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Kirsten Rourke CEO of Rourke Training

Kirsten Rourke is the mouth and mind of Rourke Training, LLC. She is on a mission to create engaging communication in online and in-person presentation and speaking spaces. Kirsten is the creator of the Prep, Practice, & Pivot method for elevating presenting and speaking skills. She works with leaders to transform online educational, sales, and corporate events to meet business and learning goals. She has spoken, coached, trained, and facilitated for thousands of companies internationally since 2000. She speaks on and provides expert Coaching on Public Speaking, Running Virtual Events, Instructional Design, Storytelling, and Creating Online Engagement. In addition to being a Certified Technical Trainer and Certified Online Training Professional, she also has a Master’s of Education in Instructional Design. She also runs a podcast and community, Ongoing Mastery: Presenting and Speaking, to support development and improvement in creating successful, targeted results in pitches, sales presentations, training, and high-stake events.

Recent Content

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Bonus Episode - How Important Is Storytelling?: Interview With Ryan Austin Of Cognota &Raquo; Iegoorwzuhxkbww6Yqbawj88
Bonus Episode – How Important is Storytelling?: Interview with Ryan Austin of Cognota

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Ryan Austin of Cognota about storytelling, public speaking, and why learning & development needs to be part…

In this week's episo…

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Ryan Austin of Cognota about storytelling, public speaking, and why learning & development needs to be part of design and operations from the beginning.Our favorite moments:(02:25) Anything you do involves telling stories as part of communication(04:03) It’s ok not to be sharp around the edges(05:50) Don’t practice a script, practice the key points you want to remember(08:39) A partner operating model positions L&D as a partner with the business to effectively prioritize and collaborate(12:32) …

Listen · 21:41
Bonus Episode - Do Experienced Speakers Get Nervous?: Interview With Kristen Nielsen Donnelly, Ph.d. &Raquo; Iegoorwzuhxkbww6Yqbawj88
Bonus Episode – Do Experienced Speakers Get Nervous?: Interview with Kristen Nielsen Donnelly, Ph.D.

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Kristen Nielsen Donnelly about the connection between nervousness and a speaker’s responsibility to their aud…

In this week's episo…

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Kristen Nielsen Donnelly about the connection between nervousness and a speaker’s responsibility to their audience. Hear how the idea of a sandbox helps Kristen be more flexible onstage.Our favorite moments:(02:45) If you’re not nervous before public speaking, you don’t recognize your responsibility in the moment(03:19) The audience’s attention is a non-renewable resource(07:13) Conversations about profit are different from conversations about revenue and earning a living(08:00) Appropriate revenue…

Listen · 29:04
What’s New In Our Entrepreneurial Journey?: Season 5 Wrap-Up &Raquo; Iegoorwzuhxkbww6Yqbawj88
What’s New in Our Entrepreneurial Journey?: Season 5 Wrap-up

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten and Kellie talk about current developments in their entrepreneurial journey. Find out why Kirsten’s rediscovered a datab…

In this week's episo…

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten and Kellie talk about current developments in their entrepreneurial journey. Find out why Kirsten’s rediscovered a database she built years ago and what it’s like for Kellie, who’s a partner in two separate start-ups right now.Our favorite moments:(00:36) Everything that changes is really good data for getting to your goals(03:26) If you’re a big picture person, you need a detail-oriented person on your team, because the little bits still need to be taken care of(07:35) Reframe failure as iterations(08:34) Ev…

Listen · 17:46
Why Practice Public Speaking?: Interview With Natalie Bullen &Raquo; Iegoorwzuhxkbww6Yqbawj88
Why Practice Public Speaking?: Interview with Natalie Bullen

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Natalie Bullen, sales coach and messaging guru extraordinaire, about why public speaking is like going to the g…

In this week's episo…

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Natalie Bullen, sales coach and messaging guru extraordinaire, about why public speaking is like going to the gym and how to build community. Find out which business choice she calls bullshit on.Our favorite moments:(05:06) A slide deck is a liability(09:47) Your company’s band objective need to resonate in your speech(13:24) People who say they’re not good at public speaking really mean they haven’t practiced their skills enough(16:36) Do an audit of your ethos, mission, marketing, and mission at le…

Listen · 35:26
Why Is Context Important For Speaking And Presenting? &Raquo; Iegoorwzuhxkbww6Yqbawj88
Why is Context Important for Speaking and Presenting?

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten and Kellie talk about adaptability and engaging your audience, especially when you have specific learning objectives to me…

In this week's episo…

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten and Kellie talk about adaptability and engaging your audience, especially when you have specific learning objectives to meet. Find out why Kirsten rewards the ugliest PowerPoint presentation, why Kellie’s students have to confront a taboo topic in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, and why context matters.Our favorite moments:(02:00) Education needs to change in specific settings to focus on the problem that needs to be solved, not a predetermined, standardized list(03:02) Higher education is often iter…

Listen · 20:16
Why Is Humor Effective For Communication?: Interview With Heather Tolley-Bauer &Raquo; Iegoorwzuhxkbww6Yqbawj88
Why is Humor Effective for Communication?: Interview with Heather Tolley-Bauer

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Heather Tolley-Bauer about comedy and connecting with audiences. Find out the first rule of using humor and the…

In this week's episo…

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Heather Tolley-Bauer about comedy and connecting with audiences. Find out the first rule of using humor and the difference between telling a joke and creating an atmosphere of levity.Our favorite moments:(01:38) The first rule of comedy is you have to know your audience(02:08) Health benefits of laughter(02:22) Laughter builds trust, likeability, connection(05:27) Humor evolves over time and is tied to culture(07:10) If you’re going to have a good comedy game, you need a good apology game, too(09:50) You…

Listen · 19:07
How Can Thinking About Your Audience Improve Public Speaking? &Raquo; Iegoorwzuhxkbww6Yqbawj88
How Can Thinking About Your Audience Improve Public Speaking?

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten and Kellie talk about being flexible in the moment so you can be responsive to your audience’s needs. Hear how a video d…

In this week's episo…

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten and Kellie talk about being flexible in the moment so you can be responsive to your audience’s needs. Hear how a video development company is getting this very wrong and what Snoop Dogg has to do with Kellie’s syllabus.Our favorite moments:(03:21) Those in charge of technical training need to build adaptability into their processes(03:53) Cross-training is not a waste of resources(04:15) Software risk is reputational risk & customer risk(05:17) Stay aware of how the zen of a subject applies to more than one t…

Listen · 17:59
How Can Speakers Own The Stage?: Interview With Pegine &Raquo; Iegoorwzuhxkbww6Yqbawj88
How Can Speakers Own the Stage?: Interview with Pegine

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Pegine about being a dynamic, engaging speaker. Learn how speaker choreography connects to your message and why…

In this week's episo…

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Pegine about being a dynamic, engaging speaker. Learn how speaker choreography connects to your message and why you should construct your speech like a rock concert. Pegine also shares her most important tip for ongoing mastery of public speaking.Our favorite moments:(02:16) Step out and own the stage(02:42) Audience interaction is important because that’s how people learn(04:10) People learn from experiences(05:06) Different parts of the stage have different emotional strengths(07:10) Construct your spe…

Listen · 23:27
What Is The Value Of Community? &Raquo; Iegoorwzuhxkbww6Yqbawj88
What is the Value of Community?

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten and Kellie talk about the value of community. Hear which communities they’re part of and how a well-built community is d…

In this week's episo…

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten and Kellie talk about the value of community. Hear which communities they’re part of and how a well-built community is different from hero worship.Our favorite moments:(02:25) Speakers need speaker friends(06:47) Business that really embrace the communities they support develop quicker, more authentic Relationships(08:56) Communities are built(11:42) Community helps you understand where others are coming from(14:20) Genuine communities take work(17:00) Reciprocity comes back to the importance of relationships(17:23…

Listen · 20:29
How Do You Design Effective Learning?: Interview With Sarah Mercier &Raquo; Iegoorwzuhxkbww6Yqbawj88
How Do You Design Effective Learning?: Interview with Sarah Mercier

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Sarah Mercier about designing effective learning. Hear why Sarah advises people to be skeptical when hearing ne…

In this week's episo…

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Sarah Mercier about designing effective learning. Hear why Sarah advises people to be skeptical when hearing new information and what a psychometrician does.Our favorite moments:(04:14) Slamming new learners with a lot of information is overwhelming(05:45) To be in the training space, you need to be a good student(06:17) xAPI is a way to measure and collect granular data throughout the learning process(10:32) How to Fight a Bear is a terrific example of immersive storytelling for learning(14:10) We learn m…

Listen · 28:10
What Is The Black Hat Cybersecurity Conference? Notes From A First-Time Attendee &Raquo; Iegoorwzuhxkbww6Yqbawj88
What is the Black Hat Cybersecurity Conference? Notes from a First-Time Attendee

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten and Kellie talk about Kirsten’s experience at the Black Hat Cybersecurity conference, why so many vendors on the convent…

In this week's episo…

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten and Kellie talk about Kirsten’s experience at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference, why so many vendors on the convention floor missed the point, and the one that really blew her away. Find out why cybersecurity folks are Kirsten’s people.Our favorite moments:(02:21) Kirsten’s expectations vs her experience at Black Hat(05:27) Stunt marketing that didn’t land(07:01) Missing the point, which is to develop relationships(07:11) Really bad booth choice #1: heckling passersby(08:44) Really bad booth choice #2: s…

Listen · 20:23
How Can You Be An In-Demand Speaker Or Podcast Guest? Interview With Anastasia Lipske &Raquo; Iegoorwzuhxkbww6Yqbawj88
How Can You be an In-Demand Speaker or Podcast Guest? Interview with Anastasia Lipske

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Anastasia Lipske about booking speakers and podcast guests, avoiding common mistakes in the field, and why it�…

In this week's episo…

In this week's episode of Ongoing Mastery: Presenting & Speaking, Kirsten talks with Anastasia Lipske about booking speakers and podcast guests, avoiding common mistakes in the field, and why it’s stupid to be rude to the AV staff. Find out how savvy speakers deepen and extend their connection with audiences.Our favorite moments:: Be loud & proud about being a speaker Avoid confusing how to present yourself as a speaker vs as a podcast guest What’s a one-sheet? One of the biggest mistakes on one-sheets: testimonials Another common mistake on one-sheets: highlighting your name inste…

Listen · 25:17