The Keynote on Speaking Engagement

Speaking Engagement

The Keynote podcast is the main stage of Speaking Engagement—the “conference on engagement that never sleeps.” Hosted by Ryan Catherwood, each episode features a deep-dive conversation with a leader shaping how organizations connect with their communities, from alumni and donors to employees and customers. These aren’t presentations—they’re working sessions, unpacking the strategies, tensions, and tradeoffs behind modern engagement. If you think of engagement as more than events and communications — if you see it as infrastructure — Keynote is built for you. www.speakingengagement.org

  1. Closing Remarks - Week 6 - Friendships through Affiliation

    2d ago

    Closing Remarks - Week 6 - Friendships through Affiliation

    AI-reading of Ryan's new article, "Closing Remarks - Week 6 - Friendships through Affiliation" This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe

    4 min
  2. Agora Talk: Introducing the Miner Nation Contributors program

    3d ago

    Agora Talk: Introducing the Miner Nation Contributors program

    What do you do when your engagement goals are climbing, your content has gone all-ask and no-story, and there's no budget to hire a writer? At UTEP, you stop looking inward and start looking out — to your own alumni. In this special Agora edition of the podcast, Sydney Bertram, Assistant Vice President for Strategic Communications and Engagement at UTEP, shares how her team broke out of the "transactional loop" by launching the Miner Nation Contributors Program — a fractional team of alumni freelancers who bring an authentic voice and institutional pride that money can't buy. Sydney walks through the build, the pay-per-piece model, the CASE-metrics framework that proved its impact (contributor content was UTEP's highest-engagement content type in FY25), and three diagnostic questions for your own shop. Hosted by Ryan Catherwood with Agora Leader - Annie Quade. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe

    23 min
  3. Too Big to Be a Cause

    4d ago

    Too Big to Be a Cause

    AI-reading of Dave Hail's new article, "Too Big to Be a Cause." This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe

    5 min
  4. Affinity, Philanthropy, and the Communities We Choose with Patrick Auerbach

    6d ago

    Affinity, Philanthropy, and the Communities We Choose with Patrick Auerbach

    This week on Keynote, Ryan sits down with Patrick Auerbach, Vice President for Advancement with the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles, for a wide-ranging conversation about affinity, philanthropy, identity, and the changing nature of engagement work. After more than two decades leading alumni relations and engagement efforts at the University of Southern California, Patrick reflects on his transition into community foundation work and what he has learned from helping donors align their values with causes that matter most to them. Watch the full-length version on YouTube. Together, Ryan and Patrick explore the difference between affiliation and affinity, why younger donors increasingly prioritize cause-based giving over institutional loyalty, and how organizations can create deeper connections rooted in values instead of transactions. The conversation also dives into identity-based engagement, the realities of navigating politically diverse constituencies, and what higher education can learn from philanthropy-centered organizations. Patrick offers thoughtful reflections on donor psychology, institutional reputation challenges facing higher education, and the importance of serving as a connector between people, passions, and purpose. It is an honest and nuanced conversation about what engagement work looks like in a world where trust, identity, and meaning increasingly shape philanthropic behavior. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe

    35 min
  5. Closing Remarks - Week 5 - Honest Convos are on Podcasts

    May 29

    Closing Remarks - Week 5 - Honest Convos are on Podcasts

    AI-reading of Ryan's new article "Closing Remarks - Week 5 - Honest Convos are on Podcasts" This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe

    4 min
  6. Say the Hard Thing—But Say it with Care

    May 27

    Say the Hard Thing—But Say it with Care

    AI-reading of Kristin's new article, "Say the Hard Thing—But Say it with Care." This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe

    4 min
  7. Week #5 Keynote: The Death of an Institution is Beautiful with Mackenzi Huyser

    May 26

    Week #5 Keynote: The Death of an Institution is Beautiful with Mackenzi Huyser

    In this episode of Keynote, Ryan sits down with Mackenzi Huyser, Vice President for Advancement and Chief Academic Officer at Trinity Christian College, for a conversation unlike any previously featured on Speaking Engagement. Watch the Full-Length edition on YouTube (48-mins) Last fall, Trinity Christian College announced that it would close at the end of the academic year. In this deeply reflective discussion, Mackenzi shares what it has been like to lead an institution through its final months, including the challenges of communicating closure, fundraising during a wind-down, supporting students and employees through grief, and helping alumni process the loss of a place that shaped their lives. But the conversation is not simply about institutional closure. It is about community, memory, identity, and the surprising moments of joy that can emerge in difficult seasons. Ryan and Mackenzi explore what institutions owe their people in moments of transition, why engagement has actually increased since the closure announcement, and what higher education leaders can learn from Trinity’s experience as demographic and financial pressures continue reshaping the sector. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe

    34 min
  8. Closing Remarks - Week 4 - Fixing the Broken Experience

    May 22

    Closing Remarks - Week 4 - Fixing the Broken Experience

    AI-reading of Ryan's Closing Keynote this week, "Fixing the Broken Experience." This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.speakingengagement.org/subscribe

    3 min
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Ratings & Reviews

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About

The Keynote podcast is the main stage of Speaking Engagement—the “conference on engagement that never sleeps.” Hosted by Ryan Catherwood, each episode features a deep-dive conversation with a leader shaping how organizations connect with their communities, from alumni and donors to employees and customers. These aren’t presentations—they’re working sessions, unpacking the strategies, tensions, and tradeoffs behind modern engagement. If you think of engagement as more than events and communications — if you see it as infrastructure — Keynote is built for you. www.speakingengagement.org

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