This Moved Me

Vikas Narula is an entrepreneur, speaker, writer - and passionate advocate for purpose-driven entrepreneurship and connectivity. Through his work with his tech company Key Hubs, he's learned some powerful lessons about how we cultivate and share influence and connection with our audiences - and he shares them with us here. (Spoiler alert: it's all about genuine care for your audience, being grounded in our authentic voice, and loving ourselves first.) Take a listen!

On our journey to become better speakers, we take on all the big ideas: authenticity, connection, risk, etc. etc. etc.... but we can't forget about something that is admittedly less sexy but oh so important. And that is PROCESS. One of the reasons I wanted to highlight this episode is that Jeff Goins - writer, speaker, entrepreneur - is one of the most thoughtful and effortlessly inspirational people I've ever talked to. He is reflective, deep, open, curious - and advocates for us owning our ability to be artists of our own making. He's all about the big ideas, but insists we don't get lost there. The process is in service to all of the art. And that combo is so important in our journey.

Angela Lussier - the founder of the Speaker Sisterhood - is passionate about empowering women to use their voice and step out front with confidence. Several years ago (right after the 2016 election, it turns out), I had invited Angela on to the show and we talked about how - when we own and trust our authentic voices - we trust ourselves to do big things. We wrestled with that word: authenticity. And it's an idea that we all need to wrestle with in our journey to become a better speaker! How can you BeAuthentic in your journey to become a better speaker?

The journey IS the THERE.

And it is SO TRUE for us as speakers, too: People come to me in such varying stages - some embracing the path opening themselves up to learning and growing and some - resisting the journey wanting to rush to the END, to this idea of THERE…

When in reality - there is no THERE. It is a circular, constant evolution and iteration and growth process.

So I decided help us ALL embrace this journey we're on by sharing some of my all-time favorite conversations I've had about these really essential parts of the journey. The parts that even if we are on board with... we have to always keep working on. Cause the journey IS the there. Over the last four years I've talked with some incredible people - some of whom it's fair to assume you've heard of - and others, you likely haven't. And yet - ALL of these conversations held some AHA moments that will help us walk along in the journey more openly, more thoughtfully - more courageously. I've got 10 episodes for you, re-published favorites here on This Moved Me. And I can't wait for you to hear!

Hey everybody! I'm so excited to be with you today - mid-way through my Signature Talk Studio launch… The cart closes on Thursday so I wanted to address one of the big needs and questions I'm getting about the course…

Like - In the time when so much of our work is done virtually…why would I invest in creating a signature talk? What's the value of a signature talk when we can't be live with people for awhile?

Well - besides the fact that event planners are now booking speakers for 2021 (so now is actually the PERFECT time to work on your signature talk!… cause when they opportunity knocks you want to be ready!) - But there will also be lots of opportunities to share that talk virtually, before 2021 - and after.

According to an April 2020 survey of 1,776 PCMA event planners, 66% have postponed their events – and 7 out of 10 respondents have moved a face-to-face event partially or fully to a virtual platform. And your signature talk is the core of ALL of your messages that you share - whatever the context. So - having a signature talk prepares you for the eventual live talk as much as it does the virtual one.

But of course - taking your talk virtual does require a little intention.

So I want to share with you some key concepts you need to embrace in order to take your talk virtual.

Here are some of the basic things you need to think about:

#1 - ADJUSTING CONTENT If you're shifting your talk to virtual, that means you have to think about what content is NEEDED and what WORKS virtually. Those are two different filters, but you need both in order for your content to work virtually.

For instance - Let's say you're a Coach, and work with leaders to help them execute on their goals… your audience might really NEED for you to talk about the nitty-gritty details of what a good plan and what execution details look like but what WORKS in a virtual setting might be something more like the going over the FRAMEWORK before diving in. You might be able to get into more details in a live workshop or keynote setting - but when you're virtual, you want to use an even higher bar for what you share, because people's access

Now - 80% of the time - what you are sharing in a LIVE keynote will work in a VIRTUAL setting. But I really want you to ask yourself - what is NEEDED and what will WORK, virtually?

#2 - ADJUSTING CONTEXT

So this is where you want to think about how you can adjust your space - and create the context through which you are still curating an EXPERIENCE for your audience!

A little intention here goes a long way. Making sure you can be SEEN, HEARD… and UNDERSTOOD. That your lighting is coming AT you (not from behind you), that you can be heard without too much distraction and that you are making sense and are understood by your audience.

As with a live experience - DISTRACTION is still the bar! But here's the real deal…Vs. in the content area, we have to use a really HIGH bar for what makes it into a virtual presentation - in adjusting your context, distraction is a much LOWER bar in a virtual setting. In other words - it's so easy to get distracted in a virtual setting. To get distracted by how your own face looks in Zoom, or what that one sign says over your shoulder, or the bing of a new email coming in, or that an instagram like or the children coming in the room, or …

OMG -

So the more we can do to FOCUS our people's attention where we want it to go - the better.

We cannot CONTROL their attention - but we can do what we can to FOCUS it. Try things like keeping your background and what your'e wearing simple, so it doesn't invite in questions or thoughts that take your audience somewhere else… unless, of course, that's where you want them to go! Testing your tech and equipment so that doesn't take the focus away And being really intuitional about where you want your audience to be looking - and direct their attention there.

#3 - ADJUSTING CONNECTION

The third part is in creating connection with your audience is in ADJUSTING CONNECTION. There are two ways I want you to think about this: 1 - in CREATING connection, based on how you deliver your talk. With content that resonates…. stories that deliver powerful ideas and really potent insights that your audience NEEDS. That does a lot of work for you in terms of connection!

We also CREATE connection by how we approach with our mindset…by imagining a friendly face beyond the camera, and even if you're speaking to en empty auditiorium or room, remembering that there are real people watching you right now…you are not just talking to yourself

It's up to the speaker to reach out beyond the camera to make that connection…

But the other piece is in ASKING FOR connection from your audience. And that is using the tools at your disposal that are particular to virtual engagements!

It's about using the chat features, polls, CTA buttons It's about making your face visible as much as possible, and not hiding behind your slides and screen It's about utilizing the parallel ways to communicate! And this opens up all kinds of possibilities!

Turns out - when you're speaking virtually - your emails before the event are the equivalent to the first moment you step out on stage in a live event…the experience has just expanded outside 'the moment in the room'- it's now about your materials and your communication outside the event even more so!

With all of this…the bottom line is this: -The heart and core of your signature talk helps you step into these moments having 75% of your work done… THEN - you have to sort through these filters… How can I adjust my content for this moment? How can I adjust the context, and set up my audience for the kind of experience I want them to have? How can I adjust my strategies for connection - so that my audience can feel my intent, care and purpose?

I have to say…I cannot wait for the crackle and joy and thrill of live events again…but in the meantime, I'm enjoying all of the way sin which we are creatively bringing our voices to our audience in these new ways. It's beautiful, inspiring - and most importantly - impactful.

SIGNATURE TALK STUDIO: And if you're someone who wants to step into these signature talk moments - live or virtual - but you need to create that content! - I'd love for you to join me for the Signature Talk Studio course that closes THURSDAY! Just a few days left to enroll, and I'd of course love for you to come be a part of it.

Really quickly - let me highlight what's going to be so awesome about this course…because by the end of it, you'll have a signature talk you can pull out of your back pocket to use in nearly ever context… Here's how we'll get you there: it's a step-by-step process from beginning to end… helping you move through creative blocks, stay accountable to a timeline, and also make room for the creative genius to come and fine you when she's ready (and keep showing up, even when she doesn't)… 3x we'll get together for a half-day "studio salon" where we'll workshop your content and delivery, you'll get expert feedback from me - and connect with your peers The course will live on Movers-U this amazing platform where the community ALSO lives… and I have to say? That community in there fills me up each day - with their support, questions, and all the ways in which they're sharing their voices and making a difference in the world…

I know that most of the people who come to me don't want to be full-time professional speakers…they want to utilize speaking as the power=house approach to make a bigger impact, and to make their mark. To influence, engage, and be recognized as the thought leader they are.

If that's you - I'd love for you to come join me! You can learn more at bemoved.com/jointhestudio

Alright, my friends! Next week I'm sharing an AWESOME interview with David Scott who's a phenomenal speaker and truly knows how to bring the WOW in his delivery! He is a marketing expert and author - and has spoken all over the world from Tony Robbins' stage to Asia and back again. I loved this conversation, and cannot wait to share it!

Until then - head on over to bemoved.com/jointhestudio to join me in this epic experience! This moved me.. what's moving you!?!?

1. If you had something you were working off of, instead of starting from scratch each time.
2. If you had given yourself more time, and weren't rushing the process.
3. If you weren't trying things out on the audience - and instead had pursued some outside help to get feedback, some guidance… and maybe even some encouragement.

1. It can save you time, stress, and all of the pulling out of the hair that seems to always - but doesn't need to - accompany creating a talk you can be proud of.

When I was in grad school studying persuasion (yes, that's a thing), I was at this 10-day residency intensive, where we did an incredible deep-dive into our subject areas with the help of these incredible professors and mentors. In those 10 days, we had to create our plan for the semester… and it was INTENSE. And because I'm an ideas person, I had a bajillion of them… Lots of ideas - lots of hard work - but focus? Not so much. My brain would swirl, and I'd start down one path and then question where I was going and then wonder what I was doing and then veer into another direction. Every day I'd show up to my mentor's office and say "I've got it!" I'm going to do this! - … and then I'd spend a day getting inspired by someone's talk or a discussion with some brilliant professor - and I'd be off in another direction.

Every few days I would freak out and say - I'm not going to get there! I'm not going to figure it out. And my awesome mentor would say - "Trust the process."

Kind of like when I was in theater and we'd be putting on shows… and a few weeks from opening i would think - "we're never going to get there. This is a mess."

My directors would say - "Trust the process."

I mean - work hard - invest yourself fully - but TRUST.

And we would get there.

When I gave my dream TEDx talk… There was a moment - about 10 days out from the talk - where I thought…This is horrible. This is the worst. I'm the worst. Do I even know what I'm talking about!? I'm about to crash and burn in this field where I'm supposed to be an expert… But - I kept at it - moved through it - and got to a place where I was so proud of what I have created.

Believe me, I had to say my own advice back to me a hundred times: "Trust the process" "Trust the process" Trust the process

Because creating a talk is a PROCESS. You can't short-cut it, because it's a process of DISCOVERY, and gaining clarity only comes from working the process.

Here's how it goes: We create - we refine - we share - we experience doubts - we push through and share again - and refine again - and create again - we wade through a season of fears and doubts and THEN we experience beloved CLARITY AND AHA'S AND what my husband calls "illumination."

We can't get to illumination without the PROCESS.

So - As you bring your talk to life - in ANY CONTEXT - virtual, live and in person, through a webinar or keynote or podcast conversation…

You must FIRST go through the process. And when you're in those moments of doubt - questioning everything - "This isn't working, won't work, this is dumb, I'm dumb, I hate this…" - know that as long as you're working the process - the process is working in you.