Episode•August 26, 2022•19 min

MasterTalk with Brenden Kumarasamy | Ep. 132

In this podcast episode, we interviewed Brenden Kumarasamy, a renowned public speaker and coach. During our conversation, we will discuss tips and tricks for effective public speaking, what makes a successful speech or presentation, common pitfalls to avoid to achieve success when speaking in public, and more. We will also highlight Brenden’s career journey, how he got started in the public speaking business and his best recommendations for anyone looking to start their own journey. Join us as we gain advice from a master of the craft! About our Guest Brenden is the founder of MasterTalk, he coaches ambitious executives & entrepreneurs to become top 1% communicators in their industry. He also has a popular YouTube channel called MasterTalk, with the goal of providing free access to communication tools for everyone in the world. Connect with Brenden Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/masteryourtalk/ Twitter: @masteryourtalks Facebook: https://www.youtube.com/c/MasterTalks Website: https://www.mastertalk.ca Connect with Tiffany on Social Media Facebook: Money Talk With Tiff Twitter: @moneytalkwitht Instagram: @moneytalkwitht LinkedIn: Tiffany Grant This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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Key Takeaways

1
Focus on your relationship with communication rather than trying to eliminate fear
Most people have a negative relationship with public speaking centered on fear, anxiety, and stress
Dream about your communication skills the same way you dream about financial or business goals
Ask yourself: 'How would your life change if you were an exceptional communicator?'
2
Use the 'boxing ring' approach to manage speaking anxiety
Don't try to remove fear completely - it's unrealistic
Focus on your message winning over the fear in the 'boxing ring'
Let your purpose and message deliver the 'knockout punch' to anxiety
3
Practice the 'random word exercise' to build impromptu speaking skills
Pick random words (tissue box, cup, perspective) and create presentations on the spot
If you can make sense out of nonsense, you can make sense out of anything
This builds confidence for handling unexpected speaking situations
4
Prepare presentations like jigsaw puzzles - start with the edges
Practice your introduction 50 times before tackling the middle content
Prepare your conclusion with equal rigor - a great movie with a terrible ending is still terrible
Only then work on the middle content of your presentation
5
Use 'question drills' to prepare for common speaking scenarios
Spend 5 minutes daily writing answers to questions people ask about your expertise
After one year, you'll have answered 365 questions and be 'unbeatable'
Focus especially on questions you get asked repeatedly in podcasts or presentations

Intro

Tiffany interviews Brenden Kumarasamy, founder of MasterTalk, about overcoming public speaking fears and developing exceptional communication skills for executives, entrepreneurs, and anyone looking to improve their speaking abilities.
Brenden Kumarasamy is the founder of MasterTalk, coaching ambitious executives and entrepreneurs to become top 1% communicators. He runs a popular YouTube channel providing free communication tools to people worldwide.

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– The Foundation: Your Relationship with Communication

What is your relationship with communication? Because most of us, the relationship we have is surrounded by fear, anxiety, and stress.
– Brenden Kumarasamy

Brenden emphasizes that like our relationship with money, our relationship with communication determines our success. He encourages listeners to 'dream' about their communication skills the same way they dream about financial goals.

– Managing Fear: The Boxing Ring Analogy

The goal is never for the fear to leave the ring, but rather when your message and your fear meet in the middle of that boxing match, that your message gets the knockout punch.
– Brenden Kumarasamy

Brenden shares that even as an expert, he would still feel nervous coaching Elon Musk. The key is not eliminating fear but ensuring your message wins over the anxiety.

– The Random Word Exercise

Brenden demonstrates the random word exercise when Tiffany gives him the word 'word.' He creates an impromptu presentation about how words govern our lives and the importance of non-verbal communication.

If you can make sense out of nonsense, you can make sense out of anything.
– Brenden Kumarasamy

– The Easy Threes Framework

Random word exercise for impromptu speaking
Puzzle approach - prepare introduction and conclusion 50 times each before middle content
Question drills - spend 5 minutes daily preparing answers to common questions

Do the introduction 50 times. 50 seems like a big number, but actually it only takes an hour.
– Brenden Kumarasamy

– When Preparation Time Is Limited

Brenden shares a story about having to deliver half his keynote in French with only 15 minutes notice. He succeeded by returning to his purpose - the message was too important to fail.

It's impossible for me to do bad... because if I don't do well in front of those kids, they're going to look at me and say 'this kid can't be a great speaker.'
– Brenden Kumarasamy

Resources

Topics

public speakingcommunication skillsovercoming fearpresentation tipsimpromptu speakingexecutive coachingpodcast interviewspreparation strategiesprofessional development