Working with DK is always a joy. His keynote for the AMA Conference 2026 was brilliant; well-pitched, engaging and perfectly on theme. DK always brings creativity, energy and great knowledge to his work. After sharing his work on gathering humans effectively, our delegates were left energised and with a lot of food for thought - the perfect mix before moving onto a night of socialising. It is always a pleasure working with DK and I'm already looking forward to the next time.

When I was preparing for my TEDx talk at TEDxKLU Hamburg, I needed more than technique. I needed someone who could help me get out of my own way. DK was exactly that person. His coaching on stage presence, delivery, and managing nerves was practical in the best sense. Not generic advice, but specific, memorable tools I could actually use: how to walk out and own those first seconds, what to do when your mind goes blank on stage, how to give the anxious voice in your head a constructive job rather than letting it run the show. That last one alone was worth everything. What made DK different was his presence beyond the sessions themselves. He checked in just before the event and again right after, not as a formality, but in a way that made it clear he genuinely cared about how I was doing, not just how the talk went. If you're preparing for a high-stakes speaking moment and want a coach who combines real expertise with genuine warmth, DK is your person. I couldn't recommend him more highly.

DK facilitated a storytelling workshop for 80 of our leaders and the impact was significant. Leading into the session, we had done important groundwork, clarifying our “no change future”, defining our “preferred future”, and identifying the shifts required to get there. DK built seamlessly on this foundation and elevated our thinking by showing us how to bring these ideas to life through compelling storytelling. He equipped our leaders with practical techniques for telling stories with grace, credibility and resonance.

Importantly, he helped us understand how to shape stories that articulate a clear and compelling vision of the future, one that feels both relevant and personalised for each team. This translated into a measurable shift in capability — in our pre- and post-Leaders Forum survey, favourable responses (agree or strongly agree) to the statement “I can communicate a clear, credible and compelling story about our future” increased from 60% to 88%.

The workshop DK facilitated was engaging, insightful, and immediately applicable. Our leaders left with tools and confidence to better connect with their teams and communicate change in a way that genuinely resonates. I would highly recommend DK to any organisation looking to strengthen leadership communication and bring their strategy to life through powerful, purposeful storytelling.

DK delivered a brilliant session for my team, giving us all accessible, understandable and effective advice on how to present engagingly. The training worked for those with extensive presenting experience as well as those with little exposure to public speaking. It was also very practical and encouraged us to embed our learning by doing. Highly recommended!

DK facilitated a learning experience for leaders in the Portland Oregon office with a group of architects focused on school design. He was able to provide really insightful guidance and constructive feedback in a very human-centric way that brought the group together, gave them confidence, and allowed us to significantly improve our performance in interviews and presentations. I would highly recommend engaging DK to support your growth and learning aspirations relative to all aspects of your public facing enterprise.

Hello from Cairo! (I’m on a regional workshop tour.) Showed a group in Tunis the TEDxWellington Trust wrap-up video last night. New teams from Ghomrassen and the University of Manouba both started sharing how they could scale that to their budget – ideas about playing with expectations, changing up the normal event experience in Tunisia, making their smaller event size seem purposeful and exciting. Your team has impact in wide, wild ways. Thank you!

DK is an amazing presenter and a gifted storyteller. He mesmerized our creative minds at McKenzie College with two workshops and helped us to reach beyond our current thinking to see what "could be". DK gave our students the gift of his time and knowledge so generously, that I'm sure he has made an impact on many young people by encouraging them to be "remarkable". DK filled us with practical applications of how to present and speak in public and how to communicate creatively in sharing our work and talents. These valuable lessons are most appreciated, and I'd highly recommend engaging with DK whenever possible.

We recently had the opportunity to learn from DK as we launched the Better Futures Catalyst program, a facilitated public speaking initiative at Steelcase. This program brought together a cohort of employees from around the world to enhance our presentation skills by focusing on our people and planet efforts. DK created a bespoke hybrid program, guiding us in developing compelling stories and boosting our confidence in public speaking—both in-person and virtually. Our final presentations showcased remarkable growth, with each of us effectively weaving our unique experiences into an engaging narrative. We are so grateful to DK for his authentic approach, for creating a safe space for us to learn together and from each other, and for the number of resources he shared throughout the journey. Highly recommend!

As part of Wellington’s business leveraging during the DHL New Zealand Lion Series, we collaborated with DK to create a unique experience melding together the worlds of sport and tech, drawing out ideas from Wellington businesses to tackle the challenge of how to improve the sports fan experience. DK and his colleague Emilie facilitated The Tech Ruck with seamless professionalism, a positive outlook and a real can-do attitude within extremely tight project deadlines. Working with DK was a great experience and I would do so again.

We contracted DK to run several sessions with members of our leadership team and other staff who are required to present ideas, solutions, explanations and work flow information to clients and audiences. The sessions were so insightful and the feedback was extremely positive, even the most cynical were surprised at what they could achieve and change the way one approaches preparation and off the cuff speaking. A highly productive and useful experience and one we will repeat.

Engaging, smooth and professional. DK delivered his 'Presenting Engagingly Online' session to some of the sport sector in Wales. He keeps you locked in with his presentation, exhibiting exactly what he's preaching with all the best tips and tricks for online delivery in the age of working from home. A top man who I highly recommend. Diolch, DK!

Love how DK can hear my creative ideas and vision, then bring them to life. I have huge trust and respect for DK and really enjoy working with him, as he completely understands what I want to achieve with Teulo. Thank you!

DK crafted and facilitated a two-day off-site for a cross-departmental group of folks to explore the digital and social media opportunities / consequences of a new initiative. He steered the discussion and activities superbly, sensitive to the levels of literacies whilst igniting the latent talent in the room to a great set of outcomes.

DK says that "Public speaking is a skill that needs to be nurtured." Coming at me was a number of high profile speaking events - and very little time to prepare, and I was out of practice. DK was my saviour! Over a few weeks I went from bumbling idiot to well - less so! And even received praise on a job well done. DK helped frame the conversation, refine some skills and introduce some new ones. Just what I needed. Thanks DK.

I was fortunate to have DK's coaching on preparing for an industry event presentation. DK brings a refreshing approach to workshopping the structure, content and style for delivering a memorable presentation. He's very much focused on engaging with your audience and is great to have involved early in your process.

I have had the great pleasure of inviting DK to work with our team for 2 enjoyable and valuable sessions so far: an in-person (those were the days!) public speaking and storytelling workshop; and a virtual Presenting Engagingly Online session. These were both very highly rated by our team and we’re looking forward to having DK come and share more magic with us to help us continue to hone our skills and confidence. On top of that, DK is one of the kindest, most compassionate and generous people I know. He builds an environment of trust, confidence and care, role modelling respectful feedback and gently supporting people to build confidence and strength with public speaking, storytelling and presenting. I cannot recommend DK highly enough.

DK recently spoke to 120 members at the Chamber Innovation Workshop, where he gave an outstanding presentation around ‘Building Creative Leadership.’ DK is a charismatic and inspiring speaker who communicated his lessons in an insightful, balanced and humorous manner that fully engages with his audience. I would highly recommend DK as a presenter.

DK’s approach sets the environment for creative thinking and exploring new and different ways of tackling organisational challenges. We brought all of our people leaders together to make the most of a positive organisational survey result and focus on what we might do to accelerate our progress. DK helped us think outside the norm, creating and facilitating a session that was engaging, had everyone up and working differently than usual, and brought out new options for our people to start working with.

I recently had DK run the 'presenting engagingly online' session at a virtual conference I was managing for our organization. We had many great speakers, but based on the feedback (and my opinion too!) DK’s was the highlight. The session included tangible take aways that I use daily while presenting and was fun and energetic. Coordinating the session with DK was a breeze (even with the time difference), and he tailored his approach to fit the group I was working with. Could not recommend enough!

When in lockdown, at Pharmac we asked DK to deliver a zoom presentation on 'presenting engagingly online.' Our objective was to give staff an opportunity to connect virtually after we had all shifted to working from home and we had few opportunities for a shared experience. We used DK's prepared session to shift from presenting in this new medium (zoom) to how we adapt generally, with shifting mediums as a metaphor for the broader pressure on all of us to adapt and change in response to our external environment. The latter part was progressed via a moderated Q&A session. Staff really enjoyed the session - both parts - and I consider DK's role as catalyst to have been really helpful.

When I asked DK to share some insights about what he learned from running TEDXWellington at our community unconference, his answer was a very quick yes. His opening words really set everyone up for the day in terms of creating an atmosphere where people were willing to freely share. The well chosen stories gave people confidence to take a leap into the unknown. From there, many participants, probably two thirds, took the opportunity to join a impromptu session DK ran. It was a delight to have DK involved in our day, something I hope we are able to do again.

Even experienced professional speakers need help sometimes! Recently I had a showcase event for 200 conference organisers. I was so nervous, because I wanted to do such a good job (and have them book me, and my agent love me more). DK worked with me on my message, story, slide deck. He helped me get the cadence and rhythm of my talk just right (and I nailed it). His coaching made all the difference, and the bookings have been pouring in.

DK has provided great coaching in developing my story for a number of key presentations. He has a great ability to connect and focus on the delivery and would wholeheartedly recommendation him.

DK gave a brilliant presentation to 3rd year architecture and interior design students at the School of Architecture, Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington in May 2025. Following the presentation, DK gave a masterclass in public speaking/presenting to a smaller group of the students. The students got personal feedback and coaching. DK was very engaging, entertaining, and informative. He demonstrated some aspects of presenting that can't be unseen afterwards! The students loved it and gave very positive feedback. They learned valuable techniques to bring grace, credibility, and emotional resonance to their presentations. As an experienced public speaker myself, I also got excellent value from organising and attending DK's presentation. I will certainly be reshaping my future presentations based on what I took away from it. And I will be looking for future opportunities to bring DK back again to work with our students.

I had the pleasure of working with DK as I prepared for a presentation in Wellington. In just a two-hour coaching session, he gave me invaluable feedback on my PowerPoint, content, and delivery. His insights were clear, practical, and immediately actionable.

DK is supportive, generous, and kind in his approach, which makes the process not only effective but enjoyable. I left our session feeling more confident, prepared, and polished. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to sharpen their presentations or public speaking.

This is one of those cases where the "relationship" category here catastrophically breaks down. DK and I have done work together in many different contexts since we met in 2012 when we were both giving keynotes at the same conference. Since then, he's brought me in to give workshops at BizDojo and a keynote and workshop at the Creative Leadership New Zealand 2018 Conference, I've been a participant in a couple of the TEDxWellington satellite events that he organised, and recently, we flew him over from Wellington to run a workshop for the Liveris Academy Scholars on presenting authentically.

The thing that jumps out at you about DK in all of these different settings is that he is a wonderful human being. Connection and collaboration are at the heart of everything that he does, and this animates all of his activities. The second thing is that he is a SUPERB assembler of talent. I am still friends with several of the awesome people that he pulled together for CLNZ18 - both because they're awesome people, and also highly skilled. Finally, DK is an outstanding speaker himself. He has clearly thought through the issues around speaking at a very deep level.

The workshop that he gave for us in the Liveris Academy for Innovation & Leadership last month illustrated many of his skills. While working with a younger cohort than he normally does, DK was still able to work out how to meet them where they are at, and he designed and delivered a fantastic day for the students.

If you ever have a chance to collaborate with DK, I highly recommend taking advantage of it!