James T. Robilotta
It's my job to make audiences feel, think, and laugh. And I take that seriously.
I help audiences pause and think about the way they lead, the way they connect, and the way they can impact their world. I create moments that empower teams and individuals to realize they are the only thing standing in the way between the results they want and the results they're currently seeing. I am an award-winning, recognized professional speaker with a background in stand-up and improv comedy. I deliver powerful and hysterical keynotes and workshops that will transform lives.
I work with corporations, associations, and colleges, and individuals with a focus on making people care more creating a workplace culture where people actively choose to care about each other and lead with authenticity and relatability. There is power in hearing other’s stories and talking about imperfection, it has proven to increase trust, innovation and morale in teams. By infusing my thought-provoking talks with comedy and self-awareness, my audiences stay engaged from beginning to end.
My first book, Leading Imperfectly: The value of being authentic for Leaders, Professionals, and Human Beings discusses the concepts of how authentic leadership and vulnerability are the driving forces behind conversations about communication, rapport building, engagement, increased productivity, retention, life balance, feedback, and more.
As far as how I got here, my parents will tell you that I captured the attention of my first audience at a very early age and never turned back. They will also tell you that I cost them way too much money, but that is beside the point. I started facilitating leadership presentations and speeches in 2002 for my peers at the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW), Clemson University, and regional conferences. In 2009, after I presented a workshop, someone came up to me and asked me how much I charged for my speaking services. I told them they could buy me lunch and then my paid speaking career was off to the races! Becoming a Professional Speaker has allowed me to do the two things I love most: making people think and making people laugh.
Way more importantly I am married to an even better professional speaker, Tina VanSteenbergen. Together we own our speaking/training company StoryMatters. We have two adorable children, Roam and Adelina and live in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Please note: Tina is from Minnesota, I refuse to lose my New York accent so I still walk, tAWk, and eat chAWcolate).
LEADING IMPERFECTLY: THE VALUE OF BEING AUTHENTIC FOR LEADERS, PROFESSIONALS, AND HUMAN BEINGS
Hey Superwoman, take off your cape. Hey Batman, take off your mask. Hey leaders and decision makers, put away your ego. Let's talk about who you are personally as a leader and as a partner. As humans, we can't learn things from people who are perfect, we can only learn things from people who are imperfect. So, it is time to own who you are so you can be real to others and lead through your faults. This deep but hysterical session will leave you feeling introspective about the person you show to others and recognize the rapport and trust building power of authenticity in your communication and relationships. If you're looking to master the art of courageous feedback and authentic relationship building, this is the session for you.
DO YOU EVEN KNOW ME?: HOW CURIOSITY CREATES COMMUNITY IN THE WORKPLACE
No organization wants its people to be apathetic—toward the work, the people, or the community. Community ignites loyalty and drives retention in both in-person and hybrid workplaces, and is built with one simple thing: curiosity. Curiosity is the opposite of apathy. Events are ideal opportunities to authentically connect, reflect, validate, and innovate. In this hysterical and motivational keynote we will talk about how to ask better questions, change the way we hear people’s stories and insights, and adapt the mindset of curiosity. Let’s stop the apathy and the assuming and start learning about each other because curiosity creates community.
IMPROV YOUR TEAMWORK AND COMMUNICATION
Improv comedy and leadership? There are more similarities than you may expect. This session is grounded in the teachings of improvisational comedy from the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City. In this session attendees will learn four basic rules of improv comedy (yes, and…; know your teammates; ask better questions; and commit don’t comment). To illustrate each point and how it relates to their roles as professionals, attendees will get up, play improv games and debrief them. The session is super interactive and will work on knocking down people’s walls to make them more comfortable in high pressure communication/problem solving moments.
Note: you do not have to be funny to come to this session. Also note: this session will not make you funny if you are currently not… but it will make you a better teammate and communicator!
The initial calls with James showed his energy, authenticity, and effortless communication style. He took time to understand the objectives of the session and also focused on details like the composition of my leaders so that he could best articulate his message. James helped with the pre-work, facilitated the session, and joined us for an evening event where we could relax and enjoy time together. He was a champion throughout.
AMERICAN EXPRESS // David Fabricant, Senior VP
James was a breath of fresh air for our company who is suffering burnout from all the uncertainty of the world. His energy was incredible and really got the crowd engaged and few people’s faces even started to hurt from laughing so much! It was nice to have a company event that didn’t feel corporate at all, James is as authentic as they come.
AFTERPAY // Liz Russell, Workplace Operations Manager
That was better than expected. Don't get me wrong, I knew it was going to be good, but that was incredible and exactly what we needed.
IMPACT XM // Jared Pollaco, CEO
From your initial research into our company, to working with us during your presentation as we communicated our wants and needs, you navigated your workshop to make it a productive and fun success…Your personal stories and delivery combined with your discussion of our office were instrumental in capturing staff’s attention and developing rapport and inspiration. Concepts has taken a wonderful step with you during your workshop with us. Your ideas on authentic leadership, appreciation and communication have sparked a new way of thinking for our company.
CONCEPTS OF INDEPENDENCE, INC // Anthony G. Caputo, CEO
I loved James’ talk at the GE Women's Network and the feedback has been extremely positive. I really appreciated him tying back into the first speaker – it really helped the day feel more cohesive.
GENERAL ELECTRIC // Sarah Gray, Lead Project Manager
Absolutely bring James on board, he’s relatable and his messages will ring true in any industry. Also make sure to build in time at the end for people to ask questions and spend time with James, because that was invaluable.
METAL TOAD // Jenny Berkedal, Director of Employee Experience
Leading Imperfectly
