an entire new definition of ‘storytelling.’
The lesson learnt? It is incredible how much a supportive group of people can push you to places you didn’t know you needed to go. And I don’t just mean Ruhpolding. 😉
Alisa Jordan Writes 
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