VAP Coaching

Recently started speaking at conferences? Trying to figure it out? Here's what I can help you do. ⬇️ 

→ Create an outline that's so clear your notes become completely optional
→ Add illustrations and metaphors that will remembered forever
→ Hone delivery for authenticity and conversational confidence

Public Speaking Coach

The Bridge Church NKY

Lead pastor of large, growing church in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Lead Pastor

High Point Church

Associate Pastor

Public Speaking Coach for Tech Leaders | Author | Pastor | Former Touring Musician | Elder Emo

Let me help you nail your next big talk.

(My Fall Special one-on-one offer: $1499)

Here’s how we’ll work together:

1. Structure (Session 1)
→ Refine your topic and create a fresh angle
→ Filter your ideas to focus on the highest value
→ Generate a simple, memorable outline

2. Content (Sessions 2–3)
→ Craft one-liners, analogies, and stories that stick
→ Build frameworks or acronyms (if applicable)

3. Delivery (Session 4)
→ Find your authentic delivery style
→ Eliminate verbal tics and filler words
→ Manage anxiety and speak with confidence
→ Boost stage presence without being cheesy

My clients have spoken at:
→ Google
→ TEDx
→ HubSpot’s INBOUND
→ Exit Five

What they’ve said:
“Speaking to an audience of thousands feels like a walk in the park with Vince on the team.” — Ari Murray
“Vince helped me ace my talk at Google. I've never felt this comfortable doing a talk.” — Nick Broekema
“I got a standing ovation. People were walking up to me crying.” — Lashay Lewis

Want to nail your next talk?
DM me the word “Talk” or book here: https://calendly.com/vapcoaching1/30min

P.S.
Need something more custom? I also offer tailored speaking coaching and corporate workshops. Let’s chat and see what fits best.

28k followers, but I've never shared my origin story.
Here's my life's timeline in 11 bullets. ↓

1️⃣ → 1986

Born into an ultra-conservative Christian family
Fairly poor. 6 kids. Tiny house.

2️⃣ → 1992–2000

Childhood spent in a neighborhood plagued with gang violence. Didn't realize until my 30s that most of my drive to succeed stemmed from survival instincts.

3️⃣ → 2004

Graduated high school and quit all church/religion.

4️⃣ → 2006

Joined a band that signed a major record deal. Spent the next 3 years trying to become a rockstar. Fame was attractive mostly because I believed that famous people don't get shot...

...which was still my greatest fear.

5️⃣ → 2009

In the midst of pursuing music, I had an intense spiritual experience that brought me back to my faith. Quit music and the addictions that had come along with it.

6️⃣ → 2010

Started Grad school to become a pastor.

Also, embarked on a 10+ year trauma therapy journey I'm still in to this very day. 

(Go Google EDMR & Brain Spotting if you need work through your crap.)

7️⃣ → 2015

Got my first full-time ministry job as an assistant pastor.

8️⃣ → 2017

Married my wife Joanna — the greatest gift of my life.

9️⃣ → 2020

Became a lead pastor of a large church.

Learned to manage a board, a 7-figure budget, 10 staff, a 50,000-square-foot facility...

...all while writing a message every single week that would keep 500 adults showing up every Sunday.

🔟 → 2024

Had our first baby after 1 miscarriage and 3 years of infertility.

Saw my daughter Lucy for the first time, and the provider/protector instinct went into overdrive.

My brother Anthony convinced me to start a LinkedIn side hustle.

Created my first post on June 1, 2024, with 0 followers.

Realized I had something helpful to offer corporate leaders, because the average pastor gets about 50x the speaking reps as the average founder.

Audience blew up to 20k+ in one year.

1️⃣1️⃣ → 2025

Currently taking a break from full-time ministry.

The plan is to plant a church at some point in the future.

But right now I’m focused on coaching speakers.

1️⃣2️⃣ → What's next?

Personally: 

→ we’ll likely move to a new city, but unsure.
→ St Louis? Had a nice trip there last weekend.

Professionally:

→ Stay laser focused on growing the LI audience
→ Offer a new cohort this Spring (with a partner???)
→ Secretly coaching folks on LI audience building

Please don’t tell anyone about the last one. I need to keep my positioning focused on speaking coaching!!

Thanks for reading my random life story to the end.

_____
P.S. I still have seats available in my Write Your Signature Talk cohort. It starts this Monday!!! Check the pinned comment to see the complete syllabus. DM me for details!

Vincent Pierri

I help execs & consultants nail big talks.

Some of the most interesting TEDx Talks get 0 views.
Some of the most cliche ones get millions. Why?

Sometimes it’s the charisma of the speaker.

→ Better delivery
→ Better looking
→ Better energy

Sometimes it’s how niche or broad the idea is.

→ "How to Have a Happy Life"
→ ...has broader appeal than
→ "AI & Cybercrime"

(Yes, those are two real examples.)

But here’s the biggest reason some TEDx talks go viral and others don’t:

It’s the craft of the talk itself.

The viral talks are often incredibly crafted:

✓ Strong opening that doesn’t seem scripted
✓ One-liners that get tweeted for years after
✓ Engaging stories that feel deeply human
✓ Linear structure that’s easy to follow
✓ Less content rather than more

Talks that flop may have great insights...
But they’re just duct-taped together.

✖️ Way too much content crammed into 20 min
✖️ Cliche, theatrical opening that feels forced
✖️ Meandering structure that’s hard to follow
✖️ Too many slides with too many bullets
✖️ Few (or boring) stories that don’t land

So here’s the bad news:

→ Most TEDx talks are delivered by new speakers
→ Most of them won’t get serious coaching
→ Most likely nothing will change

But here’s the good news:

→ If you have a TEDx talk on the calendar
→ If you ever want to give one
→ It’s incredibly easy to stand out

Just take the time to learn a bit about the craft of public speaking.

Wondering if your idea is TEDx-worthy?
Trying to figure out how to write a great talk?

Check out the infographic below!
It will guide you through the steps of creating draft 1.

Give it a shot.
You’ve got this!

________
P.S. It’s not too late to sign up for my Write Your Signature Talk Cohort starting this Monday! DM for details.

Just quit my day job.
Looking for some advice. ↓

Many of you know I've been a pastor for 10+ years.
I plan to go back to pastoring, but I'm taking a break.

What has been a side hustle (speaker coaching) is now paying all the family bills.

I feel insanely grateful for that.

But I've now got some time, and I'm trying to figure out what to do with it.

If there ever was a "build in public" moment, this is it!

I would love your thoughts.

Should I...

1. Double down on speaker coaching

→ Start a community
→ Create a video course
→ Do more speaking gigs myself

2. Help people build a business on LI

→ Turn IP into infographics
→ Build an inbound business
→ Grow your following

3. Do a fractional role

→ Head of content
→ Fractional CMO
→ Something else?

I'd love your input.

And if there are people I should connect with, please let me know!

It's a season of experimentation, and I'm leaning into it.

Sometimes an idea sounds brilliant in your mind...
But boring coming out of your mouth. Is that fixable?

Yes it is.

It's easy to wrongly assume that WE'RE the problem.

Meaning, our idea is boring because we're...

→ Too inexperienced
→ Too outdated
→ Too idealistic
→ Too young
→ Too old

...and we just come up with bad ideas.

That may be true occasionally.

But other times...

...the problem isn't that the idea is weak.
...the problem is that the wording is weak.

...and you need stronger language
...to show how strong the idea is.

After 15 years of writing talks and speeches,
I found a pattern of how viral ideas are constructed...

...and turned it into a simple framework.

Here's that framework.

Ready?

STEP 1: Start your idea in boring, plain language.

STEP 2: State the conventional wisdom it corrects.

STEP 3: Blend 1 & 2 together with a bit of poetry.

In other words...

Take your big idea and SMASH it up against
the status quo way of thinking that it contradicts.

That's it.

1. Your idea
2. Conventional wisdom
3. Bit of poetry
= an unforgettable one-liner

Here's a famous example of this formula in action.

One of the most-watched TED Talks (20m views)
is Simon Sinek's "Start with Why."

If you've seen the video, that audio is so bad
you almost can't hear it.

But it STILL went viral mostly because
it contained an unforgettable one-liner.

Remember it?

"People don't buy what you do,
they buy why you do it." — Simon Sinek

Do you see the pieces there?

1. Simon's Idea (People buy WHY you do things)
2. Conventional wisdom (People buy great products)
3. Bit of poetry (Repetition and alliteration)
= an unforgettable one-liner

The BORING way to say it WOULD have been:

"People are drawn to those who
believe what they believe."

(Which by the way WAS another line in the talk.)

If Simon had said his idea like that?

NO ONE would have cared.

The talk would have 10k views instead of 20m views.

But Simon created an "Aha" moment by SMOOSHING
his idea against the conventional wisdom of the time.

The idea went viral because it was
positioned AGAINST what most people assumed.

Turns out anyone can use this formula. Try it.

Take your idea and smash it up against
the status quo POV it corrects.

Now if your idea isn't correcting the status quo?

...this WON'T work. And it SHOULDN'T work.

Why?

Because your idea isn't that helpful...yet.

In that case, go back to the drawing board.

But if your idea is truly helpful...

...this framework will turn a boring-sounding idea...
...into an unforgettable one-liner.

Check the infographic for more details and examples.

You've got this!


____
P.S. Want to join 4 other speakers writing incredible talks?

I just opened a 3rd cohort slot in October!

Mondays @ 12:00pm EST — Full
Mondays @ 1:30pm EST — Full
Mondays @ 3:00pm EST — Just opened. 1/5 filled.

Check the pinned comment for details!

How to land clients from a speaking gig:
(Get 25% of the audience to say yes to your CTA).

My last speaking client was a consultant.
About half of my clients are.

The results of his talk were this: 

→ 25% of the audience said, 'yes' to his CTA that day. 

How did he pull it off?

By the way, 10–30% is totally achievable if you plan accordingly.

Here are the exact steps you can use.

(It's exactly what we did together.)

1️⃣ Focus on serving, not selling

Pick 2–3 real friends as your ICP for the event.
Write a talk to serve them, assuming they’ll never buy.

If you focus on serving, the selling happens easier.

2️⃣ Be both likable & knowledgeable

If you're smart but cold, no one will buy.
If you're warm but shallow, no one will buy.

If you're smart & warm, you'll land plenty of clients.

3️⃣ Tell your real origin story

I.e. the version proving, "I've walked in your shoes."
Humble origins make you more trustworthy now.

4️⃣ Start with their pain point

Don't start with your content or your offer.
Start with the pain point your talk will solve.

This will get people hooked in the first minute.

5️⃣ Teach enough that they could DIY it

Don't share everything you know or it will be boring.
Try to give people enough to do a DIY version.

If they try it themselves, some will hire you for help.

6️⃣ Tell stories with KPI wins

Problem → Strategy → Action → Result.

When you tell stories, don't miss the last piece: result.
That's why people buy.

7️⃣ Talk like you’re with friends

The more you use your normal speaking voice,
the more confident & charismatic people will see you.

8️⃣ Offer a 10/10 giveaway

Make it...

→ high value
→ low friction
→ surprising & delightful

9️⃣ Be a decent speaker

You don't need to be great.
But you need to be intelligible.

If you follow those 9 rules, even half heartedly, I guarantee you'll get more clients.

Give it a try.

You've got this!

___

P.S. I still have 3 slots left for the 1:30 slot of the speaking cohort next month!

You'll join 5 speakers total as we write talks designed to convert.

Would love to have you. Check the pinned comment for details!

Giving a talk is hardest if there's a bias against you.
Here's how to win over a tough crowd:

Every time you speak, somebody won't like you.
Sometimes those somebodies are all in ONE room.

No matter who you are, 
you'll find yourself here:

Maybe you'll be...

→ Younger → but the whole room is older
→ Older → but the whole room is younger
→ New → but the whole room is seasoned
→ Been around → but the whole room is new
→ The boss → but the whole room is junior staff
→ Junior staff → but the whole room is higher ups

Regardless of who you are...

We will must learn to win over a tough crowd.

Here's how to do it. Ready? 2 steps.

1️⃣ Don't try to convince them they're wrong.

Your gut will want to win them over by telling them that they're idiots and that you're awesome.

This always backfires.

How can you be sure?
Think of the last person YOU didn't trust.

Would it have helped if that person subtly said,
"You're an idiot because I'm actually amazing!"

→ It wouldn't have helped.
→ It would've made it worse.

2️⃣ Subtly tell them they're right, but show the upside

Here's what I mean:

——— If they think you're too young ———

✖️ DON'T: Go on about your success
✓ DO: Talk about your failures & learnings

This shows humility, growth potential & drive.
It signals EQ by recognizing the concerns.

——— If they think you're too old ———

✖️ DON'T: Don't talk about your wealth of insights
✓ DO: Talk about young people you've empowered.

This shows you're not trying to dominate
It demonstrates a value they may not expect.

——— If they think you don't care about them ———

✖️ DON'T: Go on about how much you do care.
✓ DO: Talk about people who have cared for you.

This subtly shows that you personally understand
how crucial it is to have leaders who are invested.

——— Do you see what I mean? ———

TL;DR. 

Being humble will win over a room much faster than being defensive.

→ Yes, you may have to swallow your pride.
→ Yes, you may have to grit your teeth.
→ Yes, you may have to force a smile.

But when you see people start nodding along
it all becomes worth it.

You've got this.

_____
P.S. Want to go on a guided journey with 4 other speakers crafting the best talk you've ever written?

My "Write Your Signature Talk" cohort starts this Monday, October 6!

I've sold out 3 cohorts, but just opened a 4th @ 9:00am!

Check the pinned comment for all the details.

See you there!

16 months ago I didn't even have a LinkedIn account.
Today I'm solo with a family-supporting biz. How?

It all came down to 3 things.

1️⃣ The courage to just freaking post a few times
2️⃣ A willingness to look a little silly

...and most importantly...

3️⃣ Learning to create "viral" infographics

At first, I thought what worked for me would only work for public speaking (my niche).

But then I started coaching others on the same thing...

So far I've coached:

- SaaS founders
- Community owners
- Brand agency owners
- Positioning consultants
- Speaker business advisors

And I've seen it work for all of them.

So now I'm going public with a (probably) one-time cohort.

I'll be teaching people how to create infographics that build your brand, your following, and your business.

Here’s all the detail 👇

TITLE: 

→ How to Create Viral Infographics to Build Your Biz
→ 4-week live cohort
→ Starting Nov 3

→ NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 5 per cohort
→ WHEN: Mondays in November 
→ LENGTH: Four 1-hour sessions (Nov 3, 10, 17, 24)
→ OPENINGS: 

9:00am EST — SOLD OUT
10:30am EST — SOLD OUT
12:00pm EST — SOLD OUT
1:30pm EST — SOLD OUT
3:00pm EST — SOLD OUT
11:00am — SOLD OUT

UPDATE: Special December sessions — 3. 4. 10. 11.

→ COST: $500

If you want in, shoot me a DM. 

Because there are only 5 people per group, we’ll be able to work on your brand specifically, not just the theory.

And you’ll have unlimited DMs with me throughout the 4 weeks if you get stuck or want feedback as you go.

You’ll learn:

1️⃣ How to decide what ideas to turn into graphics
2️⃣ The art of turning an idea into a framework
3️⃣ How to sketch out each visual/infographic
4️⃣ Best practices for the title at the top of the image
5️⃣ Fonts, colors & line widths to create your look
6️⃣ How to write viral text hooks & posts
7️⃣ The basics of Figma (best design tool)
8️⃣ How to add animation with Jitter (syncs w/ Figma)
9️⃣ Optimize your profile to capture interest
🔟 A better way to find your “ICP” & offer

Bonuses & Gifts (This is my favorite part)

→ 30 editable infographic templates from my visuals
→ 1-hour video recording of me making an graphic
→ Multiple templates for how to write your text posts

DM me to grab a spot.
This one’s going to be fun.

How to Create an Infographics-Driven Business

Strong leaders often struggle to write strong talks.
Here's why and how to fix it.

It’s NOT that they spend too little time preparing.

In fact, most high-level leaders will typically spend 20–30 hours on a big talk.

The problem is often this:
It's how they cram the hours.

Here's the reality with any creative endeavor:

→ 20–30 hours of prep CRAMMED into a weekend vs.
→ 20–30 hours SPREAD over a month...

...produces a MASSIVE difference in quality.

Here’s why spreading it out makes all the difference.

Your greatest...

→ ideas
→ analogies
→ illustrations
→ punchy sentences

...will NOT come to you when you're prepping.

They will occur to you...

⬜ in the white space. ⬜

Meaning, the best ideas show up when your talk is "simmering" in the back of your mind.

⬜ In the shower ⬜
⬜ Taking a walk ⬜
⬜ On the treadmill ⬜
⬜ At the grocery store ⬜
⬜ Driving to a lunch meeting ⬜

The MORE white space you give yourself,
the BETTER your content will be.

I remember saying to my high school guitar teacher,

“When I finish practicing I don't feel like I got better."

I’ll never forget what he told me.

“No one gets better DURING a practice session.
You get better IN BETWEEN sessions.

Your mind STARTS practicing when
your body STOPS practicing.”

→ It’s true for learning an instrument.
→ It’s true for writing great content.

Your mind works best when it's NOT focused
(especially if you're trying to focus 20 hours in a row).

So, if you’ve got a big talk you really want to nail:

Don't block off a few days before the event to prep.
You’ll miss hundreds of hours of white-space creativity.

Start early and let the thoughts and ideas SIMMER.
Leave lots of time you’re NOT working on your talk…

…because that’s when the best ideas will come.

Check out the graphic below for how to plan it all out.

You’ve got this!

Check the pinned comments for a non-animated version of the graphic if the animation is distracting.

______
P.S. Want to learn the art and science of making cool infographics? Trying to build your following and your business?

I'm offering a one-time cohort teaching everyone how to create the kind of graphics so many of you know and love.

Click here for all the details: https://lnkd.in/gW2AeNSC. 

DM me with questions!

Still have a few slots left!

There are 3 types of stage fright.
Most speakers only prep for 1 of them.

[And that’s why it never goes away.]

Not being aware of the other two sources of stage fright causes 90% of public speaking anxiety.

But when you learn to address them...

90% of people can fix 90% of their stage fright.

Let’s break it down.

→ 3 sources of stage fright ←

Here’s the one we all know:

Source #1: PERFORMANCE ANXIETY
(It’s just plain scary to speak on stage!)

→ The lights
→ The crowd
→ Being recorded
→ The pressure of performance
→ Hundreds (or thousands) of eyeballs

In short: anxiety about the act of performing.
Most think this is the main source of stage fright.

But here’s the bad news:
It only accounts for about 10%.

90% comes from two lesser-known sources.

Ready for #2?

Source #2: CLARITY ANXIETY
(Do I actually know how my talk flows?)

→ Can I remember what comes next?
→ Do I know which slide follows?
→ Do I understand how the parts fit together?
→ What if I lose my place and mess it all up?

Clarity anxiety is worse than performance anxiety.

Why?

Because if half your brain is focused on connecting with the room…

…and the other half is desperately trying to remember the next slide...

You’re a house divided and a house distracted.

A divided, distracted speaker is always anxious.

But #3 runs even deeper.

Source #3: CONTENT ANXIETY
(Is my content actually any good?)

→ Is it cliché?
→ Is it helpful?
→ Is it overdone?
→ Is it groundbreaking?
→ Even if I nail delivery... will it help anyone?

If you’re not sure your content has value,
you’ll never feel confident, no matter how polished your delivery is.

Here’s the mistake most speakers make:

They obsess over:
1. Performance Anxiety

And forget all about:
2. Clarity Anxiety
3. Content Anxiety

Here’s the good news:
#2 and #3 can be solved BEFORE you ever step on stage.

When you’ve locked in your content and your clarity,
the final 10% of performance anxiety becomes manageable.

In fact:

90% of speakers could overcome
90% of their stage fright if they focused
90% of their prep on clarity and content.

Give it a try.

You’ll be shocked how much better you feel.


_____
P.S. Interested in a 4-week sprint where we craft your next-level talk together?

My Signature Talk Cohort kicks in exactly one week!

Details in the comments. DM me if you're interested!

Speakers come to me for 1 talk they're trying to nail.
But that is never my goal for them.

My goal is that by the end of our time together, they've learned tools to help them nail every talk going forward.

This screenshot is proof that it works.

This October, I'll be leading cohorts of 5 speakers.

I'll be teaching them the disciplines and skills they need for a lifetime of effective speaking.

DM me if you want in.

P.S. Update on availability!

Mondays @ 12:00pm EST — Full
Mondays @ 1:30pm EST — Full
Mondays @ 3:00pm EST — Just opened. 0/5 filled.

Let's see what we can do in the next two weeks!

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