Would you stand on stage

at a business conference

in front of 3,000 people

wearing a white oversized

David-Byrne-style-Talking Heads-suit?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Should you include a revealing personal story?

A comedic bit on AI?

A series of financial data points?

It all depends on the WWWWW.

Whether you’re an executive

speaking to your team;

an expert at an industry event;

a founder raising funds;

an outside speaker inspiring a group,

this video offers insight

into a core element I teach

in Rock The Room®.

It will give you one key step

in considering how to effectively

approach your upcoming opportunities.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post The 5 Ws to Consider When You’re Speaking & Presenting appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

*It’s not just any mug*

When communicating with your team,

clients/prospects, key stakeholders,

investors, and even your family…

if you share the landscape

of your decision-making process

—what I call “Narrative Behind the Decision”

(aka “The Decision Narrative”)—

the connection as well as the level of

appreciation and/or understanding

advances significantly.

People may not agree with you,

but they will know how you got there.

In this video, I explain a bit more.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post The Narrative Behind The Decision appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

If the message you’re communicating

isn’t landing,

it’s easy to make an excuse.

But where are we responsible?

In this video,

I share a few questions to consider

that can help improve how you approach

your communications.

I also share one of

my favorite quotes from the writer

Isaac Bashevis Singer.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post Confusion vs. Clarity in Your Communication appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

“But will they really do it?”

This is the question

I asked a 1:1 coaching client

about her expectations

of an audience’s behavior.

Whenever you’re communicating,

it’s essential to consider the experience

people are having,

and the reality of what

they will (…and will not) do.

This brief video offers a bit more insight.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post Being realistic in your communication appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

At the end of a Zoom meeting

last week, the CEO told me

that it was this one element

that put me over the edge

in terms of her organization hiring me.

It’s an often-overlooked element

…and yet so obvious.

This video shares more.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post Setting Yourself Apart: The Value of Research & Prep appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

In a restaurant last week

in San Juan, Puerto Rico,

I witnessed exceptional artistry.

It’s easy for any of us to think

the mark of success is determined

by the “level and location” of our work:

that for it to matter (or be important),

it must be at the highest tier

or in the most recognizable venue.

But in truth, success lives

in the quality; in how we show up&emdash;

in any moment…when we’re creating,

coaching, leading, writing, parenting,

teaching, performing, speaking…or singing.

A legacy is built moment to moment,

and we never know

whose lives ours will touch.

What actions are you taking today?

And how are you showing up?

This 1-minute video excerpt

is worth experiencing.

The commitment and artistry

of these performers is next-level.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post The Level & Location of our Work appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

When it comes to winning gold,

this unconventional approach from

figure skating champion Alysa Liu is worth noting.

One month before the Olympics,

a 60 Minutes interviewer asked Alysa,

“Do you feel any kind of pressure to win gold?’”

Alysa’s response:

“No, actually I’m really excited

because my goal honestly is

just to give people an experience….”

I love this answer so much, and

it’s directly aligned with what I teach.

When we focus our Throughline on ourselves

(i.e. “Be the best, Be #1, Win the award”)

we often lose out.

But if we focus our Throughline

in service of others, it’s transformative.

It’s what Alysa did, and of course,

as the story goes,

she went on to win gold.

If you read or watch other interviews

with her from over the years,

you’ll see a similar theme

emerge again and again.

“I want to inspire people,”

Alysa said when she was just 13.

You can watch her extraordinary 2026 Olympic performance

on YouTube…and it’s worth taking in.

She skates with such joy, such fluidity–

lacking the tension and tightness

we so often see in high-stakes competitions.

It’s a lesson for us all:

find the joy in what we do,

and focus on creating an experience for others.

When we do this,

so much else takes care of itself.

And if you coach, guide or lead others

and want to bring out their best,

keep this approach in mind…

for you and for them.

Risk Forward & Skate On,

P.S. Yep – that’s me approx age 12, looking WAY too tense. As a competitive gymnast & figure skater, I wish Alysa had been my coach.

The post An Uncommon Approach to Winning Gold appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

If you’re looking to connect

and make your message land,

this technique

is a highly effective way to do it.

This past week,

I spoke to 220 sales professionals

on how to Rock The Room^®

and as part of my keynote,

shared my approach and also modeled it.

Whether you’re a leader,

a sales or service professional,

or an individual of any kind

who wants to build rapport,

this 2-minute video

(filmed in a meeting room

after my presentation)

offers insight into the technique.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

The post How to build instant rapport appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

Our words and phrases

are a window into our thinking

and have a significant impact

on the people around us.

Below are 3 of my least favorite

phrases and expressions

that have become common

in our culture over the years.

#1. Pick your brain.

If you’re looking for advice,

avoid asking someone

if you can “pick their brain.”

Unless you want to position

yourself as a vulture

consider rephrasing as:
“…ask your advice”

“…would appreciate your insights/guidance.”

#2. You eat what you kill.

Often spouted as a refrain in the

sales and entrepreneurial worlds,

this is hardly a pleasant

(or accurate) metaphor.

Instead, speak the truth.

“Our income is commission-based.”

“If we don’t produce, we don’t get paid.”

#3. “No problem” as a response to “Thank you.”

This is particularly annoying

from a service professional

or anyone carrying out their job requirement.

Saying, “No problem”

in response to “Thank you”

is actually a very subtle “status play”

as the wording implies the request

may have been an inconvenience.

It’s a bit like saying, “It’s ok;

you’re not putting me out of my way”

when in fact, fulfilling the task

is actually a required part of the role.

Consider instead

the classic and simple, “You’re welcome.”

Just because certain phrases

have crept into our lexicon

doesn’t mean we have to use them.

How you communicate

and the words you choose have

a direct effect on how you’ll be perceived

and the outcome you’ll generate.

Risk Forward & Rock On,

P.S. This is a follow up post on language, given the enthusiastic email response from many readers and a request for more on this topic. The previous post on language can be found here.

The post 3 problematic expressions appeared first on Victoria Labalme.

The ability to truly listen to

and hear one another is critical––

professionally, personally and globally.

I’ll never forget a senior leader

of a multi-national brand

telling me years ago that after

being interrupted 5x during a

high-level brainstorming call

with the executive team,

she simply stopped sharing.

Organizations talk about fostering

a culture of innovation,

and interrupting is a

sure fire way to shut it down.

Last week, I led another interactive workshop

for 12 women presidents

on The Art of Listening.

(This 8-second clip is from

a humorous exercise I created

to shed a comedic light on the

frustration of being interrupted.)

Here are 3 insights from my content:

1. If you do interrupt, first apologize and then ask the other person to continue.
2. If you need to interrupt (i.e. you have an imminent call), apologize in advance. “I’m so sorry, I have to interrupt you….”
3. And if you witness someone else being interrupted, you can help by circling back to them. (i.e. “Sarah, I think you were going to say something earlier?”)

Great leaders, parents,

managers, sales professionals,

advisors and friends…are great listeners.

So Risk Forward & Listen On,

The post Interruption & Innovation appeared first on Victoria Labalme.