For Professional Speakers
Add wonder to the keynote.
From conference talks to standing ovations. Back at the Table is the book on bringing magic into professional performance — the philosophy, the ethics, and the business of wonder.
The Angle
Magic is a communication tool, not just entertainment.
Most speakers work with slides. Some work with stories. A very small number work with wonder — the cognitive state that happens when the audience sees something they cannot explain and, for a moment, stops processing and starts experiencing.
That state is not a gimmick. It is a communication advantage. Magic creates genuine surprise, and genuine surprise resets audience attention harder than any slide transition or rhetorical device.
Back at the Table is the book that teaches professional communicators how to wield that advantage. Not the tricks — the methodology. How to choose a routine for a professional context, how to adapt it to your message, and how to deliver it in a way that elevates the talk instead of derailing it.
The Book
Back at the Table — Philosophy, ethics, and the business of wonder.
Philosophy of wonder
Why magic works as a communication tool. The cognitive science of surprise. How a moment of impossibility creates a window for your actual message.
Ethics of performance
Where the line sits between using wonder and manipulating an audience. How to build trust through transparency about your intent. The professional speaker's code.
Business of magic
How to price, position, and deliver a keynote that includes a performance element. Practical logistics from twenty years of integrating magic into corporate innovation talks.
Field-Tested
Twenty years of innovation keynotes. Magic built in.
Felix Lenhard has spent twenty years delivering innovation keynotes and workshops for clients including RHI Magnesita, Magna, voestalpine, Liebherr, Porsche, ZF, Lenze, and Benninghoven. He brings magic into the work — not as a sideshow, but as a deliberate communication tool.
That practice led to co-founding Vulpine Creations with Adam Wilber — twelve original magic products, 4.9-star ratings across more than fifty countries, zero returns, exited 2024. The methodology in Back at the Table comes from performing in boardrooms, not on stages built for magicians.
Where to Start
Two paths, depending on where you are.
If you already perform
Start with Back at the Table
You have the technical foundation. Volume two gives you the framework for bringing performance craft into professional contexts — choosing routines, adapting material, and delivering with intent.
Read Volume TwoIf you are starting from zero
Start with Late to the Table
Volume one covers the path from complete beginner to competent performer. The cognitive science, the practice methodology, and the adult learner's guide to picking up a performance art from scratch.
Read Volume OneFrequently Asked Questions
Common questions from speakers.
- I am a keynote speaker, not a magician. Is this for me?
- Yes. Back at the Table is about using performance craft as a communication tool. Felix developed the approach for his own innovation keynotes.
- Do I need to read Late to the Table first?
- Volume one covers the technical foundation. If you already perform, you can start with volume two. If you are starting from zero, begin with Late to the Table.
- Does the book teach specific routines?
- It teaches the principles behind choosing, adapting, and delivering a routine for professional contexts. It is not a trick book — it is a performance methodology.
- What makes magic effective in a business keynote?
- The cognitive science chapter covers this: magic creates a state of genuine surprise that resets audience attention. Felix has field-tested this across twenty years of innovation talks.
- When do the books release?
- Both volumes release in June 2026.
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Early excerpts on magic, performance, and professional wonder before the June 2026 release.