There’s a word

you’ll want to avoid

in conversations, on stage, in your writing and in videos.

It’s one that vastly reduces

the clarity and potency of your message.

What’s the word?

“Thing”

…as well as its variation, “something.”

Yes, yes–there are a few situations

where it might be effective,

but when I’m working with clients

helping them hone their message,

it’s an issue I flag.

Below are a few common examples

you’ll often hear:

• “There are a lot of things we’re working on.”
• “I want to share something important with you today.”
• “Our clients are all talking about the same thing.”
• “A really great thing happened this week.”

How might you make this

language more specific?

Your inclination right now

might be to hit reply and ask me,

but take one minute to find a better

phrase for ONE of the above,

even if you’re inventing a circumstance.

This concentration is what it takes.

Specificity sharpens your message.

Laziness in language

is an indication of laziness in thinking.

Invest the time to be accurate.

Be discerning.

And select potent words.

Doing so will make your message

stand up like iron filings on a magnet.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

P.S. This post is part of a collection on language. You can see the others here:

1. Precision in Your Language
2. 3 Problematic Expressions
3. The Bar Test: How to Not Sound Phony or Insecure

The post Watch out for this word appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

Want to avoid the #1 communication mistake?

Consider expressing your message

in a way that creates a Full Spectrum Experience,

a technique I teach in Rock The Room®

to help people engage

their audience no matter the size or setting.

This 1-minute excerpt

from a custom keynote

I crafted and delivered last month

for 5,000 Nurse Practitioners

offers a bit more insight.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post The #1 Communication Mistake appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

15 years after “I do.”

And what an extraordinary (and often otherworldly)

phenomenonal experience

it has been.

**

It took me a long time

to find the right match.

During this period,

people gave me a hard time

(and I gave myself a hard time),

but I’m so glad I waited.

Sometimes it’s not because

you can’t decide;

it’s because the right option

has not yet presented itself.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post When it takes you time to decide appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

and for many of my clients,

a time when they’re reflecting on

where they’ve been,

where they are,

and where they’re going.

As you revisit goals,

it’s worth asking yourself and your team,

“Is this really what we

want to accomplish…

and if so, for what reasons?”

As I say in Risk Forward,

don’t let goals

get in the way of your vision

or blind you to unexpected

opportunities that arise.

What is success for you?

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post Are Goals Getting In The Way Of Your Vision? appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

This was a biggie.

5,000+ in the audience last week.

A total joy.

17 second video of venue here – ch-ch-check it out.

Every “on stage” opportunity

(whether on-camera or live in-person,

whether a high-stakes meeting

or large-scale keynote event,

whether a pitch, a podcast or a party)

is preceded by hours and hours

of prep.

Prep is often misunderstood

to mean “overprepare.”

It’s actually the opposite.

You don’t prepare in order

to do exactly what you planned.

You prepare in order to be flexible,

to show up fully,

and feel free.

Risk Forward, Prep, & Rock On,

The post The misconception about prep appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

is that the best

are often incredibly humble

and give “it” everything they’ve got,

whatever the “it” might be.

They focus on the work.

They don’t let up.

And they don’t draw

unnecessary attention to themselves.

Last month, my husband and I were

in London to see a few close friends,

including Andy Nyman

who currently stars in the West End

production of “The Producers.”

Andy is “all out” in the show, night after night–

hilarious, physically funny, singing,

dancing, and playing the lead role

with 100% commitment.

Afterwards, in the dressing room or at dinners,

he is humble and easy-going.

It’s a pretty great way to be

in the arts, business, or life.

You give it your all.

You deliver for a larger end game.

And don’t make it about you.

Regardless of your role in work or life,

(even if you’re starring on stage)

when we point our Throughline outwards

in service of others,

it’s transformational.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

P.S. Photo above: at dinner with Frank, Andy and other dear friends: Bongsu Park, an incredibly inspiring artist; and Oliver Curtis, a supremely talented cinematographer who has done countless projects and was our DP on Muppet Guys Talking.

The post It’s not about you: The secret of top performers appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

and stepping into your role

has come up on a number

of recent client conference calls

in relation to past & future keynote events…

and it reminded me of this passage

from my book, RISK FORWARD.

* * *

When a vision is not yet clear,

and when we’re hesitant to Risk Forward,

it’s tempting to hand over the reins.

We want someone else

to make the decisions.

We want them

to tell us what to do.

We assume that

because we’re not yet clear,

we never will be.

Clarity is a process.

And sometimes the project, plan,

or path tells you what it

wants to be and at that point,

it takes on a life of its own,

and it guides you.

DON’T OUTSOURCE YOUR VISION.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post The truth about clarity appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

If you’re feeling the pressure

to implement AI into your business

(or to implement any systems

and tools for that matter),

Satya Nadella, CEO of MIcrosoft,

offers a valuable piece of advice.

I included his words in a recent virtual keynote

which I crafted and delivered

for a few hundred business leaders

in the Pinnacle Global Network community.

Here’s a 2-minute excerpt from that section.

(NOTE: this video goes hand in hand

with my post from the other week titled 3 Risks of AI.)

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post Discernment as a Leader: How vs. What In the Age of AI appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

on a family trip to Florence,

my father took me to the Uffizi Gallery.

He loved art and he loved Italy,

and he was excited to share

as much as he could with me that afternoon.

The Uffizi is a huge museum,

and we raced through the halls,

with my father pointing out paintings by

Tintoretto, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci,

Piero della Francesca, Botticelli, etc.

I remember the feeling of being

whisked from room to room,

but decades later, I can’t remember a single painting.

(Photo above with my father in 2015.)

By contrast, not long after this trip,

I had to do a school paper on a painting.

My father brought me to the

Frick Museum in NYC where we lived.

And he suggested I do my paper

on Bellini’s famous work:

St. Francis in the Desert.

(You can look it up online.)

For a long time, we stood side by side

in front of the painting

as he pointed out all the details:

the stigmata, the angled body position of St. Francis,

the glow of light, the range of animals

and detail of trees and leaves,

the composition with rock in forefront and town in distance,

and the importance of perspective and depth.

To this day, decades later, I can still recall it all.

A few weeks ago, I shared this story

with a Rock The Room® VIP client

who was packing far too much

into his upcoming presentation.

Whenever you communicate,

it’s tempting to rush someone through

all you have to share,

whisking them “from room to room”…

trying to cover it all.

Yet consider the value

of what happened at the Frick.

Consider focusing on less,

taking your time and really diving deep.

Years later, people will be more likely

to remember it all…and you.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post The Value of Focusing on Less appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

Last month, I delivered a keynote

from a beautiful virtual venue.

Festive 30-second reel from tech check

the day before I presented is here.

Below, I’ve outlined 3 tips

for virtual presentations which apply

even if you’re delivering

from your office or home.

1. Practice in the space
Arrange for advance tech rehearsal time so you’re familiar with the set up: cameras, monitors, screens, chat roll…and how far left or right you can move before you’re out of frame or lights. Test the mic. Figure out where you’ll set the items you need. (Water, support materials, etc.)

2. Look through the lens
As I teach in Rock The Room®, there’s a difference between looking at the lens and looking through the lens. Looking at the lens creates a more distant feel. Looking through the lens brings you into people’s hearts and homes/offices.

3. Vary your focus
It’s tempting to study attendees’ faces, reactions, and even backgrounds. And that matters—people feel seen, and it reinforces that you’re live, not pre-recorded. But whenever you’re looking at the people on screen, you’re not looking into their eyes. And looking through the lens into people’s eyes is one of the most powerful ways to create connection in a virtual environment.

Remember: the tech is simply a tool.

Learn how best to use it

to enhance your message and

—as my tagline has been for years—

COMMUNICATE > CONNECT > COME ALIVE.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post TECH CHECK BEHIND THE SCENES (…AND 3 TIPS) appeared first on Victoria Labalme.