Sometimes I think my blog has to be an incredibly polished place…formal writing, perfect pictures, and quite buttoned up. Today however, I wanted to take a moment to write about my first keynote experience – candid – as part of the MN M365 Fall Workshop Day. Hopefully this will feel like we are sitting down and enjoying a cup of coffee together as you consider submitting for your first keynote session too!
Our first keynote experience actually comes with a funny story in tow – our session was submitted just to make the organizers laugh. If you know Pat and I, we’ve been working together for nearly 5 years now and like to have fun from time to time – this time we thought by submitting a session…a keynote session….that the board whom we know and love could get a good laugh and we’d sit back and listen to someone else kickoff the day. But instead, perhaps it was they who got the last laugh after selecting us to foot the bill and actually host the keynote.
After coming to the realization that we were indeed selected, we got to work putting together some fun content for the event that included Minnesota jokes, overly complicated Microsoft metaphors, our favorite “hot takes” and some random unplanned commentary throughout.
Our keynote was slotted to last roughly 20 minutes and frankly, these days I find 20 minutes is more stressful than 60 minutes when it comes to talking about Microsoft because there’s just so much that can be covered! However, now having survived my first keynote experience – I think I’d do it again, especially if my co-presenter is as funny as Pat.
As you can see by the photo above, we had a blast! If you’re on the fence about submitting, have 20 seconds of courage and hit that submit button. I don’t think you’ll regret it. Thanks MN M365 Board for having us! I’m so grateful for the many opportunities and memories created with this fabulous group.
Definitely check out the user group and consider submitting for a virtual or in person workshop day session for 2026. Home – Minnesota Microsoft 365 User Group
Original session description:
Tired of polished keynotes where everyone agrees with each other? So are we. That’s why we’re unleashing two fresh(ish) Microsoft MVPs onto the same stage—with nothing but their unfiltered hot takes, questionable metaphors, and possibly too many coffee refills.
Expect:
Opinions so strong they might need a sensitivity label.
Analogies that connect Microsoft licensing to IKEA furniture.
Real-world war stories where Teams meetings went sideways, SharePoint governance became a soap opera, and Copilot tried to “help” but only made things weirder.
At least one joke about certifications, probably several about acronyms, and definitely a few about each other.
If you like your tech insights with a side of sarcasm, storytelling, and the occasional “did they really just say that?” moment—this is your session.
Warning: May contain opinions not approved by Microsoft marketing.