With Jessica Rasdall
When we talk about the things in life that humans fear the most, public speaking often tops the list. In fact our collective fear of standing up in front of a group and talking is so great that some surveys suggest we actually fear it more than death. And, on one hand I totally get it, having had total panic attacks myself about needing to speak on stage before a crowd, or into this podcast mic even. But on the other hand, doesn’t it seem strange that we’re so friggin afraid of something inherently not life threatening? Like, what exactly are we so afraid of, anyway? What do we think will happen to us? We’re unlikely to suffer any real physical or lasting harm, and for the most part good things come from public speaking. I mean, for one thing it’s great for building credibility, authority and growing our businesses – so why all the fear?
Well, today’s guest, Jessica Rasdall has definitely figured out how to overcome the thing we fear most as she has made her way onto countless stages telling her incredibly gut wrenching story to hundreds of thousands of people. She has told her story of turning her “mess into a message” and has been featured on major international media outlets such as ABC’s 20/20, Katie Couric, The Guardian, MTV, Netflix, and many more. I mean just Google her – she’s a big deal and so is her story.
And while the fear of public speaking is super real, and the idea of showing up in front of masses can be totally anxiety inducing, THERE MIGHT BE SOMETHING YOU’RE MISSING THAT COULD TURN this all AROUND FOR YOU. And today Jessica is letting us in on the secret of how to flip this self induced anxiety on it’s head. You’re about to learn the one thing that is far more important than a slightly irrational fear of people looking at you while you talk. So get ready, you’re gonna learn a lot.
Also I want to add a trigger warning here because this episode discusses a drunk driving incident resulting in loss of life.
In this episode, Jessica talks about:
- The transformative story that brought Jessica into the world of public speaking and storytelling for business owners. 3:18
- Billboard statements – telling the story that supports the message your audience needs to hear. 7:33
- How to find your one (yes one) key message. 10:13
- How to dismantle objections in advance to be receptive to hearing your message. 12:11
- How to overcome the fear of speaking (being an introvert is NOT an excuse). 15:09
- Speaking not being for everyone, and that is okay! 17:43
- Getting to the bottom of what your audience really needs to hear from you. 18:28
- Tips for ensuring that your message will resonate before you go live. 21:10
- Getting comfortable with your message and staying in your lane as a way to build confidence. 23:35
- The value of recording yourself speaking. 26:57
- Using public speaking to grow your business. 28.37
- The four steps to getting to the stage. 29:44
- Helping people tackle their mindset around public speaking. 32:11
- What common mistakes are people making in their talks and how to avoid them. 33:38
I’m going to challenge you to go write that billboard statement today, that is huge for you is going to gain so much clarity on what it is you’re speaking about, and what message the difference that you’re making for the audience. So I want you to really sit down and think about “if I can only tell them one thing, What will I tell them?”.
Jessica Rasdall
Wow. Such an amazing conversation with Jessica. There’s just so much to stew on. I have a feeling you’re gonna think about this episode a few more times before the day is out.
Here’s what stuck with me… while the fear of public speaking is super real, and the idea of showing up in front of masses is totally anxiety inducing, your WHY should always be paramount. I love how Jessica explains that public speaking isn’t actually about you, but it’s about your message and the people who need to hear it. It is about leaving people who see you and hear you better than you found them. That’s what stuck to my ribs, if i can use that in this context, and, when she put this spin on it, it is easy to see that serving your audience should be far more important than a slightly irrational fear of how you will be received. And then I got chills because I remembered that’s exactly the message I needed to hone within myself to bring this podcast to you. And, if I didn’t think about how much it meant to me to bring this to YOU, how that was far more important to me than my fear of judgement, well, this podcast wouldn’t exist and that makes me sad. Because, you and I wouldn’t be meeting cool business experts, learning new things about common business topics, and growing and learning and leveling up our businesses, together.
So yeah, we grew this great little podcast with a great little following and super amazing expert guests all because one day I finally faced it that YOU are more important than my silly fears.
So yeah, the next time you fear something, like something irrational (not hungry bears you should definitely fear hungry bears) but, your fear for being yourself, or showing up as you are, or doing a live video, or public speaking, any of that stuff. The next time you find yourself sitting in irrational fear like that, I challenge you to remind yourself that its only holding you back, and I challenge you to remember Jessica’s message and then think about the people who are missing out on what you have to give because of your silly fear.
Ok. Okay.
Thank you once again for tuning into another episode of the workshop weekly podcast. To find more information about Jessica or anything else mentioned in this episode, please visit the shownote at kellylawson.ca/051. And, I gotta say, I really like hanging out like this, y’know? Til next week!
Connect with Jessica
facebook.com/OfficialJessicaRasdall
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Click here for the transcribed version of this podcast.