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  • Mindset and Mastery for successHow to get started on your path

    Episode 236 (Junaid is based in Virginia)

    In this conversation with Junaid Ahmed we explore:

    1. The essence of the million-dollar mindset and how to cultivate it.2. Breaking large goals into manageable, actionable steps.3. How to build a professional-grade home studio on a budget.4. Lessons from 600 interviews about communication and transformation.5. The importance of community and mentorship in achieving goals.6. Overcoming self-doubt and fostering an abundance mindset.7. Using preparation to make success seem "overnight."8. Why giving value leads to reciprocal growth.9. Finding the right people and resources to accelerate learning.10. Practical advice for mid-career professionals looking to advance.

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    About our guest, Junaid Ahmed:

    He is the Home Studio Architect and creator of Home Studio Mastery, a program that helps podcasters, content creators and entrepreneurs transform their spaces into professional-grade studios.

    He is host of the Hacks and Hobbies podcast where he has interviewed over 600 guests.

    He is author of "Seven Stages of Home Studio Evolution". You can learn more about his marketing agency at:

    https://humblezone.com/

    Discover how to transform your home studio at: https://homestudiomastery.com/

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    Excerpts from this conversation with Junaid Ahmed:

    Key Learning Points:1. The Power of Starting Now: Delaying actions leads to lost opportunities. Begin immediately, even with small steps.2. Break Down Big Goals: Simplify large goals (e.g., making a million dollars) into actionable daily steps.3. Mindset Shift: Adopting an abundance mindset over scarcity fosters opportunities and connections.4. Preparation Matters: Success often appears sudden but requires years of consistent effort.5. Learn from Others: Surround yourself with mentors and communities to learn and grow.6. Give Before You Take: Focus on providing value to others, fostering trust and reciprocity.7. Leverage Existing Resources: Affordable tools and established methods can help you start quickly.8. The Importance of Clarity: Define your "why" before embarking on any journey.9. Continuous Improvement: Reflect on your efforts to identify areas for growth.10. Community Encouragement: A supportive network can drive perseverance and success.

    ---

    Adopting the Million Dollar Mindset1. Start Now: Delay only creates missed opportunities.2. Define Your Goal: Get clear on what you want and why it matters.3. Break It Down: Divide large goals into achievable tasks.4. Prepare for Success: Invest the time and effort upfront to enable scalability.5. Adopt a Positive Mindset: Embrace abundance and openness.6. Learn from the Best: Seek mentors and communities who share your values.7. Give Generously: Share your knowledge and resources freely.8. Practice and Reflect: Continuously improve through feedback.9. Leverage Affordable Tools: Use existing technology and resources to build your foundation.10. Find Support Systems: Surround yourself with people who encourage and inspire.

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    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • The Art of Explaining Complex Ideas with EaseCommunicating Tech to Non-Tech Audiences

    Episode 235 (Evgeniy is based in Toronto, Canada)

    In this conversation, we explore:

    The importance of breaking down technical jargon into relatable concepts.How soft skills can elevate technical professionals' success.Why feedback and audience awareness are essential in communication.Techniques for maintaining engagement in virtual meetings.The role of passion in conveying credibility.Using hooks and metaphors to make connections.How to practice communication skills in everyday interactions.The significance of preparation and habits in presentations.Strategies for leadership communication in technical fields.How personal connections can improve professional interactions.

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    About our guest Evgeniy Kharam:

    Has over 40,000 hours of experience in cyber security.

    Overcame many speaking challenges, including speaking too fast, stuttering and afraid to speak in groups.

    Author of "The Art of Soft Skills in Technical Sales"

    Learn more about his book and services at https://www.softskillstech.ca/

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    Excerpts from this conversation with Evengiy Kharam:

    Key Learning Points:

    Simplifying Complex Ideas: Technical experts need to break down complex ideas using analogies and metaphors that anyone can understand.

    Soft Skills Matter: Mastering soft skills, such as emotional intelligence and communication, is critical for technical professionals.

    Know Your Audience: Tailoring communication styles to your audience—whether business leaders or customers—helps deliver messages more effectively.

    The Power of Passion: Genuine enthusiasm and passion can make even the most technical topic engaging.

    Feedback is Key: Asking your audience if they understand and adapting to their learning style improves communication effectiveness.

    Use Hooks: Create personal connections or points of curiosity (hooks) to engage your audience right away.

    Body Language and Eye Contact: Proper virtual communication, such as camera positioning and maintaining eye contact, is crucial in remote settings.

    Practice Habits: Develop communication skills by practicing small talk in everyday situations.

    Prepare for Presentations: Beyond knowing your slides, focus on breathing, tone, and relaxation techniques to deliver confidently.

    Leadership Communication: Understanding what motivates your team and management helps align communication for better outcomes.

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    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

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  • How Introverts Can Lead and Communicate EffectivelyThe Super Power of Introverts

    Episode 234 ( Stacey is based in New Jersey)

    In this conversation, we explore:How introverts can harness their strengths to thrive in leadership roles.Effective strategies for introverts to participate confidently in meetings.The misconceptions surrounding introversion and leadership potential.Ways leaders can create inclusive environments for both introverts and extroverts.The importance of self-awareness and authenticity in professional growth.

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    About our guest, Stacey Chazin:

    She holds a master's in organizational development and leadership, degrees in marketing and communication, and a certification in the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Assessment.

    Stacey is a proud introvert who grappled for decades with societal expectations that favored extroversion.

    Instead of conforming to societal pressures, she embraced her introverted qualities, turning them into powerful assets that allowed her to thrive, both professionally and personally. She now coaches other introverts to do the same.

    Get the free copy of Daily Productivity Hacks for Interviews

    https://ifactorleadership.cohttps://ifactorleadership.com/productivity/m/productivity/

    Get your free copy of Meeting Playbook for Introverts.

    https://ifactorleadership.com/gift/

    -----

    Excerpts from this conversation with Stacey Chazin:

    A common misconception is that introverts are shy or incapable of leading. As Stacey explains, “Introversion is not about shyness; it’s about how we get our energy.” While extroverts thrive in group settings, introverts recharge by having time alone or engaging in deep, focused thought.

    So, how can introverts succeed in meetings, where speaking up is often equated with competence?

    Stacey highlights a three-step approach for introverts to shine:

    Before the Meeting: Preparation is key. Request the agenda in advance and develop talking points. As Stacey advises, “Having data or narrative examples ready helps you feel confident.”

    During the Meeting: Don’t pressure yourself to speak first. Set a goal of sharing two or three points and check them off as you go. If asked to respond on the spot, Stacey suggests saying, “I’d love to give this some thought and follow up later.”

    After the Meeting: Follow up with a well-crafted email. Stacey notes, “Introverts often excel at writing, which allows time to process thoughts.”

    Introverts also bring unique leadership strengths. Stacey points out that deep listening, empathy, and calmness in conflict are powerful assets. “These qualities help you understand your team and guide them effectively,” she says.

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    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • Build a Thriving Business with Clear CommunicationClear the Clutter: Streamline Your Business for Success

    Episode 233 (Sonya is based in Australia)

    In this conversation, we explore:

    The Importance of Systems and Processes in Business

    How a lack of systems and processes leads to inefficiencies and constant "firefighting."Strategies for developing effective operating systems that streamline operations and boost profitability.

    Effective Communication as the Foundation for Success

    The critical role clear communication plays in team collaboration and client relationships.Methods to establish consistent messaging and improve internal and external communications.

    Gaining Objectivity Through External Business Assessments

    The value of bringing in an outside perspective to identify inefficiencies and growth opportunities.How to conduct a business audit to uncover stress points like cash flow issues and staff turnover.

    Managing Ego and Embracing Change for Growth

    Recognizing when ego hinders business progress and team dynamics.Tips for being open to feedback and making changes that benefit the whole organization.

    Preparation and Mindset: Doing Your Future Self a Favor

    The concept of preparing today to set yourself up for success tomorrow.How routines, checklists, and even "uniforms" can enhance productivity and reduce decision fatigue.

    Building Genuine Connections Through Energetic Interactions

    The impact of authentic communication on building trust with clients and team members.Moving beyond rote phrases to create meaningful and personalized interactions.

    Listening to Team Members on the Front Lines

    Leveraging the insights of employees who handle day-to-day operations.Involving your team in decision-making to enhance engagement and implement better solutions.

    The Psychological Benefits of Organization and Planning

    How feeling organized reduces stress and provides peace of mind.Small actions that compound over time to significantly improve personal and business efficiency.

    Navigating the Unique Challenges of Family Businesses

    Balancing personal relationships with professional roles within a family-run business.Establishing clear communication and boundaries to ensure mutual respect and business success.

    Accepting Feedback and Turning Challenges into Opportunities

    Embracing constructive criticism as a catalyst for improvement.Understanding that change is necessary to achieve different and better outcomes.

    Join us as we delve into these topics with Sonya Corkery, who shares her expertise on cleaning up businesses, enhancing communication, and setting yourself up for future success.

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    About our guest, Sonya Corkery:

    Sonya had an extensive corporate career in finance. That includes time as a financial planner, bank manager and commercial lender.

    She and her husband owned and operated a successful multimillion-dollar electrical contracting business for 16 years.

    Learn more about Sonya and how she might help your business at

    https://clearplanconsulting.com.au/

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    Excerpts from this conversation with Sonya Corkery:

    Key Insights from Our Conversation with Sonya Corkery

    Get ready to transform your business with actionable insights! In this episode of Your Intended Message, we sat down with Sonya Corkery, a seasoned consultant helping businesses clean up their operations, streamline processes, and achieve sustainable growth. Here’s a sneak peek into the conversation:

    Q: What does it mean to "clean up a business"?

    Sonya:We joke about being the “janitors of the business world” because we come in, tie up loose ends, and establish systems and processes. Many businesses lack a framework and operate in constant crisis mode. We help assess these gaps, implement solutions, and make life easier for business owners.

    Q: What’s the most common issue you see in businesses?

    Sonya:The biggest problem is a lack of systems and processes. Owners often start with a great idea but don’t have the tools to turn it into an efficient operation. Clear systems streamline workflows, ensure consistency, and make training new team members much easier.

    Q: Why is communication such a critical part of business success?

    Sonya:Communication is at the heart of everything. Without clear communication, you’re not giving your team or clients the best chance at success. Documenting processes and ensuring consistent messaging is vital for maintaining quality and alignment within a business.

    Q: How do you handle resistance from business owners who don’t want to change?

    Sonya:It’s tough for anyone to hear they’ve made mistakes. I always say, “You’re not alone in this; many people face the same challenges.” We approach the situation objectively, showing how small changes can lead to better outcomes. Sometimes they need time to process feedback, and that’s okay—it’s all part of the journey.

    Q: What advice do you have for getting into the right mindset?

    Sonya:I always say, “Do your future self a favor.” Prepare today for what you’ll need tomorrow. Whether it’s making notes for a meeting or setting up a process, these small actions compound over time. Even something as simple as wearing the right “uniform” for a task can help set your mindset for success.

    Q: What’s the key to working effectively in a family business?

    Sonya:Communication is even more critical in family-run businesses. Early on, my husband and I had to learn to separate our egos from what was best for the business. Clear boundaries, open dialogue, and mutual respect are essential for balancing personal and professional dynamics.

    Q: How can businesses use feedback to improve?

    Sonya:Feedback, even when it’s uncomfortable, is a gift. I tell business owners to sit with it and reflect. Change is hard, but continuing with the same approach will give you the same results. By addressing feedback, you open the door to growth.

    Why listen to this episode?Whether you're a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting, Sonya’s insights on systems, communication, and mindset will inspire you to tackle your business challenges head-on. Don't miss her advice on preparing for success and creating genuine connections in your business.

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    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • How to Build an Elite Team for Your BusinessYour Batman needs an Alfred

    Episode 232 (Jackson is based in San Antonio, Texas)

    In this conversation with Jackson Calame we explore the keys to building a first-class business and the foundational principles for entrepreneurial success."

    Why first-class service is non-negotiable for thriving businesses.The hidden power of infrastructure and why it’s often overlooked by entrepreneurs.How to transition from solopreneur to team leader and scale effectively.The critical role of assembling the right team and identifying visionary traits in business partners.The importance of ethics and authenticity in sustainable business growth.The combine approach to selecting elite talent, inspired by professional sports.Balancing efficiency with customer experience to create raving fans.Why relying solely on automation and AI can be risky without a clear communication strategy.Aligning personal values with business goals to create meaningful success.How intentional messaging and clear communication set businesses apart from competitors.

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    About our guest, Jackson Calame:

    Jackson teaches visionary entrepreneurs how to unlock sustainable revenue growth and expand their legacy by becoming a Power Brand in their market. 96% of businesses fail within the first 10 years. Jackson teaches businesses, not only how to avoid failure, but how to win, by becoming a true leader in their market.

    You are invited to attend the Power Launch Webinar.

    https://go.firstclassbusiness.io/power-launch-webinar

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    Excerpts from this conversation with Jackson Calame:

    Jackson, let's talk about what first class business does for entrepreneurs that entrepreneurs fail to do for themselves. Where do you start? Absolutely.

    Well, come out hitting hard and heavy. So our tagline on our website may make a lot of you laugh in a good and appreciative way.

    It says, Hey, Batman, let us be your Alfred, right? And what does that mean? That means one, we want to work with superheroes, people who are contenders in the market, not pretenders.

    We also want to come in and provide all of that back end infrastructure that often gets overlooked, maintaining the house, maintaining the balance, making sure that the schedules are operating efficiently, making sure Batman doesn't go out there and die when I was just trying to save the world.

    There's so many things that need to be done in order to truly help somebody scale and have a proper balance and serve their market and be there for the family and the whole it's a lot so many entrepreneurs either take that for granted on one side, and we've got to stop doing that if we really want to build.

    Or on the other side, if you're the Batman listening into that right now and you're like, oh my gosh, I need that act on it, you know, start looking for who is going to help you build that really unsexy, boring thing that almost no podcasts talk about, called infrastructure, truly that simple infrastructure

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    First Class business means that we literally cannot provide a second class service. Our clients won't accept it.

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    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • 7 Life Lessons from Oilfields to RetirementHow Emotional Baggage Impacts Your Finances

    Episode 231 (Chad is based in Alaska)

    In this conversation with Chad Hufford we explore:

    Why Conventional Wisdom Often Fails in Financial SuccessThe Role of Emotional Baggage in Financial Decision-MakingThe Influence of Financial Media on MisconceptionsThe Importance of Shifting Perspectives for Financial IndependenceBuilding a Financial Blueprint for SuccessThe Difference Between Income and Principal in Financial FreedomFocusing on What You Can Control in a Volatile EconomyThe Role of Trust and Relationships in Financial AdvisingRetiring To, Not From: The Importance of Purpose in Financial IndependenceThe Power of Analogies to Simplify Complex Financial Concepts

    About our guest, Chad Hufford:

    Chad owns a boutique financial planning firm, Vertitas Wealth Management. He partners with Dave Ramsey as one of his SmartVestor Pros. He is the author of Forging Financial Freedom. He is born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska.

    You can get your copy of his book along with the free bonuses here

    www.forgingfinancialfreedom.com

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    Excerpts from this conversation with Chad Hufford:

    Delighted to be talking with you and I somehow I just think just living and growing up in Alaska is got to give you a different view of the world. Do you agree with that?

    Well, quite literally, it gives me a different view of the world. We're so high up on latitude that, yeah, every everything's different up here. But, you know, I think it's been actually really powerful for me.

    You know, one of the things we talked about in previous conversations is, you know, when we try to have an intended message come across, sometimes we do have to change somebody's perspective in order to see it clearly.

    And I think, coming from Alaska, we do automatically have such a different perspective. It just It lends itself to the reframing or reshaping of somebody's paradigm or perspective, and it's just, it's a wonderful place to live. It's not always easy 35 degrees this morning on my drive into the office.

    But you know what? It's beautiful, and it's home- and that's 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

    I guess we just started the fall, ended this summer? Yeah, summer here ended a few weeks ago, I think, if we're being honest. But yeah, 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

    So like one, one degree, two degrees Celsius, it's, it's, it's crisp out there. But you know what we had? We had a huge black bear come through our yard. The other day.

    We had a lynx outside. And where we live in Anchorage. it's 300,000 people. It's a normal town. We're now out in the boonies, but we live on the very edge of Anchorage, so we get wildlife in our backyard all the time. And it's such a blessing.

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    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • The Recipe of Emotions: Crafting Responses for SuccessEmotion as Sensation: How Our Past Shapes Our Emotional Responses

    Episode 230 (Kim is based in San Francisco)

    In this conversation we explore:

    The Connection Between Emotions and Sensory ExperiencesWhy Emotional Awareness Matters in Both Life and LeadershipPractical Strategies to Gain Control Over Your EmotionsHow to Avoid Being a ‘Slave’ to Your EmotionsThe Power of Emotional GranularityUsing Interoception to Improve Emotional and Physical AwarenessHow to Rethink Negative Experiences Through Conscious ReframingBalancing Compassion and Empathy as a LeaderDaily Practices to Connect with Your EmotionsHow Emotions Serve as Tools for Learning and Growth

    About our guest, Kim Korte:

    Kim Korte hosts the Flavors of Emotions podcast and is the author of Yucky Yummy Savory Sweet: Understanding the Flavors of Emotions.

    She offers a process to help us make sense of our feelings through the lens of a chef understanding flavors in a recipe.

    This unique approach to emotion management blends culinary metaphors with emotional education in a digestible format, making the complex world of feelings accessible and actionable.

    As a Sensory Perception and Emotion Management Strategist, she aims to help people develop creative action around how they experience the world and their emotions.

    Learn more about Kim and and her book https://www.kimkorte.com/

    Listen to her podcast "Flavors of Emotions: https://www.flavorsofemotions.com/

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    Excerpts from this conversation with Kim Korte:

    In your book, you compare emotions to food and and sensation. Food sensations and flavors. How did you come up with that connection?

    I learned about the theory of constructed emotions, which is a very common and probably fairly widely accepted idea that we construct our emotions using our experiences, kind of like ingredients that and a recipe.

    And I got this idea after reading how emotions are made, The Secret Life of the Brain, by Lisa Feldman Barrett.

    It was an eye popping book, and it got me to think about how if emotions are created from perceptions, then our whole world is like giving us ingredients that we use, and the recipes are everything that we've experienced previously.

    So we're always living today in the past, unless we're more conscious of what's going on in our current experience.

    That level of consciousness is what helps us to examine and change the quote, unquote recipe if it's not the right one, or if it's not working for us and the process of flavor, it's not a sense sensory system, like everything that we taste, everything we see, all of these things, these are sensory systems.

    And taste is a combination of sensory systems you taste with your nose, you taste with your mouth. They even have shown that what you see and what you hear like, if it's crunchy, you think it's fresh, but even music going on around you, you might think, Oh, this music isn't impacting me, but it really can impact the flavor and your experience of food, and the same is true of our emotions.

    Everything that we experience is a our emotions, rather are a combination of our sensory experiences. That's what influences us. So this is where I got these food metaphors and cooking metaphors.

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    Think of it like a pepper. There's different kinds of peppers, there's bell peppers, and there's jalapenos, and there's habaneros.

    And yet, we don't attribute hot spiciness to every single pepper out there, right? Because we've learned to distinguish the differences situationally and. Experientially of different peppers.

    And so the same can be true with our fears, because we tend to have this like one size fits all approach to a lot of emotions, and we we feel one emotion more than others, and we haven't allowed ourselves to recognize that fear can be like a pepper, even love can be like a pepper, and have different gradations of it, different levels of quote, unquote, heat.

    And with that, you are able to break down that fear into seeing it in its different states. It could be irked, could be nervous. It could be irate, you know? It could be, you know, I need to run for the door, panic. Same with love....

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    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • Unlocking Trust and Authenticity in Content CreationBuild Real Connections and Grow Your Business

    Episode 229 (Aaron is based in Australia)

    In this conversation with Aaron we explore:

    The value of publishing video to build trustPublish content to offer value to your prospects and clientsWhy the content needs to be about your audience and not youHow to discover the questions that your audiences wants answeredHow to generate better content by answering questionsHow to appear better on camera by making it a conversationHow to get into the flow of recording videoThe importance of an attractive hook to hold their attentionWhen and how to place a call to action

    About our guest, Aaron Witnish:

    He started marketing online in 2008 and launched his first agency in 2010.

    You can download the free "30 Days in 90 Minutes Content Creation System"

    https://contentonly.au/

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    Excerpts from this conversation with Aaron Witnish:

    It's very fitting that the show is called your intended message, because that ties in beautifully with content creation. The challenge is it has so many moving parts.

    Where do you post it? What format do you create? Where do you get the ideas, what tech that you use? And that paralyzes most people into inaction, or there's a fear about being on camera. You're quite vulnerable. When you put yourself online, people can make comments and say things.

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    When you're writing your content, creating it, or just thinking about what you're going to say, think about your audience and how you can help them.

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    How do we know which questions to answer for our audience?

    This is one of the biggest obstacles, and I'm glad to say that solving it is quite easy once you know how and full transparency.

    Took me 14 years to to find this, and now that I know it's kind of slapped me in the face, but what you do is you take any topic that you might cover with your intended message or in your business, and you just put that keyword or that search into Google.

    So let's use a generic example, and we'll say weight loss. So if you put weight loss, type it into Google. Press Enter. All you need to do is scroll down the search a little bit, and there's a section that says people also ask, and that'll have the questions and queries that people are typing in and asking online.

    So what you can do is look at the questions that you can add value to and answer, save them to the side, and then you click the down arrow, it'll give you more questions.

    You click the down arrow, it'll give you more questions. Then you just take the next topic. So it could be dieting, it could be workouts, it could be nutrition, and then you just keep getting a list of questions that people are asking.

    So that way you know what people are searching for online, and you can solve those problems with your content and never. Run out of content ideas with this strategy

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    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • Is your image telling your story as intended?How to look better and real on camera

    Episode 228 (Maia is based in Chicago)

    In this conversation with Maia Rosenfeld we explore:

    How do other judge you based on your photograph?How a photographer first needs to understand youHow to stop sabotaging your photographsWhat a better word than "cheese"The power of visual messages on trustThe first impression when we see your photo on LinkedinHow might the photograph convey your brand?Why do people check their reflection when they walk by store windows

    About our guest, Maia Rosenfeld:

    Maia has been a headshot photographer in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York for 28 years.

    Some of her corporate clients include BMW, J.P. Morgan Chase, Salesforce, GE Healthcare and The Make-A-Wish Foundation.

    She's never met a stranger.

    Learn more about her photography services at

    MRPCreative.com

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    Excerpts from this conversation with Maia Rosenfeld:

    Is it welcoming? Do you look smart? Do you look like you're good at what you do? Do you look like someone they want to spend the time reading the next little blurb that's probably only three sentences underneath their chin, getting to figure out what is the unique thing, the differentiator of each client that comes into my studio to figure out how to tell their story, to make sure that their authenticity is represented, is the thing right.

    -----

    I'm not particularly interested in taking photographs of what you look like. Lucky for me, you already look like what you look like. Thank you very much. I'm interested in taking photos of who you are.

    -----

    I've come up with a game that they do, which is I throw a word out at them, and they just repeat that word inside their brain. They just have to think it.

    So if I say to you, just with your eyes, say the word power, if you literally just think the word power, you're done. You don't have to give me what you think a powerful look is.

    You don't have to define power. You don't have to think of a ton you once felt powerful. Literally, I say power. You say power. I say cat, you say cat. And why does it work?

    It works because it keeps George inside the building. That is George, where people tend to derail themselves in photos, any photo, family photo, picture, it out with your friends.

    Is the second the camera comes up. Everyone tends to leave the building, right? We're in a big group of people. We say cheese. We don't know how long it's taking. We don't know how many they're taking.

    Our faces kind of freeze. We don't know it's, oh, it's the other camera. Are they using a flash? We get that photo back, and we hate how we look, right? You're not in that photo.

    You left at least 15 seconds ago, right? So that is one of the places that we derail ourselves and we don't we start to hate how we look.

    Now we live in a world, in this selfie culture, where you can watch yourself in the photo, right? Which is almost even worse of a problem. It makes it even more self conscious, right?

    -----

    ----more----

    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • Listen to your Mind, Body and SpiritYour Body is a Team Player

    Episode 227 (Mara is based in Virginia, USA)

    In this conversation with Mara Benner we explore:

    How to better connect with our own body, mind and spiritWhy outside communication starts with inside communicationEmotional intelligence is more than only emotions and intelligenceHow to prepare yourself for challenging conversationHow to mitigate imposter syndromeHow to balance body, mind and spiritHow are we communicating to ourselves

    About our guest, Mara Benner:

    Mara worked for 25 years in corporate and nonprofit leadership roles. At one time she worked for the CEO of a $2 billion healthcare company.

    She has learned how various cultures have combined health, wellness and the min-body-spirit connection.

    She studied Qigong in China with the masters.

    You can arrange for a 30 minute, no-charge, no-obligation consultation with Mara at https://truenorthexecutivecoaching.com/

    -----

    Excerpts from this conversation with Mara Benner:

    Your body is a team player with you. And when I say that to leaders, there's a pause. There's that ache that I've been having, that pain that I've been having. I didn't think of as the body being a team player with me, but it is, and you can get to optimal performance, mind, body and spirit when you work on all these different aspects.

    -----

    And I'll say one other thing that I think is fascinating about this is those leaders who have done an amazing job of working on the mind, body and spirit, also tap into the ability to create at a whole new level, for innovation and for new approaches, and with time speeding up on how quickly companies have to move and engage in new, innovative approaches for products or services, that ability as a leader, to tap into that creative aspect for the vision of the company and the organization is more important than ever.

    -----

    But we come back to a state of homeostasis, which is our natural place to be. And when we're balanced, when our mind and body and spirit are all in a balanced state, the body is able to optimally heal and be at optimal performance, which helps a leader out.

    And so again, whether it's yoga or Qigong, or any of these approaches meditation, but it could be also, and this is what I think is really interesting, is for every leader, it's very different as to how they best come back into the state of homeostasis.

    So for some it might be going for a run that helps them come back to that state of true balance. When I was in China to go to your point, what I realized is this concept that has always been there of what we call whole person care, which is we are not separated.

    Our bodies aren't separated from our mind. Aren't separated from our spirit. It's all one in the same. And we get used to in our healthcare culture right now, we get used to thinking that things are separated out, that one does not impact the other, and that's actually not true.

    They're all completely part of the whole so when a doctor says to a patient, this is this illness is stress related, often that person walks out of the doctor's office and may not know what to do with that, like, what? So now do I do if it's stress related? What does that look like?

    -----

    ----more----

    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • How to connect with your audience

    Episode 226 (Steve is based in Chicago)

    In this conversation with Steve Multer we explore:

    The challenge of an American speaking to international audiencesHow to adapt your delivery to the audienceHow to enter the conversation on their termsThe role of inner and out status when connectingThe three levels of value that we can invest in othersHow to boost your self esteem by associating with smart peopleHow to judge the value of your messageThe danger of reading your script instead of adapting The balance of pathos, logos and ethos

    About our guest, Steve Multer:

    Steve had delivered presentations to executive teams for over 125 brands in 38 states and 25 countries.

    He is the author of "Nothing Gets Sold Until the Story Gets Told" Corporate Storytelling for Career Success and Value-Driven Marketing.

    Learn more about Steve's services and his book at

    https://corporatestorytelling.com/

    -----

    Excerpts from this conversation with Steve Multer:

    You walk into a room, you need to know how to read that space and do it in real time. In order to create a winning communication environment. You have to enter on their terms. You have to enter in a space that they feel comfortable and confident with. Because if you don't, you lose every time.

    -----

    They're investing in you, like you're investing in them, right? I think that is such a strong concept.

    I frequently say to people when they're not sure they're being properly compensated for business. I always say, think about it this way. You are not having to pay for a master's degree in whatever it is that you're working on.

    There are many, many ways to get paid. When you talk about the three levels of value, right? When we talk about fiscal value, we talk about psychological value, and we talk about calendar value, the three things that we can invest in, a person, in an idea, in a human to human engagement.

    Again, this is whether we're giving a presentation to an arena full of 10,000 people, or speaking one on one with a colleague, a team member, a executive leader, a customer.

    There are three things that we can invest in them. We can invest our time in them. Are they or are they not worthy of our time? We can invest our money in them. Is this or is this not worth paying for out of my wallet?

    Or we can invest our psychology in them. Is my time and money worth what I will gain from the nature of the engagement, from the message that I'm about to give and the message hopefully I'm about to receive from the person that I'm with.

    All three of those investments have extraordinary value.

    -----

    ----more----

    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • Do you understand their frame of reference?Your Frame of reference is not their frame of reference

    Episode 225 (Mitch is based in Oakville, Canada)

    In this conversation with Mitch Fairrais we explore:

    Understanding our frame of reference and how it was formedThe challenge of stepping into the frame of othersThe difference between a dialogue and the monologueHow can you understand their realityHow to explore their reality without attacking themWhy and how to hear their voiceEncouraging phrases to use with your teamRecognize your inclination to judge and how to put that on holdThe role of leadership vulnerabilityThe danger of believing in all your "shoulds"

    About our guest, Mitch Fairrais:

    Mitch works with senior leadership teams to help them develop their communication and leadership skills.

    He holds a high level of skepticism about many aspects of conventional corporate wisdom.

    He is a founder of Socks for Souls Canada, a non-profit that provides unhoused people with warmth, comfort, dignity, mobility and health through new socks.

    You can learn more about his training and coaching programs at:

    https://www.onthemark.ca/

    -----

    Excerpts from this conversation with Mitch Fairrais:

    You and I, and every leader on the planet lives with some level of being very much caught in their own frame of reference.

    Our own upbringing, our own algorithms that have caused us success. How we've dealt with things, our own beliefs, our own values. There are a number of things that each of us comes to any circumstance with and any interaction with, and it's our frame of reference that we cling to, because it's all we know.

    And it's very difficult for most human beings to actually step into the frame of reference of others, which, if you ask me, is the single most important skill that any leader could possess, beyond basic language skills or some math skills, some basic skills like that.

    -----

    Anyone who says to me, "I know how you feel" if I am 1000 human beings out of 1000 human beings being pulled I'm saying I doubt it. I don't think you do.

    And for anyone to even suggest that they get how someone else views the world is almost ludicrous, because our frames of reference are so different that odds are, if I'm wise,

    I should go in assuming that your frame of reference is going to be wildly different than mine, because you've grown up differently, you know, maybe have come from a different family background, maybe different part of the world than I know, many different things.

    And I should assume as a starting point I have no idea what your frame of reference is, unless we've got lots of history. Even then, I want to on any given circumstance, on any given issue, explore what your views are, how you feel about how you're looking at anything that we are talking about in any given moment, even if I've known you for the last 20 years.

    -----

    ----more----

    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • How can you use stories to convey your messageTips to tell your stories

    Your host, George Torok tells you the three part formula to deliver an effective story.

    Then you hear two stories from him, one a business story and the other a personal story. They're both effective when you understand your purpose.

    George analyzes each story to point out the key parts and techniques to craft and deliver your stories successfully.

    Episode 224

    In this solo episode with George Torok, we explore:- The power of storytelling in business communication- How to find and craft compelling stories- Three key elements of a successful story- Using personal anecdotes to connect with your audience- Common mistakes to avoid when telling a story

    Key Takeaways:- Practice crafting stories that are concise and relevant to your audience.- Engage your audience with an intriguing opening question or bold statement.- Use visuals and emotions in your stories to make them memorable.

    "When you tell stories about yourself, don't make yourself the hero all the time. Occasionally, maybe, but not all the time, because then you sound self-centered, and it's hard to connect with you."

    "The best stories plant visuals in the mind of your listeners and touch their emotions."

    Guests of Your Intended Message who discussed story telling:

    Graham Brown: 3-box Story Telling Episode 68

    Bruce Scheer: Inspire your buyers with the right narrative Ep 171

    Richard Rosser: How to leverage AI to tell your story EP 170

    Alan McLaren: Story telling to build your leadership brand EP 108

    Robert Tighe: Find and tell your origin story Ep 91

    -----

    ----more----

    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • Communication secrets from magic and hypnotismHow to better connect with people you don't know yet

    Episode 210 republished (David is based in Boston)

    In this conversation with David Reich we explore:

    Magic skills that enhance your communicationsThe importance of observing your audienceHow to watch where people's eyes areWhy you need to break the patternHow to find common groundMagic phrases to boost the connectionHow to influence decisionsUnderstanding the perception and motivation of the audienceWhy you don't need care about who gets creditHow to adapt when the magic trick doesn't work

    About our guest, David Reich:

    David has had a successful career as a technology and thought leader, and combines that with his passion and talent as a magician, mentalist and stage hypnotist, to create unique experiences of Entertainment, Education and Enlightenment.

    David discovered how the principles of a mystery performer can be used to become an overall better communicator, and more specifically, he has developed the Tactical Communication Method.

    Learn mor about David Reich and his services at his website https://davidreich.com/

    Get your free copy of the Seven Tools of Tactical Communication

    https://davidreich.com/tacticalcommunication/

    -----

    Excerpts from this conversation with David Reich:

    Action Items

    Practice observation techniques to understand how messages are landing and tailor communication accordingly.Use phrases like "help me understand" instead of disagreeing to have constructive discussions.Focus on being authentic, candid and vulnerable in conversations rather than putting on airs.

    -----

    The biggest key really is observation.

    We have to look at other people, we have messages, we have things we want to say, we want to sell an idea, we want to convey a joke, we want to tell.

    And we have to not only know what we want to say, but how it's landing. And that's actually how I came up with this whole tactical communication method.

    Because as a magician as a mentalist, as you're going through your performance and your communication, you need to see how things are landing where people's eyes are.

    And if it's working, and if it's not. And then and this, this takes a bit of practice, okay, can't do it overnight, just like anything good requires a bit of practice.

    But you can start to tailor your message and tailor how you're communicating real time on the fly, to make your message resonate. And that's how you get people to want to hear what you have to say.

    -----

    ----more----

    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

    Connect with George

    www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com

    https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgetorokpresentations/

    https://www.youtube.com/user/presentationskills

    https://www.instagram.com/georgetorok/

  • How to encourage the exchange of feedbackThe Power of Empathy as a Leadership Quality

    Episode 223 (Bill is based in Atlanta, Georgia)

    In this conversation with Bill Dickinson we explored:

    The value of empathy for a leaderUnderstanding the complicated makeup of your peopleDistinguishing empathy from sympathyAvoiding the role of confessor or councilorSetting guidelines and boundariesCreating psychological safetyHow to provide regular constructive feedbackThe 90-day introductory trial period

    ----

    About our guest, Bill Dickinson:

    Bill has nearly three decades of experience in designing and delivering leadership development programs across industries including, Boeing, Coca-Cola and AbbeVie Biopharmaceutical. He was a Catholic priest for 25 years.

    He is on The Harvard Business Review's Advisory Council.

    He is the author of "Optimizing Self: A Guided Workbook to Elevate Your Impact as a Leader"

    Learn more about his services here https://www.c3leadership.org/

    You can find his book on Amazon Optimizing Leadership

    -----

    Excerpts from this conversation with Bill Dickinson:

    I think some of the mistakes that leaders can make is they confuse empathy with sympathy. Sympathy is, is simply feeling sorry for someone where empathy is is, I'm not just sorry about what happened to your state or this moment, but I want to understand it.

    I want to support you through it. And those are, you know, those are two big differences. So an empathy now gives us the space, the term to understand we can hang with our people in their feelings without creating dependency.

    -----

    I need two things specifically that I did well, and I need you to share with me two things I could do differently.

    -----

    There's a model called the SBI model, what's the situation? What was the behavior I observed in the situation, and what was the impact of that behavior?

    So the situation is, George, you and I are having a thoughtful conversation on feedback in this podcast, the behavior that I observe is a host who is thoughtful and knowledgeable about leadership and their respect for me in it.

    So the impact that has on me is that I want to hang with you. I want to make you look good, and I want to contribute to the quality of this podcast so your listeners walk away with some new learning,

    -----

    ----more----

    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

  • How to accelerate growth by scaling your processHow to escape founder-led sales

    Episode 222 (Corey is based in Los Angeles)

    In this conversation with Corey Quinn we explore:

    Knowing the market better than the market specialistsCaring about the clientsHow to warm up a cold callHow to transfer your process to another vertical marketHow to leverage empathyDefining your business by the industry of your clientsLeveraging the power of repeatable systemsHow to specialize in more than one niche

    -----

    About our guest, Corey Quinn:

    As Chief Marketing Officer of Scorpion, he helped them grow from $20M to $150M in 6 years.

    He's worked 17 years in the marketing agency business.

    He's the author of "Anyone, Not Everyone".

    You can get a free copy of the audio book here:

    www.AnyoneNotEveryone.com

    -----

    Excerpts from this conversation with Corey Quinn:

    You need to have repeatable sales process that is not dependent on the on the founder, so you have to strip out all of the variables from the sales process, make it much more operationally or streamlined.

    -----

    The impact of empathy happens before the cold call.

    What I'm a big fan of is interviewing your clients and understanding how and why they buy from you, so you understand the attributes that they're looking for. That's one piece.

    The other piece is when I coach my clients, but I do I do this work with with agencies, what I encourage them to do is to think of themselves, not as a in the digital marketing industry, I want them to think of themselves. In their clients industry.

    So if you're serving med spas, you are no longer in the business or in the industry of digital marketing. Now you are a member of the med spa industry, and as a result of that, you're going to their conferences. You're joining the associations. You're participating in the associations. You know what's happening in the industry, and you're helping to further the interests of that interest industry, I'll give you an example.

    At Scorpion, we worked in the franchise, franchise, multi location business industry is, interestingly, a lot of it's a big segment of our economy, but it's a relatively small industry.

    What we did to enter into that world is we became a part of that industry. What I mean by that is our leaders, who focused on franchise they became certified as something that's called the CFE CERTIFIED FINANCIAL executive. That is an 18 month program to become certified in that we also joined a group called the IFA, which is the International Franchise Association.

    -----

    ----more----

    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

  • Is there enough Human Spirit in your Marketing?

    Episode 221 (Kristof is based in South Carolina)

    In this conversation with Kristof Morrow we explore:

    The honest perspective from a person with Tourette's SyndromeThe value of revealing a flawTalking about internal conflictsIndirect marketing versus direct marketingMemorable characters from Super Bowl adsUnderstanding the audience that likes and follows youRecognizing the perspective of the audience, their bias and ignoranceHow to show kindness in your marketingBeing transparent about your deficiencies

    -----

    About our guest, Kristof Morrow:

    Kristof is an award wining journalist and the author of two books in the fantasy series, The Second Sun. He is a disabled veteran. He has Tourette's Syndrome which offers him a unique perspective on marketing and communication. His mission is to help people better understand each other.

    You can learn more about Kristof and his book, at the website: https://www.kristofmorrow.com/

    -----

    Excerpts from this conversation with Kristof Morrow:

    Respect is a large part of marketing.

    -----

    For example, you you just said "Shakespeare" when we weren't even talking about Shakespeare.

    And Christophe also has Tourette's Syndrome, which means, and as most people might understand it, that people have tics. They often say things involuntary.

    Sometimes they might even have physical tics, I'm guessing. And let's see how that gives Kristoff a particular perspective that most of us can't see. And today we're going to talk about the spirit of marketing.

    And that's an interesting phrase that you used Kristoff. Tell us what that means to you.

    I think that means ultimately, like, how, how much of yourself, how human your approach to marketing is, how much you deviate from the notion that there has to be sort of a calculated approach. It's very it's a lot more human, I think. Yeah, so, for example, like I have Tourette's.

    -----

    You were more transparent that way. And I'm wondering, have you been told that before that you appear to be more transparent with your feelings?

    Yeah, that's, um, that's a large, a large part of, I think, I think that's some part, at least a component of my success, is that I don't pretend to have confidence. I'm, yeah, I make no effort to false, to falsify that it doesn't it doesn't help. It doesn't help because people can see it, and then they just sort of pity you in secret.

    But if you, if you confront it, I feel like they can get on board with that, and they can, they can think within themselves, like, you know, what would I be doing in this situation, rather than, oh gosh, look what he's doing in this situation.

    You know it's, yeah, it allows, again, it allows you to be, for people to Rick, to to acknowledge your humanity, Shakespeare, Shakespeare.

    -----

    ----more----

    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

  • Authenticity in your marketing and sales conversationsHow you can excel when the bar is set so low

    Episode 220 (John is based in California)

    In this conversation with John Golden we explore:

    How to start an authentic relationship with your prospectsHow to research before the first contactHow to create intellectual curiosityHow much research do you need - not muchHow to leverage your customer success storiesPresent your vulnerability to build trustStaying in touch with your customersHow to establish your communication cadenceWhere does automation ad AI fit into relationshipsThe critical role of active listeningWhy lean on your CRM

    -----

    About our guest, John Golden:

    John is Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at Pipeliner CRM.

    He is an author, speaker and host of Sales POP! podcast,

    You can learn more about Pipeliner CRM and take the free trial at:

    https://www.pipelinersales.com/

    -----

    Excerpts from this conversation with John Golden:

    I think there's a few things, George, and one of them, I think, is, is authenticity. I think that is one of the biggest areas that you can focus on now.

    -----

    Oh, customer success stories, 100% and I think this is where sometimes we forget. It seems so obvious, right? But when I engage personally, when. I engage with another salesperson, right? Or somebody selling something to me?

    Yes, you know, I'm interested in what they can do for me, what I'm really interested in what they've done for other people, because that's where it is.

    Because, let's face it, we all know that anybody who's brought a product or service to market, you always know that customers end up using it in ways that you could never imagine, right?

    And they do things differently, not how you see and therefore learning about what you have done with other people, that is great information for for somebody, for prospect you're engaging with, and that's what I love. I want to hear the things that they've done with other people, how they helped other companies, how they helped other individuals.

    And those stories and and we all come from, I mean, culturally, we all kind of come from storytelling traditions, you know, certainly I did, you know, in Ireland, and that's what resonates with people, is stories.

    And now you take yourself out of the equation a little bit, and you put, you put your customer, and you say, You know what their issue, what their solution? And then, and here's the nice thing, is, like, you should be enthusiastic and say, and then they did this, or they asked us to do this, right?

    They said, hey, if your product could just do this one other thing, and, you know, something, we went back and we discovered, yeah, that's something that would benefit everybody. And then we immediately, you know, implemented it in a way.

    So this, there's so much richness in talking about your customer success story.

    -----

    ----more----

    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

  • Listening is a skill that can and must be learned to be more successful

    Episode 219 (Julian is based in the Orkney, off the North Coast of Scotland)

    In this conversation with Julian Treasure we explore:

    How listening helped our survival for thousands of yearsWhy listening seems so difficult and is ignoredThe difference between hearing and listeningWhy we seem to focus more on speaking instead of listeningListening as a skill that needs to be learned and developedThe inverse relationship between emotion and listeningHow to have respectful conversations with people who disagree withWhy is listening more difficult the more senior you become in an organizationWhy diversity of perspective and opinion is valuable

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    About our guest Julian Treasure:

    Julian Treasure is an author and international speaker on sound and communication skills. His five TED talks have been viewed over 150 million times and his book “How To Be Heard” won both Audie and SOVAS awards for best business audiobook. His company The Sound Agency has been helping major global brands to improve their sound since 2003.

    Learn more about Julian and his programs at

    https://www.juliantreasure.com/

    Books by Julian Treasure

    https://www.juliantreasure.com/books

    https://www.juliantreasure.com/books

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    Excerpts from this conversation with Julian Treasure:

    Most people don't even understand that listening is different from hearing. Hearing is a capability. Listening is a skill. It's a skill you can practice and master, and if you do that, you can gain huge advantages in your life. Because the sad truth is, most people don't listen.

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    To me, listening is the foundational skill of all of our communication. It's primal, it's critical, and yet we seem to have forgotten about it.

    We don't teach it in school, which is mad when you think about it, because if you taught children first how to listen really well, how much more of their education would they absorb and retain than they do now.

    Where they're struggling in classrooms built by architects who don't listen, the children can't hear very much a great deal of the time. And if they can hear it, are they actually listening? Not really, because they don't know how to do that.

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    The foundation of my work really is that these skills, speaking and listening, have profound effects on three very important things, our happiness, our effectiveness and our well being.

    So dear listener, if you don't care about any of those three things, don't bother.

    But if those things are important to you, and I rather suspect they are, it really is worth opening these doors to whole new worlds of capability, skill, and, you know, transformed outcomes in those three domains, your happiness, your happiness, your effectiveness and your well, being powerfully affected by how will you speak and how will you listen?

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    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.

  • Target your marketing specific to one person

    Episode 218 (Marcus is based in Ohio)

    In this conversation with Marcus Schaller we explore:

    How bottlenecks vary from small to large companiesThe reality of limited time, energy and moneyThe misunderstanding of how to scaleMeasuring the wrong parameters on social mediaClarifying the ideal customerHow customer service can align with your marketing messagesHow compensation criteria contributes to internal conflicts

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    About our guest, Marcus Schaller:

    Marcus has over 20 years experience as a marketing strategist, coach and copywriter.

    His experience includes creating messaging strategies and campaigns for several industries, including B2B, technology and SaaS.

    Learn more about Marcus and the marketing services he offers

    https://marcusschaller.com/

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    Excerpts from this conversation with Marcus Schaller:

    How does one decide which way to go? And how many directions should we be going in?

    Oh, another really good question, George. Again, dependent on situation, I think the mistake is what not to do is to constantly "Chase every new shiny object".

    Now, I think in terms of smaller businesses, that tends to be where my head's at, that's the clients that I tend to work with as a coach. So it's like I'm thinking in terms of your one, or one or two people, or maybe even five or six, it's a small team, you only have so much, again, resources, time, energy money.

    The other thing to think about too, is that not only does it spread out too thin trying to do everything, which is just a it's a physics, it's a math equation at that point.

    If you think about as a solopreneur, or as an entrepreneur, with a small team, there are certain things that you have certain talents.

    You have a background in radio, it makes perfect sense that you would do a podcast, it would be ridiculous for you not to right now.

    Would it make sense for you to do something that let's say TicTok and I'm not sure if you're on. But let's say you don't really like being on social media, you don't like TikTok? You don't enjoy? You don't consume it, you don't scroll through it every day.

    Does that make sense to us? Probably not. So I think it really starts with the person running the business, if it's a small business, and even with a larger company, do you have the staff? Do you have the team to be able to support multiple, they're going off into multiple directions. And it's kind of that classic problem where there's no actual focus, and they're not really getting any impact? And then of course, you have to integrate that with like, where's your audience?

    So if it turns out that you find out that, let's say you personally don't like using YouTube, I know that's not true. But let's say you don't like YouTube, but you find out that that's where the majority of your potential is. You might have to just figure it out.

    But I think it really starts with go with your strengths, because there's certain things that we're just good at, and why wouldn't we leverage that as much as possible?

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    Your brand is not really up to you, we can design what we want our brand to convey. Again, your intended message of your brand, can be something we sit down and we design and this is our intention of what we want to communicate, but ultimately the brand is how your audience and how your customer base sees your company.

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    ----more----

    Your Intended Message is the podcast about how you can boost your career and business success by honing your communication skills. We’ll examine the aspects of how we communicate one-to-one, one to few and one to many – plus that important conversation, one to self.

    In these interviews we will explore presentation skills, public speaking, conversation, persuasion, negotiation, sales conversations, marketing, team meetings, social media, branding, self talk and more.

    Your host is George Torok

    George is a specialist in communication skills. Especially presentation. He’s fascinated by the links between communication and influencing behaviors. He delivers training and coaching programs to help leaders and promising professionals deliver the intended message for greater success.