Episode 120: Up-Level Your Professional and Presentational Presence with My Coach Jane Atkinson
There you are standing in front of a room of strangers, about to present a PowerPoint deck and your mind goes blank.
Gulp.
Feet glued to the floor. Armpits sweating. Heart racing. Wishing the words would come to you. Wishing you had not stayed up all night anxious about today’s event. Wishing you had the tools to make yourself feel confident when presenting to groups.
Sound familiar? Then get those ear buds ready for today’s show with special guest (and my speaking coach) Jane Atkinson!
Jane Atkinson has been helping speakers catapult their careers for more than 30 years. She is the author of The Wealthy Speaker 3.0 (out this Fall), The Epic Keynote, The Wealthy Speaker Daily Success Planner and Journal, and Scaling Your Speaking Business.
Prior to coaching, Jane worked as an agent for several speakers whose careers skyrocketed. She also served as Vice President of a Speakers Bureau in Dallas where she represented several celebrities, best-selling authors, and business experts.
Jane founded The Wealthy Speaker School, which helps speakers build the businesses of their dreams through their courses, community, masterminds, and coaching.
In this episode, you will hear:
The benefits of having a positive mindset when it comes to public speaking
The challenges associated with professional and presentational presence
Three tangible tips to getting more comfortable with the uncomfortable
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Connect with Erin Diehl:
Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the improve it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a unique professional development company that pushes others to laugh, learn and grow. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award.
This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre.
When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl.
You can follow the failed it! podcast on Instagram @learntoimproveit and facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram @keepinitrealdiehl here. You can also check out improve it! and how we can help your organization at www.learntoimproveit.com. We can’t wait to connect with you online!
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Episode 120 Transcription
Erin (00:01):
Improve it! peeps. Oh, I'm so excited to introduce you to today's guest. I just took a big sip of coffee and I'm on fire. But here's the deal [Diehl], pun intended. Today's guest is so special to me. She is actually my speaking coach, every facilitator and person who teaches needs a coach themselves. So, this is mine. She is also the coach to two amazing guests we've had on this show, too: Judi Holler, such an amazing friend of mine and colleague. And Erin King, who will drop the links to those shows in the show notes here for you. But today Jane is here. And let me tell you a little bit about Jane. Before we dive in, Jane Atkinson has been helping speakers catapult their careers for more than 30 years. She's the author of The Wealthy, the, Wealthy Speaker 3.0. Good thing I have a coach.
Erin (00:56):
And that book is out this fall. The Epic Keynote, The Wealthy Speaker Daily Success Planner and Journal, and Scaling Your Speaking Business. Now, prior to coaching, Jane worked as an agent for several speakers whose careers skyrocketed. She also served as Vice President of a speaker's bureau in Dallas, where she represented several celebrities, best-selling authors, and business experts. Jane is the founder of The Wealthy Speaker School, which has helped speakers build the businesses of their dreams through their courses, community, masterminds, and coaching. Okay. So, you're gonna hear a lot about this idea of mindset today, and it is so fascinating. Jane has really turned my world around when it comes to re-shifting your mindset. So, she's gonna give you three tips and these tips are going to be instrumental. If you are somebody who struggles with public speaking, if it makes you nervous, if you get the sweaty armpits, she is going to give you three specific tips that you can do to get more comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Erin (02:03):
When it comes to public speaking, we're gonna talk about mindset. And if you are not somebody who's invested in mindset work, what you can do and where you can start to shift your perspective. And then we're gonna give you some ideas, what you can start and stop doing when it comes to up-leveling your professional and presentational presence. So excited, let's just dive right in. Let's improve it! with Jane Atkinson. Are you a leader or change maker inside of your business organization or corporation? Are you looking for new, innovative ways to drive morale through the roof? Are you looking for fun and exciting icebreakers, team building exercises, and activities that will foster team growth, friendships, loyalty, and completely transform your organization from the inside out? Have you been searching for a fun and unique way to create change instead of the same old, dry, boring leadership books and ice breakers that aren't actually working?
Erin (03:05):
Hi, I'm Erin Diehl, Business Improv Edutainer, Failfluencer, and professional Zoombie who is ready to help you improve it. My mission in life is to help you develop teams and leaders through play, improv, and experiential learning. In this podcast, we will deep dive into professional development, team building, effective communication, networking, presentation skills, leadership training, how to think more quickly on your feet, and everything in between. We have helped everyone from Fortune 500 companies to small mom and pop shops transform their business, their leadership, and their people through play. So, grab your chicken hat. We are about to have some fun, welcome to improve it! the podcast. Jane, I'm so excited to have you here. Welcome to the improve it! podcast.
Jane (04:11):
Oh, Erin, we're gonna have some fun today.
Erin (04:14):
We're gonna have so much fun and I've already introduced you so they know who you are. I want to play a little game, so the improve it! peeps can get to know you on a deeper level. I know you, but it's called Five Facts and this is something we do in our networking workshop. Okay. It's super easy. It's got a little cheer. I'm gonna do it. And then I'm gonna point to you. And I just want you to give me five things about Jane that we couldn't know from your bio, from your website, from if we were to find anything of your books. Yeah. Five fun facts, like things that I would never know about Jane. All right. If I Googled you, okay. Okay. Are you ready? Goes like this five facts, five facts, five facts, five facts, five facts. Number one,
Jane (05:02):
I used to be a cook and a deck hand on a fishing troller off the coast on the Great Barrier Reef off of Australia.
Erin (05:12):
<Laugh> that is insane. And I need to know more about this. Okay. Two,
Jane (05:16):
Not on my bio. <Laugh>
Erin (05:18):
That is not on your bio.
Jane (05:19):
Now two. I am called GMA to six little souls. Oh. I have six grandchildren.
Erin (05:28):
That is amazing.
Jane (05:29):
One to 15
Erin (05:31):
God. Okay. Okay. Three.
Jane (05:35):
Right before I was the deck hand on the boat, I actually worked as a drinks’ stewardess on the P and O Funship cruising up and down the coast of Australia. So, I worked on a cruise ship as well.
Erin (05:52):
That is, these are things I'm so glad I know right now. Okay. Number four,
Jane (05:57):
Number four. I feel like I'm actually doing my kind of resume, but I've had some really cool jobs, Erin. I'm like the queen of getting jobs. And so, I also worked for a radio station here in my hometown, London, Ontario. And that was a super fun job with a lot, a lot of perks.
Erin (06:16):
Oh my God. Okay. I've gotta come back to that. Number five, number five.
Jane (06:21):
We spend every weekend up at the lake. I don't like to go anywhere. I don't like to travel in the summer at all. And it's very, very difficult. We have 10 steps from our balcony to the boat and we hop in and sometimes we go and we hook the boats up together, all of our friends and neighbors, and we just float out there all day in the middle of the lake.
Erin (06:46):
That is sick and amazing. And this is why I like am drawn to you because you have created this amazing life for yourself. We're gonna get to that, too. But wait, I wanna go back to this radio show thing because fun fact chain. I was also, I was an intern at a radio station. I did the traffic. Okay. In Detroit, in Detroit, Michigan. But what did you do at this radio station?
Jane (07:11):
So I was like the assistant to the sales manager. And so, we ran like splits, like, okay, everybody, if you sell enough advertising, then you get to go to Mexico. Or I also helped a lot. My best friend was the promotions manager. And so, we would go to the movies and handout stuff. And, you know, we just had so much fun. We went to a lot of concerts on a lot of buses and it was a rock and roll station. So, we saw some great fans, so much fun.
Erin (07:43):
Oh my God. I wish I knew you then. That is, I I'm glad I know you now, but it's like, I, we would've had so much fun and I would've been on that bus with you. I feel like that would've been really fun. Okay. And also, the fact that you were in Australia doing these cruise ships, working on like, that is something I never knew. That should be in the next book. You need to put that in a book.
Jane (08:05):
I lived there for a year when I was 25 years old. And I really said to myself at the time when I turned 25, I'm like, if this is it for my life, I'll be like, yeah, I've had a pretty good life. Like I had made it <laugh>
Erin (08:19):
Yes. I heard that.
Jane (08:19):
And here I'm like double that plus some. And so, it was an amazing year. I traveled the entire perimeter of the country. Something that many Australians have never done. And I just went like I get on a bus. I had this unlimited ticket. And if it was raining, when I landed, I would just keep going. I never saw Brisbane cuz it was raining. I just kept going north until I found sun. It was quite an amazing journey. And the, the fishing trawler experience was really something that I, I've been talking about it lately. Cuz we've been talking about seafood for some reason a lot lately. And I mean, when you're eating breakfast, scallops right off the Great Barrier Reef that you just got in your net that morning, it doesn't get any better than that.
Erin (09:10):
That is sick. That is like that. Yeah. That is like...that's sea to table. That's not farm to table. That's sea to table. Okay. That's sea to table. That is so cool. And I'm so glad I asked this question because I didn't know any of this. So, I feel like these are things about Jane. I know like your professional speaking world resume, which we'll get into, but I'm really, these are facts that I'm so glad I now know. So, thank you. Well, let me ask you this. I like to set an intention at the top of every show, just, today we're talking about presentational presence. The improve it! peeps listening are here because they wanna learn from the best. So, what is one word that you wanna get out of today's show? What's an intention that you wanna set for today?
Jane (09:55):
Well, I think, well it's not, it's more than one word, though. I think that what we can all do...let's just say the word is service.
Erin (10:10):
Mm-Hmm
Jane (10:11):
<Affirmative> so if you show up to a speech from the intention and I do love that word of coming from a place of service you're right on the money.
Erin (10:24):
That's it? Yeah. I love it. Yeah. I love it. I love it. Okay. So, service we'll go serve, service, all of those things, which I think you're gonna do and is what your, your M.O. is, which I love. So, let me ask you, before we dive in, have you ever done improv for business or any type of improv before?
Jane (10:43):
Well, you know, I'm the queen of jobs and so of course I worked at a yacht and that was a really hard job because everybody came in like, okay, seven o'clock show 50 people all at once or a hundred people all at once, boom, drinks, food, whatever. And then they'd all clear out. And then you had to do it all again for the nine o'clock show. And so, as a, as a drinks server or as a waitress in that situation working at Yuk Yuks, I loved watching the show. It was so much fun to just see them do their thing every single night. And that was my first real exposure to performance.
Erin (11:27):
Okay. Tell me what a, what a Yu-, what Yuk Yuk’s is, is this crazy that I don’t know?
Jane (11:32):
Oh, it’s a comedy club. It’s a comedy club up here in Canada, like a John Candy would've probably started at a Yuk Yuk.
Erin (11:41):
Oh my, that is an amazing name by the way. Yuk Yuk’s. Like that is what you do, you yuck yuck, you know. Okay, these things that I'm learning today, I'm so glad, I'm so glad we’re having this moment, Jane, this is very, this is fascinating for me, so, okay. You have coached many people, so many fantastic speakers. Two of which have been guests on this show, Erin King, Judi Holler, faves. Yay. Love Erin King, uh, love her name, smart mother. And then Judy Holler, who is a fan favorite and one of my dearest friends. And now she's not on this show yet, but she's one of my new favorite speakers, because you have talked about her and, and The Wealthy Speaker School consistently. Kendra Hall. So, let me ask you this. She's not been on the show yet, but who is one of the biggest success stories of somebody that you've coached in your career besides Erin Diehl?
Jane (12:39):
Well, you've just named three amazing professionals. We also have some men <laugh> yes, I coach Ryan Estes is somebody who has become, I would say maybe a household name in the corporate world and speaking, because he is out there just killing it. And so, Ryan went from, we started working together when he had a day job. He was a big wig, corporate muckety muck at an agency. And he quit his job kind of sacrificially in the middle of the recession, like worst, worst, possible time to start a speaking business, but he did it and went from zero to seven figures over this period of time, following the, the ready aim fire, or the ready aim launch formula that we offer over here at our school.
Erin (13:40):
That is so cool. And if you know, I, I learning more about Ryan. Of course, I'm always drawn to these powerhouse females because I'm like, that's it! Go girls! But I love Ryan's story, too. And I've just found The Wealthy Speaker School, I've found working with you, just so impactful. What would you say fascinates you the most about the speaking business? Why have you made this your passion?
Jane (14:08):
The minute I arrived in the sp-, on the scene, my very first big national speakers conference, I couldn't stop crying through the whole thing because it was like, ah, I found my people and I have been surrounded for over 30 years by people who are thought leaders, who are courageous, who are brave, they're out on the stage. You know, some of us, by the way, who take to the stage are introverted at heart. And so, it's really an interesting little dichotomy there, but I just think that the people of this industry are probably the thing that we all have in common is that we're kind of lifelong learners.
Erin (15:03):
Yeah.
Jane (15:04):
We're very interested in continuous improvement and we're on a quest and we're on this quest together. And I have hundreds, if not thousands of people who I have met along that journey who are just like the coolest.
Erin (15:21):
Ah, I have, no--I believe that. And I've gotta tell you, too. I mean, what you just said, too, about, you know, a lot of speakers are introverts. The same is true for improvisers. Wow. A lot of people think that our team, I mean, we have this amazing group of facilitators. A lot of people think that we're the yuck yucks, you know, we yuck, yuck all the time. We're like always on. I’ll tell you what.
Jane (15:44):
Like “look at me!” And it's not that way.
Erin (15:48):
Opposite. I can tell you over half of our team of 22 facilitators classify themselves as an introvert. And the moment we get off stage, or we do something is, you know, in front of large groups of people, we'll just all go and like sit in a room quietly because it takes so much giving. And that's the same with the speaking world. It's...you come alive because you know you have this, like your intention says service or things that you want to give to the world, but you have to restore those batteries. That's so interesting to me.
Jane (16:21):
Yeah. I think, you know, we, we have a saying you cannot give from an empty well, and so we have this program called The Wealthy Speaker and a lot of people think that it's all about, you know, one piece of it, but really it's about creating the lifestyle of your choosing. My choosing is to work three days a week. You know, my dad used to always laugh. He's passed away now, but he always laughed at me. “Oh, it's Friday. Ho ho are you taking the day off?” You know, he thought it was hilarious that I would make probably as much as him in a month as he would make in an entire year, as an engineer. And yet at the same time, my goal was to work, not like the, you asked me earlier in the interview, what was my favorite book? Total life game changer. The Four-Hour Work Week had massive impact on me because I realized, hey, wait a second. I can create the lifestyle of my choosing. And so, I go out into the world to serve, but I do it based on what's perfect for me.
Erin (17:41):
I, okay. I have so many questions. We're gonna link to The Four-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris in the show notes. So, if you have not read that book, read it. It's amazing. Yeah. I also love that book. So wait, I did not know this is another fact chain. You work three days a week.
Jane (17:54):
Well, that is my goal. I wouldn't say that. I'm true to that in this moment, but normally, oh, sorry. I have a podcast, too. It's called The Wealthy Speaker Podcast. And so normally I do podcasting on Mondays in the wintertime, we try to bank up enough podcasts so that we can take the summer off of podcasting. So, summer time, summertime, Mondays are what I would call buffer days where you're kind of just cleaning stuff up and getting ready for the week. They're cleanup days. Yep. And then I coach on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and I'm off Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Erin (18:35):
Oh my God. You are my hero. See, this is why this is, this is a dream. I gotta tell you, we just, we are doing an episode coming out soon about the four-day work week. And that is something I'm trying to implement with my team. It makes such a huge difference. But I love that you have taken this concept of this beautiful world of speaking, where you found your people, you are around these amazing thought leaders. And then you have not only just immersed yourself in it, but you've created a life within it that you love and that you're proud of. And that fulfills you. So, I just, just everybody. Just so we're clear, Jane is a master, like this is one of--you have helped me, like I said so much.
Jane (19:17):
And a student at the same time I might add, cause please know that there is nobody that I interview on my show or you on your show who has got it all together. It's, it's just, we’re just all works in progress. And so yes, I've achieved some milestones and I've achieved some things that I could only have dreamed of, you know, used to be when I was single and owned a little condo, about five minutes from here, I would walk around the river and which is right now in my backyard. And I would look up these houses and dream about owning one of them. What are the days that is? And I always look at my next door neighbor Jeff and Trisha's house, cuz they have a balcony off their bedroom and I'm like, oh yeah, I love that house. And I looked down the road, it was the one next door that we ended up in. I've lived in for the last 15 years. Like it's just the power of envisioning what your perfect future looks like. So many of your listeners have corporate jobs. Okay. What I, I mean, if you just blew your mind and said, there's no limits on what's possible for me. I mean about, I bet two years ago, nobody thought they could work from home all day. Right.
Erin (20:33):
That's
Jane (20:33):
Right. And so that's right. Every day, all the, all the barriers are off right now. And so, so if you had the perfect setup, what would that look like? Who knows?
Erin (20:44):
I love it.
Jane (20:45):
Just put it out there, write it down and, and you know, put it in your journal because you just never know. And so I'm really big at manifesting exactly what it is that you would like
Erin (20:59):
And, and your mindset shifts are so crucial. You've helped me shift my mindset so many ways. I love that. I, I call it the--pun intended--ideal. Thank you. Thank you, Jane. Because it's such an, it's so important to think about what your ideal day looks like. Yes. Where do you wake up? Where are you? Who's with you? What do you smell? Where do you go next? What are you wearing? All those things. That's from The Artist's Way that I've, I found that from The Artist's Way with Julia Cameron. And I love that. And I truly, Jane you and I are so similar in so many ways, we love teal. I moved to my dream location. I'm now like living in a world that I manifested five years ago. I'm like this, but it, it had a lot of road bumps around the way. So just, yeah, as you continue to manifest, just be prepared, things may shift and change, but it all starts with the power of that mindset. So, speaking of mindset, mm. I wanna, I wanna go to presenting because a lot of the improve it! peeps are terrified of speaking in front of groups. Okay. So just in your opinion, first and foremost, why is presenting--doing anything publicly when it comes to speaking--so intimidating?
Jane (22:13):
People would rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy at a funeral. Like it's really, really scary for people. Right? Think that's...
Erin (22:23):
I’ve never heard that. That's amazing.
Jane (22:25):
Very Seinfeld joke. It's, it's frightening. And when you shift it off of yourself and into service of others, so what, what really gets people worked up is whatever their thought is about giving a speech. Oh my gosh, I can't do this. Oh my gosh. I'm so nervous. Whatever you're telling yourself is gonna result in a feeling and that's gonna, that's going to create something for you. And so let's be intentional about it. Let's say that I am going to go get up and do the best that I can, or I've got some good information to share or I'm just gonna have some fun. Okay. So just decide ahead of time, what you're going to do. And let me give you three kind of concrete things that you can be thinking about as you approach a presentation. Love it. The first one is around breathing. You probably teach this in improv because people get nervous doing improvisational things. But if you take 10 long, slow, deep breaths, the, that oxygen is getting to your brain and that will help you remember what it, it is that you want to say. The reason why people freeze up sometimes is because they don't breathe and they don't remember because they're not getting the oxygen to their brain. So, 10 long, slow, deep breaths--number one. Number two is to make it about them and not you.
Jane (24:08):
So of course the situation of giving the eulogy. That's an easy one, but let's say you're standing up to present at a team meeting, you know Erin, please give us your findings on this research that you've done. If you kind of take it off of focus on you and you're there as a reporter to them of the facts, then you're able to make it kind of more about them. And the more you can draw your audience in--this is a master step, by the way. The more you can make your audience the hero of your stories, the more they will be drawn to you. So, if you call on people and talk about people and make them the heroes in little ways throughout your presentation, that's gonna make the audience love you that much more. And the pros do that as well. When they call on people and they do research ahead of time and find out how they can make the audience the hero of their stories.
Jane (25:12):
And then that third thing kind of rolls right into story. When you tell stories, that allows people, Mark Sandborn calls it “to latch onto these like mental coat pegs.” It's like they can hang their hat or their coat on these ideas that you've given them. You are, you are giving them something to latch onto. And so they might not remember, you know, leadership tip number three, but they might remember the story about you spending the day at the beach with your kid and blah blah blah happened. And it had a leadership element to it, whatever it might be. So, think about your points as always having stories that people can hang onto because that's what--in the lineup afterwards, and you know this firsthand, having given many, many keynote speeches in the line afterwards--that's what people are gonna come up and say, you know, that story you told about blah, blah, blah, was what really resonated with me.
Erin (26:14):
Yes. I love that. And I love the phrase, make them the hero. I think that's so important. I gotta tell you, I heard maybe it was Oprah. It was cuz you know, I gotta thank for Ops. And she said sort of the same thing she said, I'm never, yes, I get nervous because I care. But when I switch into my mind to think about the people that I'm there to serve, I take all of the ownership off of me and I just think about how can I help? How can I help? And truly, I gotta tell you, Jane, that mentality has served myself super well. That's why I love improv as a teaching tool because it makes the participants and the people in the audience experience what you want them to feel because they then feel it and they become the hero of their own story within whatever you're talking about.
Erin (27:03):
So, I love those tips and I think super tangible for anybody listening, who has to do anything within their organizations, breathing super easy, just take 10, slow, long, deep breaths. And then I love this idea of make the audience, the hero, pull them in, ask some questions. Yeah. Think about the people in the room. If you're talking to your CFO, you're probably gonna wanna include some data. Yeah. If you're talking to HR, you can make it touchy, feely, you know, but think about that audience. And then I love this idea of the mental coat pegs, because you are right. Those things. That's why I really have really enjoyed learning about Kendra Hall and her, her storytelling techniques, I think. Yeah. Yes. It's so true. Like we all, we tell stories all day long, but when we intentionally put them into a presentation yeah. We're able to allow the audience to sit with us on that journey. I love these tips
Jane (28:03):
And let's drill down on that. Kind of the intention behind a story. Remember a story has a beginning, a middle and an end and then the end is gonna actually bring it back home into the point. So, we don't tell stories just for the sake of telling stories. We always have to have it revolve around a point. So, when you're thinking about giving a presentation and you have three points--by the way, threes work in improv--threes work in speech. When you have three points, think, okay, what story do I have that would go along with those three points?
Erin (28:42):
Yes, yes. And I mean, there is an art like you, I love what you said. And so, there's a whole form in improv called “long form.” And it's, if you ever watch Seinfeld, it's basically what we- it's called “The Herald” and it's a story and we make it up in front of an audience in 30 minutes. And literally there's a beginning, there's three beats. There's a game in the middle. Then there's three beats that connect to the first three beats. And then there's the end game that wraps everything up. And literally we're making that up on the fly. Like, and that is if you watch Seinfeld--which you reference, too--every Seinfeld episode is written as a Herald, it all connects. The story connects that way. It's fascinating when you understand
Jane (29:24):
It's so intentional for them, it's right. They have this formula that they know works and they stick with this formula. And I love that there's little series of threes, little series of threes inside the formula.
Erin (29:39):
Yes. And it's...and we call 'em beats...beats on stage, but it's the same thing. It's three, it's threes. It's the rule of threes. So, I love these tips. These are so tangible. And I think anybody listening could just implement them for their next presentation. The next thing that they have to do that they're nervous about. So, I wanna come back to this idea of mindset, because like I said, I feel like you have helped me shift my mindset when it comes to the way that I run my business. I'm stepping out to more of this bigger Keynote role, which is, is exciting and has had its own set of limiting beliefs to get over. But if you could tell somebody listening today, somebody who has never invested in mind, self, and mindset work for themselves, mm-hmm, <affirmative>, what's one thing they could start doing today to start shifting their mindset?
Jane (30:36):
So, there's a term in the type of coaching that I've gotten, which is by Brooke Castillo, by the way: your thoughts equal your results.
Erin (30:45):
Yeah.
Jane (30:46):
So, if it's true that your thoughts equal your results. If we become hyper aware of our thoughts, then we can start to break them down. And, you know, we were having an issue with our grandson earlier. And I was recognizing that I felt a little bit angry about some of his behavior. And so, I know that there's a thought in my head, that's creating that anger. We were able to address that and we switched it out to move to a place where, you know what we are gonna invest in this child. <Laugh>
Erin (31:26):
Yes,
Jane (31:27):
Yes. He's a pain in our butt right at this moment, but we are gonna invest in this child because he is worthwhile. And so, you know, just really being able to shift my thought to something else was a total game changer and that will get us different results when we approach a situation from anger and, and a thought that is, you know you're having all of us walk on eggshells that is not helpful, right? We're not going to get the results that we want in that situation. And so, if, if we approach our business from a place, so like you have really started to stand tall and your worth, you have really started to say, I'm going to take my place on the big, main stages. This is where I belong. And if you have the thoughts that go along with that, you will get the results. You're already getting the results.
Erin (32:27):
You're right, Jane. I mean, it's so true. It is your thoughts equal your results. I love that.
Jane (32:32):
So really become hyper aware of your thoughts. What's the thought that's driving this action that I'm taking right now?
Erin (32:43):
I love it. There's a game. I keep relating this to improv, but you know, that's what we do. That's cool. So, but there's a game that we play called New Choice. And so, it's like if we are on stage and it's just something that helps you become a stronger improviser. So, and we do this in a workshop of ours too, to help you rethink or to help you think quickly on your feet. So, if you're in a scene and you know, we're like we're at the beach today and somebody off, off to the side of the stage says “no, new location.” You have to be like, “no, I'm in New York city today.” And then start the scene from being in New York City. So, it's just choosing again, a different thought that helps you reframe your mindset. So, if it's a negative thought you're giving yourself for saying that thought, and then just giving, giving yourself grace, and then choosing a more positive, thoughtful intention, like what we do at the start of the show. So, I love that, yes. And Jane, you have really, I'm gonna say this Jane, for real. So, we've worked together what, six months I'm like already experiencing so much different results because of those mindset shifts. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> so thank you.
Jane (33:53):
And you came partially cooked already in terms of the mindset piece. And so, it was just, you know, having a lot, having done a lot of that work, sometimes there are people in my world who don't feel worthy, and that is thought that we need to--because it's gonna keep creeping back in over and over again--that's a thought that we need to keep working on. So, I'm, it's not always as easy as it has been with you. But if somebody comes to the place of wanting to build a professional speaking business and they have a pretty strong mindset to begin with, you know, the, the sky is really the limit because we can show them all the actions to take, but if there's any kind of mindset issues happening, we really need to cover those first in order to get the results that we want.
Erin (34:49):
I love it. I love it. And I, you know, thank you for just starting there. I think that's such a great place to start for anybody who is afraid of speaking in front of a room of people for anybody who is speaking just one on one and having a difficult conversation. So, I wanna ask you, if you could tell the leaders, listening to this show, one thing they could start doing when it comes to upleveling their professional and presentational presence, and one thing they could stop doing when it comes to up-leveling their professional and presentational presence, what would it be?
Jane (35:26):
Okay, so let's say you're going and you're giving a presentation and you're a leader. I would like you to start the whole process with what is my intention for this speech.
Erin (35:39):
Mm mm-hmm. <Affirmative>
Jane (35:40):
What is my intention for this speech? And if you begin the writing and development of a presentation process, and, and I'm saying process, because when we go to give a speech, we don't wing it. <Laugh> yeah, we are intentional. We want to be specific about our three key ideas. We wanna be intentional about developing stories that go along with those. And so, if you have the intention and it revolves around service in some way, I think you'll be starting on a perfect note. Okay. So that's what to start. What do we want to stop doing?
Jane (36:30):
I think a lot of people are unconscious about their body movement on the platform or on the stage. And so be aware of whether or not your habit is to be a pacing tiger or whatever your habit is if you were and so a tip for this would be to record yourself doing a presentation and listen back to it in a couple of different ways, watch it with the sound off and watch body movement and things like that. And then listen to it with the visuals off and listen for any kind of, we all have little quirky things that we do or say that help us buy time, like, like and or any, any little words that we use frequently to delay and anything that's too repetitive. We wanna be aware of that when I was at the beginning of my podcast, I would say, wow, a lot to my, to the person that I was interviewing. And somebody reported that back to me. And now I'm very more aware of that. And so, when you listen and watch back with these things in mind, then you can stop kind of giving, giving up your habits that are unconscious. Yeah. Let's be more, let's be more conscious about it. Let's
Erin (38:03):
Move to a, I love that
Jane (38:05):
Conscious competence,
Erin (38:07):
Conscious competence. That is an actor's warm up “conscious competence,” “unique New York.” I...can I say something about this? I think it's like also stop being afraid to go back and watch yourself with that. Yes, because I mean, pot calling the kettle here. I mean, it is like, it's, this voice comes with some-- thanks, everyone for listening--this nasal twang has been hard to listen to back many times and it's hard. You were like, oh, why did I do that? And I think a lot of people have trepidation when it comes to really fine tuning those tweaks, but that's what gets you more comfortable on, in front of rooms. That's what gets you more comfortable presenting to associations you're a part of, yeah. Or to having those hard conversations. So I, I think that is super helpful.
Jane (39:00):
Let's be gentle with ourselves and not beat ourselves up because we really are. I mean, your voice doesn't bother me at all. We really are our own worst critics. And so, remember that and be gentle with ourselves and just pick out one or two things that you might work on next time.
Erin (39:17):
That's it? That is it. Okay. Well, Jane, we say you're at improve it. That your “it” is the one thing that you are here to do. It's your purpose. It's your passion. What is, Jane's “it”?
Jane (39:33):
I think it's, it's kind of evolved over time, but I would like to think that I am an example of what's possible for
Jane (39:45):
My followers, students, clients, that if I'm living my life to the fullest and my three-day week and doing the things that make me happy, that I can be an example for other people, could I do it at a higher level? Could I try harder? Yes. <laugh> I could. I'm a work in progress, but I, I think probably showing people the path to what's possible based on, and there have been a lot of people who have blown past me and gone on, too like Kendra moved from Phoenix to New York city, transported her old family there and just was like, bam, this is what's possible for me and is living the life. And so, I love seeing that happen to people that I've touched their lives.
Erin (40:41):
Yes. And also, Jane, I gotta say, you have done...to say that you could be doing more...I mean, you've written how many books? 3? 6? 6. Wait. And you're writing. I've read three. So then you have a sixth one, you have six and you're writing the seventh?
Jane (41:00):
Number six. No, this will be number six is The Wealthy Speaker 3.0. And when you do a rewrite on an existing book, it's not easier people, it's actually more difficult. It's like writing a whole new book again. And so this one is gonna be almost a brand new book. So yeah, the wealthy speaker 3.0 will be book number six, there was an off brand book in there. I talk about picking Elaine in my world of speaking. And I, when I speak of it, I speak of it from my own mistake of writing an offbrand book that was about love and finding relationships in your life, just cuz I felt like I had it in me. So I just wrote the book, but I don't promote it or you know, I don't really wanna talk about it anymore because it's off brand for me. So when I say pick lane, I actually mean that. So that's one of the sticks <laugh>
Erin (42:00):
That is so cool. Well, so I feel like you've done so much. You've you've really impacted so many lives. It's so cool to see. I love the, the mindset that you have with your own life. It's very inspirational. If anybody wants to know more about Jane, if they wanna find you, if they wanna read your books, where can they go?
Jane (42:21):
They should go to speaker launcher.com. And that will give you access to both books, our school, the wealthy speaker school and private coaching and masterminds that we have. It's all there.
Erin (42:36):
Love it. I love it. All right, please check it out. And we'll put all that in the show notes. And I just have to say Jane, I wanna say thank you for just showing our improvement BES here. How to up level our professional and presentational presence and for being such a wonderful presence in my life. Mm-Hmm <affirmative> your wisdom is the present and you are a true gift. See what I did there. You
Jane (43:01):
See? I see like you did there.
Erin (43:04):
Okay. No, you're awesome. Thanks for coming on the show.
Jane (43:07):
Oh my absolute pleasure. You've totally turned my day around. <Laugh> yes.
Erin (43:14):
Nailed it. All right. Thanks Jane.
Erin (43:24):
Improve it! Peeps. Oh, I'm so excited. You can see why Jane is so good at what she does. I love having her and my life and I'm so glad I got to bring her into yours. So here's your homework. We are gonna repeat those three tips that are gonna help you get uncomfortable. Nope. Let me say it again. Comfortable with the uncomfortable, when it comes to upleveling your presentational presence. So number one, breathing, taking 10 slow, long, deep breaths, number two, make it about your audience. Make them the hero of your stories. And then number three, add stories to your presentations so they can latch onto those mental coat pegs, which I love. She said, here's what I want you to do. Based on those three tips. I want you to pick one. Let's say you have a hard conversation coming up that you're nervous about or you're presenting to your team.
Erin (44:20):
I want you to think about one of these ideas, whether it's breathing, whether it's focusing your energy on who's in the room and how you can help them or whether it's incorporating a story into the work that you do. I want you to pick one and I want you to try it. And I want you to tell us how it goes because speakers and presentations and conversations can change. Rooms can change lives. These three tips from a master I might add are going to help you feel more confident and feel more comfortable when you are giving any type of speech or conversation. That's important to you. I know you can do this. I believe in you. I'm so proud of you. So keep going and you know what I'm gonna say? Keep failing, keep improving because the world needs that special. It that only you, my friend can bring, I'll see you next week.
Erin (45:27):
Hey friends, thanks for tuning in to improve it. I am so happy you were along for the ride. If you enjoyed this show, head on over to iTunes to leave us a five star review and subscribe to this show. So you never miss an episode. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Now, if you're really feeling today's show and you've improved it even just a little bit, please take a screenshot and tag me at keeping it real deal on Instagram and share it in your stories. I'll see you next week, but I wanna leave you with this thought, what did you improve today and how will that help your future successful self? Think about it. I am rooting for you and the world needs that special “It” that only you can bring see you next time.