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Improving Your Presentations Podcast Professional Speaker Public Speaking Tips Speaker Burnout

Episode 18: The A-Ha! Method Public Speaking Podcast

Ending Burnout Culture and Speaker Burnout with Cait Donovan

Cait Donovan — burnout expert, speaker, author, and host of “Fried – The Burnout Podcast,” — joins Dayna and Gabe to discuss burnout, boundaries, speaker burnout (yes, it’s a thing!), and how you can take better care of yourself right now. 

As a speaker, you may find that you’re overexerting yourself and saying “Yes!” to every speaking gig you get asked to do because you don’t want to miss out on anything or decrease momentum. However, you have to know when is the right time to say yes to a speaking gig and when to say no. Cait talks in this episode about how resentment is your superpower, and if you’re feeling resentful about a situation or a request, then it may be better for your well-being not to take it.

We also discuss evaluations and how to deal with those negative comments that may hit us so hard and get us down or in our heads. The key is knowing yourself and recognizing what you need to bounce back from the negative feedback, especially if you have another speech or presentation to give soon!

Burnout is not new, but it’s a big buzzword these days because it’s affecting so many people, especially as we navigate through COVID-19. We hope this episode encourages everyone who is dealing with burnout or feeling the effects of burnout to talk to someone and get the help they need. Cait is so real and vulnerable, and we appreciate her sharing tips for how we can better take care of ourselves right now – as speakers and as human beings.   

Please take care of yourself and your well-being, listeners and friends!

Picture of papers clipped together that say Show Notes on front.

Video Snippets:

Reminder: You can now sign up for Private Speaker Coaching on our Speakers Alliance Website. If you have an upcoming pitch, presentation, or speech that you are working on, you can practice it with both Dayna and Gabe and get feedback and suggestions for improvement. For more details, go to https://speakersalliance.org/speaker-coaching/

You can watch the full video of the episode on Spotify to learn more about burnout and speaker burnout! Or if watching on a different platform, watch the YouTube snippets in the show notes.

Check out this episode and our other episodes of The A-Ha! Method Podcast here:

Follow us on social media for the most up to date announcements and so you never miss when a new episode is released. 😍

Cait Donovan, burnout expert, speaker, author, and host of “Fried – The Burnout Podcast”

More About Our Guest Cait Donovan:

Caitlin Donovan is one of New York City’s leading burnout experts. She is the host of “Fried – The Burnout Podcast,” and author of the book “The Bouncebackability Factor: End Burnout, Gain Resilience, and Change the World.” Her master’s degree is in Traditional Chinese Medicine and she is currently studying Biobehavioral Health at Penn State. After treating more than 25,000 acupuncture patients, Caitlin added 1:1 coaching, corporate workshops, and keynotes for companies – all with a focus on burnout. She is on a mission to end burnout culture!

For more in-depth information and resources, please check out Cait’s website – https://caitdonovan.com

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Applied Improv Distracted Audience improv Podcast Professional Speaker Public Speaking Tips Virtual Meetings Virtual Presentations

Episode 17: The A-Ha! Method Public Speaking Podcast

Infusing Connection, Interactivity, and Fun into your Virtual Meetings with Melissa Dinwiddie

This episode is a MUST LISTEN for anyone who leads or facilitates virtual meetings!

Melissa Dinwiddie – Founder, CEO, Lead Curriculum Designer & Facilitator at Creative Sandbox Solutions – joins Dayna and Gabe to discuss ways to make virtual meetings, trainings, and events more fun and engaging, which is so needed right now! 

We have been doing the virtual meeting thing for over 2 years now, and they aren’t going away any time soon! Melissa is a pro at creating excitement and engagement in every event, and she shows us how to sprinkle in connection, interactivity, and fun into your virtual meetings so that you don’t lose your attendees to their emails, social media, or many other distractions! 

We highly recommend watching this podcast on Spotify, because Melissa shows some cool slides on her video as she provides her awesome tips and tricks to better meetings. If watching on a different platform, please check out the YouTube videos in the show notes so you can see what she is displaying during the episode. 

Don’t lose your audience to distraction, and don’t be a talking head in virtual meetings. Allow your meeting attendees a chance to engage and participate, and you will see much better outcomes and productivity in your meetings and trainings! 

Picture of papers clipped together that say Show Notes on front.
  1. Check out Dayna and Melissa playing Powerpoint Karaoke here: https://youtu.be/F89_fYokQOM
  2. Video from podcast – 8 Unofficial Start Ideas For Your Virtual Meeting – https://youtu.be/kUxHWO3pqqc
  3. Video from podcast – Micro-Engagement Ideas for Better Virtual Meetings – https://youtu.be/MoUynFIswdY
  4. Melissa’s website: https://creativesandbox.solutions/
  5. Melissa’s Free Guide – 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your Next Virtual Event, Training or Conference – https://creativesandbox.solutions/resources/
  6. Melissa’s Virtual Learning Lab every month – https://creativesandbox.solutions/learning-lab/
  7. Follow Melissa on LinkedIn – she posts some helpful tips and tricks for better meeting engagement! 
  8. Follow Melissa on Instagram for her creative pursuits.
  9. Check out Melissa’s personal website for all her creative and fun endeavors – https://melissadinwiddie.com/

Reminder: You can now sign up for Private Speaker Coaching on our Speakers Alliance Website. If you have an upcoming pitch, presentation, or speech that you are working on, you can practice it with both Dayna and Gabe and get feedback and suggestions for improvement. For more details, go to https://speakersalliance.org/speaker-coaching/

You can watch the full video of the episode on Spotify! Or if watching on a different platform, watch the YouTube videos in the Show Notes to see when Melissa shares her screen images.

Check out this episode and our other episodes of The A-Ha! Method Podcast here:

Follow us on social media for the most up to date announcements and so you never miss when a new episode is released. 😍

Melissa Dinwiddie Photo - Melissa is the queen of leading fun and engaging virtual meetings
Melissa Dinwiddie, Founder, CEO, Lead Curriculum Designer & Facilitator at Creative Sandbox Solutions

More About Our Guest Melissa Dinwiddie:

Melissa specializes in working with innovative, people-first organizations grappling with boring (or nonexistent) virtual trainings and events. She helps them engage and delight attendees, who acquire new skills and behaviors while building connections and having fun.

Melissa’s the author of The Creative Sandbox Way™: Your Path to a Full-Color Life, an interactive playbook that countless readers have sworn freed them from creative block virtually overnight.

Melissa has a reputation for creating impactful, memorable experiences that teach key skills while being fun at the same time. She loves collaborating, and is great at encouraging, cheerleading, and creating a positive vibe.

Melissa’s front-of-room experience ranges from traveling the country teaching calligraphy, to speaking on stages from Connecticut to California, to performing as a singer for audiences as big as 6,500, and presenting at professional conferences internationally. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she’s become sought after for her expertise in play-based techniques for leading engaging, interactive virtual meetings. When there isn’t a global pandemic going on, she performs improv with a number of different groups in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A graduate of UC Berkeley with a Bachelors in Social Science, and the University of Birmingham, England, with a Masters in Cultural Studies, Melissa lives with her husband in Silicon Valley and spends her free time making art, playing ukulele, or chasing around her rescue kitties, Vinnie and Jack Jack.

For more in-depth information and resources, please check out Melissa’s website – https://creativesandbox.solutions/

Categories
Breathing Improving Your Presentations Public Speaking Nerves Public Speaking Tips Talking about uncomfortable topics

Episode 16: The A-Ha! Method Public Speaking Podcast

Pelvic Healing for Better Public Speaking with Dr. Mariesa Barbara

Mariesa Barbara, DPT, joins Dayna and Gabe to talk about pelvic health and pelvic healing and how these issues can affect our public speaking. Mariesa helps us understand the connection that our pelvic health can have on all aspects of our health and well-being. She also demonstrates a helpful breathing exercise that speakers can do before they give their talks and presentations to relax their muscles and allow for better diaphragmatic breathing. 

Not going to lie, this is not Dayna’s most professional episode as she gets very uncomfortable, tense, and even silly about the topic of pelvic health and the pelvic floor region. Mariesa handles it like the professional she is though, and she shows us that it’s important to talk about the tough and uncomfortable topics because not many people are talking about them right now. Acknowledging that it may be uncomfortable, using the correct terms instead of calling them “weird” terms, and normalizing the subject matter can make your audience (whether one-on-one or a large group) feel more at ease with the topic and more willing to engage with you. At the end of the episode, Mariesa even helps Dayna say the correct terms and feel much more comfortable with the subject matter, and she can help you feel more comfortable about it too! 

Check this episode out for helpful breathing tips, how to speak about tough/uncomfortable topics, and quality information about your pelvic floor health! We use our pelvic floor muscles everyday, and it’s important to be aware of our pelvic health and get help and healing when needed.

Dr. Mariesa Barbara – Owner and Founder of My Pelvic Healing and Island Movement Yoga Studio in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.

Find out more about Dr. Mariesa Barbara:

  1. Website: https://mypelvichealing.com/
  2. Check out her Meet Your Pelvic Floor Course: https://courses.mypelvichealing.com/meet-your-pelvic-floor
  3. Book a one-on-one session with Dr. Barbara (via virtual consult) for any pelvic floor issues you may be experiencing – open for all genders! 
  4. Follow Mariesa on Instagram or Facebook

Speakers Alliance Announcement:

You can now sign up for Private Speaker Coaching on our Speakers Alliance Website. If you have an upcoming pitch, presentation, or speech that you are working on, you can practice it with both Dayna and Gabe and get feedback and suggestions for improvement. For more details, go to https://speakersalliance.org/speaker-coaching/

Check out this episode and our other episodes of The A-Ha! Method Podcast here:

Follow us on social media for the most up to date announcements and so you never miss when a new episode is released. 😍

Dr. Mariesa Barbara – Owner and Founder of My Pelvic Healing and Island Movement Yoga Studio in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands

More About Our Guest Dr. Mariesa Barbara:

She received her Doctorate from The University of St. Augustine in Physical Therapy. After PT school, she began treating outpatient orthopedics in Phoenix, AZ where she began to specialize in Women’s Health. She was always interested in the intricacies of the female body and how it adapts to child birth, trauma, and injury.

In 2016, she received her 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training and started teaching yoga. The impact and connection between the mind, body, and spirit is empowering. Her journey has shifted to helping women with chronic pelvic pain and childbirth injuries.

She moved from her hometown of New Orleans to St. Croix, US Virgin Islands in 2018. She loves scuba diving, free diving, and feeling connected with nature.

She is so excited and honored for this opportunity to create content to help guide women through healing. ❤️

For more in-depth information and resources, please check out Dr. Barbara’s website – https://mypelvichealing.com/

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Fear of Public Speaking Podcast Public Speaking Tips

Episode 15: The A-Ha! Method Public Speaking Podcast

Find the Fun in Public Speaking

Dayna and Gabe kick off Season 2 and the beginning of 2022 with a lighthearted discussion about how to find the love, joy, and fun in public speaking. Finding the fun in public speaking is much easier said than done though, so they dive deeper into how you can (not should!) find the fun in public speaking as well. 

This episode has a “big reframing energy” to it as they share some ways that you can reframe your negative or nervous thoughts about public speaking and think about it in a more exciting way. Also, Gabe shares some very interesting analogies to illustrate how he feels about public speaking. 😂😂

There are lots of great tips and tricks in this episode to help you find more fun in your public speaking journey. The more we view public speaking as fun and enjoyable, the more we want to do it and the better we get at sharing our stories and our messages with the world!

Show Notes: 

Check out this episode and our other episodes of The A-Ha! Method Podcast here:

Follow us on social media for the most up to date announcements and so you never miss when a new episode is released.😍

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Comedy and Public Speaking improv Podcast

Improvisation – Episode 14: The A-Ha! Method Public Speaking Podcast

Dayna’s Favorite Topic – Improvisation

Last episode of Season 1, and we go out with a bang talking about Dayna’s favorite thing to do and discuss – Improvisation, or Improv for short. 

When you hear the word improvisation, you may think of improv used for comedic purposes, but improv is way more than just funny scenes and shows at your local neighborhood theater. The skills of improvisation are very much applicable to life and can tremendously help your public speaking as well. 

Improv can help you:

  • Improve your listening skills
  • Embrace mistakes and happy accidents
  • Develop a “Yes, and…” mindset
  • Boost your creativity and imagination
  • Gain confidence in answering questions during a Q&A period
  • And so much more!

Improv has been such a gamechanger in Dayna’s life over the past few years, especially during the pandemic, and it can help you too if you give it a try. It may push you way outside your comfort zone, but it’s so worth it!

Say “Yes, and…” and hit the play button for this episode! 

Show Notes: 

  • Watch Dayna and Gabe play Powerpoint Karaoke and give an improvised presentation here: https://youtu.be/wrBwqQBPFIk –> We do a pretty good job for our first attempt at this, or at least we like to think so! 😊
  • If you are interested in taking improv classes, there are so many places offering classes online and in person now. Message us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn for recommendations. Or you can google improv near you, and you may find a theater close to you offering some beginner classes. 
  • Looking for Table Topics questions to work on your impromptu speaking skills? Check out this awesome list of 365 Table Topics questions! –> Pick a number, look at the question, and then respond to the question within 1-2 minute timeframe. How comfortable do you feel answering the question off the cuff?   
  • For funny style improv, watch Middleditch and Schwartz on Netflix. It is super funny and silly, but remember that not all improv has to be funny. We improvise all the time in our daily lives, and everyone can improvise and develop better improvisation skills to help with listening and communication. 

Check out this episode and our other episodes of The A-Ha! Method Podcast here:

Follow us on social media for the most up to date announcements and so you never miss when a new episode is released.😍

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Boosting Your Confidence Comedy and Public Speaking Founders Pitches improv Improving Your Presentations Podcast Public Speaking Tips Start-up Pitches Storytelling

Episode 7: The A-Ha! Method Podcast

Going Beyond Public Speaking with Jeremy Au

In this episode of The A-Ha! Method Podcast, we have special guest Jeremy Au join us to talk about public speaking. Jeremy goes beyond the traditional discussion about public speaking and expands on many creative elements and uses of public speaking through storytelling, improv, and even stand-up comedy.

Jeremy initially did not like public speaking as a kid and even shares an embarrassing story from middle school that haunted him for years. Then he grew to love it in college and finds himself using public speaking skills every day.

He has given many start-up pitches and presentations and watched many business pitches as an investor and venture capitalist (VC), and he provides some insightful tips for new founders getting started with their pitches. Jeremy shares his love for storytelling and using storytelling techniques to evoke emotions from your audience. He also discusses his improv journey and how it has helped him along the way. 

Ways to listen to The A-Ha! Method Podcast:

More About Our Guest Jeremy Au:

Jeremy Au (区汉辉) is a VC at Monk’s Hill Ventures who invests in fellow founders who will transform millions of lives. He also spearheads MHV’s key initiatives from venture scouts to thought leadership. Jeremy hosts the BRAVE podcast and interviews trailblazing founders, investors and rising stars in Southeast Asia tech. His mission is to inspire thousands to build the future, learn from our past and stay human in between. He is also an angel investor in multiple startups across USA and Southeast Asia. 

Jeremy cofounded CozyKin, an early education marketplace. He led the startup as CEO from 0 to Series A to acquisition by Higher Ground Education. Won Harvard Business School’s New Venture Competition and the MassChallenge grand prize. Incubated by Harvard Innovation Lab’s VIP Program and MIT Sandbox. Jeremy cofounded Conjunct Consulting, an impact consulting platform, and bootstrapped the social enterprise to profitability, over a hundred clients and thousands of trained impact leaders. He consulted across multiple Southeast Asia markets and China as a Bain management consultant. He also served as an infantry sergeant in Singapore.

Jeremy is a public speaker and panelist on entrepreneurship, leadership and community engagement. He has spoken for thousands across Harvard, Deutsche Bank, Singapore Global Tech Network, Boston SPARK Council, Institute of Policy Studies, Civil Service College and many others. Recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30 and Prestige 40 Under 40. MBA from Harvard Business School and double honor degrees in Economics & Business Administration from UC Berkeley. 

Jeremy enjoys science fiction, improv, hiking, tea and being a dad with his family. He enjoys hearing from authentic founders, receiving podcast guest recommendations and new speaking opportunities.

Follow Jeremy on LinkedInInstagram and Twitter.

Categories
Building Confidence Fear of Public Speaking Improving Your Presentations Podcast Public Speaking Tips

Episode 2: The A-Ha! Method Podcast

Episode 02

Getting and keeping people’s attention is harder than ever as a public speaker. In this episode, hosts Gabe Zichermann and Dayna Gowan explore the techniques that public speakers use to practice and develop their work, and how this helps build confidence. 

Preview: