March 10, 2025 • 25 mins
Laurie-Ann, a best-selling author and host of the Be In Demand podcast, shares how she went from being painfully shy to mastering and teaching public speaking.
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Laurie-Ann explains her unique approach, combining neuroscience with practical strategies to help coaches and consultants give powerful presentations.
She talks about how challenging herself to make eye contact was a small but life-changing step in overcoming shyness and growing both personally and professionally. Learn useful tips to build confidence, establish credibility, and keep an audience engaged.
Watch the next episode on YouTube, "Speaking Tips to Become the “Go To” Person in Your Niche Featuring Laurie-Ann Murabito"
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to the Art of Online Business podcast,
and if you're listening rightnow and you've heard that
speaking skills could help yourvisibility and help you sell
more of your courses and helpyou become the go-to expert in
your niche, but you've beenwondering how do you quantify
these nebulous speaking skillsand master them?
(00:20):
Well, you're going to like thisepisode and the next episode.
I'm here with Lorianne and sheis a speaking and visibility
coach, as she says, a reformed,painfully shy gal who
accidentally became aprofessional speaker.
She works with coaches andconsultants to write and deliver
captivating presentations toestablish credibility, attract
ideal clients and monetize theirauthority.
(00:42):
She combines her years as anaward-winning professional
speaker, executive leadershipcoach and her obsession with
neuroscience.
I like that.
Lorianne is the best-sellingauthor of Rethink Leadership and
Rethink your Leadership and thehost of the Be In Demand
podcast.
A few of her clients, thenotable ones, are Johnson
Johnson, the American CancerSociety, bali Mastermind and I
(01:07):
saw on your website the US Army.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yes, thank you.
Thank you.
I have worked with the militaryand the Air Force.
Yeah yeah, they are a lot offun.
Especially as they'reapproaching retirement, it's
like what am I going to do forthe next half of my life?
Yeah, yeah, thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
That's a long time.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
And that is a true story that I am a reformed,
painfully shy girl who couldn'teven make eye contact with
people.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
It's hard to believe now, but that was once upon a
time in my life.
Okay, let's go into that then,because in a moment, I'll ask
you to share a snapshot of yourbusiness as it is today, in the
beginning of 2025.flower, when Ieven was lucky enough to be
invited to parties.
Quite shy, I didn't know how tohave a conversation or be
engaging.
So how did you reform yourselfas a painfully shy girl?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
So I would say it was late in my teens, Just like
yourself, a little bit more of awallflower.
My family did move overseas fora couple of years we're not a
military family and this wasback in the day when it really
wasn't a cool thing to do.
It was just like why are youmoving to Japan, Okay?
And so came back and I remember.
(02:38):
So I was at work and I'mwatching my friends like we're
in a break room and I'm watchingthe way that they engage with
people and also the way thatthey engage with customers, and
I literally had this epiphanylike this behavior of not making
eye contact is not going toserve me in the long run.
I have got to learn how to lookpeople in the eye and have a
(02:59):
conversation.
So I literally just daredmyself if you will look at
somebody while they're talking,look at somebody while I'm
speaking, even just for a fewseconds, and then I could look
away.
And so I did that, and here'swhat I noticed the earth did not
open up and swallow me whole,and the person that I was
talking to didn't laugh at me,and so that was all the positive
(03:22):
reinforcement that I needed.
I was just like okay, let mesee if I can do it a little bit
longer next time.
And that's all that I did.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Wow, you yourself had the epiphany to look people in
the eye.
I don't do that, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Download, you know.
But also it was the observingother people.
So there was obviously thisdesire of I want to be like that
.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
So they were my role models.
Mm-hmm Wow.
Okay, you sort of have thisdeep-seated fear beneath that
that like if I look people inthe eye then they're going to
make fun of me, they're going tonot like me or reject me.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
You know.
So I do have this shy streak.
I just want people to know.
This shy streak still shows upfrom time to time, but I at
least have the awareness nowwhere I can just be like, okay,
go away, Like I got, I'm safe.
You know you're not protectingme from anything, Because that's
probably some five-year-oldthat just kind of like surfaces
(04:29):
once in a while.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Gotcha, gotcha.
No.
It really does help, though, tobe outgoing and meet people,
even if, like we're on theextrovert side of the spectrum.
My high school experience wasmiserable because I didn't know
how to talk to people.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
And you kind of did the same thing, though too right
.
You sort of just decided all byyourself like when I get to
college I'm going to be friendlyright, like I'm going to have
friends.
Didn't you sort of decide thatI?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
did decide, but it was because I broke down in I
think it was my last year inhigh school and I asked my mom,
who is pretty friendly, like howI can have friends?
And she's like you can havefriends just by smiling and
meeting people.
And yeah, I did make aconscious decision to when I
went to college.
(05:18):
It's like I'm just going tomeet people and I went a little
overboard, like I rememberfreshman year in the dorms as
soon as I got there.
I would just hang out in acafeteria and it was nice to eat
multiple meals, but really like, what I would do is I would
just sit down with like a newtable of folks and then, like
(05:39):
when they got eating, I wouldjust go to another table of
people and hang out and makebrand new friends.
And I remember like discoveringall the intriguing people that
you can meet when you go to auniversity.
Coming from high school, and Iremember like meeting these two
girls and they had like leopardprint everything in their dorm
(06:00):
room and so like I was intriguedbecause it was like you know,
know leopard, literallyeverything from the pillowcases
to the bedsheets to whatever youcall those like thin, like
plastic laminate covers that youcould put on like your
windowsill.
I don't know what they're, whatthey're called, but it was yeah
it was great.
it was great.
So what I started doing is umtaking people on tours to their
(06:22):
bedroom, and so they were happybecause they were famous, and I
would just use that as kind oflike the icebreaker if the
conversation just kind of wentquiet at the table in the dining
hall or in the cafeteria.
Hey, I met these two girls andthey're really cool, let's go
see their room.
And so that was the beginningof me being popular in college.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
See, I think we just find our way of doing that, like
I now have, like, literallytaught my nervous system.
I walk into a networking eventor a conference and I don't wait
for somebody to turn to me andextend their hand.
I'm going to be the one thatsits at the table and starts and
starts up a conversation likehi, what compelled you to join
(07:06):
this breakout session?
I'm Laurieann.
It's a little more automaticnow for me, thank goodness.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Well, we need people like you because I think most of
us, even the most outgoing,most trained socialites, we all
can experience that bit ofintimidation and that tendency
to be quiet when we're in a newroom.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Right, yes, right.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah, so why don't you give?
Speaker 3 (07:30):
us a snapshot of your business as it is today.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
As it is today, so I will take you back to 2017,
which was excuse me, which was atime when I was actually doing
a lot of leadership, speaking.
Literally.
Coming home, you know, likefrom a trip, wash the clothes,
throw them back in the suitcase,because I was picking up that
(07:56):
suitcase and getting on anotherflight the next day.
Something happened in FortLauderdale that most people
don't remember.
So here I was a leadershipspeaker, executive coach, and
you know, here in the UnitedStates where you're allowed to
travel with your firearms if youwant to, and yet, if you have
the right paperwork, and yes,you can if you have the oh, you
(08:25):
know, your checked baggage,Checked baggage, so you can't
have some sort of a gun, youknow in the carrier by your seat
.
Yeah, okay, just sitting rightnext to your airplane, nuts you
know and your airplane cookies.
Okay, yes, oh my gosh so baggageclaim is out of TSA's
(08:47):
jurisdiction.
So baggage claim is out ofTSA's jurisdiction.
So the gentleman who wastraveling with his firearm and
proper paperwork grabbed his bag, went into the men's room, put
his semi-automatic rifletogether and came out shooting.
Now the FAA literally like runsaviation globally.
So every plane that was in theair landed at the nearest
(09:10):
airport.
Thank goodness he only killedtwo people.
I say thank goodness becauseI'm sure it could have been a
whole lot more and I can'tremember how many people were
injured, but just every flightcame to a screeching halt
because they were afraid of acopycat.
Where else was this going tohappen globally?
And I remember saying, oh myGod, I mean like I was traveling
a lot, my husband was travelinga lot and I just said, universe
(09:32):
, I need a new business model.
Two weeks later I got a textmessage from somebody that said
Lorianne, do you write speechesfor people?
And I was like, well, no, butbecause I knew who she was, I
was like, oh, I'll help you.
And like most of usentrepreneurs I'm giving you the
(09:52):
abbreviated story here I fellin love with it.
She knocked it out of the parkwith her first presentation and
it completely changed herbusiness.
So I was like oh, I wonder ifanybody else wants to know what
I know, which brought me intothe online world, which I got to
say is a whole new set of rules, you know, and this is 2017.
(10:17):
And so I fumbled my way in theonline world because I didn't
understand what the rules wereworld.
Because I didn't understandwhat the rules were.
I knew what they were forpublic speaking and getting
booked for conferences andworking with companies that I've
worked with some pretty bigcompanies.
That's what brought me here,wow.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
And I will, yeah, go ahead.
No, I was wanting to know aboutthis gun story.
Was that at the airport thatyou were at, or you?
Were on another flight that wasgrounded.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
No, I was actually at home, okay, but I'd been doing
a lot Like I was probablyleaving the very next day and I
think my husband was away.
So there I was like on the cellphone trying to contact him was
away, so there I was like onthe cell phone trying to contact
him.
And I've only experienced abusy signal on a cell phone one
other time, and that was 9-11.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Yeah, 9-11 would do it.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
So I got a busy signal so I couldn't get a hold
of him, but I believe that hewasn't anywhere in Florida.
So yeah, thank you for theclarification.
Yeah, I was not in FortLauderdale.
I wasn't at that airport.
It just impacted me so deeply.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Right right.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Naturally.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
So you started helping people write speeches.
Did you just reach out topeople that you already knew and
you're kind of in your circle,or how did it really get
formulated?
Good, question.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
So with I decided that I couldn't write the speech
for her, because there's partsof writing a speech that I mean
like the reason why my storiesresonate with the audience is
because I'm telling it from mypoint of view.
So I shared with her this ishow you write a speech, and we
wrote it together.
But she did the writing so thatnow she doesn't have to
(12:14):
memorize something that I wrote.
So I taught her how to, likeyou know, like these are the
components that make a reallygood speech.
This is what you say, so thatthe people in your audience,
like they, stay engaged and wecan dive into that if you want.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
But oh, we are on the next episode.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Oh, we are Don't you worry, like there's an art.
There's just an art, like Icall it, like a speech is verbal
art.
That's what it is.
It is just crafting stories andreally impacting your audience
and getting them to lean in, youknow, and then like, what do
you do when they lean back?
And like your pace, your tone,I mean like there's just,
(13:00):
there's just a lot to it, right,and I had so much fun teaching
her this and she was she.
She is a stylist.
She went from a government job.
She was just waiting three moreyears to retire and this was
going to be her.
Being a stylist was going tobecome her retirement gig and
you know, like when you're three, three years away from retiring
(13:22):
at a government job, she's likeyou'll stand on your head for
three years.
But she finished out her threeyears and, yeah, she went into
becoming a stylist.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
So I'm going to say, dear listener, like what we're
talking about, and before we hitrecord, one thing that is on my
heart is like we want to becomethe in-demand go-to person in
our niche, like, right, jamie,and I feel like when we get a
chance to learn more fromsomebody who specializes in
(13:52):
speaking skills, we immediatelythink, oh, but I'm not going to
speak on a stage.
Or I would love to speak on astage, but that would require
finding an event and thenpitching lots of events, because
, and then how do I actually,you know, introduce myself or
sell myself to get accepted inthe roster at an event and, oh
(14:14):
my gosh, those other speakers.
And then we just put it off andwe think that that's the only
place where these speakingskills will apply.
And Lorianne is shaking herhead no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
no.
So that's all I'm going to sayis, in the next episode we are
going to talk specifically aboutredefining a stage, and the
stage that you speak on is notjust a physical stage, it's
(14:37):
actually.
We all are doing it day in andday out in our content, and
Lorianne's going to give us abunch of tips, right, lorianne?
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Yes, I am.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Very, very cool.
I still want to know what yourbusiness looks like right now.
But before that I will say onemore thing to the listener,
which is down in the show notes.
Below there is a link.
The show notes below there is alink.
It is speakandstandoutcom.
Speakandstandoutcom forwardslash guide.
(15:07):
And if you want to figure outhow to get started in speaking,
to grow your podcast or exactlywhat to say right here for more
bookings, clients andopportunities than, in addition,
to like how to feel like a pro,even if you've never stepped on
stage before and we just said,stage is not just a physical
(15:29):
stage, it's video, it's YouTube,it's Instagram, it's TikTok
Then head down to that link andgrab that guide and you'll be
well on your way.
So, snapshot of your businessnow, lorianne.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Snapshot now is so I started off mostly just doing
one-on-one work because I cameinto the online world, I was an
executive coach.
That's all that I knew.
I'd never done a group program.
So today my business looks likea group program that I run
that's called In DemandSignature Speech, and also
(16:05):
working with clients privately,and I am just trying for the
first time an evergreendo-it-yourself In Demand
Signature Speech, and I have myfirst person who just purchased
that, and so the feedback thatI'm getting is she's really
enjoying it, she's taking thebaby steps.
So that's what my businesslooks like now, compared to 2017
(16:29):
.
When I came into this, it wasjust one-on-one work.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Gotcha.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
An evergreen in-demand program.
What's the title of that?
Speaker 2 (16:39):
It's a start anytime in demand signature speech.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Start anytime in demand.
Signature speech.
Can you break down this conceptof a signature speech?
I feel like I should know, butI'll listen to your words.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
That's okay.
This is how I teach people towrite a speech, and it's to take
your audience through theneuroscience that they're
experiencing while they'resitting in your audience.
And your audience can be inperson or virtual, or even if
they're just watching you avideo, so you need to capture
(17:12):
their attention.
We have to give our audience areason to put their phone down
or to ignore that bing that goesoff.
So we capture their attentionand what happens with your
audience is they lean in becausethey want to know more.
But what happens next?
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Thank you, we're leaning in.
We're leaning in.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
And then what happens is your audience, and I don't
want to get too far away from mymicrophone, but they lean back
and they start to cross theirarms and what's going through
their heads is but why should Ilisten to you?
So I call this next block, yourauthority section.
It's a very, it'sconversational, it's not a
(18:01):
boring resume.
You know that you're readingoff to them.
And here's all my myaccomplishments, folks.
And this is why, like, we needto give the audience like, oh,
like Laurie is a reformed,painfully shy girl and then
she's got like 25 years ofspeaking experience, like that
gives the audience a reason tocontinue to listen to the end.
(18:21):
Okay.
And then you have what I callthe meat of your presentation.
It's like the meat of thesandwich, okay.
And you are allowed, in a onehour presentation, you are
allowed to share three tips.
Oh, three, just three Soundslike so few.
The human brain just lovesthree, by the way.
(18:42):
So with those three tips, Itell my students and my clients,
you become a lawyer now.
You now have to defend that tip, that point.
So think of it as athree-legged table.
If you take one of those legsout, that table is just going to
fall over.
So three data points.
(19:05):
So those data points can be acase study, a metaphor, research
.
You're talking about a client'sstory, three pieces of
information that people like, ohokay, get it, and then you
would move on.
You do the exact same thing foryour next point and your next
(19:25):
point.
And then you segue beautifullyinto your call to action and so
I might say something like andthis is what I typically do say
there is no way that I couldshare with you 25 years of
speaking experience in 50minutes.
So what I have for you, I havea special gift for you, and what
(19:46):
happens is because I've alreadybuilt that know, like and trust
and given them really goodinformation, really valuable
information, the people that areready for this are going to
raise their hand and say yes andthey're going to grab whatever
that call to action is, whetherit's to book, a call to download
something, et cetera.
And then you have a beautifulclose where you just basically
(20:13):
wrap your beautiful presentation, up in a beautiful bow, and
ta-da, ta-da.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
You make it sound so straightforward.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Right, it is pretty straightforward yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
No, my mind just jumped on the okay how to grab
their attention right in thebeginning and then the authority
section, like why listen to me?
And then only three things,three in a one hour presentation
in a one hour presentation.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Now, the shorter the presentation, you might only be
able to do two with three piecesof data.
Or, again, it depends on, like,how long you're speaking for,
or you might only be able togive two pieces of data.
Yes, the tabletop might fallover, but that's because you're
speaking for a shorter period oftime.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
Well, I think of like our pastor every sunday, like
his messages and stuff.
There's, I mean, it's what, 30,maybe 40 minutes okay, yeah,
I'm preaching and so, butthere's always three points,
right, no more, usually, notless, it's always, it's always
three.
So, and there's usually, likeyou know, the story or engaging
part, and yeah, so that makessense that make?
Speaker 1 (21:21):
well, it makes partial sense to me because it's
we're in mexico and so he'spreaching in spanish, but for
the most part, yeah, no, I canfollow but even, yeah, like
other pastors and stuff, I feellike usually it's always three
points because you're right,that's all our brain can really
handle, our brain love.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Yeah, I gotta explain why.
Three for everybody who'slistening.
Yeah, break that down.
Yeah, and because I share thiswith with my clients also in
their proposals to work likebasically like to do a
consulting, or even if you'respeaking for a company.
It's like here are the threedifferent options.
And reason is, if I only gaveyou one option, you'd be like
(21:59):
not sure I like that, butthere's like, but there's
nothing else, there's no otheritem.
It'd be like going to arestaurant and here's the one
thing that we make.
This is it, you want it or not?
No, so now, when there's twooptions, the human brain says I
don't really like that, but Ionly have that as an option.
(22:19):
But when you have three, Idon't like that, but ooh, I have
a choice because there's twomore.
Which one do I like better?
It works really really well in aproposal for some sort of a
conference that you might bekeynoting.
It might be I'm just going tospeak for that one hour.
(22:40):
Number two can be I'm going tospeak for that one hour and I'll
even speak on day two for 30 or40 minutes.
And your third option could beI will do everything in option
number two, plus I'll coach someof your top people, and so it
changes in pricing also.
Here's what the bare minimumthat I'm going to leave the
house for and not feel like I'mbeing gypped.
(23:03):
Number two is what I reallyreally want to do for this
organization, and number threeis for those VIPs, because
people are people who normally,like CEOs, might be VIPs and
like, yeah, I want to go withthat option and give my top
people some extra coaching.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Gotcha Okay, there we go.
That makes coaching Gotcha Okay.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
There we go.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
That makes sense, good yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
We're going to say goodbye and jump into the next
episode so that we selfishlyourselves and the listener
though and the listener can hearthese tips about how to speak
and become the go-to person inour niche and in their niche and
your niche.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
Get into that meat.
I personally can't wait.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
What's the one thing you would leave the listener
with right now to whet theirappetite for the next episode
there?
Speaker 2 (23:54):
is so much opportunity for you to be
speaking and getting in front ofa live or virtual audience that
is filled with your idealclients, you just don't know
where to look.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
All right.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Where to look.
I saw that you have somethingto do with where to look on your
website.
I glad you did that.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
It's a directory of places to speak and actually, if
your audience does download theguide, the speakandstandoutcom
forward slash guide I actuallyhave a list of all the other
downloads that people can get,and the directory happens to be
one of them.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Well, that sounds helpful.
Let's do this.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Let's do it.
Thanks for recording with usfor this episode.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
Thank you, lorianne, welcome.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
All right, listener, this is your sign If you feel
like 2025 or whenever you'relistening to this episode in the
future and you're like I needto speak more.
I want to be the go-to personin my niche.
Get the guide and also in theshow notes.
Below is a link to the nextepisode with Lorianne, and you
(25:00):
will be learning those very,very tangible.
We can apply them right now oryou can apply them right away
tips to help how you come acrossin video and on stages, if
you're lucky enough to be therealready.
Till the next time you see meor hear from Jamie, take care,
be blessed, we'll see you in thenext one.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Bye.
Welcome back to the Art of Online Business podcast,
and if you're listening rightnow and you've heard that
speaking skills could help yourvisibility and help you sell
more of your courses and helpyou become the go-to expert in
your niche, but you've beenwondering how do you quantify
these nebulous speaking skillsand master them?
(00:20):
Well, you're going to like thisepisode and the next episode.
I'm here with Lorianne and sheis a speaking and visibility
coach, as she says, a reformed,painfully shy gal who
accidentally became aprofessional speaker.
She works with coaches andconsultants to write and deliver
captivating presentations toestablish credibility, attract
ideal clients and monetize theirauthority.
(00:42):
She combines her years as anaward-winning professional
speaker, executive leadershipcoach and her obsession with
neuroscience.
I like that.
Lorianne is the best-sellingauthor of Rethink Leadership and
Rethink your Leadership and thehost of the Be In Demand
podcast.
A few of her clients, thenotable ones, are Johnson
Johnson, the American CancerSociety, bali Mastermind and I
(01:07):
saw on your website the US Army.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yes, thank you.
Thank you.
I have worked with the militaryand the Air Force.
Yeah yeah, they are a lot offun.
Especially as they'reapproaching retirement, it's
like what am I going to do forthe next half of my life?
Yeah, yeah, thank you.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
That's a long time.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
And that is a true story that I am a reformed,
painfully shy girl who couldn'teven make eye contact with
people.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
It's hard to believe now, but that was once upon a
time in my life.
Okay, let's go into that then,because in a moment, I'll ask
you to share a snapshot of yourbusiness as it is today, in the
beginning of 2025.flower, when Ieven was lucky enough to be
invited to parties.
Quite shy, I didn't know how tohave a conversation or be
engaging.
So how did you reform yourselfas a painfully shy girl?
Speaker 2 (02:16):
So I would say it was late in my teens, Just like
yourself, a little bit more of awallflower.
My family did move overseas fora couple of years we're not a
military family and this wasback in the day when it really
wasn't a cool thing to do.
It was just like why are youmoving to Japan, Okay?
And so came back and I remember.
(02:38):
So I was at work and I'mwatching my friends like we're
in a break room and I'm watchingthe way that they engage with
people and also the way thatthey engage with customers, and
I literally had this epiphanylike this behavior of not making
eye contact is not going toserve me in the long run.
I have got to learn how to lookpeople in the eye and have a
(02:59):
conversation.
So I literally just daredmyself if you will look at
somebody while they're talking,look at somebody while I'm
speaking, even just for a fewseconds, and then I could look
away.
And so I did that, and here'swhat I noticed the earth did not
open up and swallow me whole,and the person that I was
talking to didn't laugh at me,and so that was all the positive
(03:22):
reinforcement that I needed.
I was just like okay, let mesee if I can do it a little bit
longer next time.
And that's all that I did.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Wow, you yourself had the epiphany to look people in
the eye.
I don't do that, yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Download, you know.
But also it was the observingother people.
So there was obviously thisdesire of I want to be like that
.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
So they were my role models.
Mm-hmm Wow.
Okay, you sort of have thisdeep-seated fear beneath that
that like if I look people inthe eye then they're going to
make fun of me, they're going tonot like me or reject me.
Speaker 2 (04:06):
You know.
So I do have this shy streak.
I just want people to know.
This shy streak still shows upfrom time to time, but I at
least have the awareness nowwhere I can just be like, okay,
go away, Like I got, I'm safe.
You know you're not protectingme from anything, Because that's
probably some five-year-oldthat just kind of like surfaces
(04:29):
once in a while.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Gotcha, gotcha.
No.
It really does help, though, tobe outgoing and meet people,
even if, like we're on theextrovert side of the spectrum.
My high school experience wasmiserable because I didn't know
how to talk to people.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
And you kind of did the same thing, though too right
.
You sort of just decided all byyourself like when I get to
college I'm going to be friendlyright, like I'm going to have
friends.
Didn't you sort of decide thatI?
Speaker 1 (04:57):
did decide, but it was because I broke down in I
think it was my last year inhigh school and I asked my mom,
who is pretty friendly, like howI can have friends?
And she's like you can havefriends just by smiling and
meeting people.
And yeah, I did make aconscious decision to when I
went to college.
(05:18):
It's like I'm just going tomeet people and I went a little
overboard, like I rememberfreshman year in the dorms as
soon as I got there.
I would just hang out in acafeteria and it was nice to eat
multiple meals, but really like, what I would do is I would
just sit down with like a newtable of folks and then, like
(05:39):
when they got eating, I wouldjust go to another table of
people and hang out and makebrand new friends.
And I remember like discoveringall the intriguing people that
you can meet when you go to auniversity.
Coming from high school, and Iremember like meeting these two
girls and they had like leopardprint everything in their dorm
(06:00):
room and so like I was intriguedbecause it was like you know,
know leopard, literallyeverything from the pillowcases
to the bedsheets to whatever youcall those like thin, like
plastic laminate covers that youcould put on like your
windowsill.
I don't know what they're, whatthey're called, but it was yeah
it was great.
it was great.
So what I started doing is umtaking people on tours to their
(06:22):
bedroom, and so they were happybecause they were famous, and I
would just use that as kind oflike the icebreaker if the
conversation just kind of wentquiet at the table in the dining
hall or in the cafeteria.
Hey, I met these two girls andthey're really cool, let's go
see their room.
And so that was the beginningof me being popular in college.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
See, I think we just find our way of doing that, like
I now have, like, literallytaught my nervous system.
I walk into a networking eventor a conference and I don't wait
for somebody to turn to me andextend their hand.
I'm going to be the one thatsits at the table and starts and
starts up a conversation likehi, what compelled you to join
(07:06):
this breakout session?
I'm Laurieann.
It's a little more automaticnow for me, thank goodness.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Well, we need people like you because I think most of
us, even the most outgoing,most trained socialites, we all
can experience that bit ofintimidation and that tendency
to be quiet when we're in a newroom.
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Right, yes, right.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah, so why don't you give?
Speaker 3 (07:30):
us a snapshot of your business as it is today.
Speaker 2 (07:36):
As it is today, so I will take you back to 2017,
which was excuse me, which was atime when I was actually doing
a lot of leadership, speaking.
Literally.
Coming home, you know, likefrom a trip, wash the clothes,
throw them back in the suitcase,because I was picking up that
(07:56):
suitcase and getting on anotherflight the next day.
Something happened in FortLauderdale that most people
don't remember.
So here I was a leadershipspeaker, executive coach, and
you know, here in the UnitedStates where you're allowed to
travel with your firearms if youwant to, and yet, if you have
the right paperwork, and yes,you can if you have the oh, you
(08:25):
know, your checked baggage,Checked baggage, so you can't
have some sort of a gun, youknow in the carrier by your seat
.
Yeah, okay, just sitting rightnext to your airplane, nuts you
know and your airplane cookies.
Okay, yes, oh my gosh so baggageclaim is out of TSA's
(08:47):
jurisdiction.
So baggage claim is out ofTSA's jurisdiction.
So the gentleman who wastraveling with his firearm and
proper paperwork grabbed his bag, went into the men's room, put
his semi-automatic rifletogether and came out shooting.
Now the FAA literally like runsaviation globally.
So every plane that was in theair landed at the nearest
(09:10):
airport.
Thank goodness he only killedtwo people.
I say thank goodness becauseI'm sure it could have been a
whole lot more and I can'tremember how many people were
injured, but just every flightcame to a screeching halt
because they were afraid of acopycat.
Where else was this going tohappen globally?
And I remember saying, oh myGod, I mean like I was traveling
a lot, my husband was travelinga lot and I just said, universe
(09:32):
, I need a new business model.
Two weeks later I got a textmessage from somebody that said
Lorianne, do you write speechesfor people?
And I was like, well, no, butbecause I knew who she was, I
was like, oh, I'll help you.
And like most of usentrepreneurs I'm giving you the
(09:52):
abbreviated story here I fellin love with it.
She knocked it out of the parkwith her first presentation and
it completely changed herbusiness.
So I was like oh, I wonder ifanybody else wants to know what
I know, which brought me intothe online world, which I got to
say is a whole new set of rules, you know, and this is 2017.
(10:17):
And so I fumbled my way in theonline world because I didn't
understand what the rules wereworld.
Because I didn't understandwhat the rules were.
I knew what they were forpublic speaking and getting
booked for conferences andworking with companies that I've
worked with some pretty bigcompanies.
That's what brought me here,wow.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
And I will, yeah, go ahead.
No, I was wanting to know aboutthis gun story.
Was that at the airport thatyou were at, or you?
Were on another flight that wasgrounded.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
No, I was actually at home, okay, but I'd been doing
a lot Like I was probablyleaving the very next day and I
think my husband was away.
So there I was like on the cellphone trying to contact him was
away, so there I was like onthe cell phone trying to contact
him.
And I've only experienced abusy signal on a cell phone one
other time, and that was 9-11.
Speaker 1 (11:16):
Yeah, 9-11 would do it.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
So I got a busy signal so I couldn't get a hold
of him, but I believe that hewasn't anywhere in Florida.
So yeah, thank you for theclarification.
Yeah, I was not in FortLauderdale.
I wasn't at that airport.
It just impacted me so deeply.
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Right right.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Naturally.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
So you started helping people write speeches.
Did you just reach out topeople that you already knew and
you're kind of in your circle,or how did it really get
formulated?
Good, question.
Speaker 2 (11:51):
So with I decided that I couldn't write the speech
for her, because there's partsof writing a speech that I mean
like the reason why my storiesresonate with the audience is
because I'm telling it from mypoint of view.
So I shared with her this ishow you write a speech, and we
wrote it together.
But she did the writing so thatnow she doesn't have to
(12:14):
memorize something that I wrote.
So I taught her how to, likeyou know, like these are the
components that make a reallygood speech.
This is what you say, so thatthe people in your audience,
like they, stay engaged and wecan dive into that if you want.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
But oh, we are on the next episode.
Speaker 2 (12:39):
Oh, we are Don't you worry, like there's an art.
There's just an art, like Icall it, like a speech is verbal
art.
That's what it is.
It is just crafting stories andreally impacting your audience
and getting them to lean in, youknow, and then like, what do
you do when they lean back?
And like your pace, your tone,I mean like there's just,
(13:00):
there's just a lot to it, right,and I had so much fun teaching
her this and she was she.
She is a stylist.
She went from a government job.
She was just waiting three moreyears to retire and this was
going to be her.
Being a stylist was going tobecome her retirement gig and
you know, like when you're three, three years away from retiring
(13:22):
at a government job, she's likeyou'll stand on your head for
three years.
But she finished out her threeyears and, yeah, she went into
becoming a stylist.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
So I'm going to say, dear listener, like what we're
talking about, and before we hitrecord, one thing that is on my
heart is like we want to becomethe in-demand go-to person in
our niche, like, right, jamie,and I feel like when we get a
chance to learn more fromsomebody who specializes in
(13:52):
speaking skills, we immediatelythink, oh, but I'm not going to
speak on a stage.
Or I would love to speak on astage, but that would require
finding an event and thenpitching lots of events, because
, and then how do I actually,you know, introduce myself or
sell myself to get accepted inthe roster at an event and, oh
(14:14):
my gosh, those other speakers.
And then we just put it off andwe think that that's the only
place where these speakingskills will apply.
And Lorianne is shaking herhead no, no, no, no, no, no, no,
no.
So that's all I'm going to sayis, in the next episode we are
going to talk specifically aboutredefining a stage, and the
stage that you speak on is notjust a physical stage, it's
(14:37):
actually.
We all are doing it day in andday out in our content, and
Lorianne's going to give us abunch of tips, right, lorianne?
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Yes, I am.
Speaker 1 (14:47):
Very, very cool.
I still want to know what yourbusiness looks like right now.
But before that I will say onemore thing to the listener,
which is down in the show notes.
Below there is a link.
The show notes below there is alink.
It is speakandstandoutcom.
Speakandstandoutcom forwardslash guide.
(15:07):
And if you want to figure outhow to get started in speaking,
to grow your podcast or exactlywhat to say right here for more
bookings, clients andopportunities than, in addition,
to like how to feel like a pro,even if you've never stepped on
stage before and we just said,stage is not just a physical
(15:29):
stage, it's video, it's YouTube,it's Instagram, it's TikTok
Then head down to that link andgrab that guide and you'll be
well on your way.
So, snapshot of your businessnow, lorianne.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Snapshot now is so I started off mostly just doing
one-on-one work because I cameinto the online world, I was an
executive coach.
That's all that I knew.
I'd never done a group program.
So today my business looks likea group program that I run
that's called In DemandSignature Speech, and also
(16:05):
working with clients privately,and I am just trying for the
first time an evergreendo-it-yourself In Demand
Signature Speech, and I have myfirst person who just purchased
that, and so the feedback thatI'm getting is she's really
enjoying it, she's taking thebaby steps.
So that's what my businesslooks like now, compared to 2017
(16:29):
.
When I came into this, it wasjust one-on-one work.
Speaker 1 (16:33):
Gotcha.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
An evergreen in-demand program.
What's the title of that?
Speaker 2 (16:39):
It's a start anytime in demand signature speech.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
Start anytime in demand.
Signature speech.
Can you break down this conceptof a signature speech?
I feel like I should know, butI'll listen to your words.
Speaker 2 (16:52):
That's okay.
This is how I teach people towrite a speech, and it's to take
your audience through theneuroscience that they're
experiencing while they'resitting in your audience.
And your audience can be inperson or virtual, or even if
they're just watching you avideo, so you need to capture
(17:12):
their attention.
We have to give our audience areason to put their phone down
or to ignore that bing that goesoff.
So we capture their attentionand what happens with your
audience is they lean in becausethey want to know more.
But what happens next?
Speaker 3 (17:32):
Thank you, we're leaning in.
We're leaning in.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
And then what happens is your audience, and I don't
want to get too far away from mymicrophone, but they lean back
and they start to cross theirarms and what's going through
their heads is but why should Ilisten to you?
So I call this next block, yourauthority section.
It's a very, it'sconversational, it's not a
(18:01):
boring resume.
You know that you're readingoff to them.
And here's all my myaccomplishments, folks.
And this is why, like, we needto give the audience like, oh,
like Laurie is a reformed,painfully shy girl and then
she's got like 25 years ofspeaking experience, like that
gives the audience a reason tocontinue to listen to the end.
(18:21):
Okay.
And then you have what I callthe meat of your presentation.
It's like the meat of thesandwich, okay.
And you are allowed, in a onehour presentation, you are
allowed to share three tips.
Oh, three, just three Soundslike so few.
The human brain just lovesthree, by the way.
(18:42):
So with those three tips, Itell my students and my clients,
you become a lawyer now.
You now have to defend that tip, that point.
So think of it as athree-legged table.
If you take one of those legsout, that table is just going to
fall over.
So three data points.
(19:05):
So those data points can be acase study, a metaphor, research
.
You're talking about a client'sstory, three pieces of
information that people like, ohokay, get it, and then you
would move on.
You do the exact same thing foryour next point and your next
(19:25):
point.
And then you segue beautifullyinto your call to action and so
I might say something like andthis is what I typically do say
there is no way that I couldshare with you 25 years of
speaking experience in 50minutes.
So what I have for you, I havea special gift for you, and what
(19:46):
happens is because I've alreadybuilt that know, like and trust
and given them really goodinformation, really valuable
information, the people that areready for this are going to
raise their hand and say yes andthey're going to grab whatever
that call to action is, whetherit's to book, a call to download
something, et cetera.
And then you have a beautifulclose where you just basically
(20:13):
wrap your beautiful presentation, up in a beautiful bow, and
ta-da, ta-da.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
You make it sound so straightforward.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Right, it is pretty straightforward yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
No, my mind just jumped on the okay how to grab
their attention right in thebeginning and then the authority
section, like why listen to me?
And then only three things,three in a one hour presentation
in a one hour presentation.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Now, the shorter the presentation, you might only be
able to do two with three piecesof data.
Or, again, it depends on, like,how long you're speaking for,
or you might only be able togive two pieces of data.
Yes, the tabletop might fallover, but that's because you're
speaking for a shorter period oftime.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
Well, I think of like our pastor every sunday, like
his messages and stuff.
There's, I mean, it's what, 30,maybe 40 minutes okay, yeah,
I'm preaching and so, butthere's always three points,
right, no more, usually, notless, it's always, it's always
three.
So, and there's usually, likeyou know, the story or engaging
part, and yeah, so that makessense that make?
Speaker 1 (21:21):
well, it makes partial sense to me because it's
we're in mexico and so he'spreaching in spanish, but for
the most part, yeah, no, I canfollow but even, yeah, like
other pastors and stuff, I feellike usually it's always three
points because you're right,that's all our brain can really
handle, our brain love.
Speaker 2 (21:38):
Yeah, I gotta explain why.
Three for everybody who'slistening.
Yeah, break that down.
Yeah, and because I share thiswith with my clients also in
their proposals to work likebasically like to do a
consulting, or even if you'respeaking for a company.
It's like here are the threedifferent options.
And reason is, if I only gaveyou one option, you'd be like
(21:59):
not sure I like that, butthere's like, but there's
nothing else, there's no otheritem.
It'd be like going to arestaurant and here's the one
thing that we make.
This is it, you want it or not?
No, so now, when there's twooptions, the human brain says I
don't really like that, but Ionly have that as an option.
(22:19):
But when you have three, Idon't like that, but ooh, I have
a choice because there's twomore.
Which one do I like better?
It works really really well in aproposal for some sort of a
conference that you might bekeynoting.
It might be I'm just going tospeak for that one hour.
(22:40):
Number two can be I'm going tospeak for that one hour and I'll
even speak on day two for 30 or40 minutes.
And your third option could beI will do everything in option
number two, plus I'll coach someof your top people, and so it
changes in pricing also.
Here's what the bare minimumthat I'm going to leave the
house for and not feel like I'mbeing gypped.
(23:03):
Number two is what I reallyreally want to do for this
organization, and number threeis for those VIPs, because
people are people who normally,like CEOs, might be VIPs and
like, yeah, I want to go withthat option and give my top
people some extra coaching.
Speaker 3 (23:20):
Gotcha Okay, there we go.
That makes coaching Gotcha Okay.
Speaker 1 (23:23):
There we go.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
That makes sense, good yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:25):
We're going to say goodbye and jump into the next
episode so that we selfishlyourselves and the listener
though and the listener can hearthese tips about how to speak
and become the go-to person inour niche and in their niche and
your niche.
Speaker 3 (23:45):
Get into that meat.
I personally can't wait.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
What's the one thing you would leave the listener
with right now to whet theirappetite for the next episode
there?
Speaker 2 (23:54):
is so much opportunity for you to be
speaking and getting in front ofa live or virtual audience that
is filled with your idealclients, you just don't know
where to look.
Speaker 3 (24:07):
All right.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Where to look.
I saw that you have somethingto do with where to look on your
website.
I glad you did that.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
It's a directory of places to speak and actually, if
your audience does download theguide, the speakandstandoutcom
forward slash guide I actuallyhave a list of all the other
downloads that people can get,and the directory happens to be
one of them.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (24:31):
Well, that sounds helpful.
Let's do this.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
Let's do it.
Thanks for recording with usfor this episode.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
Thank you, lorianne, welcome.
Speaker 1 (24:40):
All right, listener, this is your sign If you feel
like 2025 or whenever you'relistening to this episode in the
future and you're like I needto speak more.
I want to be the go-to personin my niche.
Get the guide and also in theshow notes.
Below is a link to the nextepisode with Lorianne, and you
(25:00):
will be learning those very,very tangible.
We can apply them right now oryou can apply them right away
tips to help how you come acrossin video and on stages, if
you're lucky enough to be therealready.
Till the next time you see meor hear from Jamie, take care,
be blessed, we'll see you in thenext one.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Bye.
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