41. How Speakers Can Deal with Chaos

“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.”— Sun Tzu from The Art of War,

  

My wife, Elaine, and I recently moved from Northern Virginia to the Charleston, South Carolina, area.  To say our move was chaotic is an understatement.  The packing, moving, and unpacking (which is still ongoing) were and are stressful.

This chaos of moving to another state got me thinking about the chaos that speakers have to deal with.

This podcast episode offers valuable tips for speakers to navigate the challenges posed by travel and logistics, content juggling, and the emotional strain of balancing their speaking commitments with personal responsibilities.

References 

• Brown, Brené (2012). Daring Greatly. Gotham Books. – On embracing vulnerability and managing the emotional cost of visibility.
• Duarte, Nancy (2010). Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences. Wiley. – On modular content creation and the structure of compelling presentations.
• Morgan, Nick (2011). Give Your Speech, Change the World. Harvard Business Press. – On message frameworks and speaker adaptability.
• Port, Michael (2015). Steal the Show. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. – On the systems, preparation, and performance mindset required for speaking.
• Hyatt, Michael (2019). Free to Focus. Baker Books. – On productivity, routines, and systems that reduce chaos.
• Sinek, Simon (2009). Start With Why. Portfolio. – On creating clarity and intentionality in your speaking purpose and process.
• Loehr, Jim & Schwartz, Tony (2001). The Making of a Corporate Athlete. Harvard Business Review. – On the importance of emotional and physical recovery in high-performance roles.