Presentation Rockstars and the ROR: Return On Relationships with David Thomas

In this episode, Roxanne converses with David Thomas, a memory expert turned presentation skills coach. They discuss techniques to improve memory and presentation skills, the fear of public speaking, the importance of non-verbal communication, and the value of feedback. David also shares his process for coaching individuals on their speeches and the growing importance of public speaking as a company expands.

Quote: “Every leader has the chance to change the world every time they present. But that rarely happens.”David Thomas

How do you feel when you’re speaking in front of an audience, a group of co-workers, or employees? Do you think you’re nailing it every time, or would you like your message to land better? We’re not all natural-born speakers or communicators, but most of us do have the capacity to improve. On this episode of Authentic Living with Roxanne, we’re excited to welcome David Thomas to share his ideas on helping executives become fantastic speakers and how it affects the ROR: Return On Relationships.

This was such a great interview packed with so much interesting information about mental health in the workplace that we decided to turn it into a 2-part series. Be sure to tune in again next week for part II.

David is a global speaker and CEO presentation skills coach who has coached and spoken to more than 500,000 people in 60 countries over the last 25 years. As the phrase goes, he's been around a bit. He’s also a Sunday Times #1 bestselling author whose books have had a worldwide readership of more than 1 million people, as well as the US Memory Champion, Guinness record breaker and competitive bodybuilder. Because you can't get on stage too often wearing nothing but skimpy undercrackers and 10 gallons of fake tan. He’s an all-around Yorkshire legend!

Authentic Touch Points:

David’s journey to coaching. 1:30 Learning memory techniques. 3:00 Become a rockstar! 6:00 Ego vs imposter syndrome. 9:00 Getting over the fear of speaking. 12:00 Climbing the corporate communication ladder. 17:00 Honest feedback, with kindness. 20:00 Getting from good to amazing. 23:30
David has spent 25 years sitting and watching leaders die in front of audiences. That makes him feel sad for them, sad for their audiences and sad for the missed opportunity to inspire, educate and entertain. His mission is to show leaders how to be amazing when they present. How to get their message across and transform the world in which we live. How to smash every presentation and, dare I even say it, how to enjoy the experience of giving a great speech! In short, what he does is turn leaders into presentation rockstars!

As I offer executive coaching, I encourage leaders to reach out for guidance about presenting their authentic selves to develop an improved workplace for everyone with less conflict.

I welcome you to book a complimentary discovery call: https://roxannederhodge.com/chat/ and take our online quiz to rate your authenticity as a leader: https://roxannederhodge.com/quiz

Stay Authentic,

Roxanne

Links:

David’s website: https://www.themotivationspeaker.com/david-thomas David’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidthomas314/ Roxanne’s LinkedIn profile:https://www.linkedin.com/in/roxannederhodge/ Roxanne’s email: [email protected] Chat with Roxanne: https://roxannederhodge.com/chat/ Roxanne’s previous podcasts: https://roxannederhodge.com/blog/

(0:00) Introduction and guest background: David Thomas, memory expert turned presentation skills coach (3:07) Techniques David used to improve his memory and their application to presentation skills (10:30) The fear of public speaking among management and coaching techniques to overcome it (15:02) Importance of non-verbal communication in public speaking and the lack of training in business (18:35) Power of feedback and the fear of telling senior leaders the truth (22:21) Self-awareness and recognition of one's own blind spots as a leader (23:44) David's process for working with individuals on their speeches and keynote speeches (26:45) Diversification of speaking engagements and the value of charging appropriate fees (27:41) Assisting clients with critical speeches and the growing importance of talks as a company expands (29:05) Announcement of a two-part series and closing remarks