Yesterday, I told you a story of a successful live event. One that brought me $500K because I was able to build a relationship with an influencer.
Today, let’s talk about the flip side of live events — the nerves, the intimidation, and the overwhelm.
In college I had this dream to become a sports reporter. It seemed perfect. I loved writing, loved sports, and it came with the added perk of being surrounded by athletic guys all the time.
I was the editor of the school newspaper when our basketball team made it to the NCAA tournament. I got to cover it and sit court side with all the big shots in the industry. I convinced the tournament to let me bring an “assistant” who was really just this guy I wanted to date.
Pro tip: courtside seats to NCAA’s, free food, chick that likes sports…ladies, if you want to find a man in college, procure yourself a press pass.
Anyway, right in front of us sits one of my industry idols, Jay Bilas. I watch his whole ESPN game coverage, close enough to lick him. At halftime, my “assistant” starts nudging me to talk to Jay. Finally he gets sick of me refusing, taps Jay on the shoulder and starts to introduce me. I was so embarrassed, I literally turned my back to Jay and hustled away.
Yes, I got up and left.
Why? I have no idea.
I’m not a big believer in regrets in life, but this may be my biggest one. I had the opportunity to start a conversation with someone that could have literally changed my life. Who knows where that conversation may have led if I just said hello?
So many of us have stories like this.
And inside The Business of Copy, we talk about live events to find clients a lot. And I knew it wasn’t fair to the group if the only people that benefited were those that are comfortable in those settings.
So a couple months ago, I reached out to a friend of mine who happens to be a behavioral psychologist and TEDx speaker who focuses on helping people with anxiety.
Today, I want to share part of that interview with you.
In just 10 minutes you’ll learn:
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[0:45] How to tell if you need work on “social skills” or if something else is holding you back
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[1:18] The science behind why you’re witty and fun with your friends, but freeze in large groups
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[3:26] The secret to live event prep that’s hiding in your next burrito
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[5:54] Why — despite what everyone else tells you — you should never try to “think positive”
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[6:40] 2 Mind-control secrets you can use on yourself
Check out the video here and let me know what you think:
I just love the idea of a behavior repertoire — that there’s a spectrum of behaviors we operate on and that it’s observable. Looking forward to using the trick of looking at eye color next time I feel overwhelmed.