"Opened Dawes" Podcast Ep 11: Adrenaline is Fuel, Not a Roadblock!

Show Notes

This is the podcast of  “Opened Dawes” Live, which runs weekly as a live video show on YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn at 11 am on Tuesday mornings so that we can throw open the doors and welcome you in for a relaxed sharing of information, tips, thoughts, and answering any questions about public speaking and presentation/communication skills you may have.

So, make sure you set the reminders for the shows on Facebook or YouTube (links below) as they are scheduled online and get involved.  The stream is designed to be interactive, with comments/questions able to be shown and attributed on screen.

This week’s show looks at something that is not just a realisation and mindset for the start, but ongoing and something to remind ourselves constantly.  We look at how the feelings from adrenaline can either stop you in your tracks or be embraced and enable you to kick yourself on to heights you never thought possible!  That explosion inside that can make you punch the air and roar out loud!

Whilst the discussion will of course include listening and speaking (in a ratio many forget), the title two “sides” in this show are actually EMOTION and LOGIC.  Tune in to see why they are so important, what each of them achieves, and how you can make sure of their presence in your sales communications.

This show can be watched live (and previous shows recorded) from the following locations:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/OpenDawesTraining/live

YouTube:
www.youtube.com/channel/UCnwlPiWylgEDLrwemI8ZZjw (or search YouTube for Open Dawes Training and click subscribe to be notified)

Thanks to:
www.opendawestraining.co.uk
www.chrisdawescomms.co.uk
www.opendawestraining.co.uk/connect

What is "Opened Dawes" Podcast?

Open Dawes Training is a public speaking, presentation and communication skills coaching company, with the key motivation of the company being to help people open doors that they may not even know exist yet, with increased confidence, willingness, and skills to present and speak in front of/with others. The podcast is taken from the live weekly "Opened Dawes" Live video show, where founder Chris Dawes dives into the key areas that make the difference with "public speaking", whether that is for those who are too nervous to do it or those who want to "up their game", whether that is for presentations, presence and participation in meetings, delivery of training, sales pitches, demonstrations, or even just communication with others in the best possible way. Chris Dawes: "My key ethos when I formed the business is that we are not, and should not be trying to create the mythical blueprint of the "perfect presenter", but unlocking each person's own personality, growing their confidence, helping them to be in control, organised, and of a quality that will make them become asked to do it more often, and no hesitation in their acceptance to do so. Apparently, public speaking is a soft skill, but it is a soft skill that gives your core skills a voice! Everyone owes it to themselves, and it is priceless to all of us that get to listen to them share their knowledge, experiences, passions, enthusiasm, and opinions. It gets them, their organisation, and their product/service recognised and appreciated, and helps us to grow and become more empowered from what they have to share."

Good morning. Apologies, there
was a bit of a mix up, I did it.

I've done it once before as well
as I said it for 11pm instead of

am what an absolute nightmare.

And because I didn't realize
until about five minutes before,

I had to cancel all the shows,
and I've just gone live ad hoc,

but I am out on the Open Dawes
Training Facebook page, YouTube

channel, and on my LinkedIn
profile as well. So hopefully,

you'll be able to catch up. Now,
my name is Chris Dawes, I am the

founder of Open Dawes Training
and as well as helping other

people to grow in confidence,
willingness and skills to be

able to stand up and talk in
front of others, whether that's

giving presentations, providing
training, participating in

meetings, having those difficult
conversations with people,

whatever it may be, is that
although I train people to do

that, although I still give
presentations, give training,

have meetings, and obviously
commentate? And host awards,

nights, things like that. I
still get very nervous. Now,

I've said that in the past and
people have gone. No, you don't

know You don't? Absolutely, I
without question I most

definitely do. But that's
adrenaline. And everybody will

have adrenaline when they're
doing something like this. If

they don't, then it kind of
means that they're not that

bothered about it is the general
sort of consensus. And, and it

will, more often than not,
whether they mean it to or not,

it will actually show and this
session this morning is really

about trying to make sure that
people see that adrenalin in the

right way, the best way. Because
as I said, it is a fuel, not a

roadblock. Now, I'm sure many of
you have heard of the fight or

flight. Well, yes, that is the
simple way of talking about it.

But what I really want you to
sort of grasp is using it to

your absolute advantage, we need
the psychology to not run away

from it. So that's the fight or
flight element. But it's about

really using it massively to
your advantage. I always get

nervous before I'm going to
commentate, especially at a

bigger event. If I'm going to
host awards, if I'm going to

stand up and do a presentation
whether that is face to face, at

the lectern on a stage in front
of a roomful of people, or

whether it's via webcam, every
time when I'm doing this show, I

still get incredibly nervous
about this as well. But what

that does is it gets the heart
rate going and it gets you ready

to raise your performance to
possibly be even more infused,

or at least sound and look more
infused than you maybe it will

help you truly perform rather
than just present rather than

just talk. I've always had this
mantra about, you know, don't

try to be a presenter, you know,
a stereotypical what we think,

right? Okay, I'm just going to
present all of the information.

So throw that out the window,
and enjoy it. Let your

enthusiasm, your passion, your
excitement about your

information, let it flood out.

Now I just this last weekend is
that I got the opportunity for

my cousin's stag weekend. I know
I've got over the hangover now.

But we managed to go and do one
of these adventures up in the

trees were a mixture of zip
wires and across these obstacles

60 feet high up. And I have I've
always said thought that I had a

fear of heights. And I guess I
do because I was still

incredibly nervous doing it and
trying to walk across these

things. But I was adamant I was
going to do it all because it

would be one heck of an
achievement. And every time I

was bubbling up with my heart
rate going, everything was

crazy. It was like, come on,
this is what's pushing me to the

next one. I'm going to go again,
I'm going to go again. And then

when I got to the platform, the
next tree, it was like yes, that

is what the adrenalin enables us
to do. So if you are going to

present and you can feel that
adrenaline that's given you

those butterflies, it's making
your heart rate go. It's making

your breathing a bit shallower.

Now, I probably get this even
more so when it's hosting

awards, and I've had times when
I'm driving to the venue

and I'm thinking what why am I
doing this? Why do I do this to

myself? I am feeling incredible
things here that are just like

are they getting control of me.

But what I do to turn it around
this sudden ego, what is it,

it's a drum, what a fantastic
set of feelings. I've got this

adrenaline coursing through me,
that's pushing me on to achieve

this. And as soon as I put it
all back into perspective of

what this all is, I'm using it
as the fuel to make me before

the bad news is, as soon as you
finish doing whatever it is

you're doing, the exhaustion is
pretty significant, because that

adrenalin just has to leave your
body, ignore the work that you

may have put in, you know, three
hours, we were taken up a niche,

or, you know, award shows could
take several hours, and you get

to the end and fine, you're
exhausted in general, but when

that adrenalin leaves your body,
wow, I have some great

experiences when I'm
commentating, one of the the

biggest ones that sticks in my
mind is a Brands Hatch, where,

where the commentary box is up
at the top, and there's like a

balcony at the front. And the
either certain stages, depending

on the what the event is, I will
actually go out the front on the

radio mic in front of the people
that are there, and actually get

them whooping and hollering and
Mexican waves and, and cheering

for their favorite bits and just
really interacting. Before I go

and do it, I'm there going? I
don't know, should I do this? It

could fall flat on its face. Do
you know what I do? And this is

a key thing I think in helping
you embrace the adrenalin and

turn it into a very positive
thing is first of all, I've

already said about acknowledge
it and understand what it is.

But the big one for me isn't.

I've talked about we overthink,
and we start picturing what

could go wrong and things like
that. Well, the biggest one here

is flip on its head and think
how amazing will I feel at the

end? When I've done that? When
I've achieved that? How amazing

could their reaction be? How
amazing could the benefit to

these people be? If I'm
providing training? What what is

the what can they take away from
this? What are they going to

gain? How much power am I
helping with these people. And

always when you are presenting
remember you are sharing

knowledge that is empowering
these people you grew from other

people giving you knowledge and
experiences. And you are about

to in this presentation in this
training session, whatever it

is, I'm about to empower other
people. How good is it going to

be when they take that away.

Don't think about what the
negatives are. embrace this

adrenalin as fuel to make you
give that 110% really, I've

always said Be yourself plus
10%. So I kind of exaggerate my

personality by 10% for better or
for worse, but just because it

then comes across as just a
little bit more. And that is the

adrenaline that enables you to
do it. If any of you have ever

done anything sporting, and you
can use that adrenaline to just

meet you, I used to be a
national level swimmer. I know

you can tell. Sorry, beer at
university was found. But I used

to be a national level swimmer.

And I would even use not only
the adrenaline of I want to

achieve this, I want to break
that record, I want to get

another medal and trophy. I want
to qualify for this competition,

whatever the sporting
achievement may be. I would also

sometimes if I knew I needed
that little bit I would convince

myself I was being chased by a
shark. sounds ridiculous.

I'm in a swimming pool. It's
what that's not going to happen.

But totally convinced myself
right? I am there I've got it.

And that adrenalin just gives
you that extra bang. I'm gonna

go that little bit more now.

I've heard stories about kids
being able to lift really heavy

objects like cars or whatever,
off of parents because the

adrenalin the panic has kicked
in, that this thing is now on

top of them. And they've done
these superhuman things where

they've just lifted it up. And
it is the adrenalin that gives

you that extra bit. I did the
Bristol half marathon and I was

in pain. I was exhausted i'd
underestimated it. I've never

done anything like it before.

But came around this corner to a
part where either side was just

laced with people cheering and
shouting and just egging you on.

The adrenaline I got from that.

Dave Rogers Hello, mate. you've
just done a like you must relate

to this. You've been doing all
kinds of crazy things runs and

everything for charity. And when
you think about All right, how's

this gonna go down those people
that could be cheering. I think

you did one across the the seven
bridge recently that adrenalin

gives you something superhuman
that you can really just raise

yourself. Now, don't
underestimate this might not be

complete in a half marathon or a
marathon. But to go and present

with multiple people, they're in
a meeting where you've got to

sort of put your experience your
two pennies worth in, and

there's Powers That Be there or
whatever else, you've got

candidates in there. You know, I
have lots of situations where I

am training people that are very
high up in multinational

organizations. And I'm thinking,
I'm not worthy media training

for sports people that have
achieved phenomenal things and

will go on to achieve even
bigger things. And I can easily

start thinking I'm not worthy.

But to think that I am
empowering, I am giving these

people something that they're
gonna do, even if it's just a

little piece of that jigsaw.

That uncomplete a jigsaw doesn't
look great. So if you're

providing one piece of that, you
have that adrenalin, you punch

through it. But it's all too
easy to see that as a negative.

Dave Rogers, there we go. As a
thought, mate, how Yeah, you use

the atmosphere and push a little
bit more 100% that is the key

thing. Now, for those of you who
may have had or have coming up

opportunities to actually be
heard, as I say, anything at

all? presentations, training
meetings, just conversations

with people and you kind of go,
No, I can feel the butterflies I

can feel the heart rate, I can
feel the clamminess it's go,

right, forget it. It's
adrenalin. I've just used the

wrong phrase. They're not forget
it at all. change your

perspective of it, acknowledge
it go right. What am I feeling?

This adrenalin, I'm actually
incredibly excited at this

opportunity. Now, you will need
to do this time and time again.

I've just I said earlier, I
still have this now. It doesn't

matter how much I do. And I've
always said the day I stopped

feeling that is the day I
stopped doing it. Because it

means I've lost my passion, my
interest, whatever it might be.

Same as Why would you carry on
running, if those people

cheering you on? doesn't do
anything. That feeling when you

get the medal, that feeling when
you you look back at the photos

when you tell your family and
your friends and they're kind of

like, wow, you put it on
Facebook and other social medias

and people go, Wow, dude, that's
amazing. The minute that doesn't

do anything for you, that you
don't feel like you've you're

achieving something, that's when
you don't bother doing anymore.

Well, I still love it when I
stand up and give a presentation

when I'm sat in a meeting and
I'm listening to other people

and take formulating what
information I have and how I can

pass that on to help them get to
whatever the conclusion might

be. I feel really good that I've
now helped these people I've

helped this organization, I've
helped these people. I've closed

the sale because I've listened
and I've then gone Okay, well

based on that our product, our
solution. Our advice is this,

this is an S that will help you
overcome that. And to watch them

go, Wow, okay, that's going to
help us. It gives me a buzz. It

always means that I've got that
little adrenaline going, okay.

So hopefully they're gonna speak
to me if they don't, I've got to

try and get them to speak to me,
I've then got to take that on

board, I've then got to think
about it and assimilate it with

my knowledge, and then present
what it is I need to present and

I then have to present as well
as have a meeting. I just love

that adrenalin. It's what keeps
me going. I have a phrase that

is my drug of choice, along with
gin, probably as people who know

me well enough, well, no, that's
the case. But I just adore that

adrenalin that you have achieved
something, you know, things that

you are able to do things you
have seen, heard and experience

things that makes you unique.

Don't underestimate what your
experiences and knowledge are,

and how much they could actually
help other people. At the end.

What's the worst that can happen
is that you put it out there and

they kind of go Okay, that's
really interesting. Thank you.

And that's it. You've not done
any harm. But if there's just

one person that's gone, hang on.

I get it. I can achieve this.

This This and this Whatever it
might be, I Open Dawes Training

was set up specifically with
that kind of passion in mind, I

couldn't believe the things that
I now get to do, the things that

I get paid to go and do,
especially when I consider that

it's all based on the things
that used to paralyze me by

fear, I've overcome them. And I
now get to achieve them based,

you know, do all these things
based on the things that I was

terrified of before. And largely
it is because I looked at

myself, right, what am I
thinking? What am I feeling? Why

am I thinking and feeling those
things? Okay, what can be the

counter arguments and in our
training, we do a big, big

section on nerves. And in fact,
there's even a free download of

our top five nerves available.

If you go to Open Dawes
training.co.uk, you can download

a PDF free PDF with our top five
sources of nerves and how you

can change your perspective
because that down to that,

right, okay, what can I tell
myself that's going to overcome

them? What can I do to avoid
what I'm worried about, and

what's left? Okay, that's now a
manageable amount of adrenalin.

And I've changed my perspective
of adrenalin itself. And so I'm

going to embrace it, I'm going
to use it. Genuinely the title

for this is something that I
live by adrenalin is fuel, not a

roadblock. But if you let it
control you, if you don't

understand that you don't put it
in perspective, it will control

you, it will be a roadblock,
because we'll just go, I'm not

going to have any of you ever
stood on a cliff face, you know,

something that's high that
you're going to jump off of, and

I had it this weekend live up in
the treetops with the visit

world thing. And you stand there
and you go home, I've got even

with kids jumping out of trees,
or off the fences or off of

walls, or whatever it might be,
right after three, I'm going to

go 12345, you never get to the
number that you're actually

going to jump. Because we've
just allowed the adrenalin to

create a nightmare scenario. And
I can't do it, just go for it.

Just do it. Now, people that are
going to present or host or

whatever it might be, we'll all
have all of you will have

different ways that you want to
deal with it in that lead up

myself. I like to be able to
have some some food and

conversations with other people.

I wouldn't go as far as to say
it's it's complete distraction.

I think for me, it's probably
more normality. I just want it

to be normal. And I want to feel
people around me and I don't

want to be isolated. Because I
know my biggest weakness is that

I do overthink and I have to
manage that. I will start

overthinking and thinking too
many things and too many things

about those too many things,
etc. So I prefer

to go my ex boss. And when he do
presentations, his big one is

that absolutely not. He did not
he couldn't eat. And he didn't

want to speak with other people
if he could help it. If somebody

spoke to him, it was it was
grunts and nods as much as

possible. And it just take
himself off. And he'd be running

through everything that he
wanted to make sure he's

covering and what he's trying to
achieve. And who's here what's

it going to lead to dah dah dah
dah dah. everything for him was

was was thinking about it. And
that's what worked for him. All

of you will be different and
find what works for you in that

build up. And just embrace it,
it is about then going I've got

this a dream that's gonna make
me perform and just go for it.

I've just started I was gonna
say reading but I'm actually

doing it on an audio book so
that I can pop the headphones in

whilst walk in or play on the
car or anything. The chimp

paradox. Honestly, I've owned I
cannot have heard it mentioned

so many times. And I've never
never got into it never read it

never never listened to
anything. And I don't understand

why because I'm only a few
chapters in. And it's probably

my biggest Eureka book that I've
ever read. It is so obvious It

is so it seems weird to say it's
logical that we have to accept

we've got a chimp brain, we have
a chimp, human and computer

brain. That's the simple way of
explaining it. You've got the

computer that we feed with
knowledge, and it is black and

white facts that they are there
for us to call on. You got our

human brain, and you've got the
chimp that can be an absolute

troublemaker but is there to
just have like, survival of the

species. And if you let that
control you too much it will it

will just make you You overreact
or under react, you know, just

not necessarily do the right
things. Equally, if you just had

a human brain, you'd kind of
float through life and not

necessarily make the decisions
based on the right thing. So

that the fact that two of them
together, it's a terrible

description of it, but the chimp
paradox, and you give your chimp

a name, and you acknowledge
their role in your life. And

really, the reason why I'm
bringing this up is that this is

the same thing here with
adrenalin understanding that

it's a fuel is that you are
acknowledging you are getting

these feelings, you are
understanding why you're getting

those feelings, what those
feelings are. And then how do I

then turn it around? And make it
work for me and use it to my

advantage? How do you finish
that marathon? How do you hit

the wall, break the tape quicker
than you've ever done before?

How do you stand up and give the
performance of your life not

being somebody else, you are
only ever being you. And

remember, nobody can be you
better than you. That is all you

are asking of yourself, you are
up there, sharing knowledge,

sharing experiences, sharing
passions, for people that are

listening to kind of take
however much of that that they

want, and that they find useful,
it's not for us to decide that

how much of it is relevant or
useful for them. You're just

laying out on a platter. That's
why even in the techniques for

our presenting is that we make a
key point is that your best way

to do things is not being
dogmatic, you know, this is the

facts, this is it, my way or the
highway, is even softened, the

way that you are presenting
things is that you are putting

it up as a platter. And let your
audience take as much as you

want. But do it with your
personality. And the reason why

I say your personality, rather
than do it with personality,

every single one of us is
different. And if you have ever

been to where you've watched the
sequence of presentations,

you'll notice that every single
one of them is different pros

and cons to every single one.

But the fact that they're
different is what keeps our

attention throughout that longer
period, if they were all exactly

the same, are my word, we would
just lose interest, it would be

boring, it would be just hard
work. You're going to be you

when you can harness that
adrenalin, you will exaggerate

you and your personality, by
that 10% you've not a chimp your

inner chimp into touch by going,
you're not going to sit there

and tell me it's going to go
wrong, or it's going to do this

or feel that in your stomach.

It's gonna make you throw up.

No, it isn't. It's just
adrenalin. And you are about to

do something amazing. You are
sharing what you know, in your

style. And you're about to be
recognized, you're about to

empower others. So really, you
can tell them very powerfully,

you can tell I am very
passionate about this. It's

something that I still to this
day, have to remind myself so of

all of the videos that we've
done, that will be things that

might help you
get over that that hump and get

yourself going. This not only
does that but it's something

that you'll need to keep
reminding yourself get into a

habit of acknowledging,
understanding and using those

feelings of the adrenaline and
it will give everybody the best

version of you. That's
everything for today. Thank you

so much for watching, I hope it
was useful and remember you'll

be able to watch this video back
and also by the way in case you

weren't aware is that the audio
from this so if you're listening

on the audio on the podcast
Welcome and thank you for

listening. But for those of you
watching the video version, this

will also go out as a podcast
available to listen and download

from all of them really their
Apple podcasts, the Amazon

podcast, Google podcasts there
it's all there. Search for

opened doors and podcast or Open
Dawes Training should find it

that way as well. There is links
if you go to Open Dawes Training

dot code at UK links on the
homepage there as well as some

some free downloads and have a
look and see you know what is

there for to be able to help you
obviously there's there is the

full training courses either
online or face to face sorting

out going up to London at some
point to train a big

organization up there. But I've
also got numerous people that

are doing their stuff online at
their own time and able to jump

back and forth into as and when
they need and with interaction

with me via webcam set up as and
when they need. Same as you can

also jump on and arrange a 30
minute session with myself to

have a look at you know what are
your core challenges, your core

objectives and little snippets
of advice I can give and if

there's anything that we feel
Know that, you know we can

assist you with going forward.

But hopefully listen back to
this and the other previous 10

episodes that are out there as
well and we'll keep these going

as long as we can might change
the time and day slightly but

they'll still be coming out. For
myself Chris Dawes, thank you so

much for your attention. And I
look forward to seeing you again

very soon. Have a fantastic
week. And grab those

opportunities embrace the
adrenaline is worth it.