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Michel Poulaert

Michel Poulaert

Keynote speaker, author and optimism expert

Keynote speaker, author and optimism expert, Michel Poulaert turns more than twenty years of international sales experience and over 1,000 speaking engagements into practical tools to dare, bounce back, persuade and take action.

His style combines storytelling, humour and insights inspired by neuroscience to create lasting shifts in perspective. He works with executives, managers, employees and sales teams on optimism, boldness, learning from failure, sales and public speaking.

Languages
Dutch / Nederlands, English (US), French / Français
Formats
Keynote, conference, workshop, hybrid or digital event

Biography

Professional keynote speaker, author and entrepreneur, Michel Poulaert is known for high-energy talks combining real-life stories, humour and immediately actionable tools. His core message is simple: change the way we look at difficulties in order to recover boldness, motivation and the ability to act.

An optimist shaped by experience

After editorial work with Belgian magazine TéléMoustique and RTBF, he built a long career in international sales. From 1989, a prospecting project in the Netherlands led him to master Dutch and English while managing small sales teams. This cross-cultural experience continued for twelve years.

More than 1,000 speaking engagements

In 2006, Michel Poulaert turned his passion into his profession and became a corporate speaker. His talks focus on optimism, boldness and a constructive approach to failure. He has now delivered more than 1,000 talks, including three TEDx appearances. A CSP – Certified Speaking Professional, he works with executive committees, leaders, managers and sales teams.

Turning failure into a resource

His approach encourages audiences to see failure not as a dead end but as a source of learning, innovation and progress. He advocates clear-eyed optimism: a mindset that helps turn adversity into opportunity and restores room for action in times of change.

Speaking as a lever for influence

Michel Poulaert also develops a strong public-speaking focus covering stage fright, pitching, posture, charisma and persuasive impact. Founder of the École de Conférenciers Professionnels and the INSPIRE EXPIRE concept, he also helps speakers design and stage their talks.

Boldness begins where comfort ends.

— Michel Poulaert
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Conferences

Michel Poulaert delivers energetic and interactive keynotes on optimism, boldness, learning from failure, sales and public speaking. His approach combines storytelling, humour, real-life experience and immediately actionable tools.

01

The Boldness of Optimism

Change your perspective and rediscover the drive to act.

What if optimism were less a personality trait than a skill that can be developed? Michel Poulaert challenges the idea that optimism and realism are opposites. Through real-life stories, humour and scientific insights, he shows how our perceptions shape the way we experience and respond to difficulties.

Participants leave with practical ways to reframe problems, strengthen adaptability and recover the desire to take action.

  • Develop clear-eyed and pragmatic optimism
  • Strengthen motivation and adaptability
  • Turn obstacles into levers for action
  • Encourage boldness and experimentation
Ideal for Conventions, transformation programmes, seminars, managers and teams going through change
Format Conference or keynote
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02

To Succeed, Dare to Fail!

What if failure were a step rather than a destination?

Fear of getting things wrong can slow decisions, limit innovation and prevent initiative. Michel Poulaert invites audiences to shift perspective: success is often built through a sequence of attempts, mistakes and adjustments.

Through his PAS method — Perceive, Accept, Scan — he shows how to learn from setbacks, experiment more and turn mistakes into progress.

  • Take the drama out of failure
  • Build a test-and-learn culture
  • Encourage boldness and initiative
  • Turn setbacks into learning
Ideal for Innovation, transformation, entrepreneurship, leadership and project teams
Format Conference or keynote
Request this talk
03

Surprise to Sell Better!

Create emotion to reinvent the sales relationship.

Drawing on more than twenty years of international sales experience, Michel Poulaert revisits the fundamentals of customer relationships. In markets where offers and sales pitches increasingly look alike, he shows how emotion, customer attention and surprise can create meaningful differentiation.

Storytelling, improvisation and practical scenarios give sales teams concrete tools to capture attention, handle objections and create memorable customer experiences.

  • Rethink the sales relationship
  • Capture attention quickly
  • Create a memorable customer experience
  • Strengthen persuasion and influence
Ideal for Sales teams, sales conventions, networks, negotiation and customer relations
Format Conference or keynote
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04

Unleash Your Public Speaking!

Speak with confidence, impact and conviction.

Speaking to a group, defending an idea or presenting a project remains uncomfortable for many professionals. Michel Poulaert breaks down public-speaking fears and explains the principles that make a message clear, engaging and memorable.

Mental preparation, message structure, stage-fright management, pitching, posture, eye contact, rhythm, charisma and influence: he shares practical techniques to increase impact when speaking.

  • Reduce anxiety around public speaking
  • Manage stage fright more effectively
  • Build an effective pitch
  • Strengthen presence, charisma and persuasive impact
Ideal for Executives, managers, salespeople, experts, spokespersons and employees
Format Keynote or interactive workshop
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05

Take the Risk of Being Wrong!

Decide and move forward when no option is perfect.

La peur de prendre la mauvaise décision peut parfois conduire à la pire décision de toutes : ne rien faire. Michel Poulaert explore notre relation avec le choix, l'audace et la peur de se tromper.

Il montre comment aller au-delà de la paralysie, accepter un certain degré d'incertitude et retrouver la capacité d'agir même quand toutes les réponses ne sont pas disponibles.

  • Reduce fear of making the wrong decision
  • Develop boldness and courage
  • Become more comfortable with uncertainty
  • Move faster from reflection to action
Ideal for Executives, managers, transformation programmes, entrepreneurs and teams facing uncertainty
Format Keynote
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For which events?

Michel Poulaert speaks at the key moments where people, performance and impact matter.

  • Seminars and conventions
  • Leadership committees and strategic talks
  • Product launches
  • CSR and climate events
  • Institutions, schools and universities

Possible formats

Formats adaptable to your goals and context.

  • Inspiring talk
  • Impactful keynote
  • Participative workshop
  • Panel
  • Webinar

Why choose them?

A unique experience serving strong, useful messages.

  • Field experience backing the message
  • Authentic and inspiring stories
  • Human, demanding and accessible approach
  • Tailored content aligned with your stakes
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Videos

Discover Michel Poulaert on stage through a selection of videos on optimism, boldness, sales and the ability to bounce back.

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The Boldness of Optimism 08:50
Conference clip

The Boldness of Optimism

Michel Poulaert montre comment un état d'esprit positif peut renforcer la résilience et la créativité, avec des outils pratiques pour transformer les obstacles en leviers d'action.

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To Succeed, Dare to Fail! 20:31
Conference clip

To Succeed, Dare to Fail!

Michel Poulaert défie la peur de l'erreur et partage une méthode pratique pour apprendre plus vite, expérimenter davantage et transformer l'échec en progrès.

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Surprise to Sell Better! 13:05
Conference clip

Surprise to Sell Better!

Michel Poulaert montre comment l'émotion, la narration et des techniques de vente innovantes peuvent capter l'attention, gérer les objections et augmenter l'impact commercial.

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Reinventing Yourself to Maintain Connection 03:54
Short format

Reinventing Yourself to Maintain Connection

Michel Poulaert montre comment les crises peuvent devenir des opportunités d'innover et encourage les organisations à préserver la connexion à travers des formats d'événements numériques et hybrides.

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Reinventing Yourself to Maintain Connection 16:01
Conference clip

Reinventing Yourself to Maintain Connection

Michel Poulaert montre comment l'audace, la persévérance et le lâcher-prise peuvent aider à surmonter la peur de l'échec, à prendre de meilleures décisions et à avancer malgré l'incertitude.

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The Boldness to Decide and Act! 01:35
Short format

The Boldness to Decide and Act!

With humour and energy, Michel Poulaert encourages audiences to move beyond fear, own their choices and turn uncertainty into an opportunity to move forward.

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Want to feature Michel Poulaert at your next event?

Our team helps you craft a tailored intervention, aligned with your goals and your audience.

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Publications

To Succeed, Dare to Fail — Vuibert.

Michel Poulaert explores how mistakes, detours, and setbacks can become sources of learning and progress.

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