Jon Yeo (1990): From quiet kid to public speaking guru

Kelly Southworth

Editor

When you think of the great speakers of the world, the assumption is that they are outgoing, self-confident, social and unreserved – in Jon Yeo’s case, as a self-described shy introvert, this could not be further from the truth.

While a student at Carey, Jon was certainly the quiet type. ‘I don’t think many people would have noticed me at school terribly much,’ he commented. Now, Jon regularly presents to hundreds of people at a time about public speaking, effective communication and how to engage audiences. Jon is also curator and licensee of the first independently run TED program in Australia: TEDxMelbourne.

Jon has always been fascinated by technology. He was Captain of the Computer Club at Carey and was drawn to anything analytical, practical and process-driven. It was a logical transition once he graduated in 1990 for him to study mathematical computing and economics in university. ‘It was a bit by accident,’ Jon said about this degree. ‘It was the only course I could do where I would have access to a computer.’ While he was at university, Jon found his voice and inadvertently began to develop his skills as a communicator through working for a university radio station. He thrived on this platform when conducting one-on-one interviews and talking at length about the things he was passionate about.

While studying, Jon’s interest in technology led him to become aware of the complications that might be caused by the Y2K bug, which could have had major implications for banking systems, transportation, power plants and any other industry which relied heavily on computer technologies and date-based automation. Jon was working for a law firm in technical support at the time, and as an early adopter of the process, he helped ensure all software and hardware were compliant for a new millennium.

‘When I left the law firm in 1995, Australia was largely finished and prepared for Y2K,’ Jon explained. ‘But by 1997, when I was working in Europe, most of the world hadn’t even started. In London, some trading banks didn‘t start until June in 1999, wanting to turn over tens of thousands of machines in six months. Because I knew it all back to front, I was in high demand.’

But it was only because Jon was able to articulate the complexity of the situation to senior executives that they made the move to update their technology infrastructure.

‘They would never sit down with me because I was just an engineer, so I had to perfect the art of the corridor conversation – clearly articulating complex ideas to an audience who have no prior knowledge in a short amount of time.’

This is how Jon learnt some of the core principles of how to keep an audience engaged: if a message is not clear in your head, it won’t be clear in your audience’s heads; having too much information to convey in one hit will confuse your audience; and any doubt or lapse of confidence in your message will lose your audience.

Jon then found TED. It was here that he finally felt that he had found his tribe – a group of open-minded, forward-thinking people who were also passionate about innovation and communication.

By honing these skills, Jon realised that his understanding of communication and ability to tell a story presented an opportunity. Short, relevant and impactful communication is something Jon based his coaching on when he decided to start a business in 2003 helping speakers to engage others through storytelling. Brightstar Consulting and Coaching, his company, still runs sessions for speakers based on Jon’s principles, and Jon regularly presents to organisations and individuals to teach them about different aspects of communications.

Jon then found TED. It was here that he finally felt that he had found his tribe – a group of open-minded, forward-thinking people who were also passionate about innovation and communication. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and is a world wide organisation that shares fresh ideas and perspectives from a wide range of industries, experiences and personalities. Jon started TEDxMelbourne in 2009, becoming the licensee, curator and coach to many aspiring TED talkers.

Being very used to playing a supporting role and working in the background to make other speakers the best they could be, Jon presented his first TEDx talk in 2013. Still a naturally shy and introverted person, this was an uncomfortable but important moment for Jon – in the 10 days of preparation he was given, he was able to use everything he’d learnt in the past 23 years to pull together an engaging presentation.

In 2020, Jon and TEDxMelbourne have fully embraced the move to online group discussions and are continuing to find and develop great ideas with people from different backgrounds. They have kept their community engaged despite the restriction on the traditional TEDx speaking events, allowing the innovators, creators and thinkers of Melbourne to continue to spread their ideas.

Jon has also continued to work with Carey to help staff, students and alumni develop their communication skills. Most recently, Jon conducted a threepart leadership seminar series for the Carey community where he shared his expertise to help others excel personally and professionally.

Next year, Jon will be the National President of Professional Speakers Australia, and we’re looking forward to working with him on some creative workshops for the Carey community in 2021.