Selling Success Through Speaking with Colin Boyd

Mr. Colin Boyd, welcome back to her Empire Builder Show.

Hey, it's great to be here. Tina.

I think you are on like like the two digit numbers. We're now episode over 300 and I think you were on at about 50.

Oh come on. I know, that's so good. So you're over 300. That's, that's strong. That's strong. I mean one thing I have to acknowledge about you is like you, you are consistent, you deliver like you say, you do what you say and like just that consistency is, is pretty incredible.

Oh yeah, lovely. But dude, this is here to promote you, not me. Let's, this is your show.

Let's go, let's go.

So you're known as the speaking guy. Like there is, there is even tons of like you're the first person that I did like to learn webinars. I remember I started in online courses. I did Amy Porterfield's first, which I think so many of us have done. And then James Wedmores and then I came across you, I think like 2019. 20, 2018 maybe. And did you have self from Stage Academy in 2018 or 2019?

It was 19. Yeah, no, I remember you. I think you joined off a webinar that I ran while I was in Australia at the time. Yeah, so but yes, but anyway, yes.

It'S like it was simple but so doable. And since like I still use that your frameworks to teach webinars to do webinars. And so many of my, like I was talking to one of my members yesterday and she's like, I've just joined Colin Stell from stage academ. So good at what he does. I'm like, I know. So you're kind of known for that. But what I think is the biggest thing is having speeches that actually convert whether they're live or whether they're on webinar. That is what you do so well. And one thing like when Covid hit for example and we were inundated with speakers that had just ran out of money, they were like my well has run a dry. These were people that were doing like 2, 3 a week of 10 to 15k speaking jobs. And the thing that I was amazed at was they had, they had no list, they hadn't sold anything before. Like they, they were in trouble. So we had to build their kajabi sites and create their online courses and get them all out. But one thing that I love that you talk about is how do you speak in a way that shares all your knowledge but also Converts. At what point in your journey did you see that, like, delineation in going, all right, I don't just want to present really well and get like a standing ovation and be forgotten when I come off, but I want to actually build an engine around this.

Yeah, I remember my first, like, proper speaking gig. It was so I was standing on. Standing on the edge of a hotel after a. After a discovery call. I just done like a one on one hotel.

Like, not on the ledge, right?

Not on the ledge on the stairs. I was thinking about this. I'm about. I'm looking at the edge, I'm talking on it. I'm on the stairs. And I got a phone call from a guy and he said, hey, I've got an event coming up. He said, I saw you speak at an event that he, that he had attended. Now, I'd spoken for free at this event. He called me up and he said, I saw you speak at this event. Could you come and speak at our next training day? And I said, oh, yeah, that sounds great. And he was like, how much are you? And I told him my fee. My mentor at the time told me, you should charge about 4,000 for a speaking gig. So I said 4,000? And then at the end I asked him because he didn't blink. He was like, no, that sounds great. I was like, okay. And I was about to find out why. And then he said, I've got an event coming up. And I said, oh, how many people are going to be at this event? Just so I can prepare? And he said, there's probably going to be about five, five and a half thousand at the, at the event. And I just. I died. Like, I'm like, did he just say five and a half thousand?

My God. The biggest audience I've spoken in front of is one and a half thousand. And I shit my pants like a. It's like a humans just staring back at you.

Oh, my gosh. It was crazy. So this was with hp, and so it was my first, like, legitimate client, right? And so I remember getting ready for. I've still got a photo of me. I look like I'm like 12 years old, walking into the HP, you know, like their area and the big HP sign. I went in and I spoke. And when I spoke, I also, like, I designed the presentation so that it wouldn't just be about the presentation. I was hoping it would lead to some more work. And so I weaved in some examples of different clients that I'd worked with and results I got. And then I talked about some different frameworks I had which were to do with the topic, but didn't fully, you know, I didn't unpack them in detail in the, in the presentation. And I remember the learning and development manager who was standing on the front, front row, he got up right after it. Now, I hadn't met him before, his name was Chris. And he walked over, he shook my hand, he said, hey, my name's Chris. I'm the global Learning Development Manager. That was fantastic. Can we talk about some of those frameworks you mentioned in the, in the workshop? I'd love to roll out some of that in the next, you know, couple of months. I ended up working with HP for 10 years. I flew around all Asia Pacific implementing all different frameworks and workshops and did all their leadership teams. And that for me was one of the first time I realized that even if you're not like selling directly, making an offer, if you do the right things in a presentation, it should lead to more work. You know, and sometimes people always talk about being, you know, you should just be so good that, that people, you know, that three or four people want to book you. Now I get you need to be so good. But there are some people who are great speakers, but they don't speak in a way that leads to more work. And so that for me really started to cement how important it was to design presentations and to speak in a way that actually leads to something else.

What do you think is when you say, you know, people that are great speakers, but it doesn't lead to more work, what are they missing?

A lot of the time they get very heavy into their content, so very heavy into their information. And they don't think about the, like you mentioned, like the engine of what is the next step, whether it's booking consulting, whether it's book selling an online course, whether it's, you know, booking more speaking gigs or whatever. So I feel like a lot of the time people focus on just the content that they're going to deliver, which is, you know, the classic mistake that online course creators make is when they design their presentation, they go, what's in my course that I can just put in this presentation that's going to blow people's mind. And when they hear how good it is, they're going to want to buy the course. And so I think a lot of the time people make that mistake is they just, they, they are, they also usually, you're usually a lot more advanced than you realize. And when you deliver at a level that is Kind of two, two or three steps above where the client or the listeners are at. They get overwhelmed really quickly, and they're just not ready to take that next step or wanting to work with you because you've overwhelmed them.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I see that all the time. I used to do that all the time.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Chunk it through. Because, I mean, there's a big temptation in going, like, show your value, show your worth. Like, pack it full of everything so that you're not wasting people's time and you can educate them with so much to take away. But it does. It has that. That one result is massive overwhelm.

Yeah. Yes.

Next week is a very big week for you. You are releasing one presentation away. Congratulations.

Thank you. I'm excited.

Yes. So what was the. That led to the book? Like, why a book after all this time? What's the core transformation that you hope readers get from it? Like, where did this come from?

Yeah, well, for me, I mean, it's so funny that I teach speaking because it used to freak me out so much. Speaking in front of an audience. Like, I remember standing, when I was at university, I went to Wollongong University, and standing in front of an audience of, like, just university students, and my hand shaking so much, holding my notes, that I had to grab the notes with two hands to try to get it to stop shaking, and it just wouldn't. And then my leg started shaking. And for me, like, spending three minutes in front of an audience was, like, the worst thing ever.

And the worst thing was there was only handheld mics, so everyone could see your handshake. At least with lapels, you could, like, put your hands in your pockets.

Handheld mics were the worst. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I would grab onto it, like, as if I'm holding, like, an anaconda and just, like, try to fight it. Yeah. So I couldn't think of anything worse speaking. And then. And then I think for me, yeah, when I first started my coaching business, it really. Speaking ended up being one of the main vehicles that. That grew it really quickly. Even just. Even just recently, there was a massive launch. We're just talking about Alex Hormozy did his big $100 million models launch, and he launched it with a presentation.

Yeah.

Like, if you think about it, he launched it with a presentation. And if you watch, you know, anyone in our industry, speaking is one of those key skills. There are more skills, but speaking is one of those key skills that's going to drive your results. And so for me, I started getting really Curious about speaking, I started to enjoy the response and the excitement of being in front of an audience. I remember one of my, one of my buddies, he's, he's made like tens of millions of dollars in property and he said to me, colin, I want to learn to speak. And he hired me as a, as a private client and we worked together and he spoke, he ended up speaking at a big property event and it had like 2,000 people. And he got off stage and he called me straight up and he was like, he, he's like, dude, I have made so much money in my life. And he goes, there was nothing like standing on that stage. He goes, that was literally the best experience I've ever had in my, in my professional life. And I think if you can harness it well and learn to manage yourself well, like speaking is just such an enjoyable, fun experience. And so I. Writing the book, I've been running my business now for 17 years as a full time coach, you could say. And so, yeah, it's the culmination of about 17 years of just experiences that I've gone through and mistakes that I've made. And, and I would say I watched my wife get a publishing deal recently and so she wrote a book and that kind of inspired me to write a book. And. Yeah, so. And then that was kind of the inspiration for it.

She's having.

Yeah, yeah. I was like, that looks good. That look good. I really wanted to do a book and I'd started about three of them and they'd never come to fruition. So this book, I think I definitely, for me, one thing I've learned is that either if it's not on the calendar or if I don't have a client that I have to deliver it for, I struggle to get it done.

Yeah.

And, and so for me, you know, it's the same with like hosting a webinar. As soon as you get the first sign up, it's like it's on. I have deliver it.

You have to show up.

Absolutely. Because you don't have a boss.

Yeah.

So I, I looked around for a publishing deal. I ended up getting publishing deal with Wiley, which I know you've published. I had a deadline I had and they were like, hey, you've got, you know, you've got to deliver this deadline. At the time I was moving countries, which I wouldn't recommend. So I, I wrote it while I was moving countries and then, and then delivered it. And so it's all, it's all come out well.

Yeah, Amazing. Okay, well, I Can't wait to read it. I haven't got to read it yet, but I'm going to be the first, first person. As soon as it's there, I will be the first person to.

I appreciate you.

It's already pre ordered on Amazon and love it. Link in the show notes so everyone can go there, pre order it so that as soon as it drops next week it will be delivered on that day. Which I always love how Amazon does that. So you like can share all the photos and go, I've got it too. So for those people who think I'm not a speaker, because I know that, you know, you just told the story that it was really difficult for you at the start. It was really difficult for me the start. If I'm being perfectly honest, I've really only enjoyed speaking the last couple of years. Like I started speaking in 2006 was my first one. And I would throw up, I would get so nervous. And even up until like five years ago, I would sit there and like work out. Especially if I was being paid a lot of money. Like if I was the most I'd been paid is $12,000. And I sat there like before going on in the audience and like worked out how many people were there and then divided the speaking cost and was like, okay, I need to give them this amount of value for me not to be like a waste of money and time for these people and just the pressure of that to perform, I took on way too much. But the last couple of years I've kind of, I don't know, I've let that go in a way and now I do get the enjoyment. I do find it really weird that like, one of the things that I find weird about speaking is I went to a conference like a year ago and went in and was on my own. So I was talking to people, I was like, hi, I'm Tina, how you going? And you know, people had their clicks and no one really wanted to be my friend. And then I came off the stage and people were like lining up to speak to me. Yeah, it's such a weird thing speaking that when you're on a stage, you're instantly elevated absolutely to this level. But I do think that that takes some, I don't know what the right word, like some gumption to be able to hold that space and hold yourself with all the neon lights on you and being able to like hold that while people are just staring at you with blank faces in the audience. So for the people that are going, because we Know, like, I know I learned to speak because I knew it made such a difference to business.

Yeah.

I knew if I couldn't speak both on a stage, but also on webinar, also on live video, I had to learn how to do it or I wasn't going to get where I wanted to go. And so for the people that are going, I'm not a speaker. What do you say? Because you get this all the time in your courses, how do you reframe that? Like, with their identity and with their perception of self so that they can bring themselves to go from where you're there going, this is intimidating as all get up. How do I move through that to where I can stand solid on a stage and actually enjoy myself?

Yeah, I think there's a few things to this. The first thing is knowing that no one is going to knight you as the speaker or it's very rare that someone's going to come up and be like, you are the speaker, like, you are the leader. So often we have to decide that we're going to lead. We're going to, because essentially speaking is leadership. And so I think one of the big decisions we have to make, first of all, is to go that we're going to be a leader. And if you want to run a group coaching program, an online course, any sort of thing, like, you're actually a leader. I remember, for me, my. My youth group leader came up to me and she said, colin, one thing I noticed about you is we were into bike riding at the time, and she was like, you ride with the peloton a lot. So she's like, you're in the peloton. You're in the group of. That's like a group of riders, right, that ride together. And she's like, you tend to be at the front. Front peloton area. Like you, like, you want to ride with the, like the good riders, but you never pull out of the peloton, which is part of what you have to do in a peloton. You never pull out right up the side and sit at the front. She's like, I noticed this about you. Like, you never put yourself forward to actually sit at the front of the peloton, where you. You get hit with the dirt and the grime and the wind and the resistance. And I realized that I was just. I just had so much fear, first of all, of. Of leading. But second of all, I had this picture of what leadership was, and it didn't fit me. You know, I had this picture of what like corporate leadership was, or what a leader should be. Like, they're highly aggressive, they're assertive. They know what they're doing, you know? And I was like, I don't know if that's me. Like, that's the.

I mean, when I started speaking, when I did franchising, I bought, like, a black matching Portman suit.

Yeah, yeah, Portman.

That's what I thought, like, a leader needed to wear.

Yeah, exactly. Yeah. You have this picture of what leadership is, so you're trying to, like, fit into it, and then you've got this.

Really inauthentic, like, misaligned period while you're trying to work that out.

Yeah. And so I remember I decided. I was like, okay, I want to. I want to decide to ride at the front of the peloton. And. And it was like, no one actually gave me that permission. I just had to decide myself. And so the reason why I share that is part of this whole process is usually just deciding that you are going to lead. And you don't have to wait for anyone to knight you. In fact, you can knight yourself and just be like, I am. I am a leader. And you can be a leader in your purely authentic way. Obviously, that will develop and grow. But first of all, in that same essence, you just decide you're a speaker. And part of that, I know it's really tactical, but you could literally just update your Instagram profile and say you're a speaker. Update your LinkedIn profile and say you're a speaker. I know it seems small, but just putting that declarative identity on yourself because people won't ask you to speak if you don't say you're a speaker. That's, like, one of the first things. The second thing is not seeing it as speaking is seeing it as just having a conversation where you get to help people. And the goal is to connect, to help, to serve people. And one thing I've realized is that you usually. Not usually, but pretty much every time if you're speaking on the topic, you know more than most people do in the room. Secondly, that they don't know what you're supposed to say. So no one's going, oh, they missed a point. But you're the only one who in.

Coach once that said to me, there's always three speeches that you do. There's the one that you do in practice beforehand, the one that you do on the stage, and then the one that you do in your head after. When you think of all the things that you didn't Say that you said. And I was like, that's what I do all the time.

That is so true. Yeah, so, so, but, but to do it well, you have to be present on stage. And so, so often we see it as a performance, so we're like, okay, I get on stage, I perform. But you can't see it as a performance. You have to see as a, as a space of presence. And I think if you do that well and you have to do the preparation to do that, where you have to get the content in your body, you have to speak it out, you have to practice it, you know, 10 or 12 times minimum through the whole thing, you have to get it in your body. And when you stand on stage and you get present. In fact, one of the, I will say one of the pre order bonuses for my book is, is how to step on stage confidence. There's one, one exercise I do, nine questions and I think it's seven statements that I do before I step on stage. And so, but really to do that you have to be present. And so most people see it as like, oh, I'm getting on to perform in my presentation. But what if it was nothing about performance, it was simply about being present. Yeah. And when you, when, when people talk about going, I want more presence when I'm on stage. But you can't create presence without being present. And so you, you, I, I think it's, I love this idea of like preparing yourself hot. It was TD Jakes, he says this, he goes, he's, he's a, he's a big kind of time preacher, but he's like, he goes, you prepare yourself clear, pray yourself hot, and then let yourself go. And you know, whether you're praying or what, or you're just getting present. I love this idea of, you know, you do the preparation, get it in your body, but when you step on stage, you be present and even virtually you connect with your audience. You see them, you feel them, you have empathy. And when you do that, people feel that and it leads to a sense of them wanting to connect with you and then wanting to work with you.

Yeah, so I think you kind of touched on it a little bit there. I think energy and the energy that you're coming in with makes such a big difference too. Like, I think energy is even more important than confidence. You know that, that confident bravado. I think your energy is so much more important. And I know that I didn't start enjoying it until like you said, I was, I saw it as less of a performance with all this pressure and was like, you know what? I'm just going to be here. I'm just going to be here. I'm going to say my thing to you and, you know, if you pick up what I'm putting down, great. If you don't, don't like, it's. I lost that proof energy that.

Yes. That needing to prove.

Yeah. And so when you're looking at it and you're like, you know, I mean, I even know in launches if your energy is a bit off, the launch isn't going to go well. And if your energy is good, like everything comes across to everything. Is there something that you do personally to. Because, you know, you go through all sorts of things. You've just moved countries, you've got books coming out. Like, there's family things that happen. How do you keep your energy where it should be when the world is all happening around you?

Well, first of all, I will say on the day of speaking, like, if you've got a webinar coming up or you've got, you know, presentation, you have to really protect the morning and protect the time before. So if I'm speaking or running a big webinar or something like that, I don't check emails that day. I don't talk to my customer service team if they have things that I have to resolve. I basically don't talk to anyone or do anything that would put me in some sort of negative state.

Protect the mood. I mean, Denise Dalfield Thomas, she calls it the Golden Goose. And she's like, she's got golden goose energy. She's the one laying the eggs. Like, you protect the space of the Golden Goose. Yeah.

And I say that to my team. Like, when, when we're running a launch or I'm doing a big presentation, I'm like, you need to protect me over this week. Like, I know you'll have issues. I know stuff will come up. Like, you know, there's lots of, lots of activity happening, but just resolve it because I don't want anything to do with it until I'm finished. So one thing is, is really. Yeah. Protecting your golden goose energy. All of that I would say as well, is on the day, you know, just, just practicing, like, just getting, getting your body moving and practicing saying it out loud, like, and actually projecting your voice and doing it in a way where you're not small. It's fascinating. In preparation. So often the first time you prepare, if you do it in front of the, you know, the mirror, which is fine, you're going to feel small. You're going to make mistakes. You're going to feel nervous, and you've got to get that, like, nervous energy out of your body so that when you show up online or on stage, you. You don't have that nervous energy anymore. It's like that nervous energy has, like, gotten out of your. Out of your body. I also do a little exercise which is really helpful. It's called the presence exercise. And essentially what you do. Can you do it with me? Is can we do it together? Is that all right? Okay, so take it. Take a deep breath through your nose. And everyone can do this. And breathe out. Take another deep breath through your nose and just notice how the air feels going through your nostrils. Just notice how the air feels down your throat. And then breathe out. Very good. Now look around the room, Tina, and tell me out loud five colors that you see just the color, like, blue in my office.

Pink, blue, purple, green, yellow, orange.

Give me three more.

Magenta, aqua, gold.

So good. Okay, now wiggle your toes and your shoes. Or on the ground. See how your toes feel in your. In your shoes. Just feel and take it one more deep breath. Notice how the air goes through your nostrils. And then breathe out and just open your eyes a little bit more. And then look forward. Okay, now what's going through your mind?

I'm ready. All right, let's. Let's go.

Where are we going?

What are we doing? I'm pumped.

The goal is hopefully nothing. Like. Like, nothing's going through your mind. You don't have, like, running thoughts going through your mind anymore. You don't have, like, what's my next question? Or. Or, you know, what do I need to do next? It's. You're actually present.

Yeah.

And so that exercise is actually used a lot in psychology. When. When a patient or a client gets, like, emotionally charged, they'll do that sort of great. It's like a grounding exercise. But I actually do that before I speak, and I love that one because that one just, like, prepares me to be present.

I had a very similar thing. I mean, totally off track, but my son had a really bad accident back in 2021, and I got panic attacks a lot afterwards. And very similar like that the psychologist gave me in terms of, like, noticing your things, feeling your body, noticing what you see, noticing what you hear, noticing what you taste, noticing what you feel like bringing you back into that present. And it does. It changes your whole nervous system straight away.

Yeah. And it happens really quickly. Like, you know, 30 seconds a minute. And you're and your nervous system's regulated because there's like a scale, you know, from 1 to 10 of. Of energy or kind of anxiety. And if you get too high, it gets into a performance, you get too overly nervous and you disconnect with the audience. And obviously, if you're too low, because you can actually get too low, if you've done a speech or a presentation too much, you don't bring enough energy into it. Maybe you've done a launch the same. The same one every single time. You don't bring enough energy into it, and you can kind of miss the mark as well. So that. That kind of, you know, that I would say like six, six or seven is a nice energy. You're bringing a big version of you, but you're present. That's a really nice energy to be in.

Like, I see, you know, Brendan Burchard, Anthony Robbins, they're out the back on, like, their mini tramps, and they're, like, amping up and they're coming out and they're clapping. So I don't know if it's like an. But if I ever try and do that, like, once I was like, all right, like, let's see. I got so high, like, my energy was so much higher than a 10 out of 10, that I was like someone on speed. And it was. I was going. It's, like, with too much.

It's too much. Yeah, yeah.

I need to, like, calm myself down. I'm hyper enough as it is that when that came out, it was like, it had too much energy and it was just bubbling over it.

I was just.

Just like a skitsy mess. But, yeah, like, why do they do that? Is that because they've done it so many times and they're. They're hype. They're like. They're legit hyping up.

I think. I do think that. I mean, first of all, they're usually in big rooms, so energetically, they need to fill a big space. You know, when you're talking thousands of people in a room, you do need to bring more energy. But what I find is, I mean, it depends on your style as well. You know, not everyone is that style, because I've been at Tony Robbins conferences, and yes, Tony is intense, but he'll have another speaker who's fantastic, and he's not like that at all, or she's not like that at all. So it depends on your style. It's not really. That's not really my style. But if you do that sort of energy, you Know, with like, four people in the room, it can be really weird and awkward.

Like, come, Jeff.

Totally.

Can I get a. Yeah.

But I will say your energy does need to be above what is normal. You do need to notch it up, like, two notches in your energy. You need to show up as the bigger version of you on stage because you do need to fill energetically the room. But there needs to be a variation because what can happen is sometimes people say, oh, okay, you need to be super intense and loud and in people's face, but then that becomes very boring and beige if you just keep doing that.

Yeah.

Like, if you don't have vocal variety and variety with your. With your body, that banging on that one thing is like hitting the same key on a keyboard the whole time. Right. And so even if sometimes people say, oh, they're really energetic. They were a great presenter. But were they really? Like, just because they were energetic doesn't mean you're a great presenter. I think it's. It's the. It's the eclecticness, the disparity that you bring in that. In that delivery of going slow. Yeah. And pausing and connecting and being present and then speeding up. Speeding up your language and connecting with people.

One of my favorite speakers I've ever seen is Bronnie Ware, who wrote a book, the Seven Regrets of the Dying. And she is so soft and quiet and measured, and she was captivating. And I think that was because, like, yes, when I talked to her later off stage, like, she was like you said, she dialed it up to her normal. Her normal being, which is very, very quiet and passive. I mean, she was a palliative care nurse, so she's got, like, that energy about it. But on stage, she had such a big presence, but didn't. Didn't do. Didn't do hype. And I think that's. That's something that people sometimes think is, I can't be that guy. You know, Like, I can't be the one that's, you know, running onto the stage with the Hype up song at the start and go, whoop, whoop. Like, that's just not me. And so they. They go, well, I can't be the speaker. But I love that you pointed that out and you don' to be that.

Not at all. And most of the people who I coach aren't that. And if they're running a big conference, they might, you know, come on stage and dance and everything and all that. But. But, like, their style of delivery is not like that, you know, so, yes. Have A bit of fun. But yeah, you do have to align with your style.

Yeah.

And have full permission to do that. It's like that. Once again, it's that identity of, of you don't have to get the black portman suit like you said, you know, you can, you can wear bright colors, you can be yourself. Right.

Speaking next Friday and I'm wearing a hot pink jumpsuit.

Come on.

25 year old Tina could see me now, she'd be stoked. She'd be like, so good.

Maybe that's my next level. Maybe that's my next level. The hot pink jumps, jumpsuit definitely get.

Some attention for you, Colin. There you go. All right, let's talk connection. So whether it's like a packed room in person or a zoom webinar, what are the biggest mistakes that you see entrepreneurs making that block them from connecting to their audience? And what are the things that they can do to do that easily? Like, do you think there's merit in the, in a room getting everyone to put up their hand at the start, getting everyone the chat box? Like, what are the things that you see people miss and what can you do to increase that connection?

Yeah, a few things. A few things. So I mean, connection is, is everything at the start. You know, one of the first questions that people ask, which I dive deep, deep in the book is in the start of a presentation is, is are you like me and do you get me? And so people are wondering like, do you get me? Do you get who I am? Do you understand what I'm going through? Like, are you like me on some level? I know you're speaking, but, but have you gone through something like I've gone through? Are you, do you know what it's, feel what it feels like to struggle like I am right now? And I think that first of all, connection needs to be, needs to be met. And now shifting the energy from the focus on you onto the audience is a great, great way to get some connection or that's more interaction. But it, but it, it moves the energy of the audience. And what I mean by that on a webinar, asking people to type in where, you know, where are they calling from? What's the weather? Like, what time is it? What are you most excited about? It shifts the energy from the focus on you onto, onto the audience. So that's like a virtual one. But, but if you, you're in person, you know, doing something that is low risk because you don't want to go, okay, you know, when you walk, when people walk in they like, okay, everyone stand up. And everyone's like, oh, gosh. Yeah. You're like, oh, no, not one of these speakers. Like, everyone's hating it.

Give a high five to the person next to you.

Yeah, yeah. Like, it's, it's too high risk. So you have to. You have to start really low risk. One of the ones that I use that's. Anyone can, you know, you can use is I go, turn to the person next to you and just say, you're looking good today. It's just sweet. And so I'll say, turn to the person next to you and say, I'm so glad I'm sitting next to you. Like, just. It's like, it's kind of sweet, but it's. But it's. And then everyone laughs. Everyone's like, oh, my gosh. Like, you're like, oh, my gosh, I'm so glad I'm sitting next to you. And then. And then turn to the other person and say, aren't you glad you're sitting next to me?

Right?

And then everyone laughs. So I'll kind of do it both ways. Right? So, like, something like that can create like just a shift in the energy. And I will say that if you.

Do some little next week at my.

100%, turn the person next to you and say, you're looking good today. Yeah, I'm so glad I'm sitting. Sitting next to you today. And then all the. The one where you say, you're looking good today, you turn to the other person, you say, have you seen how good looking I am today? Or have you seen how good I look today? And then everyone, you just laugh. Just that everyone laughs. Right? It's. It creates like this energy shift. And so that one's always fun. So, yeah, creating interaction is fun, whether it's. It's more fun in person, but you can do it online as well. But creating connection is a combination of vulnerability. And so if you lead with a story, like a personal story of where you talk about a vulnerable time, a difficult time, that leads obviously on. It can be on a hero arc that leads to some sort of breakthrough. But if you start with a personal story that's going to create connection, you know, yes. You can ask universal questions like who he is excited to have a conversation about this. Who has ever tried something like this before? Like asking some universal questions where everyone's going to say yes, you know, that. That sort of stuff can be. Can be really good as well. So. But I love a personal story at the start, I think that's good. Another great way to connect with the audience is just to speak exactly what's going on in their mind. And so leading with, hey, here are some of the challenges that I think people face in this area. And then you just go number one, number two, number three. And if you can identify the language that they're already saying in their own mind about the difficulties that they're going through, the audience will instantly go, this person, they get me, they understand me. And if they. If they feel like you understand their problem, they. There's going to be an assumption that you understand their solution as well.

Yeah, yeah. So you teach great content starts with the strong core premise. I've heard you talking about your core premise so often. Can you unpack what that is and how it shapes everything from, like, the story that you tell to the offer you eventually make? And even on the podcast day, like, you opened with the story of how you used to be nervous speaking and doing that. Like, you. I don't know if you do it just so naturally now, but how. Like that strong core premise, what does that. What does that actually mean for people? Why is it important?

So a core premise is like, it's like a leading idea. So. But it's not just any idea. It's the idea that if the audience believes it, working with you is the logical next step. And the core premise is essentially, it should be the red ribbon that runs through all of your content and it runs into your offers. And so I designed this thing called a conversion story several years ago, which is kind of like a mini course that we have, and it changed the way that I saw storytelling. And one of the biggest differences between a conversion story and a regular kind of signature story or origin story is that the conversion story really aligns with the core premise. And so a core premise, an example of that. So for me, I mean, in fact, my book is a core premise. So the title of the book, One Presentation Away is actually a core premise. So for me, one of my core premises is you're one presentation away from the breakthrough you want in your business. And so that's my leading idea, and that's the core offer that we sell. That's the core kind of message that I bring. And so the core premise, it can be described in a way of. It could even be that your vehicle is the most effective way to get a result. So, for example, you know, for me, it would be, you know, building an irresistible presentation is the most effective way to get a flood of clients quickly, and everyone will have Their own core premise. Right. Everyone should have a different or a slightly different core premise. But it also doesn't have to be too fancy and too unique. Like if you think about my one, it's not that fancy. It's like build a, build a presentation to get clients or to get growth in your business. And so it doesn't have to be too fancy. But yeah, a core premise is really just a simple idea that you build your content, your stories around so that if or when the audience understands and believes that and it kind of goes inception right into their hearts and their minds, they go, I get it now I need to do this. I need to build an online course to get a result that I want. I need to build a presentation to get a result that I want. I need to build a high ticket offer to get a result that I want, like whatever it is, but just understanding your vehicle clearly and how you, what result you get, that's essentially the core premise. And, and I think that if you have that it's a nice through line for your presentation, it leads to your offers.

Yeah. So another idea framework, I don't know what you'd refer to it at that changed the game for me is Infusion Selling. I have told so many people, like go to Colin, learn about infusion selling. Because it used to be when I first started running webinars, like the couple times before I found yours, it was like this, teach, teach, teach, clunky segue into my pitch where it felt really icky. And then once I learned this concept of Infusion selling, it changed, changed the game. It's, you know, so much more natural, so much more aligned. You, you don't have that like a rug pulled out from you feeling. And I think so many course creators put all their energy into the pitch at the end of the webinar, but your Infusion selling teaches that, you know, the sales message should start long before that. What does that look like when it's done well?

So for me, Infusion selling is the idea that is the idea that you should deliver value and sell at the same time. And we have, what most people do is they deliver lots of value and then their cool factors super high and then they deliver the offer and then their cool factors hit the floor and, and that, that happens because usually we've just flooded our content with just, just like a lot of how to a lot of valuable content which is great, but we haven't built, we haven't infused the right mechanism throughout the content so that when you get to the offer People, it doesn't come as a surprise. It's not like a. Like it's a surprise, but it's not like, it's like a. It's a relief surprise of, okay, cool, so I can resolve this stuff. I can move forward with this thing. So infusion selling. I mean, storytelling is infusion selling. And so most people just don't know how to utilize storytelling. Well, one of them is a conversion story, right? Like, if you. Most people. In fact, I saw a presentation recently where someone did a. They did their story at the front, and at the end, you could tell, like, they were just like, okay, enough about me. I don't want to talk about me anymore. Let's talk about you. And it's like they missed such a good opportunity to tell their story in a way where it wasn't about them, even though it is. And a great story should always feel like the audience hears your story, but they feel theirs. And so infusion selling is telling stories throughout your presentation that move the audience emotionally.

But I'm just going to say that again for everybody. So a great story is where you're telling your story, but they're hearing theirs.

So they hear your story, but they feel theirs.

Yeah, great. Great one.

Yeah. One way of doing that is through universal emotions. And so most people tell their story. They tell their story arc of where they, you know, when they started their business, what it was like in their first journey. But they don't take any time to go. This was the feeling I was. This is what I was going through. This is how it felt. This is what I was telling myself. This is what I wanted. But that wasn't the reality. It's like as soon as you get into universal emotions, your story becomes their story. And so, yeah, that's one of the. One of the insights with storytelling. And so storytelling is infusion selling. Case studies are infusion selling. But you have to tell case studies in. In a. In a story arc way, which is, you know, this was the situation the person was in. This was the struggle they were going through. This was the strategy they used. This was the success they experienced. And then ultimately, this was the significance, how it felt at the end. And so there needs to be a flow once again with case studies. Micro decisions. Micro decisions are like small questions that you ask throughout the presentation that creates a gap. It creates a desire for people to want to move forward. Most people wait until the end and go, do you want to make the big decision to buy my thing? And it's like this massive decision as.

Opposed to a micro decision.

Yeah, Like a micro decision could be as simple as. On a scale of 1 to 10, how effective is your storytelling at moving people towards your offers right now? Or just give yourself a, you know, a number. I know it's arbitrary, but I wonder what it is if 10 is like you tell a story and people go, wow, that was incredible. That so relates to me. Like, how do, how do I work with you? Or, or one is, you haven't even designed it. Like, where would it be right now? So that's a, that's a. People will probably answering it right now, listening to the podcast in their mind. And if it's below 7, there's a massive opportunity for growth. And imagine, imagine it was a 10. Like just play with me here. Imagine you, you had a 10 story that every time you told it, you knew that your audience would resonate with it and it would result in them wanting to move towards your offers. How, how would you feel about storytelling? Like what, how would you feel about just sharing your story? Then you knew your story wasn't about you, was actually about your audience, even though you told it about yourself. It feel great. Right. So let's, let's create that together. Let's build that together. So. So like that's an example of, of like a micro decision.

Yeah. Awesome.

Yeah.

Okay, well, we're at the end. I'm like, I've got like 20 more questions on my show, but I'm like, this is supposed to be 30 minutes.

So let's keep it tight.

I know I never keep it tight. I'm always like, I want it to go longer. I wish I could do Tim Ferriss like two hour interview.

Oh my gosh, I would do it.

I would do it. I'd love it. Okay, so one presentation away. It's out next week. We will link it in the show notes. But for people, your Instagram handle also there. If people want to dive deeper into your work, what is the best place for them to start? After the book.

Yeah, so. Well, specifically with the book, I just want to address one thing. So we've got some cool pre order bonuses which is. And there will probably be more when the time this releases, the time of this recording. We've got two core ones which is get on stage confidence. So it's like a whole strategy that I use to feel confident to get on stage. And then, and then secondly is our 100k presentation vault. It's where I've dissected and interviewed people who have done more than six figures in one presentation and what they did to make that happen, that's like all behind the scenes. So that's like a little cool one. So if you go to one presentation away, book dot com, that's where you can get all the bonuses. The for me personally, I'm on Instagram. If you DM me, just Colin Boyd with one L, it will be me answering the questions. So I don't have any sort of.

Friendliest, loveliest humans around.

I appreciate it.

You shared so much wisdom. Thank you so, so much. Good luck with the book launch.

Come on, Tina.