Impression Management Consultant, Filmmaker & Litigation Strategist, Founder & CEO of First Impressions HQ
Judson Vaughn Biography
Judson Vaughn teaches people exactly what they need to do with their bodies and faces to secure trust from strangers – in fractions of a second. He also teaches people what they need to do to be perceived as honest, professional, confident, empathetic, enthusiastic, and likable – all within six seconds of meeting a stranger. He teaches how to create and maintain mutually beneficial relationships and ideal corporate cultures. Surprisingly, he also teaches people how to become more charismatic; more on that below. And lastly, he teaches a formula called the Recipe for Great Presentations, which is a detailed, step-by-step process that enables anyone to create and deliver dynamic, compelling and memorable presentations in any situation.
Vaughn’s schooling and first professional experience was as a sociological researcher. After a brief, but successful time as a social scientist, he became a character actor and shared the screen with stars such as Gabriel Byrne, Jim Carrey, Harry Connick, Jr., Kevin Costner, Kevin Kline, Faye Dunaway, Juliette Lewis, Laura Linney, Steve Martin, Mary Tyler Moore, Carroll O'Connor, Brad Pitt, Blair Underwood, Sam Waterston and many others.
In the early 1980’s when Vaughn started developing his theories regarding trust and first impressions, there was no scientific evidence to support his discoveries. But today there is ample corroborating data in the studies of celebrated neuroscientists such as Harvard’s Nalini Ambady, Princeton’s Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov, and NYU ‘s Jon Freeman. So in his presentations, Vaughn details the neuroscientific research that confirms why the communication and relationship skills he teaches are so effective.
Certainly Vaughn’s discoveries regarding trust and first impressions are significant, but perhaps only slightly less significant are his discoveries about the essence of the most elusive of all human characteristics: Charisma. Amazon has quite a few books on charisma. Unfortunately, most of what you’ll read in those books are reiterations of the conventional wisdom about what makes us perceive people as charismatic; which is all wrong. And you’ll also read a whole bunch of stuff (about what charisma is) that the writers just made up. What you won’t find are logical reasonings that produced the writer’s suppositions, and any evidence of their numerous one-on-one interactions with famously charismatic people.
Vaughn was able to discover exactly what makes us perceive people as charismatic because he employed what one might call, the Jane Goodall Method of Discovery. He traveled – not to the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to study chimpanzees, but to a different jungle (Hollywood), and studied the most charismatic primates on the planet. After over a decade and thousands of hours of working with movie and television stars, Vaughn finally solved the conundrum that is charisma. And since 1993, he’s been teaching people exactly what they need to do to become more charismatic.
Contact a speaker booking agent to check availability on Judson Vaughn and other top speakers and celebrities.
Judson Vaughn Speaking Topics
-
The Recipe for Great Presentations
Great cooks have been writing recipes for thousands of years. So just about everybody who can read, can cook. Vaughn reasoned that so many people have been subjected to so many horribly boring presentations, because no one had ever created a precise, reliable, easy to follow recipe for presentations. So after years of watching great (and not so great) trial lawyers making presentations to judges and jurors, Vaughn created a recipe. There are two decision-making systems within human brains: Our blindingly-fast, illogical, emotional, limbic system – our Fast Brain; and our much slower, logical, cerebral cortex (and associated brain structures) – our thinking, calculating, Slow Brain. Vaughn’s Recipe has two principal components, each containing four elements: 1) The Four Essential Ingredients are Theme, Semaphore, Metaphor, and Emotional Core; and 2) The Four Openings are the Nod, Robot, Action, and Surprise. Each element within the two components directs the Fast Brain or the Slow Brain of those viewing the presentation. Most people aren’t aware that most of our decisions are made by our illogical, emotional Fast Brains, so presenters spend too much time trying to persuade people’s Slow Brains, which makes presentations boring and ineffective. Vaughn’s Recipe teaches people how to efficiently engage both decision-making regions of people’s brains which enables anyone to create and deliver dynamic, persuasive, and memorable presentations in any situation.
-
Charisma: The Ultimate Tool of Persuasion
Politicians, political pundits, motivational speakers, self-help gurus, and social scientists have searched for the source of this seemingly magical personality trait for well over a century, and philosophers for centuries longer. And many of these people have generated theories regarding what makes a charismatic person charismatic. Within this seminar, Vaughn illustrates – beyond a shadow of doubt – why the conventional wisdom and the fanciful suppositions by those listed above – about what makes us perceive people as charismatic – are wrong. Vaughn was able to discover the true essence of charisma, not because he was smarter than others searching for it, but because he had advantages that those cited above didn’t have. Not only was he trained as a sociological researcher – more importantly – he was able to spend two decades working with television and movie stars, often during twelve-hour days, working side-by-side, eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, and sitting around conversing with some of the most charismatic people on the planet. Those long days and nights allowed Vaughn to listen to the vocal patterns and inflections of powerfully charismatic actors, to closely study their facial expressions and body movements – close-up, in person, and to observe and interact with them in infinite variations when he was sharing physical and emotional experiences with stars when the cameras were rolling, and also during the minutes and/or seemingly endless hours following a director saying “cut,” and when lighting, camera and sound technicians were ready for the director to again say, “action.” Those are things none of those listed above have ever been able to do. Vaughn was the right person, with the right skills of observation, in the right places, at the right time, with the right sample population. And he was there long enough to discover something that has eluded mankind for centuries. Since 1993, he has been teaching people exactly what they need to do to become more charismatic.
-
How do I book Judson Vaughn to speak at my event?
Our experienced booking agents have successfully helped clients around the world secure speakers like Judson Vaughn for speaking engagements, personal appearances, product endorsements, or corporate entertainment since 2002. Click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page to check availability for Judson Vaughn, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to discuss your upcoming event. One of our experienced agents will be happy to help you get speaking fee information and check availability for Judson Vaughn or any other speaker of your choice. -
What are the speaker fees for Judson Vaughn
Speaking fees for Judson Vaughn, or any other speakers and celebrities, are determined based on a number of factors and may change without notice. The estimated fees to book Judson Vaughn are $10,000 - $20,000 for live events and available upon request for virtual events. For the most current speaking fee to hire Judson Vaughn, click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536 to speak directly with an experienced booking agent. -
What topics does Judson Vaughn speak about?
Judson Vaughn is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Business, Emotional Intelligence, Entrepreneurship, Executive Leadership, Fitness, Personal Growth, Television & Film -
Where does Judson Vaughn travel from?
Judson Vaughn generally travels from Atlanta, GA, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent. -
Who is Judson Vaughn’s agent?
AAE Speakers Bureau has successfully booked keynote speakers like Judson Vaughn for clients worldwide since 2002. As a full-service speaker booking agency, we have access to virtually any speaker or celebrity in the world. Our agents are happy and able to submit an offer to the speaker or celebrity of your choice, letting you benefit from our reputation and long-standing relationships in the industry. Please click the Check Availability button above and complete the form on this page including the details of your event, or call our office at 1.800.698.2536, and one of our agents will assist you to book Judson Vaughn for your next private or corporate function. -
What is a full-service speaker booking agency?
AAE Speakers Bureau is a full-service speaker booking agency, meaning we can completely manage the speaker’s or celebrity’s engagement with your organization from the time of booking your speaker through the event’s completion. We provide all of the services you need to host Judson Vaughn or any other speaker of your choice, including offer negotiation, contractual assistance, accounting and billing, and event speaker travel and logistics services. When you book a speaker with us, we manage the process of hosting a speaker for you as an extension of your team. Our goal is to give our clients peace of mind and a best-in-class service experience when booking a speaker with us. -
Why is AAE Speakers Bureau different from other booking agencies?
If you’re looking for the best, unbiased speaker recommendations, paired with a top-notch customer service experience, you’re in the right place. At AAE Speakers Bureau, we exclusively represent the interests of our clients - professional organizations, companies, universities, and associations. We intentionally do not represent the speakers we feature or book. That is so we can present our clients with the broadest and best performing set of speaker options in the market today, and we can make these recommendations without any obligation to promote a specific speaker over another. This is why when our agents suggest a speaker for your event, you can be assured that they are of the highest quality with a history of proven success with our other clients.
Judson Vaughn is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as The Recipe for Great Presentations, Charisma: The Ultimate Tool of Persuasion , Writing Body Language and The Six Elements of Instinctual Trust. The estimated speaking fee range to book Judson Vaughn for your event is $10,000 - $20,000. Judson Vaughn generally travels from Atlanta, GA, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Heela Yang, Carolyn Stern, Abby Kircher, Michael Ventura and Emma Grede. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Judson Vaughn for an upcoming live or virtual event.
This website is a resource for event professionals and strives to provide the most comprehensive catalog of thought leaders and industry experts to consider for speaking engagements. A listing or profile on this website does not imply an agency affiliation or endorsement by the talent.
All American Entertainment (AAE) exclusively represents the interests of talent buyers, and does not claim to be the agency or management for any speaker or artist on this site. AAE is a talent booking agency for paid events only. We do not handle requests for donation of time or media requests for interviews, and cannot provide celebrity contact information.
If you are the talent and wish to request a profile update or removal from our online directory, please submit a profile request form.








