1 00:00:00,050 --> 00:00:02,360 Carol Cox: How comfortable are you thinking and speaking 2 00:00:02,360 --> 00:00:04,070 on your feet? That's what we're talking 3 00:00:04,070 --> 00:00:05,990 about in today's episode of the Speaking 4 00:00:05,990 --> 00:00:07,220 Your Brand podcast. 5 00:00:10,810 --> 00:00:13,390 More and more women are making an impact by 6 00:00:13,390 --> 00:00:16,120 starting businesses, running for office and 7 00:00:16,120 --> 00:00:18,100 speaking up for what matters. 8 00:00:18,130 --> 00:00:20,350 With my background as a TV political 9 00:00:20,350 --> 00:00:23,230 analyst, entrepreneur and speaker, I 10 00:00:23,230 --> 00:00:25,690 interview and coach purpose driven women to 11 00:00:25,690 --> 00:00:28,210 shape their brands, grow their companies, 12 00:00:28,210 --> 00:00:30,850 and become recognized as influencers in 13 00:00:30,850 --> 00:00:34,210 their field. This is speaking your brand, 14 00:00:34,210 --> 00:00:36,700 your place to learn how to persuasively 15 00:00:36,700 --> 00:00:40,810 communicate your message to your audience. 16 00:00:40,810 --> 00:00:42,010 Hi there and welcome to the Speaking Your 17 00:00:42,010 --> 00:00:44,380 Brand podcast. I'm your host, Carol Cox. 18 00:00:44,380 --> 00:00:46,720 Are you the type of speaker who loves to 19 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,170 have your entire presentation scripted out? 20 00:00:50,170 --> 00:00:52,870 You have it pretty much word for word in a 21 00:00:52,870 --> 00:00:55,180 document, and then you have your slides. 22 00:00:55,180 --> 00:00:57,010 And then in the notes section underneath the 23 00:00:57,010 --> 00:00:59,350 slides, you have all of your notes for each 24 00:00:59,350 --> 00:01:01,990 slide. Well, in this episode, I'm going to 25 00:01:01,990 --> 00:01:04,150 challenge you to think differently about 26 00:01:04,150 --> 00:01:06,550 your speaking and your presentations. 27 00:01:06,550 --> 00:01:09,610 I really want you to embrace impromptu 28 00:01:09,610 --> 00:01:11,500 speaking. Now, this doesn't mean that you're 29 00:01:11,500 --> 00:01:13,360 not going to prepare for your presentations. 30 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:16,420 You are. But I want you to get more practice 31 00:01:16,420 --> 00:01:19,840 being able to think and speak on your feet. 32 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:21,100 Because have you ever had one of these 33 00:01:21,100 --> 00:01:23,020 situations happen to you? 34 00:01:23,020 --> 00:01:25,450 Number one, you're in a meeting or you're in 35 00:01:25,450 --> 00:01:27,880 a group and you're asked to share something 36 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:29,620 on the spot. Maybe they're going around the 37 00:01:29,620 --> 00:01:31,660 room and they want everyone to answer a 38 00:01:31,660 --> 00:01:34,150 question, and you're the first person that 39 00:01:34,150 --> 00:01:35,170 they select. 40 00:01:35,170 --> 00:01:37,720 And so what usually happens is that you get 41 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:39,760 really nervous. You feel at a loss for 42 00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:41,590 words, and maybe you mumble something, but 43 00:01:41,740 --> 00:01:43,930 you don't feel like it was a great answer. 44 00:01:43,930 --> 00:01:46,300 Or number two, you're at a networking event 45 00:01:46,300 --> 00:01:48,580 where you need to concisely share with the 46 00:01:48,580 --> 00:01:51,280 other people there who you are, what you do, 47 00:01:51,280 --> 00:01:52,630 and how you help people. 48 00:01:52,630 --> 00:01:54,730 But after you introduce yourself, you 49 00:01:54,730 --> 00:01:57,970 realize that you left out the most important 50 00:01:57,970 --> 00:02:01,360 part, or it felt just like a jumble. 51 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:03,370 Or number three, you're leading a meeting 52 00:02:03,370 --> 00:02:05,410 where you need to motivate your team, but 53 00:02:05,410 --> 00:02:07,480 you didn't have an opportunity to prepare 54 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:08,860 your message ahead of time. 55 00:02:08,860 --> 00:02:10,900 And so afterwards, you feel like you weren't 56 00:02:10,900 --> 00:02:12,940 as clear or you didn't come across as 57 00:02:12,940 --> 00:02:15,220 confident as you wanted to be. 58 00:02:15,700 --> 00:02:18,670 So regardless of how prepared you feel for 59 00:02:18,670 --> 00:02:20,500 the presentations that you give, where you 60 00:02:20,500 --> 00:02:22,900 have your outline on your slides, you still 61 00:02:22,900 --> 00:02:25,690 want to be as equally prepared for those 62 00:02:25,690 --> 00:02:27,910 situations that I just described. 63 00:02:27,910 --> 00:02:30,340 And yes, I realize this is an oxymoron to 64 00:02:30,340 --> 00:02:32,680 feel like you are prepared for impromptu 65 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:35,050 speaking, but you absolutely can be. 66 00:02:35,050 --> 00:02:37,990 And as a leader and as a speaker, you really 67 00:02:37,990 --> 00:02:40,420 need to hone both your prepared and your 68 00:02:40,420 --> 00:02:42,700 impromptu speaking skills. 69 00:02:42,700 --> 00:02:44,320 So in this episode, I'm going to share with 70 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,650 you why impromptu speaking is hard. 71 00:02:47,650 --> 00:02:50,170 Especially hard for us high achieving women. 72 00:02:50,170 --> 00:02:53,170 Why impromptu speaking matters so much to 73 00:02:53,170 --> 00:02:54,940 your development as a speaker and as a 74 00:02:54,940 --> 00:02:57,790 leader. Specific things you can do to get 75 00:02:57,790 --> 00:03:00,010 better at impromptu speaking, and I'm going 76 00:03:00,010 --> 00:03:02,290 to share some of my own impromptu speaking 77 00:03:02,290 --> 00:03:04,390 wins and fails. 78 00:03:04,390 --> 00:03:06,280 If you're new to the podcast, welcome here at 79 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:07,960 Speaking Your Brand. We work with women 80 00:03:07,960 --> 00:03:10,600 entrepreneurs and professionals to clarify 81 00:03:10,600 --> 00:03:12,550 their brand message and story, create their 82 00:03:12,550 --> 00:03:14,410 signature talks, and develop their thought 83 00:03:14,410 --> 00:03:15,640 leadership platforms. 84 00:03:15,640 --> 00:03:17,350 Our mission is to get more women in 85 00:03:17,350 --> 00:03:19,810 positions of influence and power, because we 86 00:03:19,810 --> 00:03:21,850 know that change comes through women's 87 00:03:21,850 --> 00:03:25,330 stories, voices, visibility, and leadership. 88 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:27,430 I'm going to talk about this more at the end 89 00:03:27,430 --> 00:03:30,700 of the episode, but we have a brand new live 90 00:03:30,700 --> 00:03:33,400 online workshop that we've created to help 91 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,530 you build your speaking confidence, 92 00:03:35,530 --> 00:03:38,800 including these impromptu speaking skills. 93 00:03:38,800 --> 00:03:39,970 Again, we're going to I'm going to share 94 00:03:39,970 --> 00:03:41,470 more information about that at the end of 95 00:03:41,470 --> 00:03:43,300 this episode. You want to make sure to 96 00:03:43,300 --> 00:03:44,770 listen until the end, because I have a 97 00:03:44,770 --> 00:03:48,040 special coupon code for you to save on this 98 00:03:48,040 --> 00:03:50,890 workshop just for podcast listeners. 99 00:03:50,890 --> 00:03:53,230 Now let's get on with the show. 100 00:03:53,230 --> 00:03:55,060 What exactly does impromptu mean? 101 00:03:55,060 --> 00:03:57,190 I looked it up on dictionary.com and here's 102 00:03:57,190 --> 00:04:01,210 the definition made or done without previous 103 00:04:01,210 --> 00:04:03,610 preparation. And the example that 104 00:04:03,610 --> 00:04:06,670 Dictionary.com gave is an impromptu address 105 00:04:06,670 --> 00:04:08,620 to the unexpected crowds. 106 00:04:08,620 --> 00:04:10,330 Another definition is something that 107 00:04:10,330 --> 00:04:12,940 suddenly or hastily prepared or made, like 108 00:04:12,940 --> 00:04:14,170 an impromptu dinner. 109 00:04:14,320 --> 00:04:17,440 And the third definition is improvised, 110 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:19,750 having the character of an improvisation. 111 00:04:19,750 --> 00:04:21,850 And we're going to come back to improv in 112 00:04:21,850 --> 00:04:24,970 just a little bit, but made or done without 113 00:04:24,970 --> 00:04:26,980 previous preparation. 114 00:04:26,980 --> 00:04:30,670 And I think that's what scares us the most. 115 00:04:30,670 --> 00:04:32,770 Why is impromptu speaking so hard? 116 00:04:32,770 --> 00:04:35,050 Why do we fear it so much, and why do we 117 00:04:35,050 --> 00:04:37,240 feel like we're not good at thinking and 118 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:38,770 speaking on our feet? 119 00:04:38,890 --> 00:04:41,380 I believe it's because for those of us who 120 00:04:41,380 --> 00:04:44,140 are high achieving women, we're so used to 121 00:04:44,140 --> 00:04:47,020 being good at the things that we do, and we 122 00:04:47,020 --> 00:04:49,060 generally we do the things that we're 123 00:04:49,060 --> 00:04:50,320 already good at. 124 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:52,450 We did well in school, we've done well in 125 00:04:52,450 --> 00:04:54,070 our professional careers and in our 126 00:04:54,070 --> 00:04:56,500 businesses, and a lot of that has to do with 127 00:04:56,500 --> 00:04:59,680 preparation. We've studied for the exams, we 128 00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:01,810 made sure we did our homework on time and we 129 00:05:01,810 --> 00:05:04,540 were validated and we were encouraged for 130 00:05:04,540 --> 00:05:06,910 doing so. So that's why now when we put 131 00:05:06,910 --> 00:05:09,100 together our presentations and our talks and 132 00:05:09,100 --> 00:05:10,120 our keynotes, we. 133 00:05:10,230 --> 00:05:12,090 You want to make sure that our outline is 134 00:05:12,090 --> 00:05:13,800 filled out, that we have all of the notes, 135 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:16,020 maybe even an entire script for it. 136 00:05:16,020 --> 00:05:19,560 All of our slides are done as well, because 137 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,470 we're afraid we're not going to know what to 138 00:05:22,470 --> 00:05:24,960 say if we don't have everything scripted 139 00:05:24,960 --> 00:05:26,670 out. If we don't have all of our notes and 140 00:05:26,670 --> 00:05:30,120 slides, we don't want to mess up that 141 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:32,820 perfectionism streak, I know runs really 142 00:05:32,820 --> 00:05:36,600 strong and a lot of us, and we want to say 143 00:05:36,600 --> 00:05:38,310 the exact right thing. 144 00:05:38,610 --> 00:05:40,980 This is why when we work with our clients and 145 00:05:40,980 --> 00:05:42,450 our thought leader Academy, and we've done 146 00:05:42,450 --> 00:05:44,700 their VIP to create their signature talk, 147 00:05:44,700 --> 00:05:46,890 and then their homework is to take what 148 00:05:46,890 --> 00:05:48,540 we've written on the post-it notes and then 149 00:05:48,540 --> 00:05:50,400 transcribe it into an outline. 150 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:53,370 And some of them want to write out their 151 00:05:53,370 --> 00:05:54,990 entire talk. And we're talking, you know, 152 00:05:54,990 --> 00:05:58,440 35, 45 minute talk, an entire talk. 153 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:00,510 They want to write it all out word for word. 154 00:06:00,510 --> 00:06:03,690 And we tell them that that number one, 155 00:06:03,690 --> 00:06:04,920 that's going to be really hard, because 156 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:07,050 you're not going to want to memorize a talk 157 00:06:07,050 --> 00:06:08,190 that that's long. 158 00:06:08,520 --> 00:06:10,320 Number two is going to take you out of the 159 00:06:10,320 --> 00:06:12,570 present moment. If you're trying to remember 160 00:06:12,570 --> 00:06:15,030 what you wrote on your for your talk, 161 00:06:15,030 --> 00:06:16,950 instead of just engaging with the audience. 162 00:06:16,950 --> 00:06:18,300 And number three, you're not going to come 163 00:06:18,300 --> 00:06:20,730 across as natural and authentic when you're 164 00:06:20,730 --> 00:06:22,980 actually delivering the presentation to your 165 00:06:22,980 --> 00:06:25,050 audience. But I know, especially for those 166 00:06:25,050 --> 00:06:27,300 who are writers and yes, I see you. 167 00:06:27,300 --> 00:06:29,610 I know who you are, that you want to write 168 00:06:29,610 --> 00:06:31,410 everything out, and the reason you want to 169 00:06:31,410 --> 00:06:33,900 write everything out, I believe, is because 170 00:06:33,900 --> 00:06:36,810 you know that if you can put pen to paper, 171 00:06:36,810 --> 00:06:39,180 typewriter to the Google doc, that you're 172 00:06:39,180 --> 00:06:41,610 going to come up with the exact right words, 173 00:06:41,610 --> 00:06:43,530 the exact right thing to say to your 174 00:06:43,530 --> 00:06:45,810 audience. And I'm here to tell you that 175 00:06:45,810 --> 00:06:48,600 there are no magic words to say to your 176 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:51,960 audience. Instead, it's about understanding 177 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:54,300 where your audience is and having empathy 178 00:06:54,300 --> 00:06:56,730 for them, validating where they're at. 179 00:06:56,730 --> 00:06:59,460 It's not about having all the right answers, 180 00:06:59,460 --> 00:07:01,650 or having those magic words or the perfect 181 00:07:01,650 --> 00:07:04,230 thing to say. It's about asking the big 182 00:07:04,230 --> 00:07:06,120 questions and helping your audience to 183 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:08,070 understand what are the big questions? 184 00:07:08,070 --> 00:07:09,870 What are the conversations that need to be 185 00:07:09,870 --> 00:07:12,980 had? It's about you as the speaker and you 186 00:07:12,980 --> 00:07:14,420 as the leader, contributing to the 187 00:07:14,420 --> 00:07:16,670 conversation that's going on in the present 188 00:07:16,670 --> 00:07:18,920 moment. If everything that you do is always 189 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:21,260 scripted and always prepared in advance, 190 00:07:21,260 --> 00:07:23,360 what if something has happened that day or 191 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:24,440 the day before? 192 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:27,140 You need to address it in your presentation, 193 00:07:27,140 --> 00:07:29,090 in your talk for that audience, how are you 194 00:07:29,090 --> 00:07:32,180 going to have the agility, the skill set to 195 00:07:32,180 --> 00:07:35,180 do that? It's also about recognizing the 196 00:07:35,180 --> 00:07:37,610 energy and the mood of your audience and 197 00:07:37,610 --> 00:07:38,960 adjusting as necessary. 198 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:40,970 If your audience is really high energy in 199 00:07:40,970 --> 00:07:42,770 the moment, you want to make sure that you 200 00:07:42,770 --> 00:07:44,120 keep that energy up. 201 00:07:44,900 --> 00:07:47,690 In contrast, if your audience is really 202 00:07:47,690 --> 00:07:49,190 reflective, something's going on. 203 00:07:49,190 --> 00:07:51,260 Maybe they have low energy because they just 204 00:07:51,260 --> 00:07:53,090 got back from lunch or a really hard 205 00:07:53,090 --> 00:07:55,040 session. You want to make sure that you're 206 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:58,130 recognizing that and addressing it and then 207 00:07:58,130 --> 00:07:59,870 lifting their energy, if that's the 208 00:07:59,870 --> 00:08:01,310 appropriate thing to do. 209 00:08:01,310 --> 00:08:04,700 I talk more about this in episode 382 from a 210 00:08:04,700 --> 00:08:06,890 couple of months ago called Three Signs 211 00:08:06,890 --> 00:08:09,080 You're Stuck in the Expert Trap, so I highly 212 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:10,760 recommend that episode as well. 213 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:12,860 This is why getting better at impromptu 214 00:08:12,860 --> 00:08:15,380 speaking matters to you both as a speaker 215 00:08:15,380 --> 00:08:17,540 and as a leader, because you're really there 216 00:08:17,540 --> 00:08:19,490 to lead your audience, to guide your 217 00:08:19,490 --> 00:08:21,920 audience to understanding where they're at 218 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:23,390 and then where they want to go. 219 00:08:23,570 --> 00:08:25,310 I was on the debate team when I was in high 220 00:08:25,310 --> 00:08:27,620 school, and I did Model United Nations in 221 00:08:27,620 --> 00:08:30,080 college, and I've been on live TV so many 222 00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:31,670 times that I've lost count. 223 00:08:31,670 --> 00:08:34,790 So I had to get used very, very quickly to 224 00:08:34,790 --> 00:08:36,590 thinking and speaking on my feet. 225 00:08:36,590 --> 00:08:38,990 And I learned very quickly that there are no 226 00:08:38,990 --> 00:08:40,700 magic words, and there is no way that I 227 00:08:40,700 --> 00:08:42,650 would be able to have a prepared script when 228 00:08:42,650 --> 00:08:45,440 my when I go on live TV, unlike the anchors, 229 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:47,510 I don't get a teleprompter with a script 230 00:08:47,510 --> 00:08:49,490 that's been written out in front of me. 231 00:08:49,730 --> 00:08:52,850 But there was a time when I was on live TV 232 00:08:52,850 --> 00:08:54,950 when I was asked a question, and for the 233 00:08:54,950 --> 00:08:58,220 first time in all of the segments I had been 234 00:08:58,220 --> 00:09:02,750 on. I stopped my literally, my mouth would 235 00:09:02,750 --> 00:09:05,840 not open and I didn't have an answer for the 236 00:09:05,840 --> 00:09:07,820 first time. And I think I sat there for 237 00:09:07,820 --> 00:09:09,110 about 10s. 238 00:09:09,140 --> 00:09:11,960 Now, luckily, we were recording a segment 239 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:13,880 that was going to air the next morning, so 240 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:15,110 this wasn't actually live. 241 00:09:15,110 --> 00:09:16,790 Most of the time that I was on TV, it was 242 00:09:16,790 --> 00:09:18,860 actually being broadcast live in real time, 243 00:09:18,860 --> 00:09:20,060 but this one wasn't. 244 00:09:20,620 --> 00:09:24,970 And the reason that I was stumped for 10s is 245 00:09:24,970 --> 00:09:28,630 that was the night of the 2016 election, and 246 00:09:28,630 --> 00:09:30,490 we all know how that went. 247 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:32,830 It was about 11:30 p.m. 248 00:09:32,830 --> 00:09:35,410 that night, and it was clear that Hillary 249 00:09:35,410 --> 00:09:37,120 Clinton was not going to become the first 250 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:40,060 woman president, as I and so many other 251 00:09:40,060 --> 00:09:42,850 women in this country had wanted to happen. 252 00:09:42,850 --> 00:09:45,430 And I was in a state of shock. 253 00:09:45,460 --> 00:09:47,560 A lot of the other people in the newsroom, I 254 00:09:47,560 --> 00:09:49,240 could tell, were in a state of shock. 255 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:51,550 And so we were again filming a segment that 256 00:09:51,550 --> 00:09:53,140 was going to air the next morning, kind of 257 00:09:53,140 --> 00:09:55,390 just talking about what had happened and 258 00:09:55,390 --> 00:09:56,890 what was going to be coming next. 259 00:09:56,890 --> 00:09:58,660 So the reporter who I worked with the whole 260 00:09:58,660 --> 00:10:00,820 year, you know, we were sitting in the 261 00:10:00,820 --> 00:10:02,590 studio getting ready to record this segment. 262 00:10:02,590 --> 00:10:04,390 And so we start and he asked me, I don't 263 00:10:04,390 --> 00:10:05,590 even remember what the question is. He asked 264 00:10:05,590 --> 00:10:09,220 me the question, and I just sat there and 265 00:10:09,220 --> 00:10:11,230 like I said, like my I just didn't have any 266 00:10:11,230 --> 00:10:13,180 words. I was at a loss for words because of 267 00:10:13,180 --> 00:10:14,440 that shock to the system. 268 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:16,390 But very quickly I recovered and I just went 269 00:10:16,390 --> 00:10:19,030 on to to say my piece for the segment. 270 00:10:19,030 --> 00:10:20,860 But I'm sharing this story to let you know 271 00:10:20,860 --> 00:10:23,710 that all of us have those moments at some 272 00:10:23,710 --> 00:10:26,140 time, and the more times you speak, the more 273 00:10:26,140 --> 00:10:28,750 times you go on TV, the more interviews you 274 00:10:28,750 --> 00:10:31,570 do. There probably will come a time when 275 00:10:31,570 --> 00:10:33,310 you're at a loss for words or you are 276 00:10:33,310 --> 00:10:34,420 stumped by something. 277 00:10:34,420 --> 00:10:37,810 And so to me, it matters less about finding 278 00:10:37,810 --> 00:10:40,600 the magic words, and that in that situation 279 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:44,080 then how you respond to yourself, how do you 280 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:45,220 treat yourself? 281 00:10:45,220 --> 00:10:48,160 What kind of grace and compassion do you 282 00:10:48,160 --> 00:10:49,900 give to yourself in those moments? 283 00:10:49,900 --> 00:10:51,850 Or if you see someone else who's in that 284 00:10:51,850 --> 00:10:54,730 situation, how much grace and compassion do 285 00:10:54,730 --> 00:10:57,610 you give to them? So here are some specific 286 00:10:57,610 --> 00:10:59,800 things you can do to get better at impromptu 287 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:01,720 speaking, and to feel more confident 288 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:03,730 thinking and speaking on your feet. 289 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,940 The first thing is to practice, practice, 290 00:11:06,940 --> 00:11:10,120 practice, practice sharing your key stories 291 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:11,530 and your key points. 292 00:11:11,530 --> 00:11:14,500 Often, being a guest on podcasts, doing 293 00:11:14,500 --> 00:11:17,050 podcast interviews is a great way to do 294 00:11:17,050 --> 00:11:19,420 this, as is hosting your own podcast. 295 00:11:19,420 --> 00:11:21,400 I've been doing this podcast for over seven 296 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:24,520 years. This is episode 390, so I definitely 297 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:25,900 have gotten more comfortable sharing my 298 00:11:25,900 --> 00:11:26,980 stories and my key points. 299 00:11:26,980 --> 00:11:29,110 Same thing with doing podcast interviews. 300 00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:31,870 And so have your your key stories for your 301 00:11:31,870 --> 00:11:33,880 story bank and have your framework and your 302 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:36,100 key points. You can have some notes for you, 303 00:11:36,100 --> 00:11:38,200 but then go do those podcast interviews and 304 00:11:38,200 --> 00:11:41,710 just start sharing the same key stories and 305 00:11:41,710 --> 00:11:44,050 the same key points over and over again. 306 00:11:44,050 --> 00:11:46,780 As I always remind our clients, you know your 307 00:11:46,780 --> 00:11:49,450 own stories, you know your own content, you 308 00:11:49,450 --> 00:11:50,650 know your own framework. 309 00:11:50,650 --> 00:11:52,780 This is why we recommend for your framework 310 00:11:52,780 --> 00:11:55,090 that you have an acronym or an alliteration 311 00:11:55,090 --> 00:11:57,160 or a visual shape. It helps you remember it 312 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:58,810 as much as it helps your audience to 313 00:11:58,810 --> 00:12:01,000 remember it. But you know your stories. 314 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:02,680 You know your material. 315 00:12:02,980 --> 00:12:05,500 If I were to come to you and ask you to 316 00:12:05,500 --> 00:12:07,870 share a particular story, you could do it 317 00:12:07,870 --> 00:12:09,670 just like you were having lunch with a 318 00:12:09,670 --> 00:12:11,410 friend and sharing that story. 319 00:12:11,590 --> 00:12:14,290 So as you're going to your more prepared 320 00:12:14,290 --> 00:12:16,450 speaking engagements, your presentations try 321 00:12:16,450 --> 00:12:19,900 to rely less and less on having a full 322 00:12:19,900 --> 00:12:21,580 outline with a whole bunch of notes. 323 00:12:21,580 --> 00:12:24,190 Try to rely less and less on the notes 324 00:12:24,190 --> 00:12:25,660 section of your slides. 325 00:12:25,660 --> 00:12:28,210 That bottom section I actually I don't use 326 00:12:28,210 --> 00:12:30,310 it at all. You really don't need it. 327 00:12:30,310 --> 00:12:33,790 Use the slides as your visual guide, your 328 00:12:33,790 --> 00:12:35,350 own visual guide, or the audience visual 329 00:12:35,350 --> 00:12:37,720 guide as well, and rely less and less on 330 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:39,910 your on the text, on the content of your 331 00:12:39,910 --> 00:12:41,230 slides. You really shouldn't have a lot of 332 00:12:41,230 --> 00:12:42,880 text on your slides to begin with. 333 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:45,520 Now here's an example of the power of having 334 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:48,220 practiced sharing your stories and your key 335 00:12:48,220 --> 00:12:49,660 points often. 336 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:53,820 Just this past February, we held our three 337 00:12:53,820 --> 00:12:55,770 day in person client retreat where we 338 00:12:55,770 --> 00:12:58,890 brought together 12 women for three days, 339 00:12:58,890 --> 00:13:00,660 where we practiced for the first two days, 340 00:13:00,660 --> 00:13:03,030 and the third day they filmed the speaking 341 00:13:03,030 --> 00:13:04,830 segments that they had practiced so that 342 00:13:04,830 --> 00:13:05,910 they would have it for their speaker. 343 00:13:05,910 --> 00:13:08,550 Real well, on the morning of that third day. 344 00:13:08,580 --> 00:13:10,980 Diane and I also were going to film a few of 345 00:13:10,980 --> 00:13:12,030 our own speaking segments. 346 00:13:12,030 --> 00:13:13,630 So these speaking segments are about five 347 00:13:13,630 --> 00:13:15,300 minutes long. Well, leading up to the 348 00:13:15,300 --> 00:13:17,010 retreat, I kind of had an idea of what 349 00:13:17,010 --> 00:13:18,120 segments I wanted to film. 350 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:20,370 I wanted to film one with props, I wanted to 351 00:13:20,370 --> 00:13:21,900 film one with some audience engagement and 352 00:13:21,900 --> 00:13:25,260 so on. But that morning of that third day, I 353 00:13:25,260 --> 00:13:28,110 was taking a shower to get ready, and all of 354 00:13:28,110 --> 00:13:30,690 a sudden this story popped into my mind. 355 00:13:30,690 --> 00:13:34,920 The story of that not great TEDx talk that I 356 00:13:34,920 --> 00:13:37,290 gave back in October of 2016, and I've 357 00:13:37,290 --> 00:13:39,120 talked about it here on the podcast, most 358 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:41,130 recently back at the beginning of March for 359 00:13:41,130 --> 00:13:42,180 Women's History Month. 360 00:13:42,180 --> 00:13:44,400 So as I was taking the shower that morning, 361 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:46,530 kind of that I was thinking about that 362 00:13:46,530 --> 00:13:49,020 speaking engagement, and all of a sudden I 363 00:13:49,020 --> 00:13:51,810 realized the story I had been telling myself 364 00:13:51,810 --> 00:13:54,840 about that speaking fail was actually not 365 00:13:54,840 --> 00:13:56,940 quite right. Well, it was right, but there 366 00:13:56,940 --> 00:13:58,320 was much more to the story. 367 00:13:58,320 --> 00:14:00,210 So I started kind of thinking about this in 368 00:14:00,210 --> 00:14:02,220 my mind, and then I started framing how I 369 00:14:02,220 --> 00:14:04,500 was going to deliver the speaking segment. 370 00:14:04,500 --> 00:14:05,970 So how was I going to open? 371 00:14:05,970 --> 00:14:07,410 What parts of the story was I going to 372 00:14:07,410 --> 00:14:08,820 share, and then how was I going to end it? 373 00:14:08,820 --> 00:14:10,440 So I did all this and the, you know, the 374 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:12,000 five minutes that I was in the shower. 375 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:15,120 So we get to that day three, you know, we're 376 00:14:15,120 --> 00:14:16,680 getting everything ready. The film crew is 377 00:14:16,680 --> 00:14:18,240 there and all that. And then Diane and I are 378 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:19,650 ready to to film our segment. 379 00:14:19,650 --> 00:14:21,240 So we filmed some segments together. 380 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:22,710 And then I was like, okay, I'm just going to 381 00:14:22,710 --> 00:14:23,820 go ahead and go for this. I haven't 382 00:14:23,820 --> 00:14:25,800 practiced it at all. I had zero notes. 383 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:27,630 Nothing had written out whatsoever, just 384 00:14:27,630 --> 00:14:28,980 what I had thought of that morning. 385 00:14:29,070 --> 00:14:30,840 So I get up there and I deliver the whole 386 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:34,980 thing with no pausing, no redos whatsoever. 387 00:14:34,980 --> 00:14:38,370 Five minutes now, looking back at it, there 388 00:14:38,370 --> 00:14:39,810 were there are some things that I would 389 00:14:39,810 --> 00:14:41,550 change about it, but very minor. 390 00:14:41,550 --> 00:14:42,930 No one else would notice it. 391 00:14:42,930 --> 00:14:46,350 But that is the power of impromptu speaking. 392 00:14:46,350 --> 00:14:48,990 That is the power of knowing your stories. 393 00:14:48,990 --> 00:14:50,790 That's also the power of understanding our 394 00:14:50,790 --> 00:14:54,090 framework of how to give a great talk and 395 00:14:54,090 --> 00:14:56,520 our ideal story ingredients, both of which 396 00:14:56,520 --> 00:14:58,590 you'll learn in that workshop we have coming 397 00:14:58,590 --> 00:15:00,240 up. So that's the first thing. 398 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:02,010 Practice sharing your stories and your key 399 00:15:02,010 --> 00:15:04,290 points as often as you can in different 400 00:15:04,290 --> 00:15:08,160 venues. The second thing is do not memorize. 401 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:10,500 Instead, engage with your audience. 402 00:15:10,500 --> 00:15:12,060 Truly connect with them. 403 00:15:12,060 --> 00:15:14,700 Look around, see who's in that room. 404 00:15:14,700 --> 00:15:17,190 Think about what would help them that you 405 00:15:17,190 --> 00:15:19,770 can share. And this is especially true for 406 00:15:19,770 --> 00:15:21,660 those impromptu speaking moments where 407 00:15:21,660 --> 00:15:23,820 you're leading an organization and you have 408 00:15:23,820 --> 00:15:25,920 just a couple of minutes and you need to 409 00:15:25,920 --> 00:15:27,930 kind of rally the troops, or you're leading 410 00:15:27,930 --> 00:15:30,240 a team, you need to rally the troops, really 411 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:32,850 look at them, understand what is it? 412 00:15:32,850 --> 00:15:35,520 What is their goal, what do they need and 413 00:15:35,520 --> 00:15:37,860 what can you share with them in that moment 414 00:15:37,860 --> 00:15:40,560 that's going to help them and help you and 415 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:42,510 help whatever the cause is or whatever the 416 00:15:42,510 --> 00:15:44,790 common goal is, help you all to achieve 417 00:15:44,790 --> 00:15:46,830 that. You can't memorize that in advance. 418 00:15:46,830 --> 00:15:49,200 You really have to engage and connect. 419 00:15:49,410 --> 00:15:51,180 Now, if you're in a situation where you need 420 00:15:51,180 --> 00:15:53,340 to remember to thank certain people or 421 00:15:53,340 --> 00:15:56,010 sponsors, you can have an index card where 422 00:15:56,010 --> 00:15:57,780 you've just jotted down those names. 423 00:15:57,780 --> 00:15:59,790 And so that you have that that index card, 424 00:15:59,790 --> 00:16:01,560 you can use both front and back if you need 425 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:03,690 to, to have that much information on it. 426 00:16:03,690 --> 00:16:05,160 But that way you can just stick it in your 427 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,290 pocket when you're done with using the index 428 00:16:07,290 --> 00:16:08,940 card. Or you can set it aside. 429 00:16:08,940 --> 00:16:11,700 I don't recommend that you put your notes on 430 00:16:11,700 --> 00:16:14,070 your phone. I see a lot of speakers do this 431 00:16:14,070 --> 00:16:15,600 as they have their phone and they put notes 432 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:17,820 on there, so they're kind of scrolling as 433 00:16:17,820 --> 00:16:18,900 they're reading their notes. 434 00:16:18,900 --> 00:16:20,820 The problem with that is that having the 435 00:16:20,820 --> 00:16:22,980 phone out really does disconnect you from 436 00:16:22,980 --> 00:16:24,120 your audience. 437 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:25,830 Also, you don't know if all of a sudden 438 00:16:25,830 --> 00:16:27,930 you're going to get a phone call or a text 439 00:16:27,930 --> 00:16:29,640 notification or something on your phone 440 00:16:29,640 --> 00:16:30,810 while you're scrolling that's going to 441 00:16:30,810 --> 00:16:32,190 interrupt you. You don't know. 442 00:16:32,190 --> 00:16:34,110 All of a sudden someone you know needs to 443 00:16:34,410 --> 00:16:35,970 say something or ask a question. 444 00:16:35,970 --> 00:16:38,370 Then your phone locks, and then you have to 445 00:16:38,370 --> 00:16:40,050 unlock it before you can continue. 446 00:16:40,050 --> 00:16:41,100 And then you have to figure out where am I 447 00:16:41,100 --> 00:16:42,450 going to put the phone when I'm done with 448 00:16:42,450 --> 00:16:43,740 this. So you leave it in your hand. So it's 449 00:16:43,740 --> 00:16:45,210 just not a good idea. Just have an index 450 00:16:45,210 --> 00:16:47,370 card instead and really engage with the 451 00:16:47,370 --> 00:16:48,870 audience. Ask them some questions. 452 00:16:48,870 --> 00:16:50,250 Show of hands. Questions out loud. 453 00:16:50,250 --> 00:16:52,410 Questions. Make it about all. 454 00:16:52,410 --> 00:16:53,850 All. Make it about everyone. 455 00:16:53,850 --> 00:16:55,800 Not just don't just put the pressure on you 456 00:16:55,800 --> 00:16:57,090 as the as the speaker. 457 00:16:57,360 --> 00:16:59,250 Third thing to do to get better in impromptu 458 00:16:59,250 --> 00:17:01,500 speaking and feel more confident is to take 459 00:17:01,500 --> 00:17:02,790 an improv class. 460 00:17:02,790 --> 00:17:04,590 Now, I know you've heard us talk about this 461 00:17:04,590 --> 00:17:07,350 a lot, especially over the past year, but it 462 00:17:07,350 --> 00:17:09,360 really is so good to get you out of your 463 00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:11,370 head and into your body, and to recognize 464 00:17:11,370 --> 00:17:12,900 that you can be silly. 465 00:17:12,900 --> 00:17:15,360 You can be on a stage in front of people and 466 00:17:15,360 --> 00:17:16,680 not have all the answers. 467 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:18,420 You can be on a stage in front of a bunch of 468 00:17:18,420 --> 00:17:20,340 people and not literally not know what's 469 00:17:20,340 --> 00:17:22,170 coming next, or what the person's going to 470 00:17:22,170 --> 00:17:24,780 say next, and you're going to be okay. 471 00:17:24,780 --> 00:17:26,610 That was the biggest lesson that I got from 472 00:17:26,610 --> 00:17:28,680 improv is that you're going to be okay. 473 00:17:28,680 --> 00:17:30,540 So again, practice sharing your stories and 474 00:17:30,540 --> 00:17:31,830 your key points often. 475 00:17:31,830 --> 00:17:33,060 Don't memorize. 476 00:17:33,060 --> 00:17:35,190 Instead, engage and connect and take that 477 00:17:35,190 --> 00:17:37,500 improv class to get out of your head and 478 00:17:37,500 --> 00:17:39,240 into your body. 479 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:41,130 Now, if you would like to work with us on 480 00:17:41,130 --> 00:17:43,020 building your speaking confidence and these 481 00:17:43,020 --> 00:17:45,240 impromptu speaking skills, this is what 482 00:17:45,240 --> 00:17:48,120 we're doing in our brand new live online 483 00:17:48,120 --> 00:18:01,240 workshop. 484 00:18:01,240 --> 00:18:07,470 We truly create a safe environment for all 485 00:18:07,470 --> 00:18:08,550 the women that we work with. 486 00:18:08,550 --> 00:18:10,650 This is what we hear a time and time again 487 00:18:10,650 --> 00:18:12,210 from the clients who work with us, and our 488 00:18:12,210 --> 00:18:13,740 thought Leader Academy and the other 489 00:18:13,740 --> 00:18:15,870 workshops that we've done is they they 490 00:18:15,870 --> 00:18:18,090 really feel like they have a safe 491 00:18:18,090 --> 00:18:20,190 environment where they can try new things, 492 00:18:20,190 --> 00:18:22,920 they can share their stories and get our 493 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:25,410 feedback. So you're going to learn in this 494 00:18:25,410 --> 00:18:27,810 workshop how to use our framework for any 495 00:18:27,810 --> 00:18:30,540 presentation, speech or interview you have, 496 00:18:30,540 --> 00:18:32,430 whether you have five minutes to prepare or 497 00:18:32,430 --> 00:18:34,560 five weeks to prepare, you're going to learn 498 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:36,660 specific techniques you can use to keep your 499 00:18:36,660 --> 00:18:38,490 audience interested and engaged. 500 00:18:38,490 --> 00:18:40,170 You're going to learn our storytelling 501 00:18:40,170 --> 00:18:42,570 framework and our ideal story ingredients, 502 00:18:42,570 --> 00:18:44,910 and you're going to have lots of time to 503 00:18:44,910 --> 00:18:47,280 practice your storytelling and practice 504 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:49,410 sharing your brand message. 505 00:18:49,410 --> 00:18:51,210 And you'll get feedback and coaching from us 506 00:18:51,210 --> 00:18:53,700 so you can quickly develop these impromptu 507 00:18:53,700 --> 00:18:55,650 speaking skills and build your confidence. 508 00:18:55,650 --> 00:18:57,510 You can get all the details and you can 509 00:18:57,510 --> 00:18:58,890 register as speaking your 510 00:18:58,890 --> 00:19:03,120 brand.com/speaking-workshop. Again, that's 511 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:06,420 speaking your brand. Com slash speaking dash 512 00:19:06,420 --> 00:19:08,610 workshop. There's a link in the show notes 513 00:19:08,610 --> 00:19:09,990 so you can click on that link as well. 514 00:19:09,990 --> 00:19:12,150 And the coupon code just for podcast 515 00:19:12,150 --> 00:19:15,090 listeners like you to save $100 on this 516 00:19:15,090 --> 00:19:18,990 workshop is the code Podcast100. 517 00:19:18,990 --> 00:19:23,670 So all together no spaces Podcast100. 518 00:19:23,670 --> 00:19:27,000 So just put the coupon code Podcast100 in 519 00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,550 the registration form when you sign up. 520 00:19:29,550 --> 00:19:32,100 It's going to be a fun workshop and you're 521 00:19:32,100 --> 00:19:34,380 going to find that having the the mini 522 00:19:34,380 --> 00:19:36,480 trainings, the practice and the feedback and 523 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,300 coaching really is going to accelerate your 524 00:19:39,300 --> 00:19:40,320 speaking skills. 525 00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:42,060 The reason we're doing this workshop is 526 00:19:42,060 --> 00:19:43,980 because it aligns with our mission. 527 00:19:43,980 --> 00:19:47,100 We want more women out there speaking up 528 00:19:47,100 --> 00:19:49,200 leading organizations and companies and 529 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:52,380 being interviewed on podcasts and on TV, and 530 00:19:52,380 --> 00:19:54,630 I want you to be one of those women. 531 00:19:54,630 --> 00:19:57,120 Until next time, thanks for listening.