Some people spend years learning to find their voice. Katja Forbes was born using hers.
Known for her sharp insight and fearless candour, Katja has always been the one in the room to speak up – whether that room was a board meeting, a conference hall or a classroom full of future technologists. Today, she’s using that same voice to help customer-focused leaders navigate one of the most disruptive shifts in modern business: the rise of AI decision-makers.
Katja’s story isn’t about overcoming silence – it’s about refining power. Early in her speaking journey, she learned that even confidence benefits from control. “At a conference in Sydney, in my early speaking days,” she recalls, “I rushed onto stage mid-sentence, eager to prove I knew my material. The audience felt my anxiety. My credibility suffered before I’d said anything meaningful.”
That moment sparked her signature lesson: The Power of the Pause.
Before every talk, Katja walks calmly to centre stage, plants her feet, connects with a few people in different sections of the room, and takes on deep breath – only then does she begin to speak.
“That five-second ritual changed everything,” she says today. It’s not just a technique; it’s a declaration of presence and control.” The pause tells the audience: I am here. I am ready. And what I’m about to say matters.” The audience leans in, eager to listen.
It makes you feel in control – of the room and of your nerves. Even when you’re nervous, this pause makes you appear confident. The magic, Katja explains, is that “your body doesn’t know the difference. Stand like you own the stage, and within seconds, you start to feel like you do.”
Now recognised among the TOP 20 CX Leaders in AI and Financial Services, Katja brings that same grounded confidence to every keynote. She transforms anxiety about an AI-driven future into strategic clarity – reminding us that leadership in this new era isn’t about keeping up with technology, but about leading with humanity.
And here’s the best part: you don’t have to be a professional speaker to use her approach.
That same moment of pause – before presentation, a meeting, or even a difficult conversation can transform nerves into presence and hesitation into confidence.
Try Katja’s tip: Before your next presentation – arrive, breathe, look, then speak. You and your audience will feel the shift immediately.
