Why You Freeze Under Pressure and How to Take Control with Nausheen I. Chen


In Episode 329 of The Business Development Podcast, Kelly Kennedy sits down with Nausheen I. Chen, 3x TEDx speaker and Fortune 500 communication coach, to unpack why so many capable leaders struggle when it’s time to speak. From the fight, flight, or freeze response to the pressure of being seen and judged, Nausheen explains what’s really happening in your brain when you feel nervous, lose your words, or freeze under pressure. This episode breaks down the psychology behind communication and why even highly successful professionals can sound flat, robotic, or disconnected when it matters most.
More importantly, Nausheen reveals the shift that changes everything. Public speaking isn’t about confidence, it’s about focus. When you stop trying to perform and start focusing on delivering value, the pressure disappears and your ability to connect skyrockets. If you want to communicate with more clarity, presence, and authority in meetings, presentations, or content, this episode gives you the mindset and tools to finally take control.
Connect with Nausheen I. Chen and learn more about her work:
Website: https://www.speaking.coach
Speak as a Leader Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QTpeh8l5ow8y72rtr8np2
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nausheenichen
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nausheenichen/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nausheen.speaking.coach/
Email: nausheen@speaking.coach
Key Takeaways:
- You don’t freeze because you lack confidence, you freeze because your brain thinks you’re under threat.
- Public speaking fear is a primal response, not a personal weakness, and it can be trained.
- The biggest shift in communication is moving from performing to delivering value.
- When you focus on the audience instead of yourself, pressure drops and clarity rises.
- Confidence is not something you’re born with, it’s built through repetition, self-talk, and preparation.
- Your voice, energy, and body language are the three levers that determine how your message lands.
- Most people fail in communication because they focus too much on what to say and not how it’s delivered.
- Memorizing scripts creates pressure and increases the chance of freezing, speaking naturally creates connection.
- Exposure and repetition reduce fear, but only if you review and learn from each performance.
- The goal isn’t to impress people, it’s to make their time feel valuable, and everything changes when you do.
Sponsor Shoutouts
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Mentioned in this episode:
Hyperfab Midroll
00:00 - Untitled
00:39 - Untitled
00:43 - Understanding Selfishness in Business
05:19 - The Power of Communication: Overcoming Fear and Building Confidence
24:41 - The Magic Trifecta of Communication: Voice, Energy, and Body Language
41:37 - The Power of Self-Talk and Confidence Building
01:00:13 - The Confidence Accelerator Program Overview
Everyone in that room is selfish.
Speaker AAnd that works for me.
Speaker AThey're selfish because all they want is value.
Speaker AThey want to know that their time spent in that workshop was worth it.
Speaker BThe great Mark Cuban once said, business happens over years and years.
Speaker BValue is measured in the total upside of a business relationship, not by how much you squeezed out in any one deal.
Speaker BAnd we couldn't agree more.
Speaker BThis is the the Business Development Podcast, based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and broadcasting to the world.
Speaker BYou'll get expert business development advice, tips and experiences and you'll hear interviews with business owners, CEOs and business development reps. You'll get actionable advice on how to.
Speaker CGrow business brought to you by Capital.
Speaker BBusiness Development capitalbd ca.
Speaker BLet's do it.
Speaker BWelcome to the Business Development Podcast.
Speaker BAnd now your expert host, Kelly Kennedy.
Speaker CHello, welcome to episode 329 of the Business Development Podcast.
Speaker CAnd today it is my absolute pleasure to welcome to our stage Nosheen Chen nasheen is a three times TEDx speaker, Fortune 500 public speaking coach and founder of the Confidence Accelerator, a program built to transform leaders into confidence high impact communicators.
Speaker CShe has coached over 350 CEOs, founders and executives from companies like Amazon, Google, SAP and the United nations, helping them generate more than $65 million in revenue through stronger communication, sharper messaging and more powerful presence.
Speaker CShe also teaches public speaking at the executive MBA program at Central European University and is a LinkedIn learning instructor.
Speaker CShaping how professionals communicate on a global scale.
Speaker CFrom boardrooms to global stages to the camera lens, Nosheen helps leaders step out of the shadows and into clarity, confidence and most importantly, influence.
Speaker CBecause in today's world, the people who win are not just the ones with the best ideas, they're the ones who can communicate them in a way that moves people to act.
Speaker CAnd if you can't do that, you're not just being overlooked, you're being left behind.
Speaker CNasheen, honestly, it is an honor and a privilege to have you on our show today.
Speaker AThank you so much.
Speaker AKelly.
Speaker AThank you for the kind words, for that amazing intro, for your amazing vibe in general.
Speaker AThat is super contagious.
Speaker AContagious.
Speaker AI love it.
Speaker AThank you so much for having me.
Speaker CI, you know, since the moment we met, I've been looking forward to this conversation.
Speaker CThere's certain people who are just absolutely magnetic and you are one of them.
Speaker CAnd you know, communication is just one of those things that is absolutely critical.
Speaker CAnd you know, I mean, I'm not the best communicator.
Speaker CI took a lot of Bravery to get here.
Speaker CAnd I think we're going to be talking about that today.
Speaker CActually.
Speaker CI'm a very introverted person.
Speaker CFor the people who are very close to me, they actually know that I. I prefer to be at home with my family most of the time, but.
Speaker CBut I'm out here doing a podcast, doing two podcasts now, actually running a business development company, putting myself out there as the head of the Catalyst Club and kind of trying to inspire and educate leaders.
Speaker CAnd it's funny because I've had to learn along the way.
Speaker CAnd one of the things that I've realized is how critical becoming good at communication is, but not just becoming good at communicating, being brave enough to do so.
Speaker AAnd I love that you're doing this intentionally.
Speaker AAnd that's really what it's all about, right?
Speaker ANot just waiting for opportunities to come to you or hiding behind a specific personality trait or saying that this is just not me, but really putting yourself out there.
Speaker ASo I love that you've done that and you continue to do that.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CThank you.
Speaker CThank you.
Speaker CI'm excited, like I said, to just dive into it today.
Speaker CI'm always looking to improve.
Speaker CEvery listener of this show is always looking to improve.
Speaker CI would say that I'm the biggest learner on this show.
Speaker CAt the end of the day, I'm super curious and I want to know and I want to learn from leaders like you because I want to become good at these things.
Speaker CI want to become a better entrepreneur, a better business owner, a better partner, a better founder, a more healthy, more well rounded human.
Speaker CAnd the only way you get there is by accepting the fact that there's a lot of things you don't know.
Speaker CAnd it's not uncommon for me to be riding with my partner in the car and look at her and just say, what is it that I don't know right now?
Speaker CThat is absolutely holding me back.
Speaker CAnd I feel like this conversation is absolutely gonna be one of those things.
Speaker AI love that.
Speaker ANo pressure.
Speaker CYeah, no pressure at all.
Speaker CAll right, before we get into it, Nasheen, who is Nasheen Chen?
Speaker CHow did you end up on this incredible journey?
Speaker CLike, obviously, the bio speaks for itself, but how the heck did you get here?
Speaker AOne of those annoying kids who always gets up in front of the entire family and recites the most boring poem.
Speaker AThat used to be me.
Speaker AI was that annoying kid.
Speaker ASo I've been in love with speaking and performing for as long as I can remember.
Speaker AI actually did a whole psychoanalysis on this on why I seem to love this thing that A lot of people hate.
Speaker AA lot of my clients don't share my love for the spotlight.
Speaker AI'm the one who's, like, guiding them and nudging them into it.
Speaker AAnd some of them are like, I really dislike it when all eyes are on me and the pressure is on.
Speaker ABut I've loved that for as long as I can remember.
Speaker AAnd I. I trace it back to.
Speaker AI trace it back to my childhood, the formative years, as they call them.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker AWhere, yeah, I was the youngest by far in the family, and so no one took me seriously.
Speaker AEveryone was easily decades older.
Speaker AAnd I'm talking cousins that are decades older.
Speaker AAnd I was an only child.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker ASo no one ever thought that I had anything worthwhile to say.
Speaker ABut at the same time, I had this burning desire to share my opinions and my takes on things.
Speaker AAnd I realized the only time that I could really get that attention is when I would perform something.
Speaker ABecause when you're in the spotlight, when you're on stage, people actually give you attention.
Speaker AYou feel that you're saying something that's worthy of being said.
Speaker AAnd that's when I realized, wow, this is what I really like.
Speaker AI want people to tune into my message.
Speaker AI had this weird conviction that I have things to say.
Speaker AI just need an audience.
Speaker AAnd so I've always loved having that audience, engaging that audience, creating conversations with them.
Speaker AAnd that led me to doing a radio show for millions of people when I was still in my late teens, early 20s, being.
Speaker AWow, that was awesome.
Speaker AIt was great.
Speaker AIt was my first job in the radio.
Speaker CThat's so cool.
Speaker CThat's so cool.
Speaker AThanks.
Speaker AAnd after that, becoming a communication skills trainer.
Speaker ASo I was.
Speaker AMy entry into the Fortune 500 world was also very early.
Speaker AIt was my first real job out of college.
Speaker AI was at Procter and Gamble, and I was doing marketing and PR as my main work.
Speaker AAnd then I got trained as a communication skills trainer, which is the part that I loved.
Speaker AAnd at one point, I was the youngest communication skills trainer at that part of the company.
Speaker AAnd I was training people twice my age in communication skills, presentation skills, and really took that training and used it in life.
Speaker AWhen I changed careers, I became a director.
Speaker AI was a commercial director, creating commercials for American markets.
Speaker AAnd I was working with a lot of Asian companies.
Speaker AAnd at that time, I started working with a lot of CEOs, startup founders, entrepreneurs who were telling their story on camera for the first time.
Speaker AAnd I noticed something weird.
Speaker ASo these were really impressive people.
Speaker AThese were people that had raised millions of dollars for their Companies, they had done seed rounds, they had done funding rounds, but you put them in front of a camera when the spotlight is on them, they became these pale, robotic versions of themselves.
Speaker AThey did not tell their story in any kind of an engaging or interesting way.
Speaker AThey lost all personality and all impact.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AAnd at that time, I was the director.
Speaker AMy job was to get the best performance out of them.
Speaker ASo I started coaching them without realizing that I was coaching them to actually speak better on camera.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AAnd then that led me to a second career change.
Speaker AAfter the PR and marketing stuff, after the filmmaking stuff, getting into public speaking, coaching full time.
Speaker AAnd that's where I really combined my love for the stage that.
Speaker AThat had gotten me onto hundreds of stages over 17 years, including TEDx and My Love for the camera.
Speaker ABecause now, as you said, it's about putting yourself out there, especially if you're a business owner, if you're an entrepreneur, a founder, anyone who is building their brand, anyone who wants to be known and recognized as a thought leader in their industry.
Speaker AYou cannot hide behind the keyboard.
Speaker ASo it's all about ensuring that you're visible first on camera.
Speaker AThat is the easier part.
Speaker ADoing amazing podcasts like yours, creating videos, doing live webinars, events, and then eventually also putting yourself out there in terms of in person events, speaking on stages, meeting people in person, getting that recognition for your idea.
Speaker ASo that's the work that I do.
Speaker AI work now with a lot of brilliant founders, entrepreneurs, business owners, and turn them into powerful communicators, regardless of which room they walk into.
Speaker AWow.
Speaker CAnd not just one TEDx.
Speaker CThree TEDxS.
Speaker CIt just blows my mind.
Speaker CYou definitely have the record for most tedx's on this show.
Speaker AI like that.
Speaker CWe've definitely had one time.
Speaker AThank you.
Speaker CAny one time.
Speaker CNot many three time or even two time.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CThat's huge.
Speaker CThat's huge.
Speaker CI think it takes a special kind of person though, right?
Speaker CLike, I know for me, right?
Speaker CPick up my cell phone.
Speaker CI have always struggled to record myself on a phone, which sounds crazy, right?
Speaker CI should be able.
Speaker CI have a podcast.
Speaker CI have 300 episodes.
Speaker CI talk to people all the time, virtually.
Speaker CBut I like it.
Speaker CI feel that the moment that I pick up my phone, I'm like, well, what, what do I say?
Speaker AWell, if you're.
Speaker CWhy am I doing this?
Speaker AThat is the hard part.
Speaker CIt's like for me, the podcasting has been such, like, I don't know, I don't know the way to put it.
Speaker CIt's been, it's pushed my boundaries to get here I'm a much better communicator at episode, you know, whatever.
Speaker CWhat are we, 329 than I was at episode eight.
Speaker CBy a lot.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker CLike, just by, like, nature of doing this many conversations, this many shows, you get comfortable and then you can do it.
Speaker CBut I think that's it.
Speaker CIt's like it's taken a lot of repetition, a lot of practice to get comfortable and confident.
Speaker CThere was a time in my life, Nasheen, where like, you know, people in your position, founders, executives, high level leaders, they would scare the shit out of me.
Speaker CAnd I mean that in the best possible way.
Speaker CI don't know why, but I would have, like a very anxious response.
Speaker CI remember going to job interviews and literally shaking.
Speaker CI know there's people listening, like, Kelly, are you for real?
Speaker CLike you?
Speaker CYeah, me.
Speaker CMe.
Speaker CI really struggled with the pressure of that moment.
Speaker CAnd I always wondered if it was just me.
Speaker CRight?
Speaker AIt was absolutely not just you.
Speaker AThis is very common.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker CSo what is happening to us, Nosheen, in those moments?
Speaker CWhat is happening to us?
Speaker CLike, why are we feeling so overwhelmed in those moments?
Speaker ASo when the spotlight is on you, some weird things start happening in your brain.
Speaker AAnd if I take you back to caveman times, right, when we all used to live in caves, life was simple and very, very, very hard.
Speaker CYeah, hard and cold.
Speaker AYes, cold, cruel, insane in so many ways.
Speaker AWhen we were at that time, at that point in our evolution, if you were singled out, if you did not have any members of your tribe around you or behind you, you were really singled out.
Speaker AIf people were looking at you, if you were in a clearing where you couldn't hide, if you didn't have any weapons, all of those things were gigantic red flags.
Speaker AYour brain is just like, I am being attacked.
Speaker AI'm being attacked.
Speaker AI have nowhere to hide, nowhere to run, no strength in numbers, nothing.
Speaker AI am singled out in the spotlight.
Speaker ASo there's this very specific thing that starts happening to us where our fight, flight or freeze response kicks in.
Speaker ASo some people, they want to fight, so they get into this mode where you have an adrenaline rush and you start speaking faster because you want to get it over with, but also because you have all this adrenaline running through your body.
Speaker AYou have excess nerves.
Speaker AThat's when your hands start shaking, your voice might tremble, you start feeling butterflies in your tummy.
Speaker AAll of that is just a physiological response to the fact that you are not comfortable, you are not in control, and you feel like you are in danger.
Speaker ASo it's interesting, the lizard part of.
Speaker COur brain Literally primal.
Speaker CIt's primal.
Speaker AIt's literally primal.
Speaker AAnd so that's one response.
Speaker AEveryone doesn't feel that way, but a lot of people do.
Speaker AThe fight response is potentially the most common that I've studied, come across and, and, and experienced as well, for sure myself.
Speaker AThere's the flight response, which is really people running off stage, people going off camera, people just not wanting to deal with that pressure.
Speaker AI actually once worked with a very, very introverted and shy vp.
Speaker AShe was a new VP at a multinational bank.
Speaker AShe'd always been introverted, super A plus performer, but was never, ever comfortable on stage.
Speaker AAnd the first time that she had to address the whole company as a new vp, she couldn't get through her talk.
Speaker AShe had to really bolt.
Speaker AShe ran off stage, I believe within a minute or so of her talk actually starting, and she felt humiliated and traumatized and embarrassed because she couldn't get through it.
Speaker AIt got too much.
Speaker AAnd that is a challenge that is absolutely solvable.
Speaker AIt sounds like something that is very, very intimidating.
Speaker AAnd it was.
Speaker ABut then when we worked together in a few months, she was able to do many other presentations for the company for the same.
Speaker AIt's just a matter of changing your mindset.
Speaker ASo that's the flight response.
Speaker AAnd then of course, there's the freeze response, which a lot of people are scared of.
Speaker AThey're scared of their minds going blank.
Speaker ABut thankfully doesn't happen as often as we are scared.
Speaker AIt will happen.
Speaker AYeah, but it does.
Speaker AIt does.
Speaker AYou do have people that freeze again.
Speaker AThis is actually this one time I was in the audience and there was this senior leader who was on stage and she went blank.
Speaker AShe had started her speech and really within the first 20 seconds, she was just looking around at the audience, and we were about 500 people.
Speaker AAnd she was just like, I'm sorry, this is the first time that I'm speaking to an audience as big as this.
Speaker AAnd everyone started clapping.
Speaker AEveryone was just like, we're here for you.
Speaker AWe're here to support you.
Speaker AAnd her words came back.
Speaker ASo that's essentially what happens in our brains.
Speaker AAll three challenges are absolutely solvable, but it is something that we feel that we can't control because it just.
Speaker AIt starts happening to us before we have an idea of actually what's happening.
Speaker CYeah, I love that.
Speaker CAnd I. I think for me, I definitely resonate with the fight response.
Speaker CI think that's exactly what happens to me.
Speaker CAnd I've actually had it where.
Speaker CAnd it never lasts.
Speaker CIt's always very short.
Speaker CI think maybe that's the important thing to remember is that, like, whatever you're feeling, it is very temporary.
Speaker CIt feels in the moment like it's gonna last forever and you're gonna die.
Speaker CBut it's really only about 20 to 30 seconds for the whole thing to go through its loop.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CBut I've had it where, like, I couldn't talk.
Speaker CLike, it was like my words were gone and I'm like, trying to talk and I can't, I can't talk.
Speaker CAnd I knew what I needed to say.
Speaker CIt's just for whatever reason, my body's response was, you're not talking.
Speaker AThat could have been the freeze response.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CInteresting.
Speaker AThat could have been a cross between the fight and freeze.
Speaker CYeah, it felt like I lost my voice.
Speaker CAnd it was very temporary.
Speaker CIt came right back.
Speaker CBut yeah, I, I, and I think in the moment, too, I had had this, like, really rehearsed introduction that I was trying to do.
Speaker CAnd if you know me, I'm not a rehearsed guy.
Speaker CLike, that's just not who I am.
Speaker CIma, let's get on.
Speaker CLet's have a great conversation.
Speaker CLet's shoot from the hip and learn some shit.
Speaker CThat's who I am.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CAnd so for me, I was trying to do something that is in my natural way.
Speaker CAnd, yeah, it screwed me up.
Speaker CAnd so the moment I went back to my natural way and got on with what I was going to do in the first place, life was good.
Speaker CBut I think I got about halfway through that introduction and decided, I'm not going to do this.
Speaker CI'm going to pivot and I'm going to go over to what I was going to do in the first place.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CAnd that way we went and life was good.
Speaker AAnd actually I had a chance to have many conversations with President Obama's speechwriter, Terry Suplat.
Speaker AAnd so, yeah, that was awesome.
Speaker CThat is amazing.
Speaker AHe's an amazing person.
Speaker CYes.
Speaker AAnd in his book, he writes about this time where President Obama, before he became president, he had a very specific incident where he went blank.
Speaker AAnd this is someone who's been trained in public speaking.
Speaker AHe was very confident, it wasn't nerves, but he literally, he went blank because there was a point where he was leveling up.
Speaker ASo he was speaking to bigger and bigger audiences.
Speaker AAnd this was the biggest, highest stakes event that he had to speak at.
Speaker AAnd his mind just went blank.
Speaker AAnd he felt traumatized by that himself because it had never happened to him before.
Speaker ABut it's the pressure.
Speaker AIt's the pressure that if you let it get to you.
Speaker AIt absolutely gets to you.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CSo bring me into that.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CIf.
Speaker CIf even presidents can struggle with this and can find themselves in a moment, a very traumatic moment.
Speaker CI agree.
Speaker CI think for that VP story that you were talking about, being up there, introduced for the first time as a leader, and then freezing up and having to walk off stage, that is insanely traumatic.
Speaker CAnd not to mention.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker CEvery.
Speaker CIt leaves everybody else questioning, is this the person we should have leading us?
Speaker AAbsolutely.
Speaker CIt has a lot of negative outcome.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker CBecause it's one thing to wear a title, but it's another thing to own that title.
Speaker AI like that.
Speaker AThat's very true.
Speaker AIt's about the fact that, yes, people logically understand that you have this expertise, but if you're not good at showing it to them, at being able to express your ideas in an impactful way, then they just have to trust that you know what you're doing.
Speaker AAnd trust is very, very low these days.
Speaker AOverall, everyone's distrusting and mistrusting people and companies.
Speaker AAnd that's.
Speaker AI would say it's a good thing.
Speaker AIt's a good thing to have a healthy level of.
Speaker AOf mistrust till you feel that the person or the company has proven themselves to you.
Speaker ASo this happens very often, not just in these extreme circumstances, but also, how many times have you watched a talk or a presentation or even been engaged with someone in conversation?
Speaker ASomeone who is very qualified, who is an expert in what they do?
Speaker AYou know that they're an expert, but when they speak about it, they're so boring.
Speaker AThey speak in a flat monotone.
Speaker AThey use jargon.
Speaker AThey're not interesting you at all.
Speaker AYour mind's wandering and you're like, okay, okay, I gotta come back.
Speaker AI gotta come back.
Speaker AI gotta retune in.
Speaker AHas that happened to you?
Speaker COh, yeah, right.
Speaker ATo all of us.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AAnd we, of course, we make allowances.
Speaker AWe say, no, this person's just very well qualified.
Speaker AThey're just not a good public speaker.
Speaker AThey're just not a good communicator.
Speaker AAnd that's potentially us making finding a silver lining somewhere.
Speaker ABut imagine if you're an expert in your field and you're an excellent communicator.
Speaker AThat's what the top 1% does.
Speaker AThat's what Simon Sinek does.
Speaker AThat's what Mel Robbins does.
Speaker AThat's what.
Speaker AThat's what Cody Sanchez does, Alex Hormozi, all of these people have insane amounts of experience and expertise, but also they're amazing communicators.
Speaker ASo once you marry that, then there's no stopping you.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CThat's amazing.
Speaker CI almost link it to marketing materials because, you know, I teach people on marketing materials.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CAnd what I always say is, it doesn't matter how good the words are or what you have to say if nobody looks at it.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker CAnd so I kind of look at it the same way with marketing materials, you have to have a nice, pretty image in order for them to care about what is inside your brochure, what is on your website.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CIf it's boring, nobody's going to give it a second look.
Speaker CAnd it doesn't matter how good your message is.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker CIt sounds like public speaking is the same way.
Speaker CHow you say something is actually more important than what you say because how you say it will basically allow people to either care and pay attention or tune out.
Speaker CAnd if they tune out, it matters not what your message was.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AAnd this is so important because the.
Speaker AWhat people actually do is they do it backwards.
Speaker AWhere the moment you get a keynote opportunity, a presentation, a webinar that you need to do, the first thing you start doing is working on your presentation, working on your slides.
Speaker CYes.
Speaker AAnd very often that's the last thing people do as well.
Speaker AThey keep working on their slides, beautifying them, adding things, working on their script, working on all the stuff that they're gonna say, but they don't focus on how that message will actually be delivered and how people will actually receive that message.
Speaker AWhat does the audience actually want?
Speaker AWhat do they want to walk away with?
Speaker AWhat's going to be a good use of their time?
Speaker AAnd that's where the missing piece is.
Speaker AThat's why we walk into events and are on our phones or checking email or sometimes on our laptops.
Speaker AThat's why we multitask when we're in Zoom meetings and presentations and we keep our cameras off and start checking our email and doing work on the side because the person who's presenting is just not engaging enough.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker COkay.
Speaker CWell, let's speak to that then, because I think maybe that could be one of the biggest takeaways from today's show.
Speaker CIt's not what you say, it's how you say it.
Speaker CNasheen, teach us how in the world do we deliver a powerful message in a way that people will actually pitch attention?
Speaker AAnd this is.
Speaker AThis is great because a lot of people think there's a lot of stuff that you have to pay attention to is actually just three simple things.
Speaker ASo I call this the magic trifecta.
Speaker AWhen you watch a TEDx talk that you Love.
Speaker AWhen you listen to a podcast, that is really inspiring, what the speaker is doing, essentially, they're always playing with these three things.
Speaker ATheir voice, their energy, and their body language.
Speaker AReally?
Speaker AThat's it.
Speaker AIt's as simple as that.
Speaker ABut people do not do this intentionally.
Speaker AA lot of people don't.
Speaker AThe 1% that do, they rise to the top.
Speaker ASo it's about mastering your voice.
Speaker ANot speaking in a flat monotone, not speaking too fast so that you're mumbling and your words are coming out super, super fast.
Speaker ANot speaking so slowly that you put people to sleep.
Speaker ASo finding the right pacing, changing it up based on your message, adding pauses, changing your pitch based on the message that you're delivering, and making sure that you're using your voice intentionally as a powerful instrument, which it is.
Speaker AAnd then bringing the right level of energy.
Speaker AVery often you walk into a presentation or even a zoom call, and the other person's energy is kind of low.
Speaker AThey've had a long day, it's been a long week.
Speaker AAnd then you, as the audience, you follow them, right?
Speaker AYou follow their cue.
Speaker ASo you.
Speaker CYeah, you're literally body mirroring.
Speaker CBecause it's an automatic response.
Speaker AYes, exactly.
Speaker ASo if the speaker, the presenter, if their energy is low, the audience's energy is going to be low.
Speaker ABut if they bring an appropriate amount of energy.
Speaker AAnd I say appropriate because you can also go the other way.
Speaker AIf I had come onto this podcast, Kelly, and I was like, come on, Kelly, let's go, let's go.
Speaker CI'm ready.
Speaker AAll right.
Speaker AYou'd be like, what is she on?
Speaker CI'd be like, nasheed, I'm still on my first coffee.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker AYou'd be like, give me some of that stuff that you are on, because this coffee ain't doing it.
Speaker ASo some people really go the other extreme.
Speaker ASo it's about finding that Goldilocks balance of figuring out where the room is at and then bringing energy.
Speaker AThat's about one step above.
Speaker ABecause you really are the energy bringer.
Speaker AIf the stage is yours, if you are speaking, you are responsible for the energy in the room.
Speaker AIt's a great responsibility, but it's a.
Speaker CJob you didn't know you were responsible for, but apparently you are.
Speaker AExactly, exactly.
Speaker ASo that's the energy piece.
Speaker AThat's the second part of the magic trifecta.
Speaker ASo we talked about the voice, we've talked about the energy.
Speaker AAnd the third piece is body language, which includes your facial expressions.
Speaker AVery often you have speakers who are so under pressure, who subject themselves to so much stress in terms of trying to remember their message, that they have a poker face on the whole time.
Speaker AThey're just like, they.
Speaker AThey will not intentionally express anything with their face because the brain is just.
Speaker AIs overloaded with, what did I write?
Speaker AWhat did I write?
Speaker AWhat was in my script, what did I have to say here?
Speaker CYes, I know that feeling.
Speaker ARight?
Speaker AAnd then the whole phase the entire way through would just be like, so we're gonna be talking about this, and this is the next slide, and now we're gonna be doing this.
Speaker AAnd that absolutely messes with you as the audience, because there's a disconnect now between what the person's face is saying and what their mouth is saying.
Speaker ASo bringing the right type of facial expression that goes along with your message, actually having things in your message that prompt and trigger those expressions, because you don't want your message to be so dry that there is no opportunity to bring any kind of feeling to it.
Speaker AThat's where the messaging piece is important.
Speaker AAnd then, of course, body language, including your gestures, what you're doing with your feet.
Speaker ASo this is a secret that you may not know when, especially when someone's on stage, you can tell how nervous they are by looking at their feet.
Speaker CNo way.
Speaker ABy looking at their feet, because they could be okay.
Speaker CHow, How?
Speaker ASo next time you're.
Speaker AYou're seeing someone on stage, or even if you're like, look up a YouTube video, for example, notice whether the person is standing very grounded and stable, or are they shuffling?
Speaker AAre they shuffling back and forth, taking random steps here and there?
Speaker AAre they shifting their weight from one hip to the other?
Speaker AAre they pacing around like a lion in a cage, basically.
Speaker CAre they fidgeting?
Speaker AAre they fidgeting with their feet?
Speaker AWith their legs?
Speaker ASo if you watch the feet, you'll notice whether someone is experienced, whether they're feeling calm.
Speaker AThe best thing to do there is really to stand with your feet shoulder width apart, really firmly grounded, and then be dynamic with your top half.
Speaker ASo add gesture expressions, but keep the feet grounded.
Speaker AAnd that doesn't mean you can't walk around.
Speaker AYou can, as long as you walk.
Speaker CAround intentionally with intention.
Speaker AYes.
Speaker CYes.
Speaker CSo what you're saying is confidence is grounded.
Speaker AConfidence is grounded.
Speaker CIt's not fidgeting.
Speaker CYes, it's grounded.
Speaker CSo own your space.
Speaker CDon't fidget around.
Speaker CAnd if you're going to move, move, but do it in an intentional way.
Speaker CI love that.
Speaker CI'm not sure I'm.
Speaker CI think subconsciously I would have picked up on that.
Speaker AYes.
Speaker CThat the fidgeting is A nervous response.
Speaker CBut I'm not sure that consciously.
Speaker CNow I'll.
Speaker CNow I'll know.
Speaker CBut I'm not sure that consciously.
Speaker CI would have been like, that person's super nervous.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CI would have maybe just said, like, oh, they're just weird or they walk like that or whatever.
Speaker CI think it would be more of, like, a subconscious pickup than a conscious one.
Speaker AA lot of this stuff is subconscious.
Speaker CWell, and that's it.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CAnd I think if, you know, I can't remember the statistic, you probably know as a communications coach, but, you know, what is it?
Speaker CLike 80 or 90% of communication is body language.
Speaker CIt's what you're doing with your body.
Speaker ASo it's interesting that you bring that up.
Speaker AThat particular study has been debunked.
Speaker COkay.
Speaker COkay.
Speaker CAmazing.
Speaker ASo that was a study done by Albert Mehrabin.
Speaker AI always forget how to exactly say his last name, but this professor was.
Speaker AHe had the best of intentions when he did the study, and he concluded that body language, I believe it was something like 70% or something.
Speaker AIn terms of the message, it was.
Speaker CVery high, like three quarters at least.
Speaker ABut since then, he himself has come forward and said that was based on a very small group.
Speaker AWe had very limited data.
Speaker AIt was in this very one particular circumstance.
Speaker ASo overall, that is a myth.
Speaker AIt's been debunked.
Speaker AOf course.
Speaker AYour message and the way that you deliver it, it's all interlinked.
Speaker ANo one will ever say that body language isn't important, but it's not as important as the study says it is.
Speaker COkay.
Speaker COkay.
Speaker CIs there a new study that's showing a different number, or have we not gone that far yet?
Speaker ANo, we have not gone that far yet.
Speaker AThere isn't a consensus.
Speaker AThe consensus in the communication world is that, yes, body language is absolutely important.
Speaker AWe should focus on body language.
Speaker ABut it's not 70 or 80% of your message.
Speaker AYour message is important.
Speaker AAnd along with body language, the other delivery tools that I talked about are also equally important.
Speaker AIt's your voice, the way that you're using, your energy.
Speaker AAnd then, of course, whether your gestures, your expressions, your eye contact, the way that you're stable or not with your feet, of course, all of that factors in.
Speaker CYeah, yeah.
Speaker CAs somebody who's worked in business development a long time, I learned very early on that how you say something really matters.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CYou know, the monotone.
Speaker CYou don't want the monotone.
Speaker CYou want to come across happy.
Speaker CYou want to come across like you got a smile on your face.
Speaker CI remember early on in my sales training, being told that you should smile when you're on the phone because it changes completely how you talk.
Speaker CAnd I think subconsciously I've done that ever since.
Speaker CBut I think it really does matter.
Speaker CIt really does.
Speaker CIt's like, what are you doing?
Speaker CWhat are you feeling while you're communicating?
Speaker CAnd I think maybe that's why also, you could really have a bad moment on stage, because how you feel while you're communicating really has an impact on how you express yourself.
Speaker AAbsolutely.
Speaker AAnd it's that intentionality piece.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker AHow you're feeling and what you want the audience to feel.
Speaker ABecause sometimes the truth is, yeah, you might be feeling nervous.
Speaker AAnd so first, how do you make sure that the nerves don't stand in the way of you being an effective communicator?
Speaker AAnd then B, how do you make the audience feel what you want them to feel?
Speaker AOf course, ideally, you want to feel the same thing, and you probably will, but for me, the important piece is always the audience.
Speaker AWhat are they feeling?
Speaker AWhat are they taking away from the message that you're delivering?
Speaker ASo it's about that outward focus, the focus on the audience, which actually in turn makes a lot of people less nervous because you're taking the focus away from them and you're putting it on the people that they want to help.
Speaker COkay, so let's.
Speaker CLet's spend some time there.
Speaker CHow.
Speaker CHow do I take the focus off of me on stage, talking about my presentation, and instead turn that focus to the audience?
Speaker CHelp me out with that.
Speaker AYeah, it's a mindset shift.
Speaker ASo when I got my first big presentation at Google, I was being brought in as a trainer for these female engineers.
Speaker AAnd it was super exciting, right?
Speaker AI was excited for about 10 minutes, and then I started feeling dread.
Speaker AOh, no.
Speaker AThe day got closer and closer.
Speaker AThe workshop got closer and closer.
Speaker AI just felt more and more dread thinking, oh, my God, they've made a mistake.
Speaker AMaybe I'm not the right person to be training these engineers.
Speaker AWho am I to go into Google and train these people?
Speaker AAnd the night before, when my nerves were really all over the place, my husband looks at me and says, nasheed, what do you tell your clients when they feel this nervous?
Speaker AAnd I told him, well, I asked them to reframe the nerves as excitement now.
Speaker ASo I'll tell you about.
Speaker AI'll tell you a bit about what that means.
Speaker ABut he said, because he's not really interested in the technique, right?
Speaker AHe just wants me to solve the problem.
Speaker AHe's like, go do that for yourself.
Speaker AGo do it.
Speaker AI was like, all right, I'll do it.
Speaker AI do listen to him.
Speaker ASo I walk into the bathroom, I look at myself.
Speaker AIt's a Hollywood moment.
Speaker AAnd I really.
Speaker AI tell myself I'm not nervous.
Speaker AI am just so damn excited that I get to go and train female engineers at Google.
Speaker AHow cool is that?
Speaker AI get to help someone deliver a better presentation that might make them more visible, that might make people realize that this person deserves a promotion.
Speaker ASomeone's career can grow because of me.
Speaker AAnd if not, someone's day will go better because of me.
Speaker ASomeone's gonna have a better presentation because of what I share in that room.
Speaker AThat's pretty cool.
Speaker ASo everything that I'm feeling is excitement.
Speaker AIt's that I care.
Speaker AI care about the results.
Speaker AAnd so once I changed that focus, it was all about, wow, okay, I'm really excited.
Speaker AWhat can people learn?
Speaker AIt's not about me.
Speaker AIt's about what I can share.
Speaker AHow can one person walk away knowledge rich because of me?
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AThat lowers the pressure on me.
Speaker AI no longer need to perform.
Speaker AI no longer need to impress anyone.
Speaker ABecause guess what?
Speaker AEveryone in that room is selfish.
Speaker AAnd that works for me.
Speaker AThey're selfish because all they want is value.
Speaker AThey want to know that their time spent in that workshop was worth it.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker ASo all I have to do is I have to show up and share what I know.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker ASo much simpler than having to impress someone.
Speaker AHaving to make sure they think I'm the best communication skills trainer ever.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AAll of that is just unnecessary pressure because it's not about me.
Speaker AIt's about them.
Speaker CI love that.
Speaker CShow up and share what you already know.
Speaker CThis isn't about making up shit, showing up as the expert you are and just sharing what you already know.
Speaker CI think that's where we get screwed up.
Speaker CUm, I know I've found myself at the front of a room thinking, like, how do I make this really good for them?
Speaker CWhen all I absolutely needed to do was teach them about business development.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker ASomething that you could talk about in your sleep.
Speaker CYeah, I could talk about it all day long, all night long, and everything in between.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CAnd I. I don't know why, but yeah, we get so messed up with that.
Speaker CI. I absolutely love that.
Speaker CI want to talk to you briefly about the moment in the mirror, because I have done this.
Speaker CI've had plenty of times.
Speaker CAnd it's funny because you know what you're saying to yourself in the mirror is true.
Speaker CYou are showing up.
Speaker CNasheen, as you know, a world recognized expert on Communication.
Speaker CYou're there because you deserve.
Speaker CYou are the best person to be there, teaching them how to do this.
Speaker CBut on the other hand, you have that part of your brain saying, like, I know what you're saying to me, but shut up.
Speaker CYou know what I mean?
Speaker CLike, it's one thing to say something to yourself in a mirror, but it's a whole nother thing for that to actually change how you're feeling and how you think.
Speaker CWalk me through that part.
Speaker CBecause I think for me, that's something I've always struggled with.
Speaker AAnd what you say to yourself is what matters the most.
Speaker ASo they've done this study.
Speaker AThere was this professor at Stanford who did this study on people that reported themselves as being confident and people that reported lack of confidence or insecurity.
Speaker ASo imagine that there's this.
Speaker AThere are two people.
Speaker AImagine that they're playing a game of Scrabble.
Speaker AThere's confident Cathy and insecure Ian.
Speaker AAnd imagine now that they're both losing.
Speaker ASo they're both getting the worst letters ever.
Speaker AThey're getting Q's and Z's and W's, the letters no one wants to see in Scrabble.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AAnd insecure Ian, insecure, tells himself, yeah, this sucks.
Speaker AI have the worst luck.
Speaker AThese letters are just awful.
Speaker AI can't do anything with them.
Speaker AConfident Kathy, she tells herself, I'm just going to try better next time.
Speaker AThis is me.
Speaker AIt's on me.
Speaker AI can do better.
Speaker AI can do better.
Speaker ASelf talk at work.
Speaker ANow, if we flip it, imagine that they're both winning in that scenario, would you believe or would you imagine that Insecure Ian feels good about winning if he's getting really high scores?
Speaker CI would hope so.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker ASad.
Speaker AHe does not.
Speaker AHe does not feel good.
Speaker ASo his self talk is like, this was a fluke.
Speaker AJust good luck, pure dumb luck.
Speaker AI have no control over this.
Speaker AI'm just getting good letters.
Speaker AIt's not gonna happen next time.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AConfident Kathy takes full credit.
Speaker AShe's like, I did that.
Speaker AThat was me.
Speaker AI did that.
Speaker AHow cool is that?
Speaker AThis shows the power of self talk.
Speaker AIt shows that people that are confident are simply better at talking to themselves and reinforcing positive beliefs about themselves.
Speaker APeople that are insecure, people that lack that confidence, let the negative voices take over.
Speaker AAnd of course, in our brain, live both the positive and the negative voices for sure, because your brain is so super logical and rational is just going to try to look at the problem or the challenge from different angles.
Speaker AAnd the negative voices very often are trying to protect you.
Speaker ASo when you want to do a scary thing, sign up for a keynote, like do a workshop for Google.
Speaker AThe negative voice in your head that tells you maybe you don't belong there is trying to protect you.
Speaker AIt thinks you're going to embarrass yourself.
Speaker AIt thinks you're gonna put too much pressure on yourself, that you're not ready.
Speaker AWants to keep you in your comfort zone.
Speaker AThe positive voice has to counter the negative voice.
Speaker AAnd so this is how you can actually construct confidence, produce confidence.
Speaker AIt's just like muscles, right?
Speaker ALike, we're not born with six packs.
Speaker AI wish we were.
Speaker ABut you have to work for it, right?
Speaker CThat's right.
Speaker AYou have.
Speaker AEvery body has the potential to create these muscles.
Speaker AThe ones who go to the gym, put in the work, they're the ones who get those muscles.
Speaker AIt's just like that.
Speaker AConfidence is a muscle that you have to develop through self talk.
Speaker AAnd then, of course, the right preparation.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker AIt's not just going to the gym.
Speaker AIt's also making sure you're eating right.
Speaker ASo that's on.
Speaker AMaking sure that you know your content inside out, that you've done enough practice, that you know what you're going to be talking about.
Speaker ABut then there's that whole piece of putting in that positive reinforcement and really believing in it.
Speaker AAs you said, If I'm just BSing myself, that's not gonna work.
Speaker AI have to really gather proof against the negative voice.
Speaker CYes.
Speaker AWhen I was a filmmaker, when I was doing bigger and bigger projects, there was a specific mantra that I would tell myself when we would get a bigger project and I had to go on a bigger film set.
Speaker ASo when you're a filmmaker, right.
Speaker AYou start with doing very small productions, which are, let's say, you have five people on the crew and everyone's doing everything.
Speaker AAnd within a few years, I had built my business to a point where I was directing 50 person crews, 100 person crews.
Speaker AWow.
Speaker AAnd right.
Speaker AAnd then at some point you're like, oh, gosh, what am I doing?
Speaker AThis is so much bigger than I ever thought I would.
Speaker AI thought I could do a project that I just had never done before.
Speaker AAnd so I would just tell myself that morning when I would wake up and I knew that day would need to go well, I had to direct on set.
Speaker AI had to be the person that had all the answers for all the questions.
Speaker AThat's essentially what a director does.
Speaker AThey're just a glorified answer giver for many, many questions.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AAnd so I had to tell myself, this ain't My first rodeo, I would just tell myself that, like, this ain't my first rodeo.
Speaker AIt doesn't matter that the other rodeos were smaller.
Speaker AIt doesn't matter.
Speaker AI've done this before.
Speaker AIf I can do it with five people, I can do it with 50, I can do it with hundred.
Speaker AAnd so that helped me really get into that positive mindset of I've, I've done this before.
Speaker AWhat's the big deal?
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker COne of the things that I think I've struggled with with regards to public speaking, it's always felt different for me.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CLike, I. I'm not sure what it is, but I like, for me, I would say my adult life has been a.
Speaker CLike, let's get better at confidence, like, every year.
Speaker CAnd so I'm a lot more confident today than I was, you know, let's call it even three or four years ago.
Speaker CAnd every year of the BDP and doing new things and accomplishing more, my confidence builds.
Speaker CBut, yeah, like, it's definitely been a journey.
Speaker CIt hasn't been something that I've always held.
Speaker CYou know, I think I've always been fairly good at things.
Speaker CI think I've always held a very positive mindset, which, you know, I am, that I can do it.
Speaker CI just need time.
Speaker CI've always felt that I may not be able to do it today, but I will be able to do it in the future.
Speaker CSo I think that has worked in my favor on the positive self talk, but I think I've definitely struggled with the fear of public, of being public in general, which is, I know, hilarious for somebody who has 300 and some episodes of a podcast.
Speaker CBut it's definitely been a challenge.
Speaker CIt was not an easy road for me to get here.
Speaker CI still have a lot of growth left to do, a lot of learning left to do.
Speaker CBut I would say that, like, if I had to look back at one lesson, it's that everything you have to fake it till you make it maybe is the better way of putting it.
Speaker CLike, I always say, people ask me about imposter syndrome.
Speaker CYou know, I always feel like an imposter.
Speaker CI felt like an imposter so many times in my life.
Speaker CIt's stupid.
Speaker CIt's stupid.
Speaker CNasheen.
Speaker CHow many times I felt like, like, who am I to be here?
Speaker CWhy am I here?
Speaker CAnd I had to frame, reframe it to why not me?
Speaker CYeah, why not me?
Speaker CWhy can't I be there?
Speaker CWhy can't it be me?
Speaker CAnd so now that is my mindset.
Speaker CWhenever that, like, why you My immediate response is, why not you?
Speaker CAnd that seems to turn it around fairly quickly, because there's usually not a lot of reasons why not me.
Speaker AYeah, exactly.
Speaker AExactly.
Speaker AThe moment we realize that our brains might be lying to us again, thinking that it's in our best interest, like an overprotective parent, if you will.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker AWhen the overprotective parent tells you or tells their child, no, no, no, you can't go and play with mud because you're gonna end up with dirt in your mouth and you're gonna end up sick.
Speaker AThey're protecting the child.
Speaker AAt some point, you grow up and you realize, okay, brain, I hear what you're saying, but here's the proof to counter it.
Speaker AAnd I do believe that I can do this.
Speaker AI do believe it's time to do the scary thing that you are protecting me against.
Speaker CYes.
Speaker CYes.
Speaker CSo how much of, let's say, public speaking.
Speaker CBecause that is the example we're using today.
Speaker CHow much of public speaking is simply forcing yourself into that uncomfortable situation as many times as it takes until your brain can't say you are no longer.
Speaker CYou're not a public speaker.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CI feel like if you're up on stage five times, you do five public speeches, and they go, well, your brain cannot tell you you are not a public speaker.
Speaker CIt doesn't work.
Speaker CThe math doesn't jive.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AIt's.
Speaker AIt does desensitize you.
Speaker AExposing is literally exposure therapy.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AWhen.
Speaker AWhen you have a big talk coming up, let's say that you're.
Speaker AYou haven't spoken on a big stage before.
Speaker ASomething I do with my clients.
Speaker AI did this very specifically with.
Speaker AWith a client that I'm thinking of who had a number of big talks booked.
Speaker AAnd he.
Speaker AHe literally calls me up and says, nosheen.
Speaker AI haven't been on stage since college, and I don't know what to do because I just booked these talks.
Speaker AThey're.
Speaker AThey're a bit all over the place.
Speaker ASome in Europe, some in the US And I want to do them because I want to be an AI thought leader.
Speaker AI believe I am.
Speaker AI just need to be visible, but I just am so rusty, and I feel intimidated.
Speaker AAnd so there.
Speaker AThe strategy that we put in place was that I had him go and do open mic events.
Speaker ASo literally just walking into events and exposing yourself to a live audience because you just haven't had that experience for so long, and that's why you feel rusty and out of touch.
Speaker ASo, yes.
Speaker APutting in the reps and knowing what it is that you want to get out of each rep and then making sure that you are actually reviewing what you're doing.
Speaker AThis is the part that a lot of people miss.
Speaker AIn fact, Kelly, when you were talking about improving from episode 8 to episode 329, I'm sure it wasn't just the fact that you went and did the shows, but also that you reviewed the shows.
Speaker AYou were part of editing, putting them together.
Speaker CI've edited everyone.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AThat's impressive.
Speaker AAnd so that really makes you aware of not just your shortcomings, not just your opportunities.
Speaker AOf course, those are the ones that we look at first, but also your strengths.
Speaker ASo it makes you more intentional as a speaker.
Speaker AA lot of people do the first part.
Speaker AThey go and do the talk, they go and do the podcast, and then they never look at it.
Speaker AYou'd be surprised by how many clients that I work with.
Speaker AI literally ask them this in the first self evaluation that we do.
Speaker AHave them fill out this whole survey on how they feel they are in terms of their communication skills.
Speaker AAnd question there is, what do you feel when you look at a video of yourself speaking?
Speaker AAnd an option is, I have never seen a video of myself speaking.
Speaker AAnd 60% of my clients click that.
Speaker CWow.
Speaker AAnd I'm like, you have videos of yourself, right?
Speaker AThey say, yes.
Speaker AI've just never looked at them because it's a painful process.
Speaker AAnd it is.
Speaker AIt absolutely is.
Speaker AIt's looking into a mirror and seeing all your flaws.
Speaker CI love that.
Speaker CI love that.
Speaker CAnd as somebody who's a fellow podcaster, you know, podcasters know this.
Speaker CWe love talking with other podcasters because we don't get to do enough of it, which is surprising, I know, but I remember.
Speaker CDo you remember the first time you heard yourself on your show?
Speaker ASurreal.
Speaker AIt's surreal because the way that you hear your voice recorded back is different from how you hear yourself in real time.
Speaker CI still remember asking Alexa to play the BDP for the very first time.
Speaker CAlso sorry to everyone who has Alexas and hearing myself and be like, holy shit, that's me.
Speaker CThat's my voice.
Speaker CThat's how I sound.
Speaker CBut you sound different than you think you do, which is funny.
Speaker AYes.
Speaker AIt really creates this unsettling feeling for a lot of people with my clients, I teach them this strategy.
Speaker ASo, again, because I come from the filmmaking world, I love using analogies there because people can relate to it.
Speaker AWhen you're on a film set, you have three principal rules.
Speaker AYou have a scriptwriter, you have the performer, and you have the director.
Speaker AThe scriptwriter has to provide the words.
Speaker AThe actor, the performer has to perform them.
Speaker AAnd the director, of course, works with the actor on the performance.
Speaker ANow imagine if you are the actor and the scriptwriter comes and gives you the script, but they're constantly interrupting as you try to perform, as you try to act.
Speaker AThey're like.
Speaker AThey tap on your shoulder and they're like, no, no, no, say it like this.
Speaker ANo, no, no, no.
Speaker ASay it like that.
Speaker AAnd the director keeps calling, cut.
Speaker ACut.
Speaker AWhere did you learn to act?
Speaker ACut.
Speaker AThat was so awful.
Speaker AThe actor can't possibly perform.
Speaker AThey can't possibly give the best performance of their lives.
Speaker AThe best thing to do is to be able to separate those three roles, because we're playing those three roles all the time when we're communicating.
Speaker AWe are our own script writers.
Speaker AWe are, of course, the performer.
Speaker AAnd of course we are also our worst critic.
Speaker AAnd this comes into play when you're reviewing your podcast, when you're reviewing a video, when you're looking back at a recording of your talk, for example.
Speaker ASo the technique that I teach my clients is separate yourself from the person that you're seeing on the screen.
Speaker AThey were the performer, but you are now the director.
Speaker ASo your job is to help that version of Kelly become better.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AHow can Kelly be better in episode 330 based on what you're seeing now, Your job is not to feel cringe as the performer because you are no longer the performer.
Speaker AAnd once you create that separation, it's so much easier to review yourself because then you're simply your own director.
Speaker CWell, and if I look back to, like, how I used to edit in the very beginning of this show, I would, like, cut everything.
Speaker CNasheen.
Speaker CLike, I like Mike.
Speaker CMy shows looked ridiculous that some of them had a hundred cuts in like, you know, a 40 minute show.
Speaker AWow.
Speaker CAnd.
Speaker CAnd then at some point I'm like, what am I doing?
Speaker CLike, just be okay with it.
Speaker CJust be yourself.
Speaker CLike, not every show has to be perfect.
Speaker CThere is such thing as get it out there and be good enough.
Speaker CAnd so I think, you know, let's call it somewhere around episode 100, I started to be more okay with, let's just be good enough.
Speaker CLet's be okay that we're not perfect.
Speaker CBut yeah, there was definitely that perfectionist part of me in the very beginning that was just like, nope, nope, he breathed too heavy.
Speaker ACut out the breathing.
Speaker CYeah, it's so funny, right?
Speaker CIt's so funny.
Speaker CBut you're absolutely right.
Speaker CI was so critical of myself in the beginning.
Speaker CSo critical.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AOverly critical.
Speaker AAnd you notice things that other people will never notice.
Speaker ASo I've, Yes, I've literally, I've delivered and published videos where I had a smear in my mascara or my, my eyeliner.
Speaker AAnd I asked people like, did you notice that?
Speaker AAnd they're like, what are you talking about?
Speaker CWhat?
Speaker AWhat?
Speaker AI'm like, it was right there.
Speaker AIt was right there.
Speaker ALike, no, no, you're just, you're focusing on the wrong thing.
Speaker ASo you really, you realize people are not as observant.
Speaker AAnd that works in your favor?
Speaker CYes, absolutely.
Speaker CAbsolutely.
Speaker COkay, well, we're, we're closing in on the end of our show, Nasheen.
Speaker CBut I, you know, I want to talk about the best way there's a plan.
Speaker CI want to talk about the best way to plan for a performance.
Speaker CRight.
Speaker CWe've talked about a few different ways.
Speaker CWe've talked about creating these fancy scripts for your talk.
Speaker CWe've talked a little bit more about the be yourself and talk about the things, you know, organically.
Speaker CTalk to me a little bit about how you prepare for a big speech.
Speaker ASo of course it starts with the audience.
Speaker AAlways.
Speaker AI first try to find out as much as possible about the audience.
Speaker ASo I ask the organizers, I even ask if I can send out a pre talk survey.
Speaker AThis works well with organizations.
Speaker AFor example, if I'm being brought in to do a paid workshop, so I send a survey ahead of time.
Speaker AI want to know what are the challenges that you're facing in communication, what kind of communication you're doing?
Speaker ADo you want to get better at presentations or do you want to get better at improvised speaking or both?
Speaker AWhat kind of confidence are we feeling in the room?
Speaker AAre you all feeling nervous or not?
Speaker ASo I get as much information as possible about the audience first and then of course, I create the slides, I create the messaging.
Speaker AAnd here the one thing that I always work on with clients is that I ask them never to write their scripts out in fully formed sentences because when they do that, the temptation is either to read off of a script, which is awful, and everyone knows you're reading from a script.
Speaker CAbsolutely.
Speaker AOr with some of my clients where they really, really feel nervous, they would memorize entire scripts.
Speaker ASo I had this client at Google who would.
Speaker AShe would literally stay up all night memorizing her entire presentation script because that's the only way she would feel like she could go and deliver it.
Speaker ASo that's what I change at that level, at that level of planning where just write out key bullet points because you want to be speaking in real time.
Speaker AYou Want to be constructing those sentences in real time.
Speaker CYes.
Speaker AJust like a natural conversation.
Speaker CThank you.
Speaker COh, my gosh.
Speaker CI've had people tell me the opposite way, Nasheen.
Speaker CAnd I'm like, I can't do this.
Speaker CI've had people say, write out all 10 pages of your script and memorize the whole thing.
Speaker CSay it 10 times or a hundred times if you have to, until you learn it.
Speaker CAnd I'm like, I can't do that.
Speaker CThat's not how Kelly's brain works.
Speaker ABut on the other hand, insane.
Speaker CI've been writing my own individual podcast shows at this point for probably 150 episodes, and I've always written them, like you said, in jot nor in jot note form.
Speaker CWhere I can speak from the heart, where I can speak from authority, from what I.
Speaker CFrom what I know and what I remember.
Speaker CAnd when I do that, it's always a better show.
Speaker CAnd so I've always felt like I'm not sure that I'll be a good public speaker because I can't memorize 10 pages.
Speaker AYou do not need to memorize anything.
Speaker AThe only exception to this might be the TEDx stage, only because they are so particular about the exact length of your talk, and they're gonna cut you off if you exceed.
Speaker ASo that's potentially the only scenario where I would encourage memorization, and even then, I would encourage internalization versus memor.
Speaker AInternalizing the structure and internalizing the key points and the beats of your speech versus memorizing it word for word.
Speaker ABecause there is a study that was done on how well you need to have memorized something to be able to deliver it with impact.
Speaker AAnd turns out that what happens is when you first start memorizing something, this is from phrase borrowed from theater.
Speaker AYou go off book, which means you don't.
Speaker AYou no longer need a script.
Speaker ASo that's the first step.
Speaker AMost people treat that as the last step.
Speaker AThe moment they don't need their script and they feel like it's more or less memorized, they stop.
Speaker AThat is the most dangerous point to stop, because at that point, your mind can go blank at any point in the speech.
Speaker AWhat happens is your brain finds it very hard to switch between recall mode and improvisation mode.
Speaker ASo even though you might be good at improvising or winging it overall, when you're specifically in a mode, when you put your brain in that mode where you're telling it, recall this script that I've memorized, when it can't find the next word that you wrote, it can't very Easily and seamlessly switch over to improvisation.
Speaker ASo there is that moment where it does go blank.
Speaker CIt's just a complete freeze.
Speaker AYes, it's a complete freeze.
Speaker AAnd you're putting yourself in that situation for no reason.
Speaker ASo definitely no to memorization as much as possible.
Speaker CThank you.
Speaker COh, my gosh.
Speaker CSeriously.
Speaker CThank you.
Speaker CI can already hear the audience.
Speaker CThank you, Nasheen.
Speaker CWe can do it.
Speaker AYes, absolutely.
Speaker AThe idea is to have fun.
Speaker AThe idea is to embrace the opportunity.
Speaker ASo that's the planning stage in terms of the messaging.
Speaker ARight.
Speaker AAnd now what I tell everyone is look at how much time you get to prepare.
Speaker ADivide it by half, and at the halfway point, tell yourself you're going to lock down your content.
Speaker AMost people don't do this.
Speaker AThey keep working on their slides till the very last moment, which means they don't leave themselves time to actually prepare the delivery of the talk or the presentation.
Speaker AAnd that is super crucial.
Speaker AWe've covered that.
Speaker ABut you just don't give yourself time.
Speaker ASo let's say you have two weeks.
Speaker AAt the end of week one, lock down the slides, lock down the messaging, lockdown your speaker notes, and then spend a week just delivering and practicing it and really delivering it.
Speaker AFor example, if you're doing a talk on a stage, don't sit in front of your computer and read from your slides.
Speaker AReally simulate that particular environment.
Speaker ASo stand up, have your slides behind you, not in front of you.
Speaker ARecord yourself, and then watch it back.
Speaker AAs cringy as that might be, that's what's going to help you improve.
Speaker ABecause then you can really step out of the shoes of being the performer, become the director, and then notice, ah, I did this well.
Speaker AOh, I'm moving too much here.
Speaker AOh, this point was the point where I couldn't remember what to say next.
Speaker AAnd then do that as many times as your schedule allows.
Speaker A3, 4, 5, 10 Times.
Speaker AThe more you do it at that stage, especially the more you review it and then do it again with a very specific goal in mind.
Speaker AOkay, this time I'm just going to focus on my feet.
Speaker AI don't want to be shuffling.
Speaker AI don't want to be moving randomly.
Speaker AI'm just going to be intentional with my feet.
Speaker AOkay.
Speaker AThis next time I'm going to make sure I don't use filler words like men.
Speaker ALike setting that goal for yourself and then doing as many practices as time and schedule allow so that you feel so comfortable with the content and delivering it is familiar.
Speaker ASo you're doing all of this so that you can put your brain in the most comfortable, reassured state when it's showtime so that you're not feeling like, wow, this is new.
Speaker AThis is unfamiliar.
Speaker AOh, my God.
Speaker ANow I have to go and do something that I haven't done before.
Speaker ABecause you've done it five times already in your living room.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker AMakes it less scary, less intimidating, and you perform better.
Speaker CI love that.
Speaker CI love that.
Speaker CI can get behind that one.
Speaker CI can get behind the reverse with jot nodes.
Speaker AI like that.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker CThat's so cool.
Speaker CI've actually had the same feedback from one of my really close friends who's a really great, you know, local speaker.
Speaker CSo you like?
Speaker CI think the problem that I've had is I've interviewed so many people.
Speaker CLike, at this point, I've got.
Speaker CI've interviewed well over 200 people, Nasheed, and.
Speaker CAnd I've heard.
Speaker CI've heard many different takes, but I'm thankful for this one because the other one, like, specifically the memorize everything has felt really hard.
Speaker CAnd I always kind of questions like, I don't know how actors do it.
Speaker CHow do they memorize all their lines?
Speaker CI don't understand.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker AAnd then.
Speaker AAnd then deliver it super comfortably and naturally.
Speaker ALike, it's just them.
Speaker CYeah, it's quite the feat, for sure.
Speaker CNasheen, this has been absolutely incredible.
Speaker CPlease bring us into your world.
Speaker CWe've been talking so much about communication, but you actually teach communication.
Speaker CYou, coach executives, Fortune 500s, bring us into your world, your services and your community, please.
Speaker ASure.
Speaker AThank you.
Speaker AThanks for asking.
Speaker ASo I run this program that I love.
Speaker AIt's called the Confidence Accelerator.
Speaker AAnd that's a community that I run for execs, for founders, for entrepreneurs, business owners, anyone who wants to excel in their communication skills and doesn't know where to start.
Speaker ASo this is really a great starting point for anyone who knows that they need to work on their communication.
Speaker AThey may not have the time to work one on one.
Speaker AThey may not have the finances.
Speaker AThey may not know where to really start.
Speaker ASo this is really a great foundation.
Speaker AAnd the best outcomes here are people start speaking.
Speaker ASo the best success stories are people that come into the accelerator and they say, no, Sheen, I know that I need to be visible, but I'm so scared of publishing my first video.
Speaker AI'm so scared of doing a talk.
Speaker AI don't think I'm ready.
Speaker AAnd yeah, a few months in, people are getting new opportunities.
Speaker AThey're going on stage, they're saying yes to opportunities when they used to say no.
Speaker AThey're creating videos for LinkedIn and just overall Being more visible.
Speaker ASo it's a complete program where you get access to weekly live group coaching sessions with me where you can come and ask me any question.
Speaker AAnd we often do a lot of practices with live coaching and feedback from me.
Speaker AAnd they get access to an entire course based on 17 years of speaking on stage, five years of speaking in front of and behind a camera.
Speaker AAnd they, people really appreciate that this can really work with their schedules.
Speaker AIt's not, it's not a timed thing where you have to show up for a specific session or you have to study something.
Speaker AYou can really take the course and study any part of it that's relevant to you and use the live sessions to come and apply those tools or ask me questions.
Speaker AAnd I also give support in the community.
Speaker ASo people are often, they often share their videos, they often share recordings of their rehearsals and I give them feedback in the community.
Speaker ASo that's the confidence accelerator program, which is really the best way to start working with me.
Speaker CAmazing.
Speaker CAmazing.
Speaker CAnd then, you know, we have a lot of companies listening right now.
Speaker CIf there's a company that would like to bring you in to work with their executive team, with their communication side, whatever it is, is that something you still do as well?
Speaker AOh, for sure, for sure.
Speaker AI do both in person workshops as well as online workshops.
Speaker AI actually just flew to Germany a few weeks ago to deliver a two day in person workshop on presentation skills, communication skills.
Speaker AEssentially becoming a fearless communicator.
Speaker AThat was intense.
Speaker AThat was very cool, but very intense.
Speaker AIt was eight hours of just me for two days leading this workshop.
Speaker AYeah, but that was.
Speaker AIt was amazing.
Speaker AI love doing these from time to time.
Speaker AAnd also of course online I deliver.
Speaker AThe idea is I always work with the company to figure out what it is that they really need.
Speaker ABecause one of the things I bring is because I have so much experience on stage and on camera and building a personal brand, creating videos.
Speaker AI can really pick any one of these things and create sessions around it.
Speaker ASo I love customizing whatever it is that I'm doing based on what the company needs.
Speaker AVery often it's how to become more engaging as a presenter, how to be more confident as a communicator, how to bring clarity to your message.
Speaker ASo I'm able to create customized workshops for companies based on exactly what they need.
Speaker CAmazing, amazing.
Speaker CAnd if people do want to get a hold of you for that, what is the best place for them to do so?
Speaker ATo go to either of my website, that's speaking coach.
Speaker ASo hopefully easy to remember.
Speaker CThat's a Great website.
Speaker AThat's, that's thanks to my husband.
Speaker AHe.
Speaker AThank you.
Speaker AHe found it and he was like, no, Sheen, forget the dot com domains that you were looking for.
Speaker AYou gotta get speaking coach.
Speaker CYeah, no kidding.
Speaker ASure.
Speaker AYeah.
Speaker ASo we are speaking coach.
Speaker COkay.
Speaker AThat's one of the best ways to find out more about me, what I do, and also contact me.
Speaker ABut otherwise, if you're just very interested in, for example, me doing a corporate workshop, you can always just reach out to me on my email as well.
Speaker AThat's just my name at speaking coach.
Speaker ASo nosheenpeaking coach.
Speaker COkay.
Speaker CAmazing.
Speaker CAnd for people listening, that'll be in the show notes.
Speaker CIt'll be on all of our posts.
Speaker CEasy to find.
Speaker CNasheen, do you have an accelerator starting soon?
Speaker AYes.
Speaker ASo I do have a cohort.
Speaker AWhat I do is the community that I was telling you about.
Speaker AThe conference accelerator community is a great foundation program.
Speaker AAnd then there are some business leaders, founders, execs who want to work with me in a more, in a more one on one way.
Speaker ANot exactly one on one because it's still a group setting, but in a more exclusive way where they get a lot more of my time and they want more of that VIP experience.
Speaker ASo this is essentially the VIP experience that we create from the accelerator where it's a timed cohort and it's literally seven to 10 people.
Speaker ASo it's very, very limited.
Speaker AAnd I make sure I also talk to most of these people beforehand so that I know that the group is going to get along.
Speaker ABecause very often it's that experience of that group that the group is powerful.
Speaker CYeah, a hundred percent.
Speaker CYeah, yeah.
Speaker ASo it's seven to 10 select business leaders, founders, entrepreneurs, and we go through a two month program where I'm essentially teaching you all these skills.
Speaker AEverything that we talked about in terms of the magic trifecta, the voice, the energy, the body language, but also clarity on your message, figuring out what it is that you're already good at and working with you on the opportunity areas.
Speaker ASo we do all of that in this, in this glorious two month period where you come out of this program completely change as a communicator and now you're looking at your own skills and everyone else's skills differently.
Speaker ASo a lot of people start really figuring out, oh, so people around me are actually very average at communicating and now I understand the secret tools to actually rise above and make more of an impact.
Speaker ASo yes, we have the next version of that starting mid April.
Speaker COh, amazing.
Speaker COkay, well, this show is going to be coming out end of March.
Speaker CSo it'll be really.
Speaker CYeah.
Speaker CSo hopefully if you're listening to this show and you're getting it right around release and you're interested in this.
Speaker CAbsolutely.
Speaker CGo and check out speaking coach and check out Nasheen's next accelerator because that'll be amazing.
Speaker CAnd then obviously you do have a pretty big personal brand.
Speaker CYou're big on LinkedIn, Instagram as well.
Speaker CI'm not sure.
Speaker CI didn't check the Instagram, but I imagine probably pretty big too.
Speaker CBring us into your LinkedIn area if people want to get a hold of you.
Speaker CYou're still pretty active on those things.
Speaker AOh, for sure.
Speaker AYes, yes.
Speaker ALinkedIn is a great way to start a conversation.
Speaker AAnd yes, actually Instagram was really interesting.
Speaker AI started being intentional about Instagram last year and actually grew to three times as much on Instagram in nine months.
Speaker ASo it was crazy.
Speaker CWow.
Speaker ASo, yeah, we're at 350k or something on Instagram.
Speaker CWow.
Speaker CWow.
Speaker CGood for you, Nasheen.
Speaker CThat's amazing.
Speaker CThat is incredible.
Speaker CWell deserved, well deserved.
Speaker CNo, this has been amazing.
Speaker CNasheen.
Speaker CThank you so much for your time.
Speaker CIt's been a pleasure.
Speaker CI've enjoyed every conversation we've had.
Speaker CI look forward to the next one.
Speaker CAnd then if anybody, like I said, if anybody is looking for public speaking information, things like that, Speaking coach, which is probably like the best domain for speaking I've ever heard.
Speaker AThank you.
Speaker CThanks again so much, Nasheen.
Speaker CThis has been incredible.
Speaker AThanks so much, Kelly.
Speaker AThanks for having me on.
Speaker AAnd this was, this was a pleasure.
Speaker AAnd you're just such a.
Speaker ASuch an amazing person to talk to.
Speaker ASo was.
Speaker AIt was a great conversation.
Speaker AThanks to you.
Speaker AThank you.
Speaker CThe pleasure was truly mine.
Speaker CUntil next time.
Speaker CYou've been listening to the business development podcast and we will catch you on the flip side.
Speaker BThis has been the business development podcast with Kelly Kennedy.
Speaker BKelly has 15 years in sales and business development experience within the Alberta Oil and gas industry and Foundation.
Speaker BFounded his own business development firm in 2020.
Speaker BHis passion and his specialization is in customer relationship generation and business development.
Speaker BThe show is brought to you by Capital Business Development, your business development specialists.
Speaker BFor more we invite you to the website at www.capitalbd.ca.
Speaker BSee you next time on on the business development podcast.




