Latest / She Speaks to Scale / 7. The 5 Questions That Will Transform How You Approach Speaking Opportunities
Transcript
- Sarah Collins: Thank you for listening to this episode of She Speaks to Scale. If you liked the episode or you think it will be useful for someone else, please follow and leave a review. If you've got any questions, do let me know via the social handles in the show notes. And remember to speak with intention, not hesitation, and let your voice be heard. Hello and welcome to She Speaks to Scale with me, Sarah Collins. The podcast that empowers women in business to own their voice, be heard and create impact, one communication insight at a time. I'm a media trainer and communication coach and a former senior television producer. It's my mission to bring the communication skills we need to thrive in today's world of business to the generation of women who simply weren't taught them. It's International Coaching Week and so it seemed only right that I mark it with a solo podcast episode on exactly that as it's a huge part of what I do. Whether it's scaling your voice to step into thought leadership in a media interview, speaking with confidence on camera, on stage and beyond, or scaling the way you communicate when it really counts. This podcast will help you use your voice to be heard in the moments that matter. I have been delivering coaching with media training this week to senior leaders at an organization in London. And it's been truly brilliant to see just how powerful the coaching element of that session can be. The questions and exercises I've been using have sparked real reflection, deeper self-awareness, and some genuinely transformational conversations. If you're new to coaching, it is essentially taking a person from where they are now to where they want to be, helping them to unlock their potential, build confidence and raise their self-awareness so that they can take intentional steps towards the goals that matter most to them quicker than if they were doing it on their own. We are all busy. We don't take the time we should to stop, reflect, and think about how we want to move forwards. Coaching gives us that permission to pause and to challenge our current thinking, to move forwards with greater clarity and increased confidence. Now, my journey with coaching started well before I knew what coaching actually was. I always had this desire to get the best out of other people, help them to succeed, holding friends accountable to goals, cheering and supporting them along on the way. And I've been doing that for years, I would say. Now, prior to COVID, I was working four days a week in London as a producer, barely seeing my children during the week. So when COVID struck in 2020 and we all spent more time at home, I began to wonder actually what was potentially next for me. I did a lot of research and sought out a career coach, the brilliant Caroline Wellingham, who I'm still in contact with to this day. And through a series of exercises and questions, she helped me see that my strengths and skillset could be applied to other things. of course, coaching came out on top for me. Now it's worth mentioning here that coaching is an unregulated industry. Essentially anyone can call themselves a coach, but it was really important to me to complete a qualification. So I had the evidence that I knew what I was doing. I ended up studying for two years with the coaching academy and came out with a qualification accredited by the international coaching federation. Now they say your first client is yourself and they weren't wrong. I found learning about coaching completely transformational and I wouldn't have achieved half the things I have without taking that path. And that's coaching myself, but also actually seeking out coaches along my journey to help me along the way with my goals as well. When I started my business, coaching absolutely needed to play a part in what I was doing and seeing my clients transform their thinking patterns, behaviors, create new habits and skills for life is what I truly get so much joy out of. Now I coach and train business owners and spokespeople in how to speak with clarity, composure and confidence in media interviews on panels and on social media too. So how does coaching work alongside media training with what I do specifically? So media training is about informing how the media works and what journalists are looking for in a speaker. It's the practical side, what to say, how to shape your messaging, how to use stories and analogies effectively, and how to stay calm and compelling under pressure. And the coaching alongside this really helps to have that belief in what you say, build the confidence and trust in your voice to say it and challenge and help overcome any doubts and fears that you may have. They work in tandem with each other. One gives you the knowledge and the strategy and the other provides you with the mindset, the self-belief and the confidence you need in that interview scenario. because it's one thing knowing what to say in an interview, but it's another thing entirely trusting yourself enough to say it with confidence, with credibility and with conviction. Now the last few weeks alone, I've spoken to or worked with TV broadcasters, radio hosts, senior leaders and other business owners too. And across the board, what has become clear to me, not only now, but also what I've seen from the last few years is that they all feel the fear and they doubt their expertise. So if you're currently feeling like that then do know that you're not alone and there is help and support out there for you. ⁓ Now coaching is about asking the right questions to enable a person to move forwards. And there are so many brilliant coaching questions that I've been taught throughout the years. But when I'm supporting my clients specifically to improve their communication skills, there are some that clearly stand out and make a difference. And I want to share my top five with you in this episode. Now, when you're answering these for yourself, think about a speaking opportunity you'd love to say yes to. Perhaps that might be a presentation, a podcast, a media interview, workshop, or maybe even a panel and just have that in mind as you go through. So number one, what would success look like for you? I often ask where would you sit on a scale between one to 10? And it's worth noting that everybody's 10 looks different. So this question raises your self-awareness as to what great looks like for you and enables you to start visualizing that positive outcome. It's where we get really honest about what we want to achieve and what success looks like. And as I said, that is different for each and every one of us. When we go into speaking opportunities thinking, just don't mess this up, it's not very helpful. Instead, you want to ask yourself, okay, what does success look like? Is that feeling calm? Am I speaking clearly? Should I be landing my key messages, being remembered afterwards? By focusing on that great outcome, you can then move towards that with every single step you take, rather than simply trying to avoid what could go wrong. Number two is what's truly stopping you or holding you back. Now you might've heard me say this question before, but honestly, it's such a crucial one for providing that time for reflection as a coach. You provide a space where clients can open up, they can talk about their setbacks, what's truly going on for them in terms of fears, doubts, any concerns they might have that they would otherwise keep to themselves. And this is where we get really honest. Because what we often say to ourselves is, I'm not going to do that speaking opportunity right now because I don't have the time. I'm busy. It's just not the right moment, but usually there is something far deeper underneath that. It's like peeling back the layers if you like. It could be fear of judgment, fear of getting it wrong, fear of being visible, fear of rejection. As a coach, we create space for this honesty and then ask the right questions to enable the client to overcome that fear or doubt and move forwards, either without it or despite it. And unless we stop long enough to uncover what that deeper fear is, it's just going to continue to drive our decisions quietly in the background, keeping us small, keeping us safe, and often keeping us stuck as well. And when you really identify what's holding you back, That then starts to lose its power over you and you can move forwards with confidence. Number three is tell me about a time when you've been proud of how you've used your voice. I absolutely love this question and I ask it to all of my clients because in asking this, we're allowing the client to think, actually, I have done this before in some capacity and therefore they're more likely to go through with it again. It instantly builds that confidence. Most people focus on what they haven't done yet, but this question shifts their attention to actually, What evidence do I have that I can do this? Perhaps you might have spoken up in a meeting, you've delivered a brilliant presentation, you've advocated for someone else and shared your opinion, or you've really just spoken up when it mattered. It reminds you that you have done hard things before and that you can handle what comes your way and that evidence builds belief and trust in your voice and that is vital when you're looking to uplevel your communication skills. Question number four is what would your 90 year old self tell you to do? And this is a fun one and it's a great question because what it does is it gets you to take a huge leap forwards towards the end of your life and look back at what you'll potentially regret doing. So it creates instant perspective on what matters right now and suddenly the fear that you're feeling feels smaller because the drive to want to actually achieve the goals is bigger than that. I often ask myself this question when I'm facing a decision because it helps to understand what we might regret not doing. Your 90 year old self, I want you to think of that person right now. Are they saying, don't do it, stay safe? Why don't you wait until you feel ready? They're probably not saying that. What they're going to be saying is, go for it, say yes. Don't let the fear get in the way. Life is too short. And this question helps us zoom out, see the bigger picture and often makes the next step very obvious. We rarely regret giving things a go. And wouldn't you rather look back at that stage and know that you'd given it a try than perhaps not tried at all? And question number five is what support do you need? Now, this is often an underrated question because our natural go-to is to try and do everything alone. Support for each and every one of us may look different, but it can incorporate perhaps getting feedback, having accountability with another person, learning a new skill, or maybe even investing in coaching or media training if that's your goal. Getting support, people often think it shows weakness, but actually it shows self-awareness. You have decided that actually there is something perhaps in your business or your organization that you need support with and you're seeking that out, which can only be a good thing. Ask and invest in help and support if needed. It's something you'll never regret. And if you think I might be a good fit for you, then do reach out and let's have a conversation about your needs. I work one-to-one with clients on their speaking goals, or if you're looking to up level your communication skills and speaking the media, I have a specific media ready program for that too. I'm also hosting a one-day workshop in Surrey, Tuesday the 30th of June with Leanne Davies, Marketing and Visibility Strategist. It's a one-day workshop where you can up-level your voice and visibility and really truly show up as you. So if that is something you are interested in, then the early-bred tickets are available and to the end of this month, I'll pop a link in the show notes.