I recently heard a coach refer to these as the ‘-Ber months’ – September, October, November and December – I love it and crown my Newsletter and new Academy Community accordingly!
Do you know anyone who would benefit from Breathtaking Communication – The Online Academy to take their audience engagement skills to the next level?
The beta-testing Pioneers Course ended in September for those willing to complete the course while it still has some teething problems and glitches. I’ve shared a couple of testimonials here.
You’re invited to join The Ber Community of learners if you want to learn at your own pace and meet for accountability and questions with a few other like-minded learners. There’s a Free Preview here.
What’s been your best recent read?
I love a good recommendation, so please share yours. My highlight has been ‘How to Know a Person‘ by David Brooks. It’s about how to really see people and feeds into my recent work on ‘Small Talk’ or conversation, as I like to call it. We’re in an epidemic of social anxiety around interpersonal communication and I’m doing my part to get people talking about it.
What’s Happened at 10:00 on the 10th of the 10th?
I delivered a new keynote ‘Sizing Up Small Talk’ in the Professional Speaker of the Year Contest at the Professional Speaking Summit in Telford. There were ten worthy candidates and I was third up. I’ll was representing the South West of Britain, having qualified from there in July.
I put all I coach and train into practice to bring the prize home in the first competition of its kind in the PSA UK & Ireland. The standard was very high and the competition was fierce. I was proud to do everything I set out to do in terms of delivery and content. Time was the toughest challenge as the goal was an 8-minute talk with leeway between 7:30 and 8:15 minutes. How are you on keeping to strict timings?
Anyone who’s worked with me or read Breathtaking Communication knows my phrase, “Eliminate as many unknowns as possible because there will always be a curved ball on the day.” Sure enough, we were told that we had to organise our own timings in the semi-finals as there wouldn’t be a timer available until the final on the main stage. It was suggested we help each other, which everyone agreed to.
I stood up to speak with a smile on my face and brimming with confidence. A moment later, I realised that the person timing on my right hadn’t set the time to start. I looked to the left. The person who was running a timer for me placed it on their lap and it was tilted, catching the lights overhead so I couldn’t see. My mouth and lips went dry despite the sips of water I had been taking up to that point.
The audience, a full room of more than a hundred people, were engaged and laughing in all the right places, as usual more places than I anticipate which I generally put down to relatability. About 40 seconds before I ended, the timer tilted and I could see that I was well within time. I ended well, with time to recap the main points and the audience responded enthusiastically with their applause and cheering. That was special as there was only one person who had travelled from the South West region!
Three people were chose to go through to the final – all were men and all used slides. I had decided not to use slides despite using them in the first round, as I felt the talk had more impact if I used my body and position on the stage to demonstrate my points.
What I found most interesting is that two of the finalists who seemed ‘too big’ in that round were just right for the main stage. The finalist I thought was best in that round, didn’t translate as well to the main stage. As a voice and speech coach, I was left asking the question, were the judges making a decision based on suitability to the space they were in or visualising them on a main stage. In terms of my coaching and training, I encourage my learners to speak for the size of the room they’re in. Ultimately, a competition is an artificial environment but it’s interesting to reflect on and engage with the dynamics that people may face every day. I have been told people appreciate that I walk the talk, and I’m delighted to do that and share a very important message that takes the lid off social anxiety around conversation.
Incidentally, I apparently came fourth overall, which is not too shabby!
What do you recommend in the Plethora of Podcasts available?
I was delighted to be a guest on Amy Rowlinson’s Focus on Why series and I can recommend any of the episodes. She’s a true pro and I’m happy to introduce you if you’d like the positive exposure a podcast can bring.
Personally, I’ve enjoyed hearing both Mel Robbins and Jo Malone being interviewed by Davina McCall on Begin Again.
What have You been Viewing?
Who watched the World Cup Rugby this month? I only caught the final, Canada vs. England, but it was a wonderful watch. Seeing strong, confident women taking their place on the international stage is a joy to behold. I love that the commentators explained so much more than in men’s rugby, perhaps understanding that many viewers don’t have a great handle on the laws, as the rules are called.
Fictionally speaking, I’m thoroughly enjoying ‘The Newsreader’ an Australian production set in the late 1980’s with actual world events from that time. In addition to highlighting the various demands of professional communication, we’re reminded of a time when it was more challenging to be a career woman or gay. There has been some progress!
Thank you for your ongoing support of me and BESPOKEN. I appreciate you and am always happy to have a catch up with you online to support you with any of your audience engagement conundrums.
Warmest thoughts,
Fiona
