Bill Stainton

Connecting the Dots: From Award-Winning Comedy Writer to Elite Speaker

By: Tamara A. McCullough

With hundreds, sometimes thousands, of eyes fixed on his every movement, the stage is set for 29-time Emmy award-winning keynote speaker Bill Stainton to strike maximum impact with his speech. Though he has more than 20 years of experience in this realm, he can never quite predict how the audience will respond. Relying on his comedic writer background, Stainton often opens with humor to connect with and entertain the audience. This breaks the ice and sets the tone for a keynote address, the pivotal speech that sets the tone for an entire conference. No matter how many times he does it, the importance isn’t lost on Stainton.

“You still get butterflies before you go up. It’s still that ‘here we go…it’s showtime!’ feeling. It’s not because you don’t think you can do the job. It’s just that it’s a big responsibility. So, yes, I sometimes do get a bit nervous, although I think ‘excited’ is more accurate. It’s the same feeling I had back in my TV days before each show.” “I thought it would last 3 years, maybe 5 years. I finally got comfortable and bought a brand-new home and then the show was canceled.” It was at this junction in his life that Stainton knew it was time for a career change.

Taking Stock of Strengths

Roots in Comedy Writing

Before Stainton ever hit the stage as a leadership and strategic creativity speaker, he was a comedy writer where he saw much success. During his tenure, he even wrote jokes for Jay Leno for “The Tonight Show” where he was paid a whopping $50 per joke.

“Jay even signed every check personally,” Stainton reminisced.

Stainton eventually went on to become the executive producer of Seattle’s favorite TV comedy show “Almost Live!” The show ran for 15 years and went into syndication on Comedy Central for a while. In his role, Stainton led his team to number one ratings for 10 years straight and the group earned more than 100 Emmy Awards. Stainton could never imagine that the show would last as long as it did or earn the awards bestowed upon it. Once “Almost Live!” ended, Stainton knew he needed something else, but the problem was that he didn’t know what. “I didn’t value my strengths,” Stainton admitted. “I was a comedy writer and TV producer and thought there was nothing else that I could do.” Nothing else even interested Stainton and there were limited options for his TV background outside of moving to California or New York, but by this time, Stainton was already comfortably settled in Seattle.

Eventually, Stainton did take stock of his capabilities and realized that he was evaluating himself too narrowly. At this point, the speaker-to-be thought about his accomplishments like how he led a team to outstanding results and the unique capabilities it takes to lead a creative team.“The things that we did, I can break it down and that has value in business. What are the skills behind the skills?”

This insight and self-awareness eventually led

to Stainton hitting the stage as a speaker, bringing his breadth of knowledge and experience to audiences worldwide. Stainton carved out his niche as a motivator and an educator as opposed to a motivational speaker.

out, look around you, start collecting dots. In this spirit, Stainton encourages conference-goers to check out sessions they normally wouldn’t and to be open to new ideas to spark their creativity.

Connecting the Dots

Whether speaking to a group of chimney sweeps or hanging out with top grunge artists, Stainton learned the makeup of the group doesn’t matter since the same principles of connection apply. Despite another person’s background, Stainton lets audience members know that they should feel comfortable talking to “anybody from any strata of life.”

This is at the heart of Stainton’s connect the dots theme, which allows a person to open him or herself up to different ideas and people that he or she normally wouldn’t. Stainton sees connecting the dots as a “theme for innovation.” To illustrate his point, Stainton turns to inventor Johannes Gutenberg who connected what seemed like two completely different products when he combined a wine processor and movable type to invent the printing press. “Gutenberg found a common factor and connected the two dots. This shows there’s a wide variety of dots, so branch According to Stainton, creativity is a never-ending process as is innovation that must be fostered weekly to achieve results. In Stainton’s experience, this has applied just as much to his time on television as in corporate America. “You can’t wait for that lightning bolt; it’s about being creative on demand,” Stainton explained.

Customization and Providing Value

Besides his ability to interject comedy into his speeches, Stainton is best known for how he takes the time to customize and personalize his speeches to tailor each one to his audience. Stainton likes to start with a pre-program questionnaire to learn more about the organization and what they’re facing. “I want to know their challenges, pet peeves, the biggest misunderstanding people have outside of the organization.”

they view their organization.

“I like a stratified sampling that includes a 1st timer and somebody’s who been there 30,40 years.” After speaking with the group, Stainton can swap out his own stories with their personal stories while he’s on the stage. “It’s their world; it keeps it fresh.” In his speeches, Stainton regularly uses images and video clips from the organization’s site.

“The audience doesn’t see it coming, and it’s a pleasant surprise.” It still amazes Stainton how even good speakers might only mention the name of the organization once and use a canned speech that can be applied to any organization without any real customization. What further sets Stainton apart is his willingness to do his research to learn more about an organization. “Long as you do your homework, you don’t have to be an expert in their field. In fact, one of my strengths is that I bring an outside perspective to their world.” Stainton breaks down what his role is a speaker and educator in three simple steps. “You need them to know that you get who they are, you understand what they’re going through and let them know how you can help them.”

Introverted Public Speaker

Though you wouldn’t imagine it, speaking in front of some of the largest audiences in the world leads to a somewhat solitary life. “It’s a solitary business. You live on airplanes, go to airports and go to events alone. We’re anonymous until we hit the stage, and then we’re a star, a celebrity until we go back to the airport.” When you see Stainton’s performance on stage, you probably wouldn’t expect the fact that he considers himself naturally introverted. Stainton, however, explained there’s a difference between being introverted and shy.

“Being introverted doesn’t mean you’re shy or not good with people. It’s how you recharge. Introverted people retreat to their sanctuary by themselves to recharge.”

Throughout his career as a TV executive, writer and speaker, Stainton has won a whopping 29 Emmys. Stainton breaks down the key to being so decorated. “Luck, I suppose,” Stainton said laughingly. “Actually, there are a number of factors that go into it, including having a phenomenal team; it’s not a solo venture. You’ve also got to be really, really, really good and so does your team. It’s about being good, focused and the power of the team.”

Stainton is also a proud member of the National Speakers Association and a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame that includes fewer than 185 speakers worldwide. Amish friends. He even learned some practical farming skills. “I learned how to milk a cow and learned how rough a cow’s tongue is. I even helped with a barn raising.”

Stainton’s career took him a world away from this life where he was part of a whole different scene while working on television.

“While a TV producer, I hung out with grunge artists like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, which is quite a stretch from Amish country,” Stainton recounted. Drawing from his past, Stainton took to heart the values he learned from the Amish which applies to how he conducts himself on and off the stage. “I’m still influenced by their sense of values and integrity and wouldn’t mind being a little bit more like them.”

Amish Values

Relating to people from all different backgrounds is something that Stainton learned at an early stage since he grew up close to an Amish dairy farm. Although he didn’t grow up Amish, he was exposed to the lifestyle and had many Stainton has used the values he’s learned along the way to propel him forward to become the success he has become today. But, no matter what he’s accomplished, where he’s gone or what he’s done, his career is eloquently summed up by a t-shirt that the National Speakers Association sells that reads, “Your worst fear is how I make my living.”