Episode 255 – Speaking with Impact: Effective Communication with Joel Weldon

Episode Transcription

This is the Ultimate Advisor Podcast, the podcast for financial advisors who want to create a thriving, successful and scalable practice. Each week we’ll uncover the ways that you can improve your referrals your team, your marketing, and your business operations, helping you to level up your advising practice, bring in more assets and create the advising practice that you’ve dreamed of. You’ll be joined by our hosts Bryan Sweet, who is moving fast towards a billion dollars in assets under management, Brittany Anderson, the driving force for advisors looking to improve their operations and company culture, and Draye Redfern who can help you systematize and automate your practices marketing to effortlessly attract new clients. So what do you say? Let’s jump into another amazing episode of The Ultimate Advisor Podcast.

Brittany Anderson 1:06

Welcome back to The Ultimate advisor podcast I am about to bring on an extra special guests that I have been chomping at the bit to get on our show. We have today Mr. Joel Weldon, he is a member of the speaker’s Hall of Fame. He has been paid to speak at over 3000 events around the world. He’s coached over 10,000 speakers using his ultimate speaking system, some people can do and some people can teach Joel can do both today, Joe coaches people on how to be even more effective when speaking on stage on a video podcast or in a client meeting my very own personal speaking coach Joel, welcome to the show.

Joel Weldon 1:49
Well, thank you, Brittany. And so glad that you’re here watching and listening to this podcast is an ultimate advice. And you’re here because you want to get good ideas. And that’s exactly what’s gonna happen. So you’ll know in our discussion, some things about making presentations that you can use a meet, you can have some specific examples of how they apply to what you do as an advisor. And hopefully, you’re going to feel even more confident about your ability to connect with whoever you’re talking to one on one on the client review on a video on an interview or podcast doing a webinar or an educational event. They’re all the same. It’s connecting, speaking effectively isn’t a performance act, it’s a connecting. And that’s what we’re going to talk about how you can connect with the people that you’re trying to reach. So Brittany, it’s all yours. What would you like to talk about first? Well, you

Brittany 2:37
know, Jill, this is a conversation that I have had with our advisor community and that you and I have talked about over the years, too. And that’s how, you know, we said in your introduction, that speaking is it’s more than just a stage, it’s more than a presentation. It’s how we carry ourselves in our client meeting. It’s how we communicate. So you have this golden phrase that’s about impossible to be misunderstood. So can you take us down that route of how this is applicable to client meeting, and how people can just be ultimately clear and how they communicate?

Joel 3:12
Well, that’s a great way to start. So the basics of communicating, and especially in the financial services area, because you’re a trusted adviser, if you’re talking to a potential new client, and you’re going to take on their asset and manage their finance and be their guide at their side, when it comes to money. Trust is the key fact. And the way that you build trust with people is to be who you are. The worst thing an advisor can do is become a speaker is when they get up and give a talk. They become somebody they’re not because they’ve seen somebody coached them about dramatic and how to pause. That’s ridiculous. You’ve been successful, because you’re you you’ve built a practice, you’ve accumulated AUM, you have clients that give you referrals. Why? Because they like and trust you, that doesn’t mean that you’re perfect. But when it comes to speaking, that’s exactly what you should be congruent with who you are all the time, whether it’s a one on one client review on a big stage or an interview, like we’re doing with Brittany for you today. So how do you do that? And not be misunderstood? That was part of Brittany’s question as well. And that comes to the definition of terms. So with the hundreds of advisors that I’ve worked with over the years, as their personal speaking skills coach, so many of them do retirement plan and that they put out maybe they do an educational event with no food or they’re doing a dinner meeting with food. And the goal is to get people to come in for one on one consultation and eventually turn them into a new client but when they talk about retirement if you would ask 10 People just on the street to find retirement you probably get 10 different answer one of the tools in our system so as an advisor, define your term even Something as simple as retirement. So you could say something like this, we’re going to talk about retirement this afternoon or this evening. And so we’re all on the same page. Here’s our working definition of retire. It’s when your income stopped from your career or your job, and you’re relying on your asset or some kind of retirement plan that you put in, and you do things on your own schedule, or whenever you want to define it that but the key is make sure that everybody’s on the same page, do you want to be happy? I mean, just as people what has happened, having a lot of money, being with my family, being on a boat, going fish, everybody give me a different answer. So if you would just define your terms, then people know where you’re coming. And it’s then impossible for you to be misunderstood. Does that make sense? Brittany,

Brittany 5:45
that makes complete sense. And Joel, I think that the one thing that I can say, personally from learning from you over the years is that I have built so much confidence coming into a space where I’m presenting, I’m sharing a topic I’m in conversations with, be it a coaching client, with some of our advisor community with our team members, all those things. So can you kind of take that bird’s eye view, and this is what I’m thinking of Joel is when you help review slide deck, because that has been something that has been so incredibly helpful is kind of coming bird’s eye view and finding those terms, because the problem is, especially in our industry, I feel like we are so heavy in the acronyms space, there is an acronym for everything. So if an advisor is let’s just say they’re either preparing for a client meeting, or they’re preparing to, you know, get in front of a group to do a presentation, how can they take their own bird’s eye view, to make sure that they’re clear, they’re concise? I’m going to use the one example to where if you ever referenced like a famous person, what are you supposed to do for context, they’re just some of those tips with really looking at things from a different lens and a different perspective.

Joel 6:56
Okay, well, as you’re listening to this podcast, I’m looking right at you and talking to you right now, I know your biggest problem, I hope you don’t mind me telling. But here it is, you know too much. That’s the challenge you face as an ultimate advisor, you know this so well, you live with it, you breathe it, you’re so passionate about this is your this is your calling, this is your mission. And because you’re so familiar with these things, you have a distorted view of what your client or prospect is tuned into, because they’ve hired you as their advisor, because they don’t know how to handle them. They don’t know how to make the right financial choice. They don’t understand all the different things available to reduce that tack. But you do. And because you do, it’s so easy for you to understand how things tied together. So the goal is stop thinking like an advisor and think like the person or people that you’re talking to become your audience. I call it DLA. Think like your audience think like the people that you’re trying to connect. And you know, these, if they’re a client, how experienced they are with finances are what’s really important to them, that it’s not really money, it’s family. So then you frame things according to those needs of the people that you address. But the more that you can understand your audience. And when you’re in a group, of course, it’s a little different than a one on one situation. So one of the tools we’ve created is called the NFV form. And the NFV formula stands for knee fears, Vic NFV. And that means if you would go into any presentation, right, my presentation for you today, as part of being an ultimate advisor and follow this podcast with Brett, what are your needs? When it comes to the subject? We’re talking about? How to communicate your ideas to what do you need to know? Well, you need to know it’s a learned skill, you need to know that the more you do it, the better you’re gonna get at it, you need to know there are certain tools that can help you save time, effort and energy, there are certain ways to connect with your audience those in need. So that’s what we’re going to talk about, then what are your fear fears means worry or concern. So when you’re talking to a potential audience, what are they worried about? Are they worried about living too long and running out of money? Are they worried or fearful about paying too much in taxes? Are they worried or concerned about how do they pass their assets on to their children and not spoil them and make them lazy? All of those things should be in your mind clear and hopefully written down to help you focus on and then the last one is victory. What are the positive or achieve relevance a potential client or prospect they’ve been successful finance, they’ve built a business, they’ve accumulated assets, they’ve dealt with other advisors in the past, but they know that there’s more that they could be getting. That’s a pause. So all of those qualities that your audience has their needs, their fears and the evictory should help you decide what to talk about. Because if you’re going to make a presentation, there are six words you’ll never hear Britney, you’re never going to hear these six words. You go out and speak all the time but nobody has he’s ever gonna give you these six words. Would you like to know what they are?

long as you want. No one is gonna say that to you. So as an ultimate advisor, really, if today was let’s just say today was Monday morning at nine o’clock, and somebody said, talk as long as you want about what you know about investing, financial services, retirement planning, reducing taxes, all of those things. If you started nine o’clock on Monday morning, I’m sure by Sunday night at midnight, you’d still be talking because you know, so much remember that biggest challenge I said earlier biggest challenge you have is you know, so much and because you know, so much one of the tendencies is when you have an hour presentation, well, how much work can I put in, I have so much more than I can get it in an app. But if you base everything on your audience needs fears, and Victor and only talk about something that meets their needs, overcomes a fear or concern or reinforces a victory or success, you’re going to connect with that audience. That’s the way that you have that connection, right from the start, because you’re going to be given 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 40 an hour, but you’re not going to be given forever. So does that make sense?

Brittany 11:14
That makes complete sense. And honestly, Joel, where my head was going is we’ve talked a lot on the podcast in our masterminds along the topic of never falling in love with your own messaging, that it doesn’t really matter what you want to get across. What matters is what the audience is looking for. Right? So I know our friend, Joe Polish, the creator of Genius Network, he’s talked about, sell them what they want, and give them what they need. And I think what you just laid out here with your formula, and that NFV it’s exactly what we’ve been reiterating. It’s exactly what we’ve been talking about with our community of advisors that you’ve got to understand the fears, you’ve got to understand their big wins and what their their heart is pulling towards and why the heck, they’re even talking to you in the first place. So that was just so aligned, Joel, and I think such great, great. I’m gonna I’m gonna call it advice, just insight. So I want to take this granular though, because as you’re sharing here, I come back a little bit to even how I craft email messages, and how communication and what you’re talking about here spills over into literally day to day life. So there are a couple of words that you have made me so darn aware of in your coaching, and that is I and you. So can you talk a little bit about that, and how much of an impact you can make with some of those small little tweaks in how you communicate with people and how you can actually make people feel seen even in something as simple as an email.

Joel 12:45
Okay, well, let’s do this. Let’s let let me answer that about the email. But let’s make it about a presentation. Because it’s really the same thing, the opening of an email, and the opening of a message. And that message could be a video for your website. It could be an interview that you’re on, it could be a podcast like this. So anytime you begin a mess, whether it’s in print, like an email, or out of your voice, when it’s a live presentation, here’s how the ordinary advisor begins. Brittany, I’m just so excited to be here on your podcast that you know, I’ve been thinking about this and looking forward to it. I just love working with financial advisors, especially ultimate advisors, and would you and Brian have done I mean, it’s just so great. I just feel so honored to be here. No one cares. No one cares that I’m excited you. You don’t care anything about Joel Weldon. If you’re still listening to this podcast, you don’t care anything about me and you should what you shouldn’t be caring about is what is this guy know that I can use right away to be better connected to my audience to make presentations that keep me congruent that build trust and believability. And that will help me grow my practice. That’s what you want to know. So when somebody opens an email, now let’s go to that. And it says, Britney, I need to get a couple of things for our podcasts coming up next week. I need to know who’s in your audience, I also need to know, okay, everything in that first sentence is about me because it has the word. So the goal when you open a mat, like I opened this message for you. And if you want to go back and listen to the very first thing that I said it was three words. And if you use these three words, whenever you open any kind of presentation in front of a video camera on a podcast, or an audio, it’s gonna be amazing. And the three words are you’re here because by opening with, you’re here because it forces you to stay away from the I word because no one cares about unless what you know can help. So when when I began it said you’re here because you’re a financial advisor. You’re part of this ultimate advisor, podcast family and you’re tuning in because you want some ideas to help you be an even better communicator and speak so if you would use those three Are you anytime you begin a mess, and you would say Thank you, Brittany for the introduction, but you’re here because you want to retire if you built a successful business, and you’re looking for ways to reduce your tag, have enough money that you’d never run out in retirement, and could still support the groups that you feel that are important through charity, and also provide for your loved ones and family. That’s why you’re here. And that’s what you’re going to understand some things today that will help you do rather than saying, I love talking about retirement planning, it’s my favorite subject. I’ve been doing this for years, no one can, that’s what you need to imagine the audience that no one can now we do care about you a friend or a relative, but an audience does. So now let’s take that same thing to that email. So I gave you that Brittany, I need to know about this podcast, I need to know about who’s your audience also. So what if that email began with that same concept of making it about them? Brittany, your podcast is so important. You’ve invested so much time and effort building up an audience of financial advisors, successful advisors, many of them from Raymond James, and other independence, as well as some wirehouse. And you want to make sure that every guest is going to provide something that connects with your audience and meets their needs. So if you can answer some of these questions, you’re going to guarantee that we’re going to get a better match. So what would you like to see? Okay, there’s not one I in anything I said. So here’s your assignment, look at a past email, you’ve written to one of your best client, look in the file, pull out one of them, print it out, take a pen, and circle eyes. And you now I mean, I mean, mind you is you your or your and circle, though. And if you’re like most ordinary advisors, right, the first paragraph is going to be at least more eyes than you not when you look at Britney, because she’s gotten really good at making it about the person she’s writing to. And you could write a 10 page, email and never use, I mean, you might want to, and you can include everybody by just talking about you. So let me prove that here’s 8 billion people proc, you might be a man, or you might be a one, that statement just included everybody on this planet, you might own your own business, or maybe you’re an officer in a I could include everybody in a business, you might be thinking of retiring in the next few years. Or maybe retirement is far in the future point. But you know that someday you will be leaving your best because you know, we don’t live forever. So you can include everybody. And I put it on a little piece of paper. I don’t know if this will show up Britain. But but that’s the key word I never can you read that as a little too small, I can read it. So that’s your assignment, looking at an email and see if you could rewrite those first two paragraphs and replace the eyes, knees and mind with you, you’re and it’s amazing how much that will help you connect with the person reading that. So does that answer your question, but

Brittany 17:58
it does. And you know, every time every time we go through these conversations, Joel, I just get a little nugget reminders for myself to have ways that I can make my communication even better and improve just the messaging overall. So so I just love this. And Joel, there’s another thing that I am thinking of here, knowing our advisor audience, we have a whole range of personalities call it people that are very, very comfortable getting up on stage and speaking, people that love facilitating group conversations. And then you have people on the other end of the spectrum where they’re going, I get so nervous getting in front of people, I feel like I fumble over my words. And one thing, Joel, that I’ve witnessed with you is you know, I’ve watched you coach, how many different entrepreneurs, business owners advisors over the years, and you have this magical way of helping people how you talked in the beginning about this authenticity of really leaning into who they are, but also helping calm nerves. So are there different tips or insights that you can provide to somebody who’s maybe a little bit nervous, who doesn’t really love gaming, but wants to get into that and wants to have more impact in that way?

Joel 19:11
Well, that’s a great point. Yes, well, there’s a number of things that you can do, the first thing that you could do, and which you should always have is just how this podcast began. Brittany introduced me to you so whenever you speak, even if it’s at your own team meeting with your own clients, let’s say it’s a Year End Meeting and you’re talking about where you were, where you are, and where you’re going. As a client in your firm and you’re doing a holiday party, somebody should enter you. So if you have an introduction, one of the things that you can have is and let’s just say your name is Fred because I don’t want to use Brian’s name or Brittany’s name, but is it your name is Fred and in the introduction, it would say that the purpose of this educational session is to talk about your retirement plan what you need to do now and in the future so that when you retire How you can have the life that you’ve dreamed. And this is an area that Fred is very familiar with. Matter of fact, he is personally held the hand of over 1500 of his clients who have left the workplace and moved into retirement over the last 37 years speaking in front of a group is not something Fred is comfortable. Matter of fact, he doesn’t enjoy it at all. So I’ve asked him to step out of his comfort because when it comes to retirement planning, there’s nobody I’ve known over these years, that knows more about than fret. So even though this isn’t his area of comfort, he’s doing it because he knows how valuable it could be for you. Okay? So one way to help somebody who isn’t uncomfortable, set it up that way that this is not something that they’re comfortable doing and they get nervous at it. You can even put that in there. So I’ve had I’ve had some people in one introduction we use His name was Jack, he was sarcastic, but he use sarcasm throughout his talk, you know, you’re gonna have a great retirement if you if you work hard, and he would put in some sarcastic comments all the time. And he got on his feedback how sarcastic he was, and he just couldn’t seem to break the habit. So knowing him i He was sarcastic. That was who he is. So I put that in the next introduction when he spoke and it said, you know, Jack’s got this background. This background. After a while people realize Jack is sarcastic. Matter of fact, if you look up the word sarcasm in the dictionary, you would see Jack’s picture next to that word, he’s probably the most sarcastic person you’ve met. Now, Jack thinks it’s funny, but some people don’t. So I just want to warn you that it’s not personal. If he says something to you that sarcastic. That’s just the way jacket. And then we went on with some other credential Jack. The first time he used that he wrote me an email, right if Joel I got the highest ratings I’ve ever gotten. And on the feedback cards that I’m using, one of the things that I saw over and over again was I love the sarcasm, it was so funny. There wasn’t one negative comment about my circuit, they saw it as a positive. And the only thing that was done was we set it up ahead of time. So if there’s something that could distract, like you have an accent, maybe English is your second language. With that in the introduction, this is English is Maurices second language, which means it’s going to be difficult to understand some of the things he says but let me tell you that knowing Maurice very well, if you only get half of what he said, you’re still going to be way ahead. So listen carefully, because sometimes those words will sneak by well, by doing that people suddenly bleed and that much of an accent, I can understand everything he said. But if you don’t say anything, people’s thoughts at what’s going on, I can’t understand that. So that’s one way of doing is get it set up ahead of time, if you’re not comfortable in front of a group, just tell the audience that in the beginning, that this is outside of your comfort zone, but you’ve been asked because you have an expertise in the area you’re talking about. Now, what if you can’t do that? Well, what causes people to be nervous, especially when they get it in front of it’s being self conscious. And when you’re self conscious, you’re thinking about who yourself. So one of the things to do is realize it has nothing to do with you. It’s all about your own, you know, these things, you know, these financial Secrets of Success, you’ve practiced them. And that’s why you’re financially secure now, but they have, it’s all about them. It’s not about so if you can get yourself out of the way like a TV reporter giving the news, bad news, the good news, the reporter knows the news has nothing to do with that. They’re just reporting what happened is tragic, when people were killed, they’re not going to break into tears, because that wasn’t their family, it wasn’t them. And that’s what you can do. Get yourself out of the way. And if you do that, and you then be yourself, whatever that is being you is the key, which will make you much more relaxed. So hopefully that’s helpful. Does that make sense? Brittany?

Brittany 23:49
makes so much sense. And honestly, Joel? Well, I’ll frame this to the advisor audience actually, because we’ve talked a lot on this podcast about you know, really making sure again, the authenticity thing is huge. But also making sure that you’re showing up in a way that is so reflective of who you are, right? So I think whether you’re speaking on a stage, you’re leading a group, you’re in that individual meeting, that all of this is so completely irrelevant, regardless of how and where you’re showing up. You know, people can see through immediately when you’re, what do you call it when you’re off when you’re, you know, trying too hard in one way or the other people people are quick to pick up on that. And the incongruency is you don’t ever want somebody to not do business with you because they sent some level of incongruency that can be so easily fixed just by leaning into who you are as a person and not trying to be like somebody else. You know, Joel I’ve I’ve thought about it to where I’ll watch other amazing presenters and I’m like, Man, she killed it when she did this or he really just got the audience going and because of your help and your work on it fle I have this internal filter now where I can say is that really aligned with who I am so advisors listening here, you can pick up on great things and ways that people present and speak and how they deliver, it doesn’t mean that that’s meant for you. So, Joel, I think you just highlighted that so brilliantly. So I would guess at this point that our audience members are wondering, how do you serve? How do they get a hold of you? What does that look like if people wanted to engage even deeper in some of the coaching and the speaking training that you’re doing? Well,

Joel 25:29
makes so much sense. And honestly, Joel? Well, I’ll frame this to the advisor audience actually, because we’ve talked a lot on this podcast about you know, really making sure again, the authenticity thing is huge. But also making sure that you’re showing up in a way that is so reflective of who you are, right? So I think whether you’re speaking on a stage, you’re leading a group, you’re in that individual meeting, that all of this is so completely irrelevant, regardless of how and where you’re showing up. You know, people can see through immediately when you’re, what do you call it when you’re off when you’re, you know, trying too hard in one way or the other people people are quick to pick up on that. And the incongruency is you don’t ever want somebody to not do business with you because they sent some level of incongruency that can be so easily fixed just by leaning into who you are as a person and not trying to be like somebody else. You know, Joel I’ve I’ve thought about it to where I’ll watch other amazing presenters and I’m like, Man, she killed it when she did this or he really just got the audience going and because of your help and your work on it fle I have this internal filter now where I can say is that really aligned with who I am so advisors listening here, you can pick up on great things and ways that people present and speak and how they deliver, it doesn’t mean that that’s meant for you. So, Joel, I think you just highlighted that so brilliantly. So I would guess at this point that our audience members are wondering, how do you serve? How do they get a hold of you? What does that look like if people wanted to engage even deeper in some of the coaching and the speaking training that you’re doing? Well,

Brittany 27:28
that is crystal clear. And we’ll make sure to capture all of that in the show notes. So that you as the advisor listening that you are able to quickly grab those links. Because, you know, I gotta say that I’m biased because you have been such an amazing coach. But truly Joel, I can say this with full confidence that you have changed my life in a lot of ways for the positive. I mean, there’s been so many opportunities that have opened up and I think about just the principles and the teachings that you’ve helped me through from, you know, my first 10 minute talk at Genius Network all the way up until now. And it’s just been such a godsend. And I’m so fortunate to know you and call you a friend. So I can say with confidence, you listening to this as an advisor, there’s so much that we as a community of advisors can do even better to support our client to make an impact. And speaking is really the foundation communication is the foundation of how we make that impact. So I highly encourage any of you to reach out to Joel. Joel, I have one last question that I like to ask all of our members guests here on the show. And that is what Didn’t I ask you that I should have? Well, what have you

Joel 28;39
asked me? Could you sum up everything you’ve learned about being an effective communicator in 22 words, but let me give this to you as an ultimate advice. And here it is 22 words and if you will do this, you will be an even better communicate, speak to your audience about what they need in an organized way they can follow and get yourself out of the way

Brittany 29:04
that is phenomenal. I had to digest that for a second there, Joel, that was so clear, so concise, and so completely impossible to be misunderstood. So thank you for your time today and for your brilliance and your generosity. We’ll make it a great day. All right, that wraps up today’s episode of The Ultimate advisor podcast. If you liked what you heard, be sure to share this with your advisor friend. Also don’t forget to subscribe so that you’re the first to know every time a new episode drops. We’ll catch you right back here next time. Hey there, Brittany Anderson here. If you are loving what you’re hearing on our ultimate advisor podcast, don’t keep us a secret. Share us with other advisors that you think would benefit from the messages that you are hearing. The easiest way to do that is to simply send them to Ultimate advisor podcast.com And if you want to learn a few other ways that we could potentially serve you as an advisor, go check out ultimate advisor mastermind.com. As always, we are so happy to have you here with us as part of the ultimate advisor community, and we look forward to a continued relationship.