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Michel Poulaert

Michel Poulaert Keynote speaker, author and optimism expert

Speaker, author and optimism expert, Michel Poulaert turns more than twenty years of international sales experience and over 1,000 talks into practical tools for daring, bouncing back, convincing and taking action. His style blends storytelling, humour and neuroscience to spark new insights. He works with executives, managers and teams on optimism, boldness, failure, sales and public speaking.

Languages
Dutch, English, French
Duration
From 45 minutes to 2 hours
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 a skill you could develop? Through stories, humour and scientific insights, Michel Poulaert shows how a change of perspective helps you face difficulties, build adaptability and rediscover the will to act.

  • 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?

The fear of getting it wrong can hold back decisions, innovation and initiative. With his PAS — Perceive, Accept, Explore method, Michel Poulaert shows how to turn mistakes into learning and setbacks 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
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03

Surprise to Sell Better!

Create emotion to reinvent the sales relationship.

Drawing on twenty years of international sales experience, Michel Poulaert shows how emotion, attention and surprise set you apart. Storytelling, improvisation and role-playing give teams practical tools to capture attention, handle objections and leave a lasting impression on customers.

  • 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.

Michel Poulaert unpacks the fears around public speaking and shares practical techniques to make a message clear, engaging and memorable: managing stage fright, structure, posture, eye contact, rhythm, charisma and influence.
  • 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.

The fear of being wrong can lead to inaction. Michel Poulaert shows how to overcome paralysis, accept uncertainty and rediscover the boldness to act, even without all the answers.

  • 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.

Looking for more content or a specific clip? Contact us
Turning Setbacks into Gold: The Power of Optimism 25:05
Conference clip

Turning Setbacks into Gold: The Power of Optimism

With humour and energy, Michel Poulaert shows how to change the way we look at difficulties, bounce back from failure and train our brains to look for solutions rather than problems.
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10 % de chance ? L’optimisme change tout 35:16
Conference clip

10 % de chance ? L’optimisme change tout

Michel Poulaert shows with humour that we don’t always choose what happens to us, but we can choose what we make of it: shift our focus, look for solutions and turn every setback into gold.
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Public Speaking: Talent Isn’t Enough, It Takes Work! 37:11
Conference clip

Public Speaking: Talent Isn’t Enough, It Takes Work!

With humour and experience, Michel Poulaert debunks the myths of public speaking and shows that you can gain impact, overcome stage fright and be more convincing by putting your audience at the centre, working on your expertise and daring to improve.
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Dare to Fail, Succeed Better 24:19
Conference clip

Dare to Fail, Succeed Better

Michel Poulaert shakes up our relationship with failure and shows, with humour and energy, that those who succeed are not those who fail less, but those who dare more, learn from their mistakes and know how to bounce back to turn obstacles into opportunities.
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Michel Poulaert shows that success starts with believing in yourself, daring to try, and turning challenges into new perspectives 01:20
Short format

Michel Poulaert shows that success starts with believing in yourself, daring to try, and turning challenges into new perspectives

Michel Poulaert shows that success starts with believing in yourself, daring to try, and turning challenges into new perspectives
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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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