Show Notes
Is it possible that your comfort zone is actually your danger zone? How willing are you to push it up, take a risk, and break through whatever stands in your way? Those are the questions Rob “Waldo” Waldman asks his audiences.
Waldo is a Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker, and retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and Fighter Pilot who has flown 65 combat missions. But even someone who has made a living being courageous and adventurous has to overcome very real fears.
You’ll hear what scared Waldo, and what he did about it, as motivational keynote speaker Waldo Waldman takes the stage on this episode of Standing Ovation.
Find out about:
- Hear Waldo’s signature story of how he overcame his worst fear
- How setbacks can be blessings in disguise
- Why Waldo decided to share the scuba diving story on stage
- How Waldo adds more ‘texture’ to his stories
- Why speakers must emulate the same philosophies they share on stage
- What to look for in a speaking coach
- Why you shouldn’t practice in front of your audience
- How (and why) Waldo changes his rate of speaking and volume throughout his presentation
- How to pick up tell-tale cues from the audience to help direct your presentation and keep the audience engaged
Quotes from the episode:
“When you focus on others…you can distract yourself from your fears.”
“When faced with a choice, will you choose the easy route or the road less traveled?”
“We have to emulate the same philosophies we share on stage.”
Connect with Waldo Waldman
2 Key Questions
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given about the speaking business?
“Get an assistant. Not just because of business operations, not just because it will elevate you from ‘being in the weeds,’ but if we are story givers and intellectual property creators, motivators, and trainers, we must be in creative mode as much as possible. We have got to create content and ideas and processes. You can’t do that when you’re distracted on the minutia of your business.”
“When I was able to outsource that, it created breathing room in my business to come up with ideas, to ponder how I can shift that story, to do amazing interviews that inspired me to think differently and build more relationships and I think this goes for any business in your life – invest in somebody (or something) to free up your time.”
Who is your dream guest for Standing Ovation?
“I love Dan Thurmon, he is an amazing thought-leader and one of my best friends in the speaking industry… he’s taken me under his wing and I’ve done the same with him and we’ve shared ideas. He is extremely cognoscente of how his stories and his messaging impacts people’s lives. He is one of the people that I talk to as an informal mentor and coach when I’m changing something around.”
