Welcome to Ladies Get Paid, weekly insights from Claire Wasserman on how to increase your worth, inside and out. ​ Was this sent to you? ​Subscribe here so you don’t miss the next one.
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My first time on stage in over a year, woohoo!
I must’ve practiced my opening line at least ten times.
It was my first time on stage in over a year to give a presentation at INBOUND, a 12,000-attendee conference that’d been on my bucket list forever.
I settled on my version of Ellen Degeneres at the Oscars, a selfie with the crowd as we chanted, “GET PAID!” I told them my wife needed proof that I wasn’t on vacation, and was indeed at work 🙂
But the truth was, I was having as much fun as if it was vacation.
To feel the energy in that room, to communicate my story, to impact others…sometimes I can’t believe this is my job. I joke that I’ve spoken at places I would never get into if I applied (hello, NASA and Harvard Business School!) but the truth is, public speaking is a real skill.
A skill I’ve honed over the years and one that I get excited to teach others. No matter how introverted you consider yourself, with the right guidance, I believe every single person can be a great presenter.
I also believe it’s critical to learn, no matter if you aspire to make a living from it like me. Here’s the problem though:
You try to project perfection when you should learn to cultivate your presence.
You spend time memorizing instead of learning how to be in the moment.
Two things that when you nail them, you feel better and so does the audience. Case in point: before my talk, I snuck into the room to see the presenter right before me. In less than five minutes, she’d already apologized at least twice. I cringed so hard I literally had to leave.
Here are four things I would’ve told her:
The audience is rooting for you. They want you to succeed!
Excitement feels the same as anxiety, the difference is the story you tell yourself.
Being authentic is a lot easier than trying to “perform” and it resonates more.
People will remember how you made them feel more than anything.
At the end of the day, humans crave connection (yes, even us introverts.) We’re wired that way. So getting up in front of a group is an opportunity to bring people together. To be the person who unifies and elevates everyone.
The very act of public speaking – whether in a room of 12,000 or on a Zoom of 12 – is, in my opinion, profound and powerful.
Prefer to listen to the episode instead? Click here.​
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In this episode, you’ll meet Summer who recently got feedback at work that she’s not speaking up enough in team meetings. She told me that she feels comfortable in smaller settings, in her words, it’s more “organic”, but once there are more people, especially on Zoom, it feels awkward to interject. ​ We talk through what it means to have an executive presence grounded in authenticity because the worst thing is to pretzel yourself into someone else to be successful. ​
“A 1:1 with Claire is 🔥 — ideas on ideas, relevant references, candid knowledge sharing, and straight-up unfiltered value. She holds nothing back. She’s present, invested, and sharp. I got invaluable insights and laughs and ended each session with actionable direction. 10/10 would recommend (…I am!)” – Daniela Velasquez Mora
No matter your situation, if you’re feeling stuck, I’m confident that in just 30 minutes, I can give you both ah-a moments and immediate action steps to get you moving.
Read more about my areas of focus here and book a session below.
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