7x Emmy-winning keynote speaker on leadership communication
Make your expertise easier to understand and act on.
Beth Sherman helps smart people reduce friction in communication by showing them how the best comedians convert skeptical audiences into active listeners. Learning to make small, consistent, audience-first choices helps professionals communicate more clearly, build trust sooner, and get buy-in faster from clients, colleagues, and teams.
Expertise alone doesn’t guarantee people will hear you.
You can have the right answer and still lose people if the conversation doesn’t meet them where they are. Beth shows professionals how to pay attention to the person receiving the message, so advice lands, trust grows, and people know what to do next.
What Audience-First Communication™ means
Audience-first communication means thinking about the person on the other side of the conversation as much as the message you need to deliver. It applies to client conversations, team discussions, leadership moments, and other everyday exchanges, not only only pitches and presentations.
Watch Beth in Action
This clip shows the first 15 minutes of a keynote for the College of Law Practice Management Futures Conference held at the Practising Law Institute in NYC.
To view the full keynote, request access.
Featured Keynote
Audience-First Communication: How to Get People to Hear, Trust, and Act on Your Advice
Having the right answer isn’t enough if people don’t understand why it matters to them, trust the person delivering it, or know what to do next. In high-stakes conversations, the way expertise is received can matter as much as the expertise itself.
Drawing on 30 years in comedy, including seven Emmy wins, keynote speaker Beth Sherman shows professionals how to think about the person receiving the message as carefully as the message itself. Her Audience-First Communication™ approach helps make complex ideas clearer, reduce friction, and build the trust that moves people to listen and act. The keynote is practical, engaging, and grounded in a simple idea: before you respond like a professional, respond like a person.
Best for: Lawyers, executives, and other experts whose advice needs to be understood, trusted, and acted on.
Works well at: Conferences, leadership events, and professional association programs.
Featured Workshop
Audience-First Communication in Practice
When a client or colleague doesn’t act on good advice, the problem may not be the advice. They may be distracted, worried, skeptical, or unsure what it means for them. Communicating well means noticing what the other person needs in order to hear and use what you know.
In this smart, fun, and interactive workshop, Beth Sherman brings Audience-First Communication™ into everyday professional conversations. Participants practice making complex ideas clearer and more relevant, while finding ways to acknowledge what may be on the other person’s mind. They leave with practical language and techniques they can use to build trust and help good advice land.
Best for: Teams that need to make complex work easier for clients and colleagues to understand and act on.
Works well at: Team sessions, partner retreats, and professional development programs.
What audiences and organizers say
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![Logo for speaking clients of Beth Sherman, Executive Director, Chicago Bar Foundation]()
“One of the most practical sessions I have attended at any conference.”
— Executive Director, Chicago Bar Foundation
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![College of Law Practice Management logo, speaking client of Beth Sherman]()
"Beth delivered a compelling and funny keynote. Her message of putting the audience first and increasing 'speed to trust' really resonated with our attendees."
— President, College of Law Practice Management
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![EO logo, speaking client of Beth Sherman]()
"Beth brought a fresh and engaging perspective from the world of comedy writing, with practical lessons that resonated with our audience of 180 entrepreneurial leaders."
— Leadership Director, EO Europe
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![Heineken logo on green background. Heineken is a client of leadership communication speaker Beth Sherman.]()
"Brilliant and engaging! Our colleagues went on to use her framework the very next day!"
— CX Director, Heineken
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![The Marketing Society logo. The Marketing Society is a client of leadership communication speaker Beth Sherman.]()
"A superb speaker, and terrifically relevant for ambitious businesspeople who want to be more effective leaders."
— CEO, The Marketing Society
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![Accountex logo, speaking client of Beth Sherman]()
"At an event filled with lots of technical knowledge about accounting it was a breath of fresh air."
—Conference delgate, Accountex
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"Very funny and engaging and different to any other training I've been to!"
Partner, Wilson Solicitors
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![Logo for Natixis corporate and investment banking, speaking client of Beth Sherman]()
"Warm, insightful, human, and funny!"
— Executive Director, Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking
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![AND Digital logo. AND Digital is a client of leadership communication speaker Beth Sherman.]()
"Brilliant to work with from start to finish, and the feedback we received from the event she did with senior leaders was exceptional."
— Managing Director, AND Digital
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![Institute of Practitioners in Advertising logo. The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising is a client of leadership communication speaker Beth Sherman.]()
“An absolute masterclass in using humor to connect and persuade."
— CPD Advisor, Institute of Practitioners of Advertising
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![IPG Mediabrands logo. IPG Mediabrands is a client of leadership communication speaker Beth Sherman.]()
“Beth is incredible! I’ll absolutely be recommending her to anyone who asks - and even those who don’t!"
— Head of Talent Development UK, IPG MediaBrands
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![Institute of Internal Communication logo. The Institute of Internal Communication is a client of leadership communication speaker Beth Sherman.]()
"Fantastic! Her talk was one of our most popular and I could hear the laughter from the Green Room. Highly recommend!"
— Events, Networks & Awards Manager, Institute of Internal Communication
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![Pride in Leadership Conference logo. The Pride in Leadership Conference is a client of leadership communication speaker Beth Sherman.]()
“Positioned just after lunch, Beth immediately raised the energy in the room. Her talk was much more than entertaining; it was thought-provoking and highly practical.”
— Director, Pride in Leadership Conference
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![Great River MBA Conference logo. The Great River MBA Conference is a client of leadership communication speaker Beth Sherman.]()
"Thanks so much! Your session was a high point of the conference!"
— Regional Director, Mortgage Bankers Association
Meet Beth Sherman
Beth Sherman is a leadership communication keynote speaker and 7x Emmy Award-winning comedy writer whose credits include The Late Show with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Ellen, and the Academy Awards, where she crafted material for Tom Hanks, Helen Mirren, and Queen Latifah. As a stand-up, she has performed everywhere from Las Vegas to Iraq.
Drawing on 30 years of writing and performing for audiences who vote with their attention in real time, Beth teaches Audience-First Communication: a practical method that helps leaders, lawyers, and client-facing professionals make complex work clear, relevant, and easier for the people in front of them to act on.
Her sessions are known for being genuinely funny and substantive in equal measure. The kind of program that holds a room even after lunch on day two of a retreat.
[ Read Beth's full story → ]
Frequently asked questions
What is Audience-First Communication?
Beth Sherman’s Audience-First Communication™ approach gives as much thought to the person receiving a message as to the message itself. It helps people consider what may be on the other person’s mind and build connection, so their expertise is easier to understand, their advice is easier to trust, and people know what to do next. “Audience” can mean one client, a team, or a room full of people.
What communication problem does Audience-First Communication solve?
People can have the right answer and still struggle to get others to hear, trust, or act on it. Beth helps them pay attention to what matters to the person receiving the message, so the conversation builds connection and their expertise has a better chance of landing.
Is this presentation skills training?
No. The featured keynote and workshop focus on connection: helping people build trust so their expertise and advice are more likely to be heard and acted on. Those ideas apply to presentations, too. Beth can also make presentation skills the focus of a workshop or masterclass.
Do I need to be funny to use these ideas?
No. Participants don’t need to tell jokes. Beth draws on comedy to show how truth and humanity help people connect. Humor can be part of that, but the ideas work without it.
What’s the difference between the keynote and the workshop?
The keynote introduces Audience-First Communication and shows how connection affects whether people listen, trust, and act. The workshop is interactive: participants apply the ideas to their own conversations and work out how to use them at work.
Help your team’s expertise land.
Bring Audience-First Communication to your event
Exploring speakers for an upcoming retreat, offsite, academy, or firm event? Beth would be glad to have a short conversation about your audience, your goals, and what you want the room to walk away with. No pitch, no pressure, just a useful exchange.
The fastest next step:
[Book a 20 Minute Call]
Prefer to chat?
Send a quick WhatsApp message: +44 7485 679750
Prefer email or phone?
Email: beth@bethsherman.com
US: (323) 794-7279
UK: +44 7485 679750
Follow Beth on Instagram
Clips from Beth’s keynotes, talks, and live events.
Listen to Beth’s Podcast Appearances
Hear Beth discuss how to earn attention, build trust quickly, and communicate so people actually want to listen, especially when the message is complex, high-stakes, or hard to hear.