Ep. 215 When You Are A Little Off

Hey there, Mark Brown. What do you do when you're a little off?

Oh, man.

Can you relate?

Can I relate? I can't tell you how many times I was a little off or even more than a little off. But you know what? We had to get it done. Had to get it done.

You know, there's a time and decision, though, that we gotta make. We gotta make a call, and that's what we're gonna talk about. Let's do this.

Anyone can give a presentation. Few deliver unforgett presentations. What's the difference? You're about to find out. Welcome to the unforgettable presentations podcast with your hosts, world champion speakers and coaches, Mark Brown.

Mark Brown, your life tells a story, and there's someone out there who needs to hear it.

And Darren Lacroix. And Darren Lacroix.

Stage time. Stage time. Stage time.

Ready for some powerful presentation, Ahas. Let's dive right in.

If you're watching the YouTube version of this, this is not theatrical makeup that I'm wearing. Halloween gloom and doom makeup hasn't come yet. Authentic and real right now. I was on a trip, I had a presentation and came back and a few days later got Covid and challenge was Mark and I had an event. We had a workshop that was scheduled. And look, you're gonna have times where you're a little off, and you'll have times where you're a lot off. If it's a live presentation and you have Covid, like, you obviously can't go. Yeah. But when you're not feeling up to it, when business is just overwhelming and you love what you do, but then you just have those times where you're like, I'm just. I'm just not excited anymore, you know? And it may just be for a moment, it may be for a week, it may be for a day, but we all have those times. So we thought this would be perfect since it was relevant and hopefully relatable. But, man, I just. I had zero energy. I literally have been lying on the couch all morning. I stayed in bed for 11 hours. I got up, we're doing this podcast. I'm going back to the couch as soon as we're done. But I thought it was perfect.

Let's, let's. Let's also come for the audience. We had a virtual event, so we made sure to point a little behind the scenes. You know, Darren sent me a message. We always text back and forth, and he says, mark, I needed to carry it for me this time, I'm going to lean on you a lot. And when you're a little. A little off, sometimes that's what you need to do. Find someone or work with someone who you trust to help you to get through that season. I didn't mean to cut you off. I just wanted to let people know you. It was a virtual event. It was not life. So you didn't show up at the risk of infecting anyone.

Yeah, clarification for great clarification, because guess what? I'm a little off. I trust you. And, you know, here's one thing. This was a virtual event. I don't have the energy that I normally have. And so one of the things I did day one, right at the beginning, is I just acknowledge the truth, and I asked people for some grace. Here's one thing that's a little different for me, that may not be for you. This is my event. I am the event planner. So I had to make a call. Are we gonna go ahead with the event or not? So I could put it all in Mark, but I felt like I could at least be there and do my part. And then when we had breakout rooms, I kept having to shut my camera off and mute myself when I was coughing and hacking. But what was really cool is we had great rapport with everyone. They were really understanding. I got so many messages of thank you for sticking to it. I'm like, you know what? Even though I'm sick, this is the only thing I would get off the couch for doing what I love, to help people. But we have to make that call. And it's honestly, it's not our call. It's the event planner's call. And we have to get to the point where we got to call the event planner and have a conversation. Look, if something's coming up, we got to let them know where we're at because it's their event, not our event. With mine, it was my event because I'm running the event. Mark, observations. What did you take from it? What do you do when you're a little off?

You know, Darren, how did I respond to that? First of all, I felt bad for you, knowing that you drive the event and I'm your co pilot. But I also realized that were I in that situation, I would need as much grace as I could get from anyone else who was there. It's important for the meeting planner to understand when you might be a little off physically or under some kind of strain. It's interesting. As you know, Darren, I spent several years in the youth market doing middle and high Schools. I still do them. I leave Monday for a middle school in Texas, by the way. But I remember going on the road one time, and I began to feel that tickle in my throat that said, oh, I could be facing laryngitis. And I was using honey and lemon lazenjis and drops, and I was using singer saving grace and herbal formula that, you know, one of the NSA people told me to use. And I got there and I told the guy I'm with, hey, listen, man, you can hear my voice. I always sing that line from Beauty and the Beast, right? I said, charles, man, I, I, I don't think I can sing that line. And Charles looked at me and said, mark, that is a key part of your presentation. You've got to sing the line. You've got to sing the line. I said, charles, I don't know, but we'll see tomorrow. That was the night before when I met with him before the event. And the following day I was in the, in the assembly, I doing my program. And I knew I was never going to be 100%. However, even though I was a little off, he was right. That was a key 8 seconds of my presentation. So I did my best to do it without knocking myself silly. I made the attempt to do it because it was a pivotal piece and it only lasted a few seconds. Why do I share that little anecdote? Because sometimes when we feel off, we tell ourselves we are unable to do what we really can if we measure it, if we assess it, if we handle it well. And perhaps, Darren, we could have a talk with a seasoned vocalist about this one day. Because there are singers who know they are a little off, but they still perform and do a good job. In that particular instance, my mindset was, I may not be able to give 100%, but if I can give the best 75% I can, I will do that. And it worked. My point is, don't get scared. Don't get nervous. If you know you're off, you can still be the best that you can be in that situation. And trust me, Darren Lacroix did better than he thought. He dropped some wisdom, he dropped some ahas. We had a blast for three days. Even though he had just found out and felt that Covid hit him. I want to encourage you to think about this. Give the best you can of what you have in the moment. Don't simply abandon if you can help it. Darren.

Yeah. Can you deliver content? Can you deliver transformation? Can you deliver inspiration? That's, that's kind of the bottom line. Question. Because to replace you at the late hour, that's tough. That's tough. And what's cool, Mark, is having a network of speakers around the country that if I know I was going to Colorado and needed to give a motivational speech, I have friends there that I could call up if I couldn't make it. You know, I'm talking a few days ahead of time. And a lot of them, it's kind of the unwritten rule in the National Speakers association or in the speakers world is that, look, if somebody's sick and they can't do it, you fill in. You don't ask for anything. It's just what we do. Now, if somebody chooses the person who's sick, if somebody. Cause chances are they probably needed that money or something like that. So you just help. If the person ends up paying you and giving you the fee or something, then great. But you just do it. Because this world that we live in is such a small world, and it's like that island of misfit toys that we've got to be a community. And what I love is the heart of most speakers. They're on it. If Ed Tate was here in town, had a speech, and I'd be like, okay, tell me about the group. What's the time? What's the casino hotel? I'm on it. And usually an event planner is psyched that you found a replacement. So it's our responsibility to at least let them know and try and find a replacement if you can't do it. Now, if you're a little off, that's what we're talking about here. It's a little off. I remember Jim Key telling me about one of the things that you said. I just looked it up on Amazon. The entertainer's secret. Might not be a bad idea to have one of those on hand. That's. It's one of the Throat Relief dynamic duo sprays. If you're watching the Amazon version, I'll look it up and show you here. Now, there's many different versions of it, but I just went on Amazon, went to the. Now this is if your voice is a little off, but let's see there.

Singer Saving Grace on the right. Darren Singers Saving Grace on the right. That's the one that I have used. Yeah, that one right there.

Singer Saving Grace Saving.

That was. That was recommended to me by an NSA body as well. And I've used it.

It's hard to give a speech without a voice. You know, there's a lot of things and in our situation, Mark, when we usually go to breakout rooms because we really try to make it a all engaging experience, is that usually I'll go on and talk as well. But as you noticed, I went on for the recording purposes, and then I shut my camera, I was listening, and I added my ideas. I just. People don't need to be looking at me. That's not good for the inspiration.

That does become a challenge if you're doing a live event and you are a little off. But here's a cool part. As Darren explained in the virtual situation, having me as a co leader, co presenter, he found ways to take care of himself in the midst of being a little off. And as Darren said, the operative word here is little when you are a little off. I challenge you to not make it a bigger deal than it should be. Now, I'm being cautious here. I'm not saying Covid isn't a big deal. No, I'm not saying that. But I'm saying our perspective should be okay. Clearly, I can't do everything I want to do, but how much can I do and how well can I do that which I can do? I'll say that again. How much can I do and how well can I do that, which I can do? So the idea is, how can I serve in the best way possible, even though I'm a little off? And a little off is not necessarily only physical. We can be a little off when we get bad news. I mentioned in a previous podcast bad news regarding my wife and son being in a car crash one day when I have to be on stage, I mentioned having to deliver a talk when my father was being interred, you know, in a cemetery. These are not normal situations. And sometimes a little off is emotional, sometimes a little off is emotional. And the challenge there is we're being called upon in very many cases to inspire and uplift an audience, to educate, to change their thinking and their behavior, to be the one to come in to transform the organization. When we are hurting, when we're hurting. I'm not saying you can't be hurt. We're humans. We're going to be hurt. But in a situation where you have a commitment that you make, how can I cope with what I'm dealing with, even though I'm a little off and still serve the audience? My challenge here for myself first and for all of us is to really examine our intestinal fortitude and how much our commitment to our serving will help us to be the best that we can be in that situation. If at first, we acknowledge, you know what? I'm not at my best today, but I'll give the best I have. Let's not say I'm not at my best, therefore, I'm going to drag my way through this. No, I invite you. I'm not at my best, but I'll do the best I can. It's going to be an hour or two and I'll do the best I can in the moment and handle that when I can. I'm not saying to abandon an emergency. Please do not misunderstand. I believe we're all mature enough to understand my heart here and the context I'm trying to share. Give the best I can in the moment while I can with what I have.

Mark, you said intestinal fortitude. My intestines are fine.

I know, I know. I said I teed, Aaron. I teed you up with a really soft pitch that Time couldn't resist.

Thank you for your kindness. It's about the audience and the event planner. And now we gotta do the best we can. So with this subject, under these conditions, chances are if you are the expert in the area, you can still deliver your content. And I knew that I could. I knew I would be a little off. I knew my energy would be low. Shout out to the people who were at our event. It was great to see Judy and Harriet and Marty Ashley for coming for her first event with us. So that was super cool and they were great and understanding, but I had to make the decision and I had to let Mark know that I was leaning on him. So we have a little quote unquote secret code that if I shut off my camera, that means that don't call on me, don't pass it over to me, keep it moving, come up with a conversation, ask the workshop members a question to keep the discussion going. However, Mark knows that I'm not just being overdramatic. Mark knows my intent and Mark knows as soon as I can, I'll turn the camera back on. And that's his key that, okay, now we can move forward. So the cool part is working with Mark for so many years, we, we get each other, we know each other and we trust each other. That's why I will never do a three day event by myself. Just for this situation I couldn't have delivered. And now people who signed up and have been planning on this for months now, they're not going to come to any other boot camp of mine. You know, the cool part is if I give them a great boot camp experience, they're Going to come to our next one next month. Better stories, better business, that three day virtual experience. So it's, it's, it's your reputation.

Yeah, you know, that's a good point.

Every time you and I take the stage, it's your reputation, you know, and.

Thank you also, Dr. Linda, Dr. Glenda, Steve Cohen, Mike, you know, Mike Boatman. Thank you all of you who are there to just really make it an experience that was worthwhile. And here's one more inside secret regarding our last event. As you said, reputation. Darren, I think of what people will say of us, how we deliver despite our circumstances. Ed Tate, our fellow associate who also does Mastering Virtual Presentations with us, says it's not if, but when. And you fill in the blank of all the times for me to have car trouble. I've got, I've got things to do in the afternoon and I had my battery died on me. I said, okay, if I leave at lunch, I'll get it. I found a guy, a friend of mine, had me a great deal available Friday. I got to get there by a certain time. We break for lunch, I jump my car, get over there, made a wrong turn. I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm going to be late. Whip around, find his location, get the car battery popped in, get back, and I'm running about 10 minutes late. I log on on my phone, zoom on my phone, I'm watching what's going on. And Darren sees my cameras off and he's carrying this thing. And he's also using that time to educate our attendees about other programs. So what he did was, I know, trade secret. At the time this happened, he was able to talk about other aspects of our university, what we provide and how we serve others. And when I came back on, we could dive into more content together. But he was able to navigate that, my absence for 10 minutes in a way that no one lost. The impact of both our perspectives on the content we were going to deliver. It was an unusual situation and I didn't panic, but I was concerned. Getting back in a decent time. And the funny thing is, he says, what's your eta? I say, I'm here. I forgot to turn the camera on so he couldn't see me, but I was, I was back. The point being, as Darren said, we work together well. We understand at times when someone is off for whatever reason, we find a way to work together. Now, if you're working alone, that can be a challenge, but the honesty about your circumstance and when the meeting planner knows you are committed to doing your best for them despite your situation. That's your reputation of being someone who is willing to work through a challenge and serve the client despite your own discomfort. That's character, that's class. And that reputation will get you booked and rebooked and referred by those who see your heart, your intent, and your mind of service.

Well said. What was cool, Mark, is I think just by telling everyone right up front what was going on, I think everyone in the workshop also stepped up and they were helping each other even more than normal. So I think that that just went a long way. Now, we also have rapport with a lot of these people because some of them come to our workshops over and over again, and so we have that rapport with them. But it was just great to see them help each other even more than normal. And Mark, we just attract great people because some of the best ideas came from when we partnered them up. Not even you and me. I just. I love that.

As Ed says, the answers are in the room. But I have to go back to one thing you said just now and expand it briefly. You said, the good news is we had rapport with many of the attendees who are part of our organization, a part of our community, which is true. But think about this as a presenter or a workshop leader or a keynote speaker. When you establish a rapport, a good working relationship with a meeting planner or who's going to book you there, having that kind of rapport gives you the freedom to be honest with them. When you establish that kind of relationship with them, where honesty is at a forefront and integrity is key and they see that in you, I think they're more willing to be understanding and not give you a hard time for not delivering. Besides, don't forget now with the mindset of even though I'm a little off, I'm going to give it my best shot. No matter what, let them know what you're dealing with, what you're struggling with. I didn't sleep well last night. Something happened. But I have. You have my pledge for me to be the best I can be for your audience, to serve you the best way possible. That is my guarantee for you. They'll see your heart, they'll understand your mindset. And if and when you deliver well under those circumstances, then a referral is much more likely and you will have gained a reputation that gets passed on to others because they know that you perform, you deliver, even when you are a little off.

Mark, if you remember a couple episodes ago, it was, don, how do you pronounce his last name. Collier.

Yeah. Don Collier. Yeah. Clowning around.

Yeah. He told, he told us some statistics from a phenomenal study that if he. They studied two groups of people and they had studied some speakers who, you know, they ended up spilling their water and it actually increased engagement with their audience, that their audience had empathy and it didn't take away at all. So one group of speakers delivered great content and they knocked over water. They made, they made some kind of physical blunder. I don't remember his exact words, but check out water.

I think it was. Filled the water.

Yeah. And then they had another group of speakers that the same thing happened, but they didn't deliver great content and they spilled water. Now the audience marked it against them instead of, oh, they're great, they're great content and they're human. Better connection. It's like, oh, they kind of suck. And now look, they frickin spill over the water. It's the detail or the important factor that I see is the content. If you're delivering the content, they're gonna be appreciative. If you're not good, if you're not constantly working to be unforgettable. Which is why we do this podcast to teach you what we learned from our friends, from our mentors, from the people that we've seen and interacted over the past 30 years in this world, to pass that on to you, to help you be unforgettable. I love that study. Again, I don't remember the exact words, go listen to that episode. But you had the good speakers who made a blunder and it just engaged them more closely to the audience. You had other speakers that were meh. Well, it took away. So it wasn't the spilling, it was the value. I believe that the people were getting is the bottom line. Our intention, your intention, my intention. So when you're a little off, when you are a little off, it's okay. You got to find a time to make a call. If you're not going to be able to do it. If you realize your ego has you a little off, but you're really a lot off and it's not going to be good. And that's, that's that ego and that gets in the way. So I think if we're transparent, if we're honest with ourselves, and if you're not sure, here's the best advice ever. Call some of your speaker friends, have a conversation, an honest conversation with one of them. They might have an idea, you never even considered of how to handle this situation. If it is a voice thing, you got the herbs, et cetera. Singers, saving grace, professional or the entertainer's secret. We are not affiliates of them. We get nothing. We're just trying to let you know some options. But it might not hurt to have one of those around just in case you need to grab it just before a trip. You don't want to have to run to the store on your way to the airport. So if you feel that tickle, go order some.

It can't hurt. And one more thought for you. Like I said, being a little off could be physical. Being a little off could be emotional. And being a little off could be a matter of concentration. It's important to prepare yourself in such a way that even if you feel a little off, how can I bring myself to a place where I can be the best that I can be? And all I can do is refer you back to Darren Lacroix simple method what he uses every single time he presents. Darren, please share one more time with our listeners and viewers what you do to make sure you can be as ready as you can be for every presentation. Your fourth statements. Questions.

Your questions. Oh, my. Four questions right before I take the stage. Number one, what is my intent? And it should always be audience focused. Number two, am I present? By the way, this is a real cough. I'm not using sound effects. Mark. Right before we started and before I hit record, before you got on, I had this huge cough. I had my headphones on. My head almost exploded because I had an instant cough right before.

Wow.

Does it sound different through.

You're being authentic right now, dad.

Being authentic. Number one, what's my intent? Number two, am I present? Number three, will I have fun? If you want your audience to have fun, it starts with you. They're not going to just find it fun if you're a little off and if you're not having fun, if you're having fun with it. And the fact that you're being a little off, like, you know, we made light of it throughout the workshop. You know, I didn't hit the mute button fast enough before that cough. And then the big one comes from our friend and mentor, Willie Jolly, who said, how would you give this presentation if you knew it was your last one ever?

Oh. So even if you're a little off with that particular mindset, chances are you will deliver more than you think you can and you'll serve the audience in a better way than you thought you would. And that certainly is one way, Darren, for us to become an unforgettable presenter, don't you think?

Absolutely. Another way is to come to our workshop next month in October. Better stories, better business. We're going to walk you through our story model. You will see stories differently. You're going to leave with a better story and a process to improve all your stories. We've given this for years. It just keeps getting better. Love to have you join us. Go to stagetimeworkshops.com use the discount code podpod25 because you're listening to this podcast. And please pass this podcast on to others. And if you got a subject you'd love us to talk about, please ask. Please ask. This is your podcast. We don't do this for our fun. We do this to help you. So deliver. Be authentic. Talk to the planner, talk to friends. Talk it out. And perform. Deliver. Even when you're a little off.

A little off.

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