I'm Begging You to Become a Better Communicator (HERE'S WHY)

The world is changing - it's become a place where you can be anything you want to be. But there's something that determines where you get - and it's not your degree. It's how you COMMUNICATE. 

This episode is a presentation I've given in-person multiple times - and now I'm giving it to you all. The thesis is simple: GREAT COMMUNICATION creates GREAT OUTCOMES. But what are those great outcomes? And why does it matter? And does it even apply to you?

Want to join my communicate with value masterclass? Register here: https://forms.gle/iRKGx3ugf5bnruseA

Want to learn more about the Rhetorical Stack? And how I advise business owners to win pitches: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1YjwiZqKxbazJjA8S169Uw?si=hruBGCJDR6mAQj7xzhbuaQ

Transcript

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0:00

The world is changing.

Really.

It's always been changing, but nowadays you can be anything you want.

If you're watching this and you have a dream, more than likely you can fulfill it.

It doesn't matter whether or not you have a fancy degree, whether or not you have a certain amount of money in your bank account, who your parents are, if you're 6 foot 5, or if you're 5 foot 8.

0:23

It truly doesn't matter.

But what does matter?

There's one thing.

It's something so simple that my 11 month old son is doing it, but something so difficult that even the best people in the top of their field seem to forget it's not doing the thing.

0:44

Rather, it's how we talk about the thing.

And in this video, I'm going to share with you a system and really the theory behind why.

Great communication brings great outcomes, and you'll be able to not only communicate, but you'll be able to communicate clearly, widely, and profitably.

1:05

This is a presentation that I've given multiple times in person and I'm excited to share it with all of you.

Often times I'm talking to a room full of business owners and I'm telling the business owners that this is the world of business.

1:22

It is a whole bunch of different people walking around, living their life.

They're all trying to accomplish the various things.

Just like when you're in a stoplight and you look to the left and the right.

We have no idea their story, but we know they're trying to do certain things and you're in this picture somewhere.

1:39

This is the world of business.

A whole bunch of people walking, meandering, trying to accomplish what's happening.

And I am in this as well.

I am in that world of business.

Many of you know me from my YouTube channel.

You may be watching on YouTube.

1:56

I often do expert analysis of some of the biggest moments in the world.

We look at their communication and what works.

Some of you are listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to the Talk to People podcast where I talk about communication skills backed by research.

Some of you may be one of my coaching clients where I have my communication coaching practice to help people turn better communication into more opportunities, more revenue and more trust.

2:23

Really, I enjoy it and I get to not only work with people through the screen like this, but also in person.

And just recently, I mean just this calendar year, we've over 25,000,000 advised in pitches really talking about when stakes matter.

2:40

That's when your words matter.

And being able to use what's called the rhetorical stack, That's my philosophy when it comes to coaching people to be better communicators.

That's a lot of fun.

You can listen to the last episode I recorded.

I talked about the rhetorical stack a little bit and how I advise business owners on how to navigate high stakes pitches.

2:59

I'll put that link in the description below.

But this is the world of business.

It is a bunch of different people, and this is you, and your goal, if you're a business owner, is to become that person that people think of when they're asking a certain question.

3:17

For instance, you may be a landscape business owner, or you may be a massage therapist, or you may be a magician or Elvis impersonator, whoever that is.

There's going to be a moment where in this sea of people and the life we live, people are going to ask a question.

3:36

Hey, I wonder who mows lawns?

And what we want is for you to get to a point to where the answer is you and EU is green.

Because I always think about money in this instance.

3:55

Because the better you are able to communicate, the better you are able to get to the point to where people think of you.

When that question is asked.

And we see this with the best people in the community that are really good at business.

They often are the people mentioned, Oh, you want to buy a home?

4:12

Go to this person.

Oh, you do want to get commercial property insurance, Go to this person.

You need a banker, go to this person.

Oh, you need someone to hang up your satellite on your house or your TV?

Go to this person.

These are the people who have done a really good, good job building trust and who invest in their communication.

4:30

And honestly, this has been me.

Six years ago, I moved across the country and I started a new job.

I had to make new friends.

And I also, I've used this graphic before because I also started a podcast and the podcast was the Talk to People podcast with the premise of life is better when you talk to people.

4:51

So you may as well be good at it.

So let's get good at it together.

And I've learned so much through it, and I would love for you to learn too.

So be sure to subscribe to the show.

But one of the big things that I've learned from it is that many people, when they approach business, they approach the visible.

5:12

They approach the tip of the iceberg, the part that you can see over water, the part that doesn't really scare the Titanic, the part that we see.

And that's the business stuff they focus on.

Say you're an electronics consultant and you advise people on how to get Google Home and smart home set up.

5:33

Then you would just focus on being the best at Google Home and knowing how Wi-Fi works and knowing how to set up certain things, which is great for the Baker.

They would focus on how to make their croissants look nice, which is great.

But what I've learned, even more important than the business stuff is the people stuff.

5:54

And this isn't just for managers, this is for everybody.

Because at some point you will need to be able to use your words.

And the better you use them, then you're going to resolve your problems faster.

6:11

On the screen, we have someone who is at a doctor's office and they're talking to the doctor about what they're dealing with.

Imagine if you couldn't use your words and you were trying to tell the doctor what was wrong.

I mean if you're really good at schrades maybe you would get there.

6:27

But I promise you the person who can yell broken arm all the way down the hallway is going to get quicker care than the person who has to 1st show up in front and then try and signal to the person I broke my arm.

No it's not.

I'm not trying to do the chicken dance.

6:43

I broke my arm.

And so that's how the power of communication is.

The better you get at it, the quicker you're going to be able to resolve your problems but also reach the goals you want to reach.

Another area where you'll begin to see these great outcomes with communication is that you also will be better at building trust on the screen.

7:05

We have a Hummingbird.

Hummingbirds are really cool because they will go back to the same areas year over year, so you could see the same hummingbirds who travel all around returning to the exact same flowers.

7:22

I think it's kind of mind blowing, but that's the beauty and good communication is you're able to build relationships with people to the point to where they feel comfortable coming back to you and they feel comfortable bringing their Hummingbird friends.

Communication also is going to give you the power to create opportunity.

7:41

I've seen this so much in my life.

Whenever I created, in my podcast, whenever I really begin to invest in the power of, hey, not only do I have something to say, but I have a way to say it and I want to make sure that way is good.

Then I started to see new opportunity pop up in my life.

7:59

I'll get more into that a little later on.

But the person on the screen, I thought this was funny.

He had won a New York lottery, and every single day he gets $1000 a day for life.

8:16

That's the lottery.

You get a grand a day.

I think that's hilarious.

I mean, sounds like a good gig, but it's also funny to me that there's a Lotto out there where if you win, you get $1000 a day.

The guy's got a big smile on his face.

I don't blame him.

8:32

But how would you feel if you didn't have to rely on luck to generate opportunities, but rather you could also rely on your ability to communicate and to navigate the world in a way that it brings you opportunity?

Yeah.

8:48

OK.

This is a fun one.

Eat more chicken.

Has anybody seen this?

Chick-fil-A has a really good message.

It's a three word message, and they misspelled 2 of the words.

Yet it still has so much impact.

9:05

And that's what happens when you begin to invest in your communication.

Not only do you figure out what your message is, but you sharpen that message so that it can resound with the people who are listening.

It forces you to sharpen your message.

9:20

And I'll tell you up front, I have people ask me who who are the best communicators?

What sets them apart is their common denominator across industry, across geography, across generation.

Who are the best communicators?

It's always the people who have one thought about their message.

9:36

And to actually believe it 'cause that's something you cannot match.

I believe this stuff.

That's probably why I created a podcast and a YouTube channel and I do everything I do about communication 'cause I truly believe it changes lives.

Cause I've seen it, I've seen it so much.

9:52

And from all of it, I've basically gathered 1 thesis, and that's great.

Communication creates great outcomes.

This is not an accident, this is an equation.

It works.

It works because I've seen it in my life.

10:09

I grew up in northeast Oklahoma.

I went to College in central Oklahoma.

And then I find myself teaching public speaking in North Carolina.

Honestly, teaching students who are much smarter than me, but it put me in an opportunity that I would have never believed I had or never believed I would have had I not first started speaking and communicating and getting to the point to where one of my communication professors said, Chris, you should consider grad school.

10:44

And then they wrote me reference letters.

And then I applied.

And then before you know it, not only am I there, I'm here.

I'm giving a speech whenever I was working at the speech lab.

What they call it.

Yeah, I guess speech lab where I would help students with their speeches.

11:03

But guess what I also did while I was there, I met my wife.

And I'll tell you one thing.

The best thing I've done in grad school wasn't get a degree.

It wasn't get a job.

It was get a wife.

11:19

That's the best thing I've done, not only in grad school but just in general.

If you've met my wife, then you know I'm not playing.

She is no joke.

She's incredible.

So I find myself with this beautiful woman who's amazing, incredible.

And then we move across the country to Kansas and I'm getting on a plane every week travelling as a federal consultant for a company that soon gets acquired by the number 3 technology company in the world.

11:52

Mind you, I did not board my first plane till I was 22.

And now I find myself in first class in a suit with a badge on with people listening to me.

The power of communication, You may be saying, Chris, it's probably a lot of other things in in addition to communication.

12:14

And you're totally right.

Had I not taken Annie on a date and bought those Wake Forest basketball tickets, then yeah, it wouldn't have mattered.

But it helped, and it helped a lot.

And without it, I wouldn't have gotten there.

12:31

And after I quit my job and I drove to Oklahoma and I bought $400.00 of podcast recording equipment where I took my friend with me to walk in the room because I didn't want to get hit on the back of the head by some range of stranger who's trying to RIP me off.

Really nice person, but he had just had a party in his house and it was quite dirty.

12:52

But the podcast recording equipment, most of it was good.

I actually have a microphone leftover from that hall right here.

I bought podcast recording equipment for $400, and I learned how to put on a podcast.

Three months later, I'm hosting a podcast that is on the Apple Podcast's home page.

13:10

And I'm getting messages from Africa, getting messages from all around the country, all around the world, saying, hey, I'm so excited for your show.

What?

I'm just hanging out and Keynes is trying to find another job but working on this podcast.

What was the podcast about?

13:26

The power of conversation and the power of connection and how life is better when you talk to people.

So we may as well get really good at it.

And I keep communicating, but now I'm communicating on the microphone and I find myself, this is a fun picture where I got 1000 YouTube subscribers for the first time, I got 1000 and I was able to apply for monetization to the point to where YouTube says, hey, we're going to start paying you for all of your views.

13:57

We want you to not only create, we want you to not only grow your personal brand, we want you to not only show up and build trust with other people, but we're going to pay you for it.

And then other people start seeing the podcast and they say, hey, could you start producing podcasts for us?

14:13

So I start producing in person podcasts, in virtual podcasts with some of the coolest people and then they invite me onto their podcast.

This is Andrew Hales, he's one of the first people that cross a million YouTube subscribers.

14:30

I used to love watching his pranks.

He gave me so much social confidence.

Now I'm talking to him on his show with the title of the episode, chatting with an expert on conversation.

This is crazy.

And here I am coaching someone in person on how to be a better communicator so that they can not only be happier with their job because they're seeing better returns, but so that they can feel more confident.

15:00

And so that they can get more people in their sales pipeline and have a shorter sales cycle.

And also outside of work, feel better about the relationships and feel more confident whenever they're navigating new conversations at church or at the store or while playing soccer.

15:19

It's beautiful.

It's the power of communication.

Great communication creates great outcomes.

And right here, I'm talking to you on a microphone to a camera, because not only does great communication create great outcomes, but whenever you put that great communication on digital platforms, it compounds those great outcomes.

15:45

So it's not only about showing up in person, but it's also about being able to be confident and knowing how to do it on a microphone and a camera on a phone, wherever you're at.

A conversation in a room effects two people.

Conversation online can affect, can affect a ton of people, right?

16:04

I'm not saying everybody needs to go create a social media or YouTube channel, but I do think it's something some of you need to think about.

And if you do need to think about that, I'm about to put a master class on this Friday about just that.

I already have 35 business owners signed up, so if you want to join that, I'll put a link in the description below.

16:23

More than likely you're watching this video after that master class.

You could still click that link to still be able to sign up for future master classes.

But I've learned that great communication creates great outcomes.

But I've realized that I've only recognized half of it.

16:39

It's true that great communication creates great outcomes.

But it's also true that repetition compounds those great outcomes.

Preparation compounds those great outcomes.

Self investment compounds those great outcomes.

16:56

Frameworks compounds those great outcomes.

This is what I focus on when I work with people.

I focus on repetition, preparation, self investment and frameworks that they can use anywhere and everywhere.

But you don't have to work with me in person to get that.

17:15

Rather, we can get it together here on this podcast or on the YouTube channel.

Now if you want to go faster, further, you want to waste less time and you want to invest, definitely do a coach because that's typically going to be your best option to get somewhere.

17:32

But if you love being able to always be better and get sharper, the podcast is the move.

This picture on the screen here is someone painting a house.

You ever painted a house before?

Oh my gosh, I cannot tell you how hard it is.

17:51

I don't even really want to say how hard it is 'cause I feel like I'd underestimate and not articulate it well enough and disrespect the house painters out there.

Growing up, my dad was a house painter.

He owned his own company.

He ran a small business almost 40 years painting houses around the community.

18:11

I remember being a kid, that was my first job was showing up to these painting jobs.

Showing up and getting the drop clothes for masking off outlets, helping clean off paint brushes and buckets of water.

Being able to walk around and pick stuff up, sit on the ladder when it got too windy.

18:32

I remember those days, waking up so early, eating sandwiches and chips.

It was cool seeing my dad in action.

Another thing I remember that it's funny, I remember this and my dad sometimes listens to this podcast so shout out to him.

18:50

He may chuckle at this, but I also remember riding in the car with him back from work after a long day of work and going back home and him telling me I feel like I should have charged more or him saying all of this work I'm doing I should have charged more, I should have charged more, I should have charged more.

19:17

I remember hearing that it would be after a long day of work and rather than feeling proud about what he had been doing, it was feeling a bit sad or frustrated about feeling undervalued.

And what's what's funny about this is whenever I went to college, I told my dad, hey, I'm going to major in communication.

19:39

I was, I switched my major to communication halfway through freshman year.

And I remember the reaction being like, huh, you're going to major in communication?

Everybody communicates.

Why major in communication?

At the time, I didn't really have the best response other than I find myself fascinated with it.

19:57

There's a program here and I want to be able to study it.

But now I know that majoring in communication gives you the opportunity to articulate your value.

And no matter how good of a painter my dad was, if you're not a good communicator about the value you add, the outcomes you bring, then no one else is going to give you value to you.

20:25

No one's going to express that for you.

You have to do it yourself.

If you feel undervalued, we need to switch up the communication.

It's not a revenue problem.

It's not a painting problem.

It's a communication problem.

He is not painting a house.

20:42

No, it's not trim, it's not primer, it's not masking tape.

No, he is creating an experience.

He is making people proud of where they live.

He is making people excited about the new season of life 'cause now they get to sell their home.

He's increasing the curb appeal, which not only makes the people proud, but it also makes the neighbors a lot less crabby.

21:05

He is giving someone a bit more joy whenever they come home because they've always wanted that blue home.

He's doing a lot more than just putting paint on walls.

He's creating an outcome, an outcome that matters, An outcome that people will invest in more than they'll invest in the bristles on the paintbrush or the gallons of paint, right?

21:31

If you can communicate the value that you bring, the outcomes that you bring, then you will also be able to communicate your worth.

And it's such a good challenge.

The better you can communicate your worth and the more you're going to be receiving, the more you're going to be worth.

21:52

And this is a challenge not just for every painter, but for any home services business owner and for any business owner in general and honestly any person in general, which is something we talk a lot about on this YouTube channel and this podcast.

So be sure to subscribe because I don't want you to miss all of these other opportunities for you to learn how to be a better communicator and to articulate your value.

22:18

Because what you'll see is it's not the glacier anymore.

It's not the business stuff and the people stuff.

Rather, it's a wide open ocean.

As I said at the beginning of the episode, we live in a world that's rapidly changing.

22:34

Nowadays, you can be just about whatever you want to be, whoever you want to be, and it doesn't matter how much money you have, doesn't matter who your parents are or whether you got good grades from a fancy state school or a private school or a Ivy League school.

22:52

No, what matters is how you're articulating your message, how you're connecting to the people around you, and what you're telling yourself and telling the people in your life.

That's the stuff that matters.

Remember, great communication creates great outcomes and you can compound that with preparation, repetition, frameworks, and self investment.

23:17

And guess what?

The journey doesn't stop now.

It just started and I'll see you next Tuesday for another episode on how we can articulate our value to ourselves and to everybody around us.

23:33

All right folks, remember, life is better when you talk to people.

And I'll see you next time.