August 10, 2023 • 21 mins
Ever thought about how you can turn your home into a top-notch speaking platform? Our latest episode is the answer to your pondering. We've got five key strategies up our sleeve to help you transform your living space into a dynamic speaking environment. From merging the coziness of home with the professionalism of an office, to carving out a productive and emotionally nourishing workspace, we've got you covered. Plus, we've got the scoop on the latest tech tools to enhance your speaking rounds, and insider tips on maintaining your mental wellness in this blended setup. Ready to go global with your speaking skills? We'll show you how.
For those of you looking to up your virtual presentation game, we've got a treasure trove of tips waiting to be explored. We're talking quality equipment investments, the limitless potential of virtual reality, and how to strike that elusive balance between work and rest. We'll also help you combat the isolation that could sneak up on you when you're working from home. As we delve into the far-reaching impact of virtual meetings and the exciting potential of AI in redefining your workspace, we're excited to share insights on optimizing your home and office environment. So, gear up and join us on this journey of thriving in the era of home-based public speaking.
Get a copy of my latest book - Micro Course Profits: Build a 7 Figure Income with Bite Sized Courses! Click the Link below...
Brad Hauck
I help you optimise and accelerate your digital marketing using smart strategies and AI tools.
Proficlix.com.au
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to episode 36 of the Profitable Speaking
podcast, where we providepractical tips and insights to
help you succeed as a publicspeaker.
In today's episode, we're goingto look at the future of
offices In the ever-evolvingworld of speaking.
You've probably discovered thatyour home isn't just a
sanctuary it's become apowerhouse for innovation,
creativity and global outreach.
(00:24):
Your kitchen table isn't justfor meals, it's a conference
desk and that comfy spot in theliving room that's your seminar
hall.
The traditional office conceptis being revamped and as we dive
deeper, you'll discover how youcan optimize your home space,
harness the wonders oftechnology and balance work life
, all while fueling your passionfor speaking.
(00:45):
Whether you're nestled in yourhome office or plotting your
next keynote from a balcony, aworld of opportunity awaits
right where you are.
As you navigate this home-basedspeaking journey, there are
five pivotal concepts that Ithink we should consider.
First, there's the aid of partof blending familiar coziness of
your home with aprofessionalism as an office and
(01:08):
striking that balance toelevate your work.
Next, the layout and design ofyour home office can be
drastically influencing on yourproductivity and mental
well-being In this tech-drivenage.
The third point to delve intois the array of tools and
innovations available to enhanceyour speaking engagements, even
from the confines of your home.
(01:28):
Equally vital is ensuring youremotional well-being,
recognizing the uniquechallenges and opportunities
that arrive when home and workmerge.
And lastly, while your basemight be local, your reach can
be global.
Embracing the mindset of aglobal speaker from a platform
opens doors to endlessopportunities.
Together, these concepts serveas a guide to mastering the
(01:52):
nuances of home-based speaking,so let's have a little look at
these individually.
Number one mixing home andoffice vibes, the blend of
working from home while stillfeeling at the office.
Here's a hard thing to do.
You really need to delineatebetween what's home and what's
(02:13):
office, and in my personalopinion, that means setting
aside a room for that.
Now, that's not always possible, given the size of houses, the
sizes of families, changingsituations and changing work
situations as well, but the bestthing you can do is think about
taking one room and making itinto an office, if you can.
Another alternative that I'veseen done lately is actually
(02:35):
people getting like a containeror a granny flat out the back
and actually turning that into aworking office, and sometimes
you can put two rooms in thoseso you and your partner can
actually work from home at thesame time.
So there's a lot of optionsavailable and, yes, they do cost
money.
But as you think forward andyou look at what's going to be
happening with your business inthe future, think about the next
(02:57):
place you get.
Maybe we do actually need aroom specifically for an office.
I know myself.
I built an office out the backof our first house and it was
very hot in summer andeventually I could afford some
air conditioning in there whenit was 40 degrees.
But that was great.
It was a place where I could goand I could shut the door and
the kids knew everybody knewthat I was working when that
(03:20):
door was shut and they couldpeer through the glass door
which was handy and just see.
You know what I was up to.
Eventually, when we moved intoanother property, I got a
dedicated office inside thehouse which has worked out
perfectly, and I do love myoffice.
It's my sanctuary.
The other, the point of keepingthat balance is you need to
juggle home tasks and work tasks.
(03:41):
Okay, Trying to keepprofessional.
While people are coming andgoing and talking to you and all
those sorts of things, littlethings like.
When the doors are shut, itmeans that I'm working.
Please don't come in unlessit's an emergency.
Or if I'm working and I'm happyfor anyone to interrupt me,
I'll actually leave the doors tomy office open, because my
(04:01):
office actually opens onto thehallway, but people are walking
past all day.
So I've got to find thatbalance.
Now.
I don't mind people walkingpast it doesn't distract me,
quite frankly but if I'mfocusing, like I am now where
I'm doing the podcast, I'll shutthe doors and that's a good
sign Everybody outside knows.
Please don't come in unlessit's an emergency.
Another thing you can do is setup one of those on-air signs.
(04:24):
All sorts of things, becreative, have a bit of fun with
it.
As I said, glass doors allowspeople to see that you're
working.
On the other hand, being ableto close the doors means your
eyes and things like that aren'tdistracted if you're in a
meeting, whereas when people arewandering past and you're on a
zoom call or something, it canbe a problem.
Also, keeping professional meansdressing up.
(04:44):
Sometimes, now, that might justmean a suit from the waist up,
as we all know.
Or it could be that you'restanding and you're presenting
in front of a camera, so peoplecan see that all of you while
off and dressed down, when I'mworking, obviously in t-shirt
and shorts or something, butwhen I'm doing a job, I'll dress
up or pull a coat on or changemy shirt or whatever it happens
(05:05):
to be.
So have a plan in place whereyou can quickly walk into your
bedroom, pick up a particularshirt that you know is ironed
and pull it on or something sothat you look right.
We've all had those calls whereit's oh, can I give you a call
in five minutes?
So, yeah, getting that mixright, it's really important.
Obviously, you've got technologyand tools and apps and things
like that make you feel likeyou're in a conference room even
(05:27):
when you're at a kitchen table,making sure they have the right
tools.
So Descript is one that Iparticularly like and I've
really enjoyed for a long time,and so if you have tools like
that mixed with other tools likeEcamm or Zoom or whatever they
happen to be, make sure you'vegot the ones that work best for
(05:48):
your situation.
So if it's a little bit echoeyor something like that, it's
your kitchen table, make sureyou got noise canceling on and
all that.
You've got filters on.
There's little tools that youcan plug into your computer
which you download, put it intoChrome or whatever it happens to
be, and it will actually filterall the background noise, and
it costs a couple of bucks amonth.
So, again, making sure you'vegot that right, feel the right
(06:11):
sort of sound so that you don'tsound too rough, excuse me.
Number two, your home officesetup and I suppose building a
little bit on the previous one,moving from the couch to a
dedicated work nook, sosometimes it's a case of corner
of the room.
Again, think about cameraplacement.
This is a big one today becausewe're constantly connecting via
(06:34):
video.
So having camera placement inthe right way means that the
background's right behind you.
So if you're gonna have a worknook and your work nooks against
a wall and in front of you, butbehind you is the kitchen,
that's not gonna work okay, it'sjust unprofessional.
No one wants to see yourkitchen.
It's fine if you're talking tofriends, but it's not business.
So you need to be able to havea plain wall behind you or
(06:56):
something.
I was recently watching one ofthose renovation shows and they
needed a home office downstairsand there's a company that
actually sells a system.
It's like a platform on tworails and it can move in and out
by the press of a button.
So when it moves back, thisside is all home entertainment
and this side, when it opens up,you've got two sets of
(07:17):
bookshelves and a desk on oneside.
So when you're doing anyconferencing, you got
bookshelves behind you.
When you're not using it, itcloses up.
There is all sorts of thingsthat you can buy if you get
online and have a look.
Alternatively, having a pull-upbackground behind your green
screen.
You can buy a green screen fora couple of hundred dollars that
you pull up and it seals behindyou so that you can get that
(07:39):
virtual background goingperfectly.
So think about the presentationside of it, think about what
there is available and then getonline and actually do some
digging around.
You'd be amazed.
Like traditionally, elgato madea pull-up green screen.
Now I noticed that there'sactually the companies that do
all your banners and yourconference table and all sorts
(07:59):
of stuff.
They're actually doing bannersthat go behind you to just plain
green that you can set up orpull up so that you pull up
banner you put up with your adon it.
They actually make them inplain green so you can put them
behind you.
So there's lots of stuff alwayshappening and since COVID
obviously this thing has evolvedreally quickly.
(08:21):
As companies get on board withhome offices, make sure you keep
things comfy but also healthfriendly.
So good chairs is a good one.
Having a cheap chair is not thething.
It's uncomfortable, damagesyour back, all those sort of
things.
You are really worth takingsome time to spend some money on
a good chair.
(08:41):
It doesn't have to be thousandsof dollars, it can be a couple
of hundred dollars, but theywill last if you buy a quality
one.
Don't buy the really cheap ones.
Go to Officeworks, try out awhole series of chairs.
Do you find one that's actuallyergonomic?
You can tilt the front down,the back up, so that the angles
are better and you can adjustthe number, support and stuff
(09:02):
like that, because it will makea massive difference to how long
you can sit comfortably withoutgetting a sore back or having
all sorts of other medicalproblems that come from that.
Lighting is another one.
Often in the kitchen you'llhave one light above you, behind
you.
That's probably not gonna work.
You'll need to either get somelittle diffuser lights for up
(09:22):
front or, like my office, I'vehad spotty's put in, and over on
this side I've actually got awhat do you call it?
Flure around, flure thatactually.
It does.
That call me, and it gives meenough lighting.
Now I don't have to have themall on, but I can, and it lights
my room really well.
Don't forget things like beingeco-friendly.
I know that sounds weird.
(09:42):
You're using a lot ofelectricity and all sorts of
other stuff, so when you'rebuying things buy LED, buy stuff
that's gonna be keeping yourpricing down, and also think
about all the paper wastage.
Don't use paper if you canprinting, et cetera, et cetera.
So the home office setup takesone of those skills that we
picked up in a normal officesituation.
Bring them home, think abouthow we can get the best use out
(10:06):
of that space and also beenergy-saving and things like
that, because you don't wannapush your cost up.
You actually wanna keep yourcost low if you can.
Now technical stuff.
There's a whole range of thingsyou can do in your home office.
These days, there's no doubtabout that.
Ai and gadgets streamline yourspeaking business.
Ai obviously is a game changer.
(10:27):
There is so much happening inthat space, from video AI
through to, obviously, chat, gptand all those sorts of tools.
The trick is learning to use themost tools as assistants and
I've talked about thispreviously on the podcast.
They're not the be all and endall and one is not the answer to
every problem, but there issome great tools.
(10:48):
There's one out there at themoment called Opus, and you
upload a big chunk of video.
So if I upload this podcast asa video to it, it will then go
through and, using keyword theyput in, it will cut out 10
little chunks and automaticallyput the voiceover and the
subtitles and all that sort ofstuff on it.
For me, fantastic tool, freefor a certain amount, worth
(11:13):
trying.
Allows you to leverage whatyou're doing into multiple
sources.
Okay, make sure you get the bestout of your video chats and
virtual meetings.
Make sure you've got like agood mic and you're sounding
really nice.
Putting the big headset on withthe like that's a gaming
headset, it's not a professionalheadset.
Professional headset normallyis just one ear and comes down
(11:36):
to your mouth.
Or buy a mic and a decent setof speakers.
Quite frankly, my speaker is alittle sound bar, about 30
centimeters wide.
I bought it from Kmart.
It gives me Bluetooth sound andI can plug in sound.
So I've actually got twocomputers connected to it and I
can switch between them for thesound and I can turn it up and
(11:56):
down, and it gives me a reallynice sound.
I think it cost me $29.
It's cheap.
Now my mic, on the other hand,is a little bit more expensive,
but I've had it for a long time,so I'm getting my value out of
it.
When you buy a Rode as a brand,you're gonna get quality.
That's going to last.
Think about what you can do totry and improve your look and
(12:18):
your sound.
So my next step is actually toget a better camera.
I'm using a Logitech streamingcamera, which I think is a
really good camera.
I really like them.
But I'd like to move tosomething a little bit more like
a proper Canon DSLR orsomething.
But I suppose then I've got torun extra power and I've got to
do all sorts of things.
So sometimes the easiestsituation is actually just to
(12:39):
use a USB camera.
Okay, and remember, explorevirtual reality as well.
This is a new area.
We've got augmented reality andvirtual reality.
They are growing slowly and Iknow some people have jumped on
board.
The biggest issue I see is 99%of people don't actually have
access to virtual realityheadsets or that.
Well, it sounds cool, it soundsgood.
(13:01):
If someone says to you you dothis and they give you the gear
to do it, I say go for it.
But if you're going out tospend thousands and thousands of
dollars on virtual reality gearand the computer that actually
run it, you may find that you'rethe only one using it.
It's definitely coming, it'sdefinitely here to a certain
degree.
But let's be realistic.
Most people will not use it.
(13:22):
They're gonna watch a flatscreen or they're gonna watch
their phone or something likethat.
So get the standard sort ofvideo conferencing stuff correct
first.
Number four keep your spirits up.
Okay, being at home and havinga home office is also about
balancing your emotions.
A lot of the time You've got,family issues can come into the
(13:45):
office.
Fights with kids can come intothe office.
All sorts of stuff can happenwhile you're offline.
That can affect your moods, andso you've got to keep that
balanced.
So it's important to takebreaks from what you're doing,
having some me time.
So maybe going out for a walkat 11 o'clock in the morning for
half an hour to if you've beenworking from nine to 11, go for
(14:07):
a half hour walk to exercise,clear your head, come back and
continue working, et cetera.
Put these breaks here, butmaybe making them exercise
breaks isn't a bad thing.
I quite like that.
On the other side, there's theoption of some relaxation stuff.
So some breathing, a little bitof meditation, just sending
their breathing to some music orsomething.
(14:28):
For a couple of minutes you sitout the backyard and look at
something peaceful a tree, orsit in a hammock or whatever.
Find something that allows youto control your emotions as well
when you're in your office,because often when you're on
your own you'll have problemswith clients and I know
sometimes it'll set me right offand I get very stressed about
(14:48):
those things because I do worryabout other people's success.
So making sure that I do havetime for relaxation, making sure
at time that I step out ofmyself and just chill out for a
couple of minutes until I canget my emotions back under
control, is really important,because in a home office there's
so many distractions going onand without other people around
(15:12):
you to go it's all good.
Oh, no, don't worry about that,we'll help you with that or
whatever.
You don't have all that stuff,it can really affect you.
The other thing that I think isreally important is the
loneliness of working at home.
Even your partner's outchildren at school or whatever,
depending on your situation.
You're by yourself, which meansyou're probably 98% of the time
(15:36):
not talking to another humanbeing, and that can be really
hard on the soul.
There's no doubt about it.
Now I like my own company.
I'm an only child.
I really don't care, but even Iget to the point sometimes
where it's nice to be talking tosomebody.
My way of dealing with that isactually to go business
networking and to do otheractivities where I actually am
(15:59):
engaging with other people.
So obviously I'm involved withthe fire brigade.
So that takes time and I havethese other things to bring
people into my life.
But when you're home all thetime working, it really does
affect how you perceive thingsand the loneliness is real and
for some people they can't copewith it, and that's fine.
(16:21):
If that's how it is for you,then maybe you're better going
to a shared office space or aco-working space.
I think they're brilliant.
I'd love to go with one, but Iactually really like my home
office.
Having to go to a co-workingspace to me would actually be
annoying.
On the other hand, it's a greatenvironment.
So have a think about that.
Number five is thinking localbut acting global.
(16:43):
Okay, use your home base,wherever it may be, to reach a
global audience.
Stop thinking local.
Unless you're only deliveringservices locally, that's fine,
that's what you're doing, but asa speaker, you've got the whole
world to reach out to.
Now, from my perspective, it'shard to reach the whole world.
So maybe you build local, state, country and so on, but always
(17:08):
be thinking about that globalaudience when you push stuff out
, because you never know how farit's going to go.
If one person likes your stuffand they share it on, it's going
to go international prettyquickly.
So just remember that.
Think about the fact that you'rerunning a global company, not
necessarily just a little homebusiness.
Those days where people wouldsay, oh, I've just got a home
(17:29):
business, I'm just a run fromhome, there's people making
millions and millions of dollarsout of their garages.
Now the idea of a home businessdoesn't exist anymore.
Okay, it's an office, doesn'tmatter where it is.
The power of the web has openedup the opportunity to everyone,
so stop thinking of it as asmall home business.
It is just your office, not myhome office.
(17:51):
My office Feeling comfortable.
Can you tighten it a little bit.
Another thing is the power oflocal networking.
Yesterday morning I went to anetworking meeting and what
someone speak.
It was fantastic.
Sat there with the whole wholelocal business.
People made a few connections,talked about to some friends
about what I'm doing now.
Opportunity speak came up justlike that when they found out
(18:12):
what I was talking about, great,okay, I had a really nice
morning.
I connected with people, gotback into the swing of
networking, which I absolutelyloved and my presto,
opportunities arrive.
When you sit in an office allday, opportunities are limited.
When you're out talking topeople, you do get more
opportunities.
(18:33):
And the last thing is thinkingabout what the shift to
home-based businesses means forneighborhoods and local
communities.
If you think about it, you'reat home working.
Well, how many other peoplearound you are also at home
working?
There must be a couple ofpeople, maybe at least another
one in your street, depending onhow long your street is.
When you start to add up howmany people are at home working,
(18:54):
there's a lot of opportunityfor you to connect with those
people as well.
So it's worth fighting out whois around again, thinking local
that maybe you guys can, youknow, tag together and develop
communities online that areactually locally based, because
you're all working at home.
I always have this dream ofbuilding a like an online
(19:16):
workspace where people just login when they're at their
computer and you come up, solike a Zoom meeting that's open
24 seven and when you're workingyou log in and it gives you who
else is online.
It can say hi and oh, this iswhat I'm doing, or whatever, but
you're working like in a group,even though it's just you.
That brings me to the end of myfive points for the day.
(19:37):
The evolution of the home officeis more than just a response to
immediate needs.
It's a testament to our abilityto adapt, innovate and thrive
in a never-changing landscape,and it was exacerbated by COVID.
As we look ahead, possibilityfor our home bases are limitless
.
The walls of our homes can nolonger define the scope of our
(19:58):
emissions or the reach of ourvoices.
Embracing the ships of todaywill undoubtedly pave the way
for growth and expansiontomorrow.
The future beckons with promiseand from the heart of our homes
, we're poised to meet it withvigor, vision and unwavering
passion.
I hope you found this episode ofour podcast on the future of
offices interesting.
(20:19):
If you did, I have a challengefor you Hit that like button and
subscribe to the podcast rightnow and then share this episode
with another speaker who coulduse the tips and strategies
we've shared.
Let's help each other grow ourbusinesses and make an impact in
the speaking world.
Together, we can reach evenmore people and make a bigger
difference.
So don't wait, take action nowand share the love.
(20:40):
Thanks for tuning in and getready for more exciting business
building tips in the nextepisode.
Welcome to episode 36 of the Profitable Speaking
podcast, where we providepractical tips and insights to
help you succeed as a publicspeaker.
In today's episode, we're goingto look at the future of
offices In the ever-evolvingworld of speaking.
You've probably discovered thatyour home isn't just a
sanctuary it's become apowerhouse for innovation,
creativity and global outreach.
(00:24):
Your kitchen table isn't justfor meals, it's a conference
desk and that comfy spot in theliving room that's your seminar
hall.
The traditional office conceptis being revamped and as we dive
deeper, you'll discover how youcan optimize your home space,
harness the wonders oftechnology and balance work life
, all while fueling your passionfor speaking.
(00:45):
Whether you're nestled in yourhome office or plotting your
next keynote from a balcony, aworld of opportunity awaits
right where you are.
As you navigate this home-basedspeaking journey, there are
five pivotal concepts that Ithink we should consider.
First, there's the aid of partof blending familiar coziness of
your home with aprofessionalism as an office and
(01:08):
striking that balance toelevate your work.
Next, the layout and design ofyour home office can be
drastically influencing on yourproductivity and mental
well-being In this tech-drivenage.
The third point to delve intois the array of tools and
innovations available to enhanceyour speaking engagements, even
from the confines of your home.
(01:28):
Equally vital is ensuring youremotional well-being,
recognizing the uniquechallenges and opportunities
that arrive when home and workmerge.
And lastly, while your basemight be local, your reach can
be global.
Embracing the mindset of aglobal speaker from a platform
opens doors to endlessopportunities.
Together, these concepts serveas a guide to mastering the
(01:52):
nuances of home-based speaking,so let's have a little look at
these individually.
Number one mixing home andoffice vibes, the blend of
working from home while stillfeeling at the office.
Here's a hard thing to do.
You really need to delineatebetween what's home and what's
(02:13):
office, and in my personalopinion, that means setting
aside a room for that.
Now, that's not always possible, given the size of houses, the
sizes of families, changingsituations and changing work
situations as well, but the bestthing you can do is think about
taking one room and making itinto an office, if you can.
Another alternative that I'veseen done lately is actually
(02:35):
people getting like a containeror a granny flat out the back
and actually turning that into aworking office, and sometimes
you can put two rooms in thoseso you and your partner can
actually work from home at thesame time.
So there's a lot of optionsavailable and, yes, they do cost
money.
But as you think forward andyou look at what's going to be
happening with your business inthe future, think about the next
(02:57):
place you get.
Maybe we do actually need aroom specifically for an office.
I know myself.
I built an office out the backof our first house and it was
very hot in summer andeventually I could afford some
air conditioning in there whenit was 40 degrees.
But that was great.
It was a place where I could goand I could shut the door and
the kids knew everybody knewthat I was working when that
(03:20):
door was shut and they couldpeer through the glass door
which was handy and just see.
You know what I was up to.
Eventually, when we moved intoanother property, I got a
dedicated office inside thehouse which has worked out
perfectly, and I do love myoffice.
It's my sanctuary.
The other, the point of keepingthat balance is you need to
juggle home tasks and work tasks.
(03:41):
Okay, Trying to keepprofessional.
While people are coming andgoing and talking to you and all
those sorts of things, littlethings like.
When the doors are shut, itmeans that I'm working.
Please don't come in unlessit's an emergency.
Or if I'm working and I'm happyfor anyone to interrupt me,
I'll actually leave the doors tomy office open, because my
(04:01):
office actually opens onto thehallway, but people are walking
past all day.
So I've got to find thatbalance.
Now.
I don't mind people walkingpast it doesn't distract me,
quite frankly but if I'mfocusing, like I am now where
I'm doing the podcast, I'll shutthe doors and that's a good
sign Everybody outside knows.
Please don't come in unlessit's an emergency.
Another thing you can do is setup one of those on-air signs.
(04:24):
All sorts of things, becreative, have a bit of fun with
it.
As I said, glass doors allowspeople to see that you're
working.
On the other hand, being ableto close the doors means your
eyes and things like that aren'tdistracted if you're in a
meeting, whereas when people arewandering past and you're on a
zoom call or something, it canbe a problem.
Also, keeping professional meansdressing up.
(04:44):
Sometimes, now, that might justmean a suit from the waist up,
as we all know.
Or it could be that you'restanding and you're presenting
in front of a camera, so peoplecan see that all of you while
off and dressed down, when I'mworking, obviously in t-shirt
and shorts or something, butwhen I'm doing a job, I'll dress
up or pull a coat on or changemy shirt or whatever it happens
(05:05):
to be.
So have a plan in place whereyou can quickly walk into your
bedroom, pick up a particularshirt that you know is ironed
and pull it on or something sothat you look right.
We've all had those calls whereit's oh, can I give you a call
in five minutes?
So, yeah, getting that mixright, it's really important.
Obviously, you've got technologyand tools and apps and things
like that make you feel likeyou're in a conference room even
(05:27):
when you're at a kitchen table,making sure they have the right
tools.
So Descript is one that Iparticularly like and I've
really enjoyed for a long time,and so if you have tools like
that mixed with other tools likeEcamm or Zoom or whatever they
happen to be, make sure you'vegot the ones that work best for
(05:48):
your situation.
So if it's a little bit echoeyor something like that, it's
your kitchen table, make sureyou got noise canceling on and
all that.
You've got filters on.
There's little tools that youcan plug into your computer
which you download, put it intoChrome or whatever it happens to
be, and it will actually filterall the background noise, and
it costs a couple of bucks amonth.
So, again, making sure you'vegot that right, feel the right
(06:11):
sort of sound so that you don'tsound too rough, excuse me.
Number two, your home officesetup and I suppose building a
little bit on the previous one,moving from the couch to a
dedicated work nook, sosometimes it's a case of corner
of the room.
Again, think about cameraplacement.
This is a big one today becausewe're constantly connecting via
(06:34):
video.
So having camera placement inthe right way means that the
background's right behind you.
So if you're gonna have a worknook and your work nooks against
a wall and in front of you, butbehind you is the kitchen,
that's not gonna work okay, it'sjust unprofessional.
No one wants to see yourkitchen.
It's fine if you're talking tofriends, but it's not business.
So you need to be able to havea plain wall behind you or
(06:56):
something.
I was recently watching one ofthose renovation shows and they
needed a home office downstairsand there's a company that
actually sells a system.
It's like a platform on tworails and it can move in and out
by the press of a button.
So when it moves back, thisside is all home entertainment
and this side, when it opens up,you've got two sets of
(07:17):
bookshelves and a desk on oneside.
So when you're doing anyconferencing, you got
bookshelves behind you.
When you're not using it, itcloses up.
There is all sorts of thingsthat you can buy if you get
online and have a look.
Alternatively, having a pull-upbackground behind your green
screen.
You can buy a green screen fora couple of hundred dollars that
you pull up and it seals behindyou so that you can get that
(07:39):
virtual background goingperfectly.
So think about the presentationside of it, think about what
there is available and then getonline and actually do some
digging around.
You'd be amazed.
Like traditionally, elgato madea pull-up green screen.
Now I noticed that there'sactually the companies that do
all your banners and yourconference table and all sorts
(07:59):
of stuff.
They're actually doing bannersthat go behind you to just plain
green that you can set up orpull up so that you pull up
banner you put up with your adon it.
They actually make them inplain green so you can put them
behind you.
So there's lots of stuff alwayshappening and since COVID
obviously this thing has evolvedreally quickly.
(08:21):
As companies get on board withhome offices, make sure you keep
things comfy but also healthfriendly.
So good chairs is a good one.
Having a cheap chair is not thething.
It's uncomfortable, damagesyour back, all those sort of
things.
You are really worth takingsome time to spend some money on
a good chair.
(08:41):
It doesn't have to be thousandsof dollars, it can be a couple
of hundred dollars, but theywill last if you buy a quality
one.
Don't buy the really cheap ones.
Go to Officeworks, try out awhole series of chairs.
Do you find one that's actuallyergonomic?
You can tilt the front down,the back up, so that the angles
are better and you can adjustthe number, support and stuff
(09:02):
like that, because it will makea massive difference to how long
you can sit comfortably withoutgetting a sore back or having
all sorts of other medicalproblems that come from that.
Lighting is another one.
Often in the kitchen you'llhave one light above you, behind
you.
That's probably not gonna work.
You'll need to either get somelittle diffuser lights for up
(09:22):
front or, like my office, I'vehad spotty's put in, and over on
this side I've actually got awhat do you call it?
Flure around, flure thatactually.
It does.
That call me, and it gives meenough lighting.
Now I don't have to have themall on, but I can, and it lights
my room really well.
Don't forget things like beingeco-friendly.
I know that sounds weird.
(09:42):
You're using a lot ofelectricity and all sorts of
other stuff, so when you'rebuying things buy LED, buy stuff
that's gonna be keeping yourpricing down, and also think
about all the paper wastage.
Don't use paper if you canprinting, et cetera, et cetera.
So the home office setup takesone of those skills that we
picked up in a normal officesituation.
Bring them home, think abouthow we can get the best use out
(10:06):
of that space and also beenergy-saving and things like
that, because you don't wannapush your cost up.
You actually wanna keep yourcost low if you can.
Now technical stuff.
There's a whole range of thingsyou can do in your home office.
These days, there's no doubtabout that.
Ai and gadgets streamline yourspeaking business.
Ai obviously is a game changer.
(10:27):
There is so much happening inthat space, from video AI
through to, obviously, chat, gptand all those sorts of tools.
The trick is learning to use themost tools as assistants and
I've talked about thispreviously on the podcast.
They're not the be all and endall and one is not the answer to
every problem, but there issome great tools.
(10:48):
There's one out there at themoment called Opus, and you
upload a big chunk of video.
So if I upload this podcast asa video to it, it will then go
through and, using keyword theyput in, it will cut out 10
little chunks and automaticallyput the voiceover and the
subtitles and all that sort ofstuff on it.
For me, fantastic tool, freefor a certain amount, worth
(11:13):
trying.
Allows you to leverage whatyou're doing into multiple
sources.
Okay, make sure you get the bestout of your video chats and
virtual meetings.
Make sure you've got like agood mic and you're sounding
really nice.
Putting the big headset on withthe like that's a gaming
headset, it's not a professionalheadset.
Professional headset normallyis just one ear and comes down
(11:36):
to your mouth.
Or buy a mic and a decent setof speakers.
Quite frankly, my speaker is alittle sound bar, about 30
centimeters wide.
I bought it from Kmart.
It gives me Bluetooth sound andI can plug in sound.
So I've actually got twocomputers connected to it and I
can switch between them for thesound and I can turn it up and
(11:56):
down, and it gives me a reallynice sound.
I think it cost me $29.
It's cheap.
Now my mic, on the other hand,is a little bit more expensive,
but I've had it for a long time,so I'm getting my value out of
it.
When you buy a Rode as a brand,you're gonna get quality.
That's going to last.
Think about what you can do totry and improve your look and
(12:18):
your sound.
So my next step is actually toget a better camera.
I'm using a Logitech streamingcamera, which I think is a
really good camera.
I really like them.
But I'd like to move tosomething a little bit more like
a proper Canon DSLR orsomething.
But I suppose then I've got torun extra power and I've got to
do all sorts of things.
So sometimes the easiestsituation is actually just to
(12:39):
use a USB camera.
Okay, and remember, explorevirtual reality as well.
This is a new area.
We've got augmented reality andvirtual reality.
They are growing slowly and Iknow some people have jumped on
board.
The biggest issue I see is 99%of people don't actually have
access to virtual realityheadsets or that.
Well, it sounds cool, it soundsgood.
(13:01):
If someone says to you you dothis and they give you the gear
to do it, I say go for it.
But if you're going out tospend thousands and thousands of
dollars on virtual reality gearand the computer that actually
run it, you may find that you'rethe only one using it.
It's definitely coming, it'sdefinitely here to a certain
degree.
But let's be realistic.
Most people will not use it.
(13:22):
They're gonna watch a flatscreen or they're gonna watch
their phone or something likethat.
So get the standard sort ofvideo conferencing stuff correct
first.
Number four keep your spirits up.
Okay, being at home and havinga home office is also about
balancing your emotions.
A lot of the time You've got,family issues can come into the
(13:45):
office.
Fights with kids can come intothe office.
All sorts of stuff can happenwhile you're offline.
That can affect your moods, andso you've got to keep that
balanced.
So it's important to takebreaks from what you're doing,
having some me time.
So maybe going out for a walkat 11 o'clock in the morning for
half an hour to if you've beenworking from nine to 11, go for
(14:07):
a half hour walk to exercise,clear your head, come back and
continue working, et cetera.
Put these breaks here, butmaybe making them exercise
breaks isn't a bad thing.
I quite like that.
On the other side, there's theoption of some relaxation stuff.
So some breathing, a little bitof meditation, just sending
their breathing to some music orsomething.
(14:28):
For a couple of minutes you sitout the backyard and look at
something peaceful a tree, orsit in a hammock or whatever.
Find something that allows youto control your emotions as well
when you're in your office,because often when you're on
your own you'll have problemswith clients and I know
sometimes it'll set me right offand I get very stressed about
(14:48):
those things because I do worryabout other people's success.
So making sure that I do havetime for relaxation, making sure
at time that I step out ofmyself and just chill out for a
couple of minutes until I canget my emotions back under
control, is really important,because in a home office there's
so many distractions going onand without other people around
(15:12):
you to go it's all good.
Oh, no, don't worry about that,we'll help you with that or
whatever.
You don't have all that stuff,it can really affect you.
The other thing that I think isreally important is the
loneliness of working at home.
Even your partner's outchildren at school or whatever,
depending on your situation.
You're by yourself, which meansyou're probably 98% of the time
(15:36):
not talking to another humanbeing, and that can be really
hard on the soul.
There's no doubt about it.
Now I like my own company.
I'm an only child.
I really don't care, but even Iget to the point sometimes
where it's nice to be talking tosomebody.
My way of dealing with that isactually to go business
networking and to do otheractivities where I actually am
(15:59):
engaging with other people.
So obviously I'm involved withthe fire brigade.
So that takes time and I havethese other things to bring
people into my life.
But when you're home all thetime working, it really does
affect how you perceive thingsand the loneliness is real and
for some people they can't copewith it, and that's fine.
(16:21):
If that's how it is for you,then maybe you're better going
to a shared office space or aco-working space.
I think they're brilliant.
I'd love to go with one, but Iactually really like my home
office.
Having to go to a co-workingspace to me would actually be
annoying.
On the other hand, it's a greatenvironment.
So have a think about that.
Number five is thinking localbut acting global.
(16:43):
Okay, use your home base,wherever it may be, to reach a
global audience.
Stop thinking local.
Unless you're only deliveringservices locally, that's fine,
that's what you're doing, but asa speaker, you've got the whole
world to reach out to.
Now, from my perspective, it'shard to reach the whole world.
So maybe you build local, state, country and so on, but always
(17:08):
be thinking about that globalaudience when you push stuff out
, because you never know how farit's going to go.
If one person likes your stuffand they share it on, it's going
to go international prettyquickly.
So just remember that.
Think about the fact that you'rerunning a global company, not
necessarily just a little homebusiness.
Those days where people wouldsay, oh, I've just got a home
(17:29):
business, I'm just a run fromhome, there's people making
millions and millions of dollarsout of their garages.
Now the idea of a home businessdoesn't exist anymore.
Okay, it's an office, doesn'tmatter where it is.
The power of the web has openedup the opportunity to everyone,
so stop thinking of it as asmall home business.
It is just your office, not myhome office.
(17:51):
My office Feeling comfortable.
Can you tighten it a little bit.
Another thing is the power oflocal networking.
Yesterday morning I went to anetworking meeting and what
someone speak.
It was fantastic.
Sat there with the whole wholelocal business.
People made a few connections,talked about to some friends
about what I'm doing now.
Opportunity speak came up justlike that when they found out
(18:12):
what I was talking about, great,okay, I had a really nice
morning.
I connected with people, gotback into the swing of
networking, which I absolutelyloved and my presto,
opportunities arrive.
When you sit in an office allday, opportunities are limited.
When you're out talking topeople, you do get more
opportunities.
(18:33):
And the last thing is thinkingabout what the shift to
home-based businesses means forneighborhoods and local
communities.
If you think about it, you'reat home working.
Well, how many other peoplearound you are also at home
working?
There must be a couple ofpeople, maybe at least another
one in your street, depending onhow long your street is.
When you start to add up howmany people are at home working,
(18:54):
there's a lot of opportunityfor you to connect with those
people as well.
So it's worth fighting out whois around again, thinking local
that maybe you guys can, youknow, tag together and develop
communities online that areactually locally based, because
you're all working at home.
I always have this dream ofbuilding a like an online
(19:16):
workspace where people just login when they're at their
computer and you come up, solike a Zoom meeting that's open
24 seven and when you're workingyou log in and it gives you who
else is online.
It can say hi and oh, this iswhat I'm doing, or whatever, but
you're working like in a group,even though it's just you.
That brings me to the end of myfive points for the day.
(19:37):
The evolution of the home officeis more than just a response to
immediate needs.
It's a testament to our abilityto adapt, innovate and thrive
in a never-changing landscape,and it was exacerbated by COVID.
As we look ahead, possibilityfor our home bases are limitless
.
The walls of our homes can nolonger define the scope of our
(19:58):
emissions or the reach of ourvoices.
Embracing the ships of todaywill undoubtedly pave the way
for growth and expansiontomorrow.
The future beckons with promiseand from the heart of our homes
, we're poised to meet it withvigor, vision and unwavering
passion.
I hope you found this episode ofour podcast on the future of
offices interesting.
(20:19):
If you did, I have a challengefor you Hit that like button and
subscribe to the podcast rightnow and then share this episode
with another speaker who coulduse the tips and strategies
we've shared.
Let's help each other grow ourbusinesses and make an impact in
the speaking world.
Together, we can reach evenmore people and make a bigger
difference.
So don't wait, take action nowand share the love.
(20:40):
Thanks for tuning in and getready for more exciting business
building tips in the nextepisode.
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