Speaking
Ideas that challenge assumptions. Conversations that stay with people.
A good presentation should do more than fill an hour on the agenda.
It should make people think differently.
Sticky Notes speaking engagements are designed to challenge assumptions, spark meaningful conversation, and help audiences see leadership, community, and organizational life through a more human lens.
Drawing from nearly 20 years of association and nonprofit leadership, Zane Clark combines lived experience, storytelling, practical frameworks, and candid reflection to explore the questions that often sit underneath strategy, culture, engagement, and performance.
The goal is not to give audiences another list of best practices.
It is to help them reconsider what they believe, recognize what may be getting in the way, and leave with ideas they can actually use.
What we speak about
Speaking engagements can be tailored to the audience, event, and organizational context, with topics centered around people, leadership, community, and meaningful participation.
Common themes include:
Clarity, Connection & Contribution
Human-centered leadership
Turning participation into commitment
Building organizations people want to be part of
Community, belonging, and meaningful contribution
The human side of strategy and organizational change
Volunteer engagement and ownership
Member and employee experience
Trust, culture, and shared purpose
Leadership in organizations built around people
Signature sessions can also be customized for conferences, leadership meetings, Board gatherings, staff development programs, and association education events.
What audiences can expect
Sticky Notes presentations are conversational, practical, and designed to feel more like a meaningful exchange than a traditional lecture.
Expect:
Stories grounded in real leadership experience
Questions that challenge conventional thinking
Practical frameworks people can immediately apply
Audience reflection and interaction where appropriate
Honest discussion about what works and what often gets in the way
Ideas that connect organizational challenges back to the people experiencing them
At the center of much of the work are three simple ideas:
Clarity: Do people understand what matters and where they are going?
Connection: Do they feel connected to the purpose, the people, and the work?
Contribution: Do they believe they have a meaningful role in what happens next?
These are not substitutes for strategy, systems, or operational discipline.
They are what help make those things matter to people.
What audiences leave with
A successful talk should create more than inspiration in the moment.
People should leave seeing something differently.
That may mean a new way to think about leadership, a question they bring back to their team, a framework for examining their organization, or a renewed understanding of the role they play in creating culture and community.
The goal is simple:
Give people something worth thinking about and something worth doing differently.
Because the best ideas do not end when the applause does.
They continue in the conversations people have afterward.
