A Punch in the Face, Wrapped in a Warm Hug (ft. Laura Gassner Otting)

A Punch in the Face, Wrapped in a Warm Hug (ft. Laura Gassner Otting)Laura Gassner Otting on getting through fear and getting more with lessOPENING QUOTE:“I gave that talk holding on to the lectern. Like if I let go, I would fly into space and die. It was so scary but at the end of it, they handed me a check.”-Laura Gassner OttingGUEST BIO:Laura Gassner Otting, known worldwide as LGO, has been described as a punch in the face wrapped in a warm hug. After selling her extremely successful executive search firm, she entered the speaking industry and promptly blasted off. Applying extreme levels of curiosity, intensity, creative problem solving, and drive, she hit escape velocity in record time and continues to scale fast. She's the bestselling author of two books, and her extensive body of work is helping her deliver meaningful value to audiences around the globe.Links:WebsiteTwitterInstagramFacebookLinkedInCORE TOPICS + DETAILS:[3:08] - Lessons from Taylor SwiftKeynote speaking advice from an unexpected sourceWe start the episode in an unexpected place — a Taylor Swift concert. Laura shares how impressed she was with the way that Swift left plenty of space for the audience to be part of the show simply by cheering and showing appreciation. She goes on to say that this is something all keynote speakers could apply to their own approach. The more the audience feels like they’re having a conversation rather than receiving information, the more engaged they’ll be.[5:49] - The First OvationA small tweak to delivery that paid massive dividendsHow did Laura get more out of her speaking career? By giving less. “The first standing ovation I ever got was when I decided to…give 48 minutes of content during a 60-minute keynote.”She goes on to share how allowing moments for the audience to laugh, cry, cheer, and respond turned her speeches into conversations — and that made all the difference. It didn’t just lead to her first standing ovation. It also led to major upward momentum in her career as she became an in-demand voice on stages everywhere.[9:10] - Laura’s Identity CrisisIt’s not all smooth sailing — even for LGOAfter feeling on top of the world having just sold her company amidst huge success, Laura had to face a moment of transformation. Who was she now that she wasn’t “LGO, CEO”?Then, a contact encouraged her to get onstage. She gave her first talk ever at TEDx Cambridge in front of 2,600 people — and was terrified the entire time. But she got through it, delivered her message, and discovered something about herself. She had a passion for speaking. That discovery was waiting just on the other side of her terror. What discoveries do we miss because we’re afraid?[13:48] - The Creative HackA video reel and a shot of career rocket fuelEarly in the development of her speaking career, Laura had a problem. She needed a video reel, but had only been onstage once. How could she put together a reel of multiple successful performances when she didn’t have multiple successful performances.Simple. She rented an auditorium, brought an audio-visual setup, and ran through multiple pitch-perfect lines in multiple outfits. Boom. All of a sudden she had a professional-looking reel with what appeared to be multiple killer performances — even though most of them had come from the same day.The rest is history.[37:19] - From the Today Show t