Lost and Found
What speed took from our conversations
We have never communicated more or conversed less. Nicole North shows leaders what the speed is costing them, and the one question that brings the conversation back.
The idea in two minutes
Filmed for the TEDxOshawa 2027 speaker application. Decisions in November 2026.
Lost and Found: The Conversations Leaders Are Moving Too Fast to Have
A leader walks into a simulation ready to deliver stern feedback to an employee who missed a deadline. In front of peers, they do exactly that. Then the employee shares the backstory nobody asked about, and the room goes silent.
It was a simulation. The silence was real. Every leader in that room recognized a conversation they had already had.
We didn't lose the art of conversation because we stopped caring. We lost it because we sped up. Every conversation we rush costs the one thing leaders can't work without: trust. This talk shows what speed took from our conversations and the three things leaders need to get back: curiosity, candour and composure.
Audiences leave with
- The one question to ask before giving any feedback
- The difference between harsh and honest, and why teams can tell
- A way to stay steady when a conversation turns
Formats
Keynote
45–60 minutes
Leadership days, all-staff events, conference mainstage
Interactive session
90 minutes
Management forums, offsites, conference breakouts
Workshop opener
20 minutes
The first segment of a Whiteboard Learning program
Who it's for
Public sector leadership forums, municipal and broader public sector associations, HR and L&D conferences, corporate leadership offsites and internal conferences. Content is adapted to the audience's context before every delivery.
She plays the employee
For 15 years Nicole North has designed and run live leadership simulations for public sector and corporate organizations. In those simulations she plays the employee, which means she has sat across from hundreds of leaders in the exact moment a conversation goes wrong, and watched what happens when it goes right. The stories in this talk come from that chair.
A decade inside the Ontario Public Service, then 15 years consulting in leadership development.
Ontario Public Service, Equifax, IMAX, Toronto Hydro, Ontario municipalities.
Canadian Association of University Business Officers; Ontario Public Buyers Association. Co-host, At the Whiteboard podcast.
About Nicole
Nicole North is the founder of Whiteboard Learning, a leadership development consultancy, and co-host of the podcast At the Whiteboard. She spent ten years inside the Ontario Public Service before 15 years designing and facilitating leadership programs for public sector and corporate clients. She holds an MBA and is a certified coach and adult learning practitioner.
Read the long bio
Nicole North is the Founder and President of Whiteboard Learning, a leadership development consultancy specializing in leadership communication, coaching and feedback, influence and executive presence, and psychological safety. She works across the public sector, including the Ontario Public Service and municipalities, and with corporate clients including Equifax, IMAX, Toronto Hydro and Magna.
Her programs are built on practice rather than theory: simulations, facilitated dialogue and real-time application of tools that work in actual conversations. She spent more than ten years inside the Ontario Public Service before founding Whiteboard Learning, and has consulted in leadership development for 15 years.
Nicole holds an MBA, a coaching certification, and practitioner credentials in Myers-Briggs, Appreciative Inquiry, REACH and adult learning. She co-hosts At the Whiteboard, a podcast whose most recent season, Return to Office, followed leaders through the return from remote work. Outside work she dances West Coast Swing and sings karaoke, both of which are conversations you can't rush.
In their words.
"An expert with presence and passion. Extremely agile — she harnesses diverse ideas and creates real change."John La Vecchia · Enterprise Leadership Client
"Incredibly fantastic facilitator. I would take anything Nicole facilitates."HR Advisor · Ontario Public Sector
"I feel more confident in my ability to manage conversations and navigate discussions effectively in tough scenarios."Leader · Financial Services
Bring Lost and Found to your event
Tell us about your event and audience. Nicole replies personally within two business days.
Nicole also delivers Whiteboard Learning's leadership programs. Many organizations book the keynote first and the program second.
See leadership programs →