"Opened Dawes" Podcast Ep 11: Adrenaline is Fuel, Not a Roadblock!

This is the podcast of  “Opened Dawes” Live, which runs weekly as a live video show on YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn at 11 am on Tuesday mornings so that we can throw open the doors and welcome you in for a relaxed sharing of information, tips, thoughts, and answering any questions about public speaking and presentation/communication skills you may have.

So, make sure you set the reminders for the shows on Facebook or YouTube (links below) as they are scheduled online and get involved.  The stream is designed to be interactive, with comments/questions able to be shown and attributed on screen.

This week’s show looks at something that is not just a realisation and mindset for the start, but ongoing and something to remind ourselves constantly.  We look at how the feelings from adrenaline can either stop you in your tracks or be embraced and enable you to kick yourself on to heights you never thought possible!  That explosion inside that can make you punch the air and roar out loud!

Whilst the discussion will of course include listening and speaking (in a ratio many forget), the title two “sides” in this show are actually EMOTION and LOGIC.  Tune in to see why they are so important, what each of them achieves, and how you can make sure of their presence in your sales communications.

This show can be watched live (and previous shows recorded) from the following locations:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/OpenDawesTraining/live

YouTube:
www.youtube.com/channel/UCnwlPiWylgEDLrwemI8ZZjw (or search YouTube for Open Dawes Training and click subscribe to be notified)

Thanks to:
www.opendawestraining.co.uk
www.chrisdawescomms.co.uk
www.opendawestraining.co.uk/connect

Transcript

1:16

Good morning. Apologies, there was a bit of a mix up, I did it. I've done it once before as well as I said it for 11pm instead of am what an absolute nightmare. And because I didn't realize until about five minutes before, I had to cancel all the shows, and I've just gone live ad hoc, but I am out on the Open Dawes Training Facebook page, YouTube channel, and on my LinkedIn profile as well. So hopefully, you'll be able to catch up. Now, my name is Chris Dawes, I am the founder of Open Dawes Training and as well as helping other people to grow in confidence, willingness and skills to be able to stand up and talk in front of others, whether that's giving presentations, providing training, participating in meetings, having those difficult conversations with people, whatever it may be, is that although I train people to do that, although I still give presentations, give training, have meetings, and obviously commentate? And host awards, nights, things like that. I still get very nervous. Now, I've said that in the past and people have gone. No, you don't know You don't? Absolutely, I without question I most definitely do. But that's adrenaline. And everybody will have adrenaline when they're doing something like this. If they don't, then it kind of means that they're not that bothered about it is the general sort of consensus. And, and it will, more often than not, whether they mean it to or not, it will actually show and this session this morning is really about trying to make sure that people see that adrenalin in the right way, the best way. Because as I said, it is a fuel, not a roadblock. Now, I'm sure many of you have heard of the fight or flight. Well, yes, that is the simple way of talking about it. But what I really want you to sort of grasp is using it to your absolute advantage, we need the psychology to not run away from it. So that's the fight or flight element. But it's about really using it massively to your advantage. I always get nervous before I'm going to commentate, especially at a bigger event. If I'm going to host awards, if I'm going to stand up and do a presentation whether that is face to face, at the lectern on a stage in front of a roomful of people, or whether it's via webcam, every time when I'm doing this show, I still get incredibly nervous about this as well. But what that does is it gets the heart rate going and it gets you ready to raise your performance to possibly be even more infused, or at least sound and look more infused than you maybe it will help you truly perform rather than just present rather than just talk. I've always had this mantra about, you know, don't try to be a presenter, you know, a stereotypical what we think, right? Okay, I'm just going to present all of the information. So throw that out the window, and enjoy it. Let your enthusiasm, your passion, your excitement about your information, let it flood out. Now I just this last weekend is that I got the opportunity for my cousin's stag weekend. I know I've got over the hangover now. But we managed to go and do one of these adventures up in the trees were a mixture of zip wires and across these obstacles 60 feet high up. And I have I've always said thought that I had a fear of heights. And I guess I do because I was still incredibly nervous doing it and trying to walk across these things. But I was adamant I was going to do it all because it would be one heck of an achievement. And every time I was bubbling up with my heart rate going, everything was crazy. It was like, come on, this is what's pushing me to the next one. I'm going to go again, I'm going to go again. And then when I got to the platform, the next tree, it was like yes, that is what the adrenalin enables us to do. So if you are going to present and you can feel that adrenaline that's given you those butterflies, it's making your heart rate go. It's making your breathing a bit shallower. Now, I probably get this even more so when it's hosting awards, and I've had times when I'm driving to the venue and I'm thinking what why am I doing this? Why do I do this to myself? I am feeling incredible things here that are just like are they getting control of me. But what I do to turn it around this sudden ego, what is it, it's a drum, what a fantastic set of feelings. I've got this adrenaline coursing through me, that's pushing me on to achieve this. And as soon as I put it all back into perspective of what this all is, I'm using it as the fuel to make me before the bad news is, as soon as you finish doing whatever it is you're doing, the exhaustion is pretty significant, because that adrenalin just has to leave your body, ignore the work that you may have put in, you know, three hours, we were taken up a niche, or, you know, award shows could take several hours, and you get to the end and fine, you're exhausted in general, but when that adrenalin leaves your body, wow, I have some great experiences when I'm commentating, one of the the biggest ones that sticks in my mind is a Brands Hatch, where, where the commentary box is up at the top, and there's like a balcony at the front. And the either certain stages, depending on the what the event is, I will actually go out the front on the radio mic in front of the people that are there, and actually get them whooping and hollering and Mexican waves and, and cheering for their favorite bits and just really interacting. Before I go and do it, I'm there going? I don't know, should I do this? It could fall flat on its face. Do you know what I do? And this is a key thing I think in helping you embrace the adrenalin and turn it into a very positive thing is first of all, I've already said about acknowledge it and understand what it is. But the big one for me isn't. I've talked about we overthink, and we start picturing what could go wrong and things like that. Well, the biggest one here is flip on its head and think how amazing will I feel at the end? When I've done that? When I've achieved that? How amazing could their reaction be? How amazing could the benefit to these people be? If I'm providing training? What what is the what can they take away from this? What are they going to gain? How much power am I helping with these people. And always when you are presenting remember you are sharing knowledge that is empowering these people you grew from other people giving you knowledge and experiences. And you are about to in this presentation in this training session, whatever it is, I'm about to empower other people. How good is it going to be when they take that away. Don't think about what the negatives are. embrace this adrenalin as fuel to make you give that 110% really, I've always said Be yourself plus 10%. So I kind of exaggerate my personality by 10% for better or for worse, but just because it then comes across as just a little bit more. And that is the adrenaline that enables you to do it. If any of you have ever done anything sporting, and you can use that adrenaline to just meet you, I used to be a national level swimmer. I know you can tell. Sorry, beer at university was found. But I used to be a national level swimmer. And I would even use not only the adrenaline of I want to achieve this, I want to break that record, I want to get another medal and trophy. I want to qualify for this competition, whatever the sporting achievement may be. I would also sometimes if I knew I needed that little bit I would convince myself I was being chased by a shark. sounds ridiculous. I'm in a swimming pool. It's what that's not going to happen. But totally convinced myself right? I am there I've got it. And that adrenalin just gives you that extra bang. I'm gonna go that little bit more now. I've heard stories about kids being able to lift really heavy objects like cars or whatever, off of parents because the adrenalin the panic has kicked in, that this thing is now on top of them. And they've done these superhuman things where they've just lifted it up. And it is the adrenalin that gives you that extra bit. I did the Bristol half marathon and I was in pain. I was exhausted i'd underestimated it. I've never done anything like it before. But came around this corner to a part where either side was just laced with people cheering and shouting and just egging you on. The adrenaline I got from that. Dave Rogers Hello, mate. you've just done a like you must relate to this. You've been doing all kinds of crazy things runs and everything for charity. And when you think about All right, how's this gonna go down those people that could be cheering. I think you did one across the the seven bridge recently that adrenalin gives you something superhuman that you can really just raise yourself. Now, don't underestimate this might not be complete in a half marathon or a marathon. But to go and present with multiple people, they're in a meeting where you've got to sort of put your experience your two pennies worth in, and there's Powers That Be there or whatever else, you've got candidates in there. You know, I have lots of situations where I am training people that are very high up in multinational organizations. And I'm thinking, I'm not worthy media training for sports people that have achieved phenomenal things and will go on to achieve even bigger things. And I can easily start thinking I'm not worthy. But to think that I am empowering, I am giving these people something that they're gonna do, even if it's just a little piece of that jigsaw. That uncomplete a jigsaw doesn't look great. So if you're providing one piece of that, you have that adrenalin, you punch through it. But it's all too easy to see that as a negative. Dave Rogers, there we go. As a thought, mate, how Yeah, you use the atmosphere and push a little bit more 100% that is the key thing. Now, for those of you who may have had or have coming up opportunities to actually be heard, as I say, anything at all? presentations, training meetings, just conversations with people and you kind of go, No, I can feel the butterflies I can feel the heart rate, I can feel the clamminess it's go, right, forget it. It's adrenalin. I've just used the wrong phrase. They're not forget it at all. change your perspective of it, acknowledge it go right. What am I feeling? This adrenalin, I'm actually incredibly excited at this opportunity. Now, you will need to do this time and time again. I've just I said earlier, I still have this now. It doesn't matter how much I do. And I've always said the day I stopped feeling that is the day I stopped doing it. Because it means I've lost my passion, my interest, whatever it might be. Same as Why would you carry on running, if those people cheering you on? doesn't do anything. That feeling when you get the medal, that feeling when you you look back at the photos when you tell your family and your friends and they're kind of like, wow, you put it on Facebook and other social medias and people go, Wow, dude, that's amazing. The minute that doesn't do anything for you, that you don't feel like you've you're achieving something, that's when you don't bother doing anymore. Well, I still love it when I stand up and give a presentation when I'm sat in a meeting and I'm listening to other people and take formulating what information I have and how I can pass that on to help them get to whatever the conclusion might be. I feel really good that I've now helped these people I've helped this organization, I've helped these people. I've closed the sale because I've listened and I've then gone Okay, well based on that our product, our solution. Our advice is this, this is an S that will help you overcome that. And to watch them go, Wow, okay, that's going to help us. It gives me a buzz. It always means that I've got that little adrenaline going, okay. So hopefully they're gonna speak to me if they don't, I've got to try and get them to speak to me, I've then got to take that on board, I've then got to think about it and assimilate it with my knowledge, and then present what it is I need to present and I then have to present as well as have a meeting. I just love that adrenalin. It's what keeps me going. I have a phrase that is my drug of choice, along with gin, probably as people who know me well enough, well, no, that's the case. But I just adore that adrenalin that you have achieved something, you know, things that you are able to do things you have seen, heard and experience things that makes you unique. Don't underestimate what your experiences and knowledge are, and how much they could actually help other people. At the end. What's the worst that can happen is that you put it out there and they kind of go Okay, that's really interesting. Thank you. And that's it. You've not done any harm. But if there's just one person that's gone, hang on. I get it. I can achieve this. This This and this Whatever it might be, I Open Dawes Training was set up specifically with that kind of passion in mind, I couldn't believe the things that I now get to do, the things that I get paid to go and do, especially when I consider that it's all based on the things that used to paralyze me by fear, I've overcome them. And I now get to achieve them based, you know, do all these things based on the things that I was terrified of before. And largely it is because I looked at myself, right, what am I thinking? What am I feeling? Why am I thinking and feeling those things? Okay, what can be the counter arguments and in our training, we do a big, big section on nerves. And in fact, there's even a free download of our top five nerves available. If you go to Open Dawes training.co.uk, you can download a PDF free PDF with our top five sources of nerves and how you can change your perspective because that down to that, right, okay, what can I tell myself that's going to overcome them? What can I do to avoid what I'm worried about, and what's left? Okay, that's now a manageable amount of adrenalin. And I've changed my perspective of adrenalin itself. And so I'm going to embrace it, I'm going to use it. Genuinely the title for this is something that I live by adrenalin is fuel, not a roadblock. But if you let it control you, if you don't understand that you don't put it in perspective, it will control you, it will be a roadblock, because we'll just go, I'm not going to have any of you ever stood on a cliff face, you know, something that's high that you're going to jump off of, and I had it this weekend live up in the treetops with the visit world thing. And you stand there and you go home, I've got even with kids jumping out of trees, or off the fences or off of walls, or whatever it might be, right after three, I'm going to go 12345, you never get to the number that you're actually going to jump. Because we've just allowed the adrenalin to create a nightmare scenario. And I can't do it, just go for it. Just do it. Now, people that are going to present or host or whatever it might be, we'll all have all of you will have different ways that you want to deal with it in that lead up myself. I like to be able to have some some food and conversations with other people. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's it's complete distraction. I think for me, it's probably more normality. I just want it to be normal. And I want to feel people around me and I don't want to be isolated. Because I know my biggest weakness is that I do overthink and I have to manage that. I will start overthinking and thinking too many things and too many things about those too many things, etc. So I prefer to go my ex boss. And when he do presentations, his big one is that absolutely not. He did not he couldn't eat. And he didn't want to speak with other people if he could help it. If somebody spoke to him, it was it was grunts and nods as much as possible. And it just take himself off. And he'd be running through everything that he wanted to make sure he's covering and what he's trying to achieve. And who's here what's it going to lead to dah dah dah dah dah. everything for him was was was thinking about it. And that's what worked for him. All of you will be different and find what works for you in that build up. And just embrace it, it is about then going I've got this a dream that's gonna make me perform and just go for it. I've just started I was gonna say reading but I'm actually doing it on an audio book so that I can pop the headphones in whilst walk in or play on the car or anything. The chimp paradox. Honestly, I've owned I cannot have heard it mentioned so many times. And I've never never got into it never read it never never listened to anything. And I don't understand why because I'm only a few chapters in. And it's probably my biggest Eureka book that I've ever read. It is so obvious It is so it seems weird to say it's logical that we have to accept we've got a chimp brain, we have a chimp, human and computer brain. That's the simple way of explaining it. You've got the computer that we feed with knowledge, and it is black and white facts that they are there for us to call on. You got our human brain, and you've got the chimp that can be an absolute troublemaker but is there to just have like, survival of the species. And if you let that control you too much it will it will just make you You overreact or under react, you know, just not necessarily do the right things. Equally, if you just had a human brain, you'd kind of float through life and not necessarily make the decisions based on the right thing. So that the fact that two of them together, it's a terrible description of it, but the chimp paradox, and you give your chimp a name, and you acknowledge their role in your life. And really, the reason why I'm bringing this up is that this is the same thing here with adrenalin understanding that it's a fuel is that you are acknowledging you are getting these feelings, you are understanding why you're getting those feelings, what those feelings are. And then how do I then turn it around? And make it work for me and use it to my advantage? How do you finish that marathon? How do you hit the wall, break the tape quicker than you've ever done before? How do you stand up and give the performance of your life not being somebody else, you are only ever being you. And remember, nobody can be you better than you. That is all you are asking of yourself, you are up there, sharing knowledge, sharing experiences, sharing passions, for people that are listening to kind of take however much of that that they want, and that they find useful, it's not for us to decide that how much of it is relevant or useful for them. You're just laying out on a platter. That's why even in the techniques for our presenting is that we make a key point is that your best way to do things is not being dogmatic, you know, this is the facts, this is it, my way or the highway, is even softened, the way that you are presenting things is that you are putting it up as a platter. And let your audience take as much as you want. But do it with your personality. And the reason why I say your personality, rather than do it with personality, every single one of us is different. And if you have ever been to where you've watched the sequence of presentations, you'll notice that every single one of them is different pros and cons to every single one. But the fact that they're different is what keeps our attention throughout that longer period, if they were all exactly the same, are my word, we would just lose interest, it would be boring, it would be just hard work. You're going to be you when you can harness that adrenalin, you will exaggerate you and your personality, by that 10% you've not a chimp your inner chimp into touch by going, you're not going to sit there and tell me it's going to go wrong, or it's going to do this or feel that in your stomach. It's gonna make you throw up. No, it isn't. It's just adrenalin. And you are about to do something amazing. You are sharing what you know, in your style. And you're about to be recognized, you're about to empower others. So really, you can tell them very powerfully, you can tell I am very passionate about this. It's something that I still to this day, have to remind myself so of all of the videos that we've done, that will be things that might help you get over that that hump and get yourself going. This not only does that but it's something that you'll need to keep reminding yourself get into a habit of acknowledging, understanding and using those feelings of the adrenaline and it will give everybody the best version of you. That's everything for today. Thank you so much for watching, I hope it was useful and remember you'll be able to watch this video back and also by the way in case you weren't aware is that the audio from this so if you're listening on the audio on the podcast Welcome and thank you for listening. But for those of you watching the video version, this will also go out as a podcast available to listen and download from all of them really their Apple podcasts, the Amazon podcast, Google podcasts there it's all there. Search for opened doors and podcast or Open Dawes Training should find it that way as well. There is links if you go to Open Dawes Training dot code at UK links on the homepage there as well as some some free downloads and have a look and see you know what is there for to be able to help you obviously there's there is the full training courses either online or face to face sorting out going up to London at some point to train a big organization up there. But I've also got numerous people that are doing their stuff online at their own time and able to jump back and forth into as and when they need and with interaction with me via webcam set up as and when they need. Same as you can also jump on and arrange a 30 minute session with myself to have a look at you know what are your core challenges, your core objectives and little snippets of advice I can give and if there's anything that we feel Know that, you know we can assist you with going forward. But hopefully listen back to this and the other previous 10 episodes that are out there as well and we'll keep these going as long as we can might change the time and day slightly but they'll still be coming out. For myself Chris Dawes, thank you so much for your attention. And I look forward to seeing you again very soon. Have a fantastic week. And grab those opportunities embrace the adrenaline is worth it.