Jon Levesque

Speaking

I've given 25+ keynotes around the world, mostly about community and getting people to actually use the technology in front of them. Now I've written a book, Fix Your Thinking, Fix Your Life, about the stories we run on, and I talk about that too. Either way you get the real story, the parts that went sideways included, and something your audience can use on Monday.

Ask about a date Bios and photos
Jon Levesque on stage giving a keynote at a Microsoft conference

The short version

VP of Community & Developer Relations at OutSystems. Before that, community and developer experience at DocuSign and Power Platform evangelism at Microsoft, where I created the Power Platform Community Conference. Author of Fix Your Thinking, Fix Your Life.

International keynotes on community building, AI adoption and software adoption
25+
Members in the Microsoft Power Platform community, the FlowFam, which I grew from zero
2.2M+
Developers in DocuSign's developer community, built from zero in six months
25,000
Community members reached across my career
3M+

Talks

Two from the book, two from the career. Every one can be shaped to your audience and your slot.

Same facts, new story

Formats
Keynote, fireside chat, workshop
Length
Keynote 45 to 60 minutes. Workshop 90 minutes, built on the exercises in the free workbook.

Every hard thing that ever happened to you comes in two parts: what happened, and what you made it mean. Most of the weight is in the second part, and you wrote it, usually as a kid. This is the talk version of my book, from a ferry terminal bench at 3am to the three steps I use to rewrite the story: name the facts, catch the story, choose a new story.

Who it's for

Any room of adults. Leadership offsites, employee resource groups, wellness and personal growth events, and conferences that want a closing keynote people are still talking about at dinner.

What they leave with

  • A way to split any painful memory into what a camera would have recorded and what they decided it meant
  • The tells that a thought is old code and not the truth
  • One question to ask before reacting: "What I heard was ___. Is that what you said?"

Rungs, not leaps

Formats
Keynote, fireside chat, workshop
Length
Keynote 30 to 45 minutes. Workshop 90 minutes.

I'm a high school dropout with a GED. I went from minimum wage to VP of Community & Developer Relations at OutSystems, and none of it was one big leap. It was rungs. This one is about getting out of survival mode, where the question is "how do I not lose?", and into "how do I win?", one job, one risk, one ask at a time.

Who it's for

Early-career programs, employee resource groups, career and leadership development events, and anyone who has been told they don't have the right background.

What they leave with

  • How to spot when you're playing not to lose
  • Treating every job, every risk and every ask as a parlay to the next one
  • Why survival mode has a ceiling, and what it looks like to stop living under it

Community is built, not found

Formats
Keynote, fireside chat, workshop
Length
Keynote 30 to 60 minutes. Workshop 90 minutes.

For years my whole operating system was "I don't need anyone." Then I built community for a living: growing Microsoft's Power Platform community, the FlowFam, past 2.2 million members, creating the Power Platform Community Conference, and taking DocuSign's developer community from zero to 25,000 in six months. This is what actually worked, what didn't, and why people show up for each other.

Who it's for

Community managers, developer relations and developer experience teams, product and marketing leaders, and user group and event organizers.

What they leave with

  • How an internal user group turns into a global movement
  • What super-user programs, recognition and events each do for a community, and where to start
  • How community-driven support took DocuSign's response times from hours to minutes

More than just technology

Formats
Keynote, fireside chat, workshop
Length
Keynote 30 to 60 minutes. Workshop 90 minutes.

I've given versions of this keynote from Scottish Summit to the Power Platform French Summit: the technology is the easy part. Whether people actually use it comes down to stories, evangelism, and making it fun (I once did a whole session on what video games can teach us about user adoption). The same questions are back with AI agents, and I work on them every day at OutSystems, alongside nearly 1M builders in 87 countries.

Who it's for

IT and digital transformation leaders, centers of excellence, product teams rolling out low-code or AI tools, and technology conferences.

What they leave with

  • Why adoption stalls even when the tool is great
  • The storytelling and evangelism moves that get people to try something new
  • How to treat AI as a tool that extends what people can do, with governance built in from the start

Keynotes you can watch

A few that were recorded. More talks, podcasts and interviews are on the media page.

  • Power Platform French Summit

    I gave the closing keynote at the Power Platform French Summit 2020: This is more than just technology.

    Nov 20, 2020

    Watch

  • DynamicsCon

    My keynote at DynamicsCon 2020.

    Sep 10, 2020

    Watch

  • M365 Philly Virtual

    My Day 1 keynote at M365 Philly Virtual: the Power Platform is more than a technology platform. It's changing how people do business, and it's changing people's lives.

    Jul 22, 2020

    Watch

  • Microsoft 365 Virtual Marathon

    This is more than just technology...: my keynote for the Microsoft 365 Virtual Marathon.

    May 28, 2020

    Watch

  • Scottish Summit 2020

    I gave the Scottish Summit 2020 keynote at Strathclyde University on how the Power Platform is changing how people do business and changing people's lives.

    Mar 16, 2020

    Watch

For organizers

What does Jon Levesque speak about?
Two things, and they overlap more than you'd think. From his book, Fix Your Thinking, Fix Your Life: the stories people run on and how to rewrite them. From his career at Microsoft, DocuSign and OutSystems: building community and getting people to actually adopt software and AI. He has delivered 25+ international keynotes on community building, AI adoption and software adoption.
What formats does Jon Levesque do?
Keynotes, fireside chats and workshops, and he's open to other formats too. Tell him how long your slot is and who's in the room, and he'll shape the talk to fit.
Does Jon Levesque speak virtually or only in person?
Both. He takes virtual talks as well as in-person ones, and several of his recorded keynotes were virtual, including M365 Philly Virtual and the Microsoft 365 Virtual Marathon.
How do I book Jon Levesque to speak?
Send a speaking inquiry through jonlevesque.com/contact with the event name, date, location, audience size and format you have in mind. He reads every message himself and replies with availability.
Where can I get Jon Levesque's bio and headshot?
The press kit at jonlevesque.com/press has his one-line, short and long bios, a headshot, an author photo and an on-stage photo, all cleared for event use with credit.

Bios, a headshot and an on-stage photo are ready to download on the press page.

Bring me to your event

Tell me about your event and I'll reply with availability. I read every one myself.

Send a speaking inquiry