SL066: How To Develop Your Personal Branding As A Public Speaker

Jun 15, 2020

How To Develop Your Personal Branding As A Public Speaker

James Taylor interviews Branding keynote speaker Sylvie di Giusto and they talk about how to develop your personal branding as a public speaker.

In today's episode Sylvie Di Giusto talks about How To Develop Your Personal Branding As A Public Speaker.

What we cover:

• Common mistakes in crafting your image as a public speaker
• Which kinds of public speaker videos to create
• The world's best public speaker bag?

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Read full transcript at https://speakersu.com/sl066-how-to-develop-your-personal-branding-as-a-public-speaker/

Hi, it's James Taylor, founder of SpeakersU. Today's episode was first aired as part of International Speakers Summit the world's largest online event for professional speakers. And if you'd like to access the full video version, as well as in depth sessions with over 150 top speakers, then I've got a very special offer for you. Just go to InternationalSpeakersSummit.com, where you'll be able to register for a free pass for the summit. Yep, that's right 150 of the world's top speakers sharing their insights, strategies and tactics on how to launch grow and build a successful speaking business. So just go to InternationalSpeakersSummit.com but not before you listen to today's episode.

Hey, there is James Taylor and I'm very very delighted to have the wonderful Sylvie di Giusto with me today. Now people packaging is what I do so Sylvie Did you still who helps individuals and organizations to explore how people make up their minds very quickly about them, the leadership potential or their company and either open the door or slam it shut. As a professional keynote speaker, corporate trainer and image consultant Sylvie uses her multicultural background to work with leaders from around the world who place great importance on themselves and their reputation. She was recently the co chair of the National Speakers Association winter conference, which is one of the best four speakers events I've ever spoken out or attended. Austrian by birth, French and a heart Italian and a kitchen German in our work ethic and American by choice. It's my great pleasure to be joined today by Sylvie di Giusto. Welcome. Sylvie,

Sylvie di Giusto
thank you very much for having me. I'm so thrilled to be with you and thank you for your kind note about winter conference. But it's you know, a conference is only as good as the speakers who are there and you have been one of them. And we were super thrilled to have you there.

James Taylor
It was an amazing event. And it was it was it was lovely. Just, I mean, I always enjoy just being around our tribe of fellow speakers and learning from other speakers and just all the conversations as well as hearing them speak on stage. But I'm wondering, what must it be like to organize a conference like that of I mean, how many speakers you have, like 50 plus speakers that you had there as well? What? How was that experience?

Sylvie di Giusto
Oh my god, it was one of the biggest learning curves I have ever had in my entire career. It is so fascinating. And if there is one recommendation I can just give right at the beginning of this interview. If you ever have the opportunity to see the other side of our profession, please do it. I have learned more than I have ever thought about our industry in general, about the requirements of our clients about speakers and their behaviors. about organizing an event about leadership about volunteering. There have been so many lessons involved and I wouldn't want to miss one of them.

James Taylor
Now, one of the one of the things I thought was very interesting about the event you did is you really, we the whole theme was the future of speaking. And you try to you dread lots of different types of formats, different ways of presenting. You definitely got I would imagine pretty much all the speakers out of their comfort zone in terms of what they used to doing. You. I mean, the ones you had it you did like a fake kind of I think, was it five minutes, super short ones. You had people speaking in the center of a room with the audience round about them. You had a room with three stages on it, and kind of going around with like a rock festival or something as well. What was the feedback that you got from the attendees? First of all, what what did the attendees really enjoy about about the event, and actually, what was the thing that was most enjoyable for the speakers?

Sylvie di Giusto
So we had kind of a theme behind The future of speaking the future of speaking was our official theme of the conference. Our inner future theme was that we always said that we watch the audience feel and think like, Oh, we didn't see that coming. So surprise them constantly with something new. And the new things were that we didn't use just an Emirates stage like in every conference at the front of the room, we put them in the middle the next day, we split them up in three the next day we split them up into because people didn't see that coming. We didn't give them the canned presentations. We asked all speakers including you to present in very specific formats that are not average anymore that are not, not can't because if there is one thing we have to learn from all the people we spoke to about the future of speaking is average is not good enough anymore. Can't is not good enough anymore. You must be prepared. To present in new formats, with new times with new methods, and the beautiful thing was pushing people like you and your colleagues into areas that were out of their comfort zone. I mean made beautiful things happen. I will always remember your presentation I will always remember a presentation we heard from a colleague about disabilities and how we handle our finances in the future. We are one out of five has a disability and we made it dark right now I'm in the moment dark and Libra, those who couldn't see what she saw, or when we had time in speaking to a robot back and forth. So those are all things that constantly pushed us out of our comfort zone and pushed the audience out of the comfort zone. And that was just some matching magic but what about the speakers the person I probably felt obviously sorriest four but the one oh my heart was going to going out to like, that's a hard gig

James Taylor
was the speakers that Had to speak in the round. Because I was constantly if I was a speaker, you have to really you've got people behind you and people aside, you're wanting to ensure that you're you're connecting with an audience, but they're

Sylvie di Giusto
everywhere.

James Taylor
And I'm interested in what was what was the kind of response you get from the speakers, I had to do the kind of speaking in the round.

Sylvie di Giusto
But first of all, one thing that is just amazing as a host is you have the option one time in your life to speak if you host a conference, to invite those people who you really trust. So we only ask people where we knew they can handle those challenges and actually, they gonna enjoy it because they are adventurous. They want to try it, they are creative, they that's gonna come back with us with a cookie cutter approach and say no, I only will present in the front and I only can do a 60 minute and not a 15 minute presentation. So if there is more beautiful thing about that it's as a host, you can invite people whom you trust and we know that Enjoy those challenges. And it is a challenge. It's a challenge that you have to map out your stage, which you also should do with a stage at the front anyway, but the mapping is just different. So everybody was kind of the first moment Oh, I didn't see that coming much. I have to present the route or after present have worn out of you were one of the brave ones who presented on water out of three stages with two speakers on the stage is already standing there and waiting for for their presentation. So honestly, the speakers we had there, I think they enjoyed the adventures. We took them on as much as we did, but it was very easy to do it because all of them repeatedly trusted.

James Taylor
And it was good. I know that many of the things that you did, they're going to get taken into the the influence the NSS main conference, I was chatting to Brian, a couple of people that say, Oh, we lost how that works. We're going to see we're going to steal that one. We're going to take that one we are going to use that idea. And so let's Come back to you though. I mean, how did you get started in this? This world is peculiar world of speaking, and who was your early kind of mentors.

Sylvie di Giusto
So I come from a corporate background and I actually was on the other side, I was a buyer. I hired speakers for many, many years. So for me, it was fascinating then to switch sides and go on the other side of becoming speak about myself. It honestly happened more or less accidentally, so I'm not one of those speakers who woke up with five years older that I want to become a professional speaker. I moved to the United States. I always wanted to live here. And then this we tried a career change. And then I just switched not science and became a speaker, myself. And one of the very, very beginning I struggled it. Two things happened. And I think those were major points or, you know, changing point in my career. The first one is I always Thought as somebody who is obviously his language is not first language is not English, it's gonna be very, very tough for me to be successful as a speaker, because the instruments that we play in our boys are the words that we, you know, four out on stage. So that was a little bit concerned about my accent, a little bit concerned about not being 100% per month, you know, free of mistakes. And then something very fascinating happens to me after two years, I got invited on a TV show all of a sudden to comment on the public image of some politicians here in the New York and New Jersey area. And they invited me again and again and again and again. And it was a torture for myself. It was a torture for myself to watch myself on TV. There are all those experts around me that had such an eloquent reverse that were so well spoken and it sounded so perfectly that was me, but in the middle and said something and I thought oh my god, it sounds terrible. So one day at a holiday party, they invited me to the holiday party islands to the produce and said, You know what, I actually have no idea why you invite me again and again and again. Because all those experts sound so eloquent around me. And then I have this expert. And he says, to me, that's executive reason why we invite you. Because you say things simpler. And those experts and every single person in the audience understands what you're saying. And second, you sound like an international expert. And I mean, always remember that. I mean, I'm so grateful for that confidence boost, right? That changed everything. I realized, oh my god, maybe maybe it is actually my my advantage. So since you're hosting so many summits in viewing an international summit, if there is a lot speak out there who would think that his or her language his or her accent, or the fact that English or whatever language is not the first language could hold them back. I encourage you know, even change your mindset. And actually think how that could be your your advantage, you know your advantage in front of audiences. So that's changed everything. And second, what's changed professional and business wise everything was that I got in touch with the NSA and I have everything, everything related to my speaking business. From then many, many mentors I found within NSA, some of them I'm going to turn around. Look, those are both remind us here. Many people from NSA, every conference, I go home and if it's just one sentence that sticks with me, I put it here as a reminder, and I'm just lucky to be surrounded by many great people. That's great. It was

James Taylor
a you've got you've got I mean, you're very stylish. So you have these lovely stylish things. I have them as stickies post it notes on my computer in front of me, and I would say what they are But there's some kind of like things that are obvious to you. But I think what you said there about if being being a speaker, when if you're an international speaker, when English has been the language of international business, where English is not your first language, it's not your mother tongue that can be that residence. And I, I think it's really powerful to think about that because most of the people that are probably watching this just now and listening to us, English is not their first language, but they're looking they're becoming entered one become international speakers. And then my friend, Frederick Heron, who's actually one of my favorite speakers, and he's Swedish. And he speaks with a very strong Swedish accent when he speaks at first you think, oh, that's and it's really endearing and it makes him him and it's kind of your it's memorable in that way. But I remember him saying to me that you have to remember that now in business, especially if you think globally, you don't think just in America or the US or the UK. When you think globally. Most people if they're having conversations about business, most of those conversation Have between people that in even if they speak English or English isn't their main language is it in their mother tongue? It's, it's you know, we hear differently. I know there's different expressions, different phrases that you use for that when English in your first big you're talking this language and you're able to answer so what you said there by if you you think first that will that's a disadvantage having not having English as your first language but you also have two advantages you have one is you have the alien advantage. It's always much more interesting if if it's if it's the other and if my friend manifested a van You know, when the best public speakers in the world when the Toastmasters public speaking award last year, he says he says alien advantage. He gets booked most places where he's not the country that he's from. He's from India. He gets booked all over the world because He's different. He's unusual. But the second thing is what you just said there. If English isn't your first language, you have to really be much more cognizant and thinking about the clarity because you don't have as you You know, as English we can kind of play around if your English, German language and play around language, you have to be much more focused and you can move. And and there's a real clarity to that. And it just gets through all the a lot of the nonsense and a lot of the, the terminology, and it just gets straight to the truth

Sylvie di Giusto
straight to the point exactly. And I will I will always remember the moment I think that the TV producer even doesn't have an idea what he did to me, but it gave me such a confidence booster, I can actually do that, I can actually do that. And it's similar to what you just said it's a linear advantage. I live in New York City. So you might think that's the perfect place for me to work. I have to tell you, that least of my clients actually come from New York City. Most of the time, I get hired somewhere outside but I'm the one that brings in the international that global kind of flair to the conference. So I encourage each of you who don't have a perfect sounding English like chains has to just step back for a moment and look at this, from this point of view, it can be applied all the time to

James Taylor
now you're known as being the kind of the people packager, you're very, very skilled of being an image consultant and, and really helping, whether it's executives or other people, speakers or people in media, very quickly get their image get their message, right. So I'm wondering when you approach the world of speaking and note, now you were the product was that harder because you're kind of, I don't know how you feel, but it's but I also feel it's very difficult to give myself advice. I'm very giving advice sometimes to other people, when it's me, like taking my own advice. I struggle at it. So how did you approach your own brand and think about how you want to represent your own brand.

Sylvie di Giusto
I mean, it's funny that when you look into our industry, usually we speak about topics where we had issues ourselves flat. So those who speak about health and then look into the history they had a very unhealthy life before. Right are those who speak about confidence actually have some issues with their confidence before it's the same with me. I remember myself, being always somebody who was, I call myself a second row God, I always wasn't very good in the sec in the second row, helping a seal to shine, helping my boss to shine, helping others to shine on I was only that great mouse in the background and every single promotion walked by what I just didn't stand out. And the same was for the people I when I was in HR training and development and leadership development. Somebody young, ambitious people in their organizations I've worked for, they didn't step down as potential leadership material. And so, on that journey, I was lucky enough to to create coaching programs that included image consultants that worked with our executives and that saw the transformation. And I knew I needed to it's my own issue too. So I saw that transformation. Myself and then became so obsessed by this topic that I went back to school and wanted to learn the instruments and tools. But first and foremost for myself, and if you compare me myself and I know with the person I was 20 years before you would see a very different woman there. And for speakers, the way they present themselves in the first impression they make is tremendously important, first and foremost for themselves, right. So how they feel about themselves before they walk on such a stage that has an impact on how big presented how big craft or art out there. But second, not only for the audience, it actually begins much earlier. Third, when a meeting planet explores you somewhere, for example, in a digital way on the internet, with your website with your video, somewhere where you implement something in their brain that is either positive or negative. And from that point, confirmation bias will work for you. Why?

James Taylor
Because we make decisions so quickly. I mean, it's part of that thing of, it's just our evolution, the way that as human beings, we have to kind of try and reduce the calorie burn of the brain. So we look for very simple patterns, and we just can recognize and very, very simply as well, what were some of the mistakes that you see for the speakers make? I mean, you've been in this position of, of selecting speakers, whether in the corporate world or in an NSA event as well. What are some of the mistakes that you see the speakers make, when it comes to thinking about their, their their image and in terms of how the event planner the meeting planner is going to be looking at.

Sylvie di Giusto
So the first mistake I would say is not taking into consideration that the first impression that you make, I would say nine out of 10 cases usually happens online. The chances that you meet a meeting planner in a room that somebody sees you and refers you from them. meeting planners perspective. But most of the time, they are going to explore you online. So you have to think about the image the picture that you draw online with all the elements that you have out there with written words with videos with pictures with every single element, and they're gonna judge you based on three elements. I call them the ABC or many people call them C and the ACI parents and you might know now immediately think about your clothing. Yes, that's part of it. But that's just one of many visual hints you sent them so when they look at your pictures on the day not only look at what you wear, they look at how you stand that's a visual information to the audience that background how many people are there what kind of conferences that what is the atmosphere? Those are all, you know, details that we can send information in, in a very simple visual way. And then they look how do you behave? How do you behave on social media? How do you behave in your video? How do you pay And you're speaking to them and what is your body language? How do you act? The second information? And then at what point of obviously, we are going to say something, right? How do you communicate? And the second mistake is, I do think that sometimes we forget that all of those three elements are important. I mean, you can have visually, a perfect website as visually appealing pictures, you can mirror the best suit you have in your wardrobe. If you don't follow up with your behavior and your communication and deliver them what they want to see. It's not been for you.

James Taylor
So essentially, it has to have integrity across everything that goes to the entire thing of the customer journey has to it has to just feel, yeah, this this feels like it all fits together. You know, from what I see on the site, that the language the email communication, having that discovery, call that phone call with the client has to just all fit together.

Sylvie di Giusto
And, you know, you're I mean, we are in the business of speaking when in the end, we want to attract people who give us money in exchange for what we deliver. So now I said, if you want to be a $10,000 speaker, you have to appear and behave and communicate like a $20,000. Speaker. Right? So you have to even uplevel the game. Because when they go onto your website and make the decision, is that a good fit or not, they also think in terms of their budget and their audience what they want to deliver. So you have to be one step ahead and then have the chance that that hits your feet level in your life.

James Taylor
And I have to put my hand up at this point and say, every single thing that Sylvie just mentioned all those mistakes I have made every single one of those and, and thankfully, I've had people around me who have said, and whether it's, you know, so my mentor like the ROB Waldo Waldman of this world, Aaron Gargan, Frederick, har and great speakers who have said to me, there's a disconnect there between the person we know who you are and what you deliver on stage. And what I see in that first five to 10 seconds on your website or on your communication, that you need to kind of get that gap down. And so I've changed loads of things, you know, over the years, you know, doing this, because people have said, Well, I mean, that, that that's a lovely photo you've got on the top of your site, but it doesn't tell me anything about the fact that you're a speaker being upset. I want to see you up on stage speaking. I want to see you the kind of audiences features of 30 people in a room. Is it 1000 people? What is that I need to know that that language kind of fits together? And it's all these little things that I think is so hard. This is obviously the benefit of having some kind of coach or mentor or being part of a speaker Association, is you can get feedback on those things from from people that may be looking at it on the outside that can look at it maybe a little bit more dispassionately.

Sylvie di Giusto
Yes, yes. So to come back to the conference, we both have attended A few months ago, when we talked to meeting planners about the future of speaking and their requirements, they always came back to the point how important video has become for them. Right? And we always hear that in theory, right? We always hear that and somehow know that but it was so obvious. It was so obvious when he talks to them that they, I mean, they even don't go on on our websites anymore when they find us first is via some video and I thought, why until I realized, well, it is technology wise, the first time that they now get all three components, the appearance, the behavior, the communication together, they said package, you know, they see the package of all three components while on our websites. There are words that sound amazing or they have some pictures, or they don't see us in this video, they just get the entire picture and immediately decide, is that a good fit or a fit or not? And then go to our website and I tell you, every single person we talked about the future Speaking there is such a focus on video. So I'm guilty there too. And I realized oh, well I have a mind game I have to produce more content.

James Taylor
So to my video me as a big area. And so when those meeting plans are going on there, what are they looking for? Are they looking for the very short kind of the sizzle? reel? Just give me a quick taste in very quickly what this person is, are they looking for longer actual see the full keynote to see okay, can this person deliver on stage? What kind of vibe this person have onstage? Or are they looking for thought leadership like lots of short like vignettes like five minute things, which can give a sense of that this person really knows the area

Sylvie di Giusto
I think and it's just my opinion, they're looking for all of this and you should be able to deliver all of this. And there are you know, there are a lot of theories out there for example about your speaker demo video. Some Some say it must be five minutes, it must be 10 minutes, it must be eight minutes, something it has to include this as a producer, that say there is no one size fits all for if your video is boring the first minute, it doesn't matter if it's three minutes or 10 minutes, or if it's, if it's the very beginning if you don't allow them. It doesn't really matter how long it is. And it doesn't really matter if you have a one hour keynote, there took a 10 second snippet or whatsoever, you have to, you have to realize that you need some kind of bow to deliver to them to stick with you and want to explore more,

James Taylor
because I think it's hard as well, as speakers. We're used to being up on a stage a larger stage, our body language usually fits that we're usually more physical, but when you're on camera, especially if you're doing like shorter videos, you're on this kind of size. So you have to kind of get a lot more into into that that space as well. I've noticed some of the videos I enjoy most like I think Tamsin Webster does a great job of this. She's obviously pulling ideas from I were watching The Good Wife on TV just now on Netflix. There's a Great TV series American TV series and they always start with a it's like a minute or two minutes of just a scene just to get you interested and then they go to the to the intro credits and then they go into the thing itself and so I've noticed that what she does she does something similar with her she almost has got something get get me hooked in that first kind of 30 seconds. Show me that the the the theme or the overall image about that, that person that that maybe 510 minutes, and then take me into the individual story as well. So I guess you can start to pull on a lot of storytelling devices that are used in TV and film it doesn't have to just come from watching other speaker speakers videos.

Sylvie di Giusto
No, no, no, no, no. And you know, there is so there are so many videos out there so many material they can pick from if you think that just a walking, talking head in front of a camera is enough nowadays. Then I want you to step back and be really truthful to yourself and say when did you enjoy that Last time to watch and listen to a walking head for more than five minutes. All right. So I think you are you are terrific example home I see how much work you invest into delivering videos that are engaging that are high quality that people actually want to watch. But the same is true with Facebook Live if you think that nowadays picking up the phone and just doing a facebook live and what made two words into your phone out the audience. And this is we don't know it's not that was exciting two years ago when we all realized oh my god, we can go live. But nowadays you must stand out and you You must feed your audience with something that is around that average.

James Taylor
And I think if anyone's watching this just down they come from the training more the online training world or the online marketing world. It also works the opposite way random online training online marketers were usually very good at video and This kind of style, but we're when it comes to going on to the stage, our body language and our physicality in our speech and our energy has to become bigger has to just become bigger. And we kind of go into a slightly different thing. I think that's what we can really learn. I learned at that particular conference, people like Phil M. Jones, I saw there as well incredible example of someone who's really, really skilled on stage and being able to move being able to interact with an audience as well. So I think it's good because I, I love being able to I come from the other part of the world, I come from the part of the world of the online world and then moving into the speaking world. But then I know a lot of my friends were coming from the other direction, being credible, live on stage, and then they're trying to move into the online and it's that they can have different slightly different skill sets as well. What about in your career as a speaker? Sorry, you're gonna say there, yeah, but I had a really practical tip for

Sylvie di Giusto
your audience, something that I have learned the hard way to do. So at every single presentation, I do every single participation. I have A little Canon camera and I put it in the back of the room, a little kind of nobody sees it. It is not high quality video, it is not high quality sound, but I record myself on every single flight because I go through two very painful steps. The first step is and watch myself without sound, so that I can focus on what my body did on stage and it's terrible and you have no idea. I have no idea what I'm doing there, you're gonna see things that you are you saw in the moment that you are not aware of and that you have to change because they look weird. Then I go through the second step that I put away the visuals and that listen to myself even worse, you have no idea what you're sometimes saying and do you feel that pain when you stumble along because you couldn't find the next route. And now I'm going to hit the third level, courtesy of Bilstein a really temporary fix speaker who does something that is even more painful, he says, Now take that audio and send it to somebody who wasn't in the room. To give you feedback, because you still feel the emotions the atmosphere the room, you just saw that they'll send it to somebody who wasn't in the room. And that's that's personally

James Taylor
Yeah, that's some great advice there. I do the site there's in my film and is, is the most painful thing of my weekly I'd have to do is have to watch some of that footage is like,

Sylvie di Giusto
Oh, I can't,

James Taylor
why did I say why did I move like that? That was terrible. But it gets better because then when you go on stage next time, you know, any of those little verbal tics that you have, or physical things, you know, okay, on this tool, I just want to work on this one thing I want to improve this one thing that when I when I give this if I give my talk, and ever really improved that one that 1% on it, if I keep doing this every single week, I'm gonna get better and better and better. What about in your journey as a speaker? Can you talk about one light bulb moment one aha moment in your speaking where you went? Oh, okay. You made a really powerful decision. You came to be important discovery for yourself as to what you want to do with your speaking.

Sylvie di Giusto
So I had those light bulb moments again and again and again and again, it's a constant reminder of how lucky we are and how respectful it must be for our audiences. I think there are two types of speakers out there one type of speaker for any reason they want to become speaker but they don't feel confident in speaking in front of the group, but then they get coaching or restart unveiled in Toastmasters. I don't know because I never had this problem. But I walked on stage and I just won't make my words out. Until I saw the real master somebody never forget when I was the first time in a keynote of Mark Sherbrooke. I realized, oh my god, it's an art. It's like playing an instrument. It's an art and I have to learn it. I cannot just go up there and do what I think is it's good, good, good is not good enough that when you learn from those papers and realize how much time they invest in actually practicing the art, the performance on stage, especially when you come from a trainer hub, like I already just you wanna cover 2000 to 476 topics worth of traction. And then you realize, oh my god, that's actually not enough. You're not there because you are an expert. You're there because you're an expert and an artist. So whenever I see those artists like Mark Sherman, or Conan, Mike report is another example of and I do see him, coaching others to express their words with that art that is behind. I have to realize and that light bulb comes up. It's not just sharing knowledge. It's Not just that we are experts up there, it's actually an art and to better practice and to train about,

James Taylor
I think what we're also seeing, and this is because of YouTube because of video as well. If you look at any of the music schools now, but Berklee School of Music, Julia Peabody, wherever you go, if you speak to any of the teachers, now, they say the quality of technical quality of the students is much better now than it's ever been. And one of the reasons is because they all have access to YouTube to watch those great masters, those great artists and to learn from them. So when they're coming in, maybe in previous generations, they had to listen to like a vinyl record and go back and play. Or if you were a speaker, you had to try and get those old Zig Ziglar tapes or something like that. Today, we go online, we go to TED Talks, we go and see in videos. So as a result, it means that the whole standard has to go up. And it's a global you're, you're competing in a global marketplace with this as well, because everyone's watching these, and everyone's seeing these and everyone's thinking, How can I improve that? How can I take that idea? Do that that speakers just done and move in? No, I love how that that person's crafted this particular line or how they move their body or the physicality of the way they speak, and then integrating into the room. So, so everyone's the levels going up, which is good. I think it's good. It's certainly for good for the audience as well.

Sylvie di Giusto
And which is the all the points that will differentiate us in the future from robots doing our job? Yeah. But the only thing that will differentiate us is to bring that art and that creativity to the table because even if you now might think this is just something that is 20 5100 years away, I encourage you, especially after hosting that conference, to change your mindset because it's closer than you think that one day. The knowledge that we have in our heads is so exchangeable by robots that they send out they can grow from it today, I want you to speak about this topic 70%, humor, 30% content or whatsoever in that language. You are and when you are a man, you have this accent so they can, they can draw from all of this. But what they will never be able to do is that piece of art that creativity that we bring to the table. And so I encourage you to think about that.

James Taylor
Exactly. So now we're talking about like the atomic get into a little bit of technology start to finish up here. I'm intrigued. I'm treating what is in your speaker bag. What is in that bag that you carry with you to all your speaking engagements that you never leave home in the office without?

Sylvie di Giusto
Oh my god, it's it's big. It's huge. It's chickens.

James Taylor
I would love to see your picture.

Sylvie di Giusto
I'm gonna show you a picture of peanuts. Want to show you

James Taylor
so we're gonna we're gonna have a look at Sylvia's setup that she has.

Sylvie di Giusto
Yes. And this I have to that's not the technology back. That's only the beauty back okay. You take this. Wow. Now, everything I carry with me to make sure that matters. I'd go at least my first impression is simply cryptic. What do you see? What do you want to know chance I'm intrigued

James Taylor
by everything on that because most of the things I have no I can see. I can see I can see a diff slicer, which is very useful for the if you're close I can I can see that as well. What we'll do is we'll we'll take a screenshot and we're going to put that up here as well.

Sylvie di Giusto
Okay, and you get the picture and you find everything from hairspray to the left wing club to the flapper to lipstick to stain removers, to bend it to stick it to shoe polish, to makeup sprays to powder, to coffee, to headache, medicine, to coconut on to means to spray for your voice, a toothbrush is everything. So this is

James Taylor
only the beauty part. Now this is the beauty part. So that's just what you carry for them for the beauty section of your Your speaker kit. What about the technology part of your speaker kit? What's in there?

Sylvie di Giusto
This is the first thing. It's a mic. Yeah, I never I never without my own mic. Have Nots. That's the Heartless

James Taylor
Do you use a a lapel mic or an over ear? Or what's your what's your property? Toby?

Sylvie di Giusto
I prefer over a year. Since this is the tech,

James Taylor
well, what we'll do is we'll get we'll get a photo of that as well. And we'll actually have some, I think we actually should make this into an infographic

Unknown Speaker
house.

Sylvie di Giusto
The only thing that is important for me is that Sally gets the key.

James Taylor
Okay, we're gonna we're gonna send Sally home set this photo afterwards, so they will now be a competition on who has the most detailed speaker. So what about what about online resources or tools or mobile apps? Are there any that you find really useful for your users? As a speaker,

Sylvie di Giusto
well, there are many that I find really useful. Usually they are somehow related to traveling, right. So I'm sure that many of our speaker colleagues know tripit. And if they don't know it, they have to know tripit because it helps you organize every single single of your trips. In my case, there are many related to how because I find it very, very difficult to stay healthy and rodent, to not forget about my workout routine and sometimes even do something quickly in the hotel, which is seven, seven, an app that helps him to stay healthy, on roll into my record. And then there are actually a lot of a lot of social media apps that helped me to organize my social media, Wherever I am, and those are just usually ones that you probably also use. One of my favorites at the moment is club nollie, which helps me to make my Instagram account a little Be more creative and outstanding than the average Instagram account wonderful and we'll put we'll put links to all these here in the show notes as well. What about going to kind of say older school now? What's that book What about a book is a particular book that you found very useful for yourself it could be on the art of speak on the business speaking or it could be something more on your area the area that you speak on so there is of course my book the metro leadership trust to black that which helps you to understand what your first impression says about yourself and how you can improve your first impression for the I'm gonna plot all kind of share with you Phil Jones, Jones book, exactly what to say because I just find this book so fascinating from a lot of different perspectives as a speaker. First of all, I have been such an easy way to exactly what to say. And I also note that you don't have to have to write a 60,000 word book to have a best seller. What he did is what we just discussed in the beginning, he didn't stop that topic so narrowed so easily that it's a 40 minute read. And all fluff that we usually put in our books is just he eliminated that I've come straight to the point and gives you so much value in a tiny book. And I was besides reading it, and I was holding this book, it was such a learning lesson for me, we do not always have to bother our audiences with all the fluff in between comes to it to the point even if you're right,

James Taylor
and I think one of the one of the things I'm being a bit of a geek about this kind of thing as well. One of the things I really like to getting the book and all the attendees of that the the event in the NSA event got a copy of that book as well which is amazing. But if you look at it from a brand from his branding standpoint, I find it really fascinating because you I could I could be standing five feet away. Whether I'm looking his book or his website, or is any other material he has, I know immediately it's him because he uses black background with a with a kind of orange kind of font and orange text a little bit kind of New York Times can a style as well. And so I think that's a real, a real good example of very integrated branding and how everything feels like this all fits together as well. And I've been asked you a kind of final question. Yes. I'll be less imagine. Tomorrow morning. You wake up. I'm gonna imagine you wake up in New York. But you know, no one, no one knows you. You have to restart your speaking Korea. What would you do? How would you restart?

Sylvie di Giusto
I want to do it exactly the way again, I did it. I don't want to miss any of the lessons I have learned by doing things wrong or by doing things right. There is nothing I would change about the journey. And what I would always try to do again and again and again. Is to surround myself with great people. Because my journey has been so incredible beautiful because I have people like them, teaching me things. I have people like you joining me at conferences, I have people just got people. You know, when I remember to come back to that conference, at the very beginning of the planning phase, the president of NSA asked us which kind of speakers do you want to bring in and all people you know, give you advices you should bring in this one or that one or that one, and it has to be a big name and that must be some title or I must be awkward, I must be whatsoever and the only thing we said, the people wants stage there must be good people. People have a good heart. Let's just put humans and then included you that included film that includes many more and so if I were to do it again, the first thing I would do Again is to surround myself with people like you.

James Taylor
Well that's very very kinda it was an absolute pleasure speaking to if anyone's watching this they've never attended a National Speakers Association event please do is a life changing experience as well. So final question for you. So let's, let's, I want you to tell everyone if people want to connect with you to learn more about your, your speaking maybe if someone's watching this just now and they think, Oh, I think Sylvie be perfect come and speak at this event. Where is the best place for them to go? And perhaps if they also want to learn more about this, this idea about their own kind of their own branding, and where should they go to find out more about you,

Sylvie di Giusto
so you can go to my website, visit Sylvie digital store.com. If you hit that after three times, running it wrong, you you are on the good side. And if you want to learn more about your own first impression, there is an online course called how you impress.com where you can access a free demo of the course and then decide if that's something for you or not otherwise If you're a speaker, I encourage you to check out NSA which is NSA speaker.org and somehow become involved in that organization. And if you are me, city then make sure we know here in New York City you are coming NSA New York City that chapter but welcome you with op amps

James Taylor
well Silvia is a as always an absolute pleasure speaking to you learning about your journey as a speaker all the amazing things that you're doing thanks so much for coming on this event and I look forward to hearing you speak on stage soon.

James Taylor
Today's episode was sponsored by speakers you the online community for speakers and if you're serious about your speaking career then you can join us because you membership program. I'll speak as you members receive private one on one coaching with me hundreds of hours of training content access to a global community to help them launch and build a profitable business around their speaking message and expertise. So just head over to SpeakersU.com to learn more.

Website: https://sylviedigiusto.com/

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