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As we gear up for the December 2024 launch of the ​Impromptu Speakers Academy​, I've decided to share a behind-the-scenes look each week leading up to the launch, starting with one of our core modules: Build Unshakeable Confidence.

Today, I'm going to share a powerful technique that's helped hundreds of professionals I've taught transform how they sound at work. It's a method I've personally used to go from a nervous public speaker to confidently leading high-stakes business negotiations as a Head of Business Development and whenever I speak at conferences or companies. You can watch the in-depth video above or keep reading below.

The Pillars of Confidence: Know Your Value

At the heart of sounding confident is actually being confident. And the key to genuine confidence? Knowing your value. Let's break this down into two crucial components:

1. Foundational Value
2. Situational Value

Foundational Value: Your Core Strengths

Your foundational value comprises the core strengths that represent your character, regardless of the specific interaction. These are the qualities you bring to every conversation.

Here's a quick exercise to identify your foundational value:

1. Write down your top 5 professional strengths. Don't overthink it – what are you good at or at least okay at? Usually, the first things that come to mind are most relevant.
2. Every morning, look at this list and say these strengths aloud.
3. Use deep breathing while you recite: Inhale deeply, and as you exhale, state one of your strengths.

 

For example, here are my personal top five strengths:

1. I'm great at telling stories
2. I'm great at teaching.
3. I'm great at connecting with other people.
4. I'm great at setting the big vision.
5. I'm great at building things from zero to one.

This practice creates a positive reinforcement loop. When you externalize your strengths (i.e., by hearing yourself saying them aloud), you internalize them (i.e., you believe in them), which in turn changes how you come off when you have conversations. This connectivity between the body and mind is called the ​somatic feedback loop​.

Situational Value: Tailoring to Your Audience

While your foundational value remains fairly constant, your situational value changes based on the specific conversation or audience. To identify your situational value, consider these three approaches:

1. What important information do you want them to know?
2. What emotion do you want them to feel?
3. What action do you want them to take?

Sometimes, you might not have all the information upfront. In these cases, your goal becomes gathering the necessary information to determine how you can add value.

Uncovering Situational Value: A Real-World Example

Let me walk you through a real scenario from my experience as a partnerships lead. I once had a call with a potential partner without knowing exactly what he wanted from our company.

Here's how I approached the conversation to uncover my situational value:

1. Set the stage: "Hey Rodney, it's great to meet you. How are you?" (Starting with a smile and a warm greeting often elicits a positive response.)
2. Establish context and invite openness: "I heard from our chief product officer that you're interested in partnering with us. I lead our business development team at X company, and I'd love to help. To help me help you, could you share why are you interested in partnering with us?"
3. Ask probing questions to learn his primary motivations -- notice how all of my questions start with "why," "how," or "what," which invites the other party to elaborate instead of give short responses:
   • "What would the ideal end state be for our partnership, in your view?"
   • "What metrics are you trying to drive with this partnership? Why?"
   • "Why is not having this feature such a problem for you right now?"
   • "What concerns you the most about us not having this feature?"
   • "How much of a priority are you putting against this?"
   • "How much demand are you seeing for this?"
   • "How much opportunity is there?"

Through this conversation, I discovered that Rodney wanted to integrate with us to meet his customer demand, but it wasn't an immediate priority for his team. This information helped me formulate my situational value:

With this goal in mind, I could tailor my communication to:

• Share stats about partnering with us and how it can help his business
• Show how his needs resonate with our capabilities
• Highlight how we differ from our competitors
• Work on defining a core first step and timeline

By uncovering the situational value, I could speak confidently about how our partnership could benefit Rodney's company, even if the immediate action wasn't clear at the start of the conversation.

This Week's Action Steps:

1. Write down your top 5 professional strengths.
2. Practice saying them aloud each morning for the next week, using the deep breathing technique.
3. Before your next important conversation or meeting, write down:
   • What situational value can you add?
   • If unsure, what questions can you ask to uncover how you can add value?

Remember, building confidence is a journey. 

If you found this helpful, the Impromptu Speakers Academy is my 3-week bootcamp to help you become a clear and confident speaker at work. Reserve your spot today while they're still available.

 

And, as always, reply back with any feedback or topics you'd like me to cover in future issues.

Best,

Preston