Comedian and U of T alum Stephan Dyer: Keeping your audience’s attention in 2026

All photo credits: Kemeisha McDonald.

Digital devices and the internet have eroded our attention spans, which means keeping people engaged has never required more effort and preparation.

U of T alum Stephan Dyer (BComm 2010 NEW) is an award-winning comedian, educator and keynote speaker with more than half a million followers on social media, and he’s mastered the art of captivating an audience.

“Don’t just give a speech – deliver an experience,” says Dyer, a Rotman Commerce, University of Toronto grad who earned his degree in 2010 as a member of University of Toronto – New College.

From a career in finance to being funny

After university, Dyer excelled in finance and quickly rose to become one of the youngest senior managers in his bank’s history, affording him time and resources to pursue his creative ambitions.

Through a University of Toronto Toastmasters class, Dyer discovered his natural comedic and public speaking talents and left banking to both full-time.

Since then, Dyer has performed on Just For Laughs / Juste pour rire, Comedy Central and The Second City. He also co-founded reTHINK Group, providing communications training for employees at major companies including Coca-Cola and LinkedIn. And in a full-circle moment, he now teaches public speaking at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, winning the 2024 Excellence in Teaching Award.

“Hit them with your best shot immediately,” he tells students. “Engage the audience every three to five minutes. Ask questions, invite participation, create a conversation, not a lecture, otherwise people will tune out. People will also stop listening if the material isn’t tailored to them or if the speaker doesn’t come across as authentic.”

Dyer says you don’t have to be Michelle Obama or Jim Carrey to give a rousing and charismatic presentation, but you do need a good story and lots of practice.

“Many people just practice in their head, but that’s not practice; you’ve got to put your body through the motions. Just like in sports, you need to warm up.”

Perfecting a presentation

Dyer’s advice for managing nerves and improving delivery: run through a 30-minute presentation at least 20 times. For a five-minute speech at Toastmasters competitions, he’d rehearse 40 to 60 times, recording every take to see what works.

“It’s super painful to watch yourself on video, but it’s probably the most productive time I’ve ever spent honing my presentation skills. The speech optimizes itself because you start to hear what’s redundant, what’s unnecessary. That’s when the real magic happens.”

Originally published by New College