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Sekou Andrews
Poetic Voice
Sekou Andrews
Poetic Voice
Biography
Imagine harnessing the power of an engaging opening video, an electric closing performance, and an insightful main stage keynote all in one dynamic presentation. For over 15 years Sekou Andrews has been helping the world’s largest organizations deliver relevant information with riveting inspiration through an innovative, unconventional category of speaking called “Poetic Voice.”
It is no surprise that Forbes Magazine has called Sekou “the de facto poet laureate of corporate America.” His “wow-factor” is in high demand with the world’s most successful organizations, including Google, Viacom, Toyota, Nike, Cisco, Linkedin, Global Green, Paypal, ASAE, The Gap, General Mills, TEDx, YPO, Capital One, L’Oreal, Autodesk, ACLU, Intuit, and the NBA to name but a few. Sekou has also emerged as an inspiring voice for health and wellness, routinely evoking tears, cheers, and standing ovations at events for clients such as Johnson & Johnson, United Healthcare, Mayo Clinic, Blue Shield, TEDMED, Roche, Genentech, and the American Nurses Association.
Many of Sekou’s clients share a similar journey with his work. It begins with the words “Why would we want poetry at our leadership meeting?” and ends with the words “highest rating opening of our event, ever” and “only speaker invited back.” Sekou’s talks on disruption are in such demand because they literally embody disruption on stage, charging audiences to disrupt themselves to access their individual innovation. His keynotes on dynamic communication and storytelling show leaders how to deliver dense data through beautifully human presentations. From bold thinking and success, to healthcare and tech, Sekou’s speeches are rich with actionable insight that help attendees connect more deeply with their communities, become more influential leaders, and unlock greater possibilities.
A schoolteacher turned actor, recording artist, two-time national poetry slam champion, entrepreneur, and award-winning poetic voice, Sekou is a multi-talented entertainer with over 2 decades of experience rocking diverse audiences. His work has been featured on ABC World News, MSNBC, HBO, Good Morning America, Showtime, MTV and BET. He has given private performances for such prominent individuals as Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Quincy Jones, Larry King, Hillary Clinton, Coretta Scott King & family and President Obama. He has also shared the stage with such heavyweights as Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, Carlos Santana, Kendrick Lamar, Maroon 5, Jill Scott, and the Pasadena Pops Orchestra. As a recording artist, his last album, “Poetic License,” made him the most awarded artist in the nation’s largest independent music organization.
Sekou has now returned to the classroom, teaching his rockstar secrets to public speakers through his highly effective Stage Might™ speaker training system, that helps executives, influencers and leaders become more dynamic communicators by applying the techniques of master performers to business stages.
With all of the innovation and inspiration that is poetic voice, Sekou Andrews is accomplishing the seemingly impossible – bringing spoken word to the world’s largest stages, while redefining the notion of what a speaker is… and what a poet can be.
Speaker Videos
D.I.Y Innovation
The Currency of Purpose
Disruption and Innovation
Success through storytelling
Love Affairs with Healthcare
'Gimme A Beat' at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Self-Made Success
BE VOICEFUL! How to be Mighty on Any Stage
The End of (Sick) Day
Ashford University Commencement Day
Speech Topics
D.I.Y. Innovation
As companies large and small grapple with how to face disruption and inspire a culture of innovation, this popular, energetic keynote reminds your audience to innovate from within first. Sekou offers a creative perspective on embracing failure, encouraging unconventional thinking and being the kind of leader who walks your innovation talk. The inspiration in this hilarious and powerful talk will hit your audience deeply when Sekou shares the personal, innovative story of his creation of a new, cutting-edge style of communication, illustrating that “Innovation is simply the difference between ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ and ‘Why didn’t I think LIKE that?’”
Stage Might
Of the top 3 things people fear most – spiders, public speaking and death – only two can kill you… (especially death). Not only will stage fright NOT kill you, when you convert it to stage MIGHT it will make YOU the killer. You will kill the speech, crush the pitch, and rock the presentation by learning how to PERFORM your speech like a rockstar. The fun and interactive keynote is perfect for leaders, entrepreneurs, executives, and anyone else who wants to become a more dynamic communicator but doesn’t know how to unlock that power. Stage Might is a training system that teaches the powerful techniques of songwriters, comedians, actors and improv artists and applies them to business communication. Sekou Andrews will help your audience take off their speaker hats, put on their performer hats, and learn from OUTside of their industry in order to stand out withIN their industry.
Happily & Beyond: Success Through Storytelling
Storytelling is transforming how innovative companies market, engage customers, and do business. Sekou has helped audiences – from sales teams and marketers to grantwriters and techies – understand how to embed information into engaging stories that reach consumers on a human level. Pulling key material from Sekou’s executive training on storytelling, this speech is rich with strategic insight on how to find the story in your data, as well as Sekou’s usual energetic, interactive, high-powered brand of storytelling that will help your company celebrate it’s perpetual “Happily Ever After.”
Love Affair with Healthcare
What if you could remind your audience of the moment they fell in love with healthcare? What if you could reignite the passion in providers – caregivers, executives, and housekeeping alike - to connect with patients on a human, heartfelt level? What if you could take your entire healthcare community on a laughter and tear-filled journey that renews their vows to provide the best quality care. If you could do that - write a love poem to healthcare that makes your audience fall back in love with it - this keynote is how it would sound.
The Pinky Promise of Care
Providing quality healthcare is a beautiful topic. Patient safety and medical error … not so much. So Sekou transforms this important but challenging issue into a rollercoaster ride of laughter and tears that holds every team member accountable for keeping patients safe. The fact that this speech consistently leaves audiences carrying Sekou’s pinky promise pledge back to their facilities, pinning it on their walls, and sharing it with their team is proof of how poetic voice can turn what some consider the un-sexiest of topics into powerful anthems.
How to “Awesomefy” Your Life!
Want to help your audience celebrate their awesomocity? This talk is like gifting your audience with their own, personal, halftime-at-the-SuperbowlAl-Pacino-locker-room speech! Sekou shares inspirational insight and personal development concepts to help you transcend dark days and challenging seasons. By the time you’re done laughing your stress off while learning how to reignite your passion, confidence and balance, you will want to share these infectiously creative takeaways with everyone you care about to remind them to “LIVE WHAT YOU LOVE,” be the “LITTLE EXTRA CUP,” and “ALWAYS VACUUM WITH A SMILE.” Based on “The Awesome Anthem” - one of Sekou most popular videos featuring Quincy Jones, Tim Ferris, Omari Hardwick, Norman Lear, and many other icons, business leaders and artists – this speech is perfect for both business conferences & entertainment events
New Money
This speech, in various forms, has been shared with diverse audiences – from TEDxWallstreet and Conscious Capitalism, to Speak & Write To Make Millions and The GAP. It’s bold message dances between creating the discomfort necessary to compel change, and fostering the inspiration necessary to ignite possibility. Beginning with the statement “This year, it’s about the money!” Sekou then journeys through the process of redefining wealth, from the most self-serving definitions of wealth to the most holistic. “True wealth is not defined by whether I can pay for it, but whether I can pay it forward.” Remind your attendees to invest in themselves and their communities, and “make dollars that make change” by learning to get rich quick with NEW MONEY.
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