John Warrillow

In Episode 7, host Trevor Currie and guest John Warrillow talk about the allure and adventure of entrepreneurship, the importance of curiosity and asking great questions and how to use stories, personalization and spontaneity to engage an audience.

Listening Notes:

1:52	John talks about his early interest in entrepreneurship and why he wanted to build and run his own business.
5:00	John describes how his interest in and insight about entrepreneurs led him to work with larger corporations and help them market more effectively to small business owners.
6:10	Trevor asks John about the key, common threads that have woven through his professional life.
8:10	Trevor and John discuss curiosity, great questions and deep listening as key communication behaviours.
10:17	John offers some tips on how to engage and connect with people when you're speaking with or interviewing them.
14:31	John talks about the importance of staying tuned into what a person is actually saying—versus thinking about your next response—if you want to be a great listener.
17:55	Trevor and John talk about why it's challenging to keep a remote audience (on webinars and conference calls) engaged and how to do it more effectively.
21:10	Trevor and John discuss The Warrillow Summit, John's contribution as a speaker and what's important when curating a group of speakers for an event.
25:03	John offers some tips on how moderators can get the most out of panelists.
28:31	John talks about what he does to prepare and boost his confidence prior to an important speaking engagement.
31:10	John shares a disappointing experience he had at a Van Halen concert many (many) years ago that, for him, really underscored the importance of customization and spontaneity during a presentation.
34:30	Trevor and John talk about the power of parables, stories and examples when communicating and connecting with an audience.
39:45	John shares his experience and advice about how to change to a new business model successfully.
45:32	John talks about his current business and the process he uses to help small business owners increase the value of their companies.
39:45	John shares the experiences that have influenced his life and work the most.

    You can find John at www.valuebuildersystem.com and on Twitter at @johnwarrillow.

Habituation (or How Not To Bore Your Audience)

In Episode 2, host Trevor Currie and producer Karen Ward talk about habituation and why it's so important to change things up if you want to keep your audience's interest and attention.

Listening Notes:

1:04	Trevor shares the definition of habituation and how it relates to speaking well.
1:55	Karen asks about the various ways speakers can fight against habituation so they can keep their audiences engaged.
2:45	Trevor talks about Jeffery Toobin, an American lawyer, author and legal analyst for CNN and The New Yorker, and how he mixes things up during an interview on NPR's Fresh Air.
3:42	Karen shares her reflections on the radio program This American Life and why it is such a good example of how to fight habituation when you speak and tell stories.
4:36	Trevor talks about Radio Lab, another radio program, and how they fight against habituation by using different voices, pacing and sound effects.
5:35	Trevor talks about the importance of planning your content in a way that prompts you to use a different element of your voice or approach to delivery.
6:53	Karen asks if there are contexts when it doesn’t make sense to switch it up too much when you’re speaking.
9:11	Trevor clarifies that fighting habituation is not about trying to be an actor. It’s about being yourself and planning your content so you naturally change your inflection, delivery and pace.
10:22	Trevor talks about how nerves can lead speakers to speak more formally and technically and become “tight”. This often translates to habituation – and a bored, disengaged audience.
11:17	Trevor shares his best habituation-fighting tips.
14:28	Trevor suggests David Pogue’s TED Talk as a great example of an animated, anti-habituation presentation.
15:52	Trevor reminds us that variety is the spice of life. Add some to your presentation!