Stretching Yourself

To speak with conviction.

Most speakers stay within their safe lane. They rely on the same habits, the same prep, and the same delivery style, month after month, even year after year. But to Communicate with Mastery, you must be willing to stretch. I encourage you to view the video below for more context. If you’re more of a reader than a viewer, you can scroll below to read on….

Whether you are prepping for a high-stakes pitch or an informal meeting, here is how to push beyond your baseline to speak with greater conviction:

• “Pre-crastinate” your prep: Don’t wait until the night before to title your talk. Name it weeks in advance. Setting the “headline” early allows your ideas to percolate and your subconscious to do the heavy lifting long before you step onto the stage.

• Audit your Auto-Pilot: If you’re a natural storyteller, lean into the hard data. If you’re a numbers person, challenge yourself to find the qualitative narrative. Stretching your content style ensures you aren’t just comfortable—you’re effective.

• Master the low and slow: Your voice is your most versatile tool. Use it to animate your words. When you need to demonstrate gravitas, drop into a lower register and slow your cadence. This shift in vocal animation signals to your audience that what you are saying right now is different, and merits deeper attention.

• The Video Mirror: The most painful stretch is often the most productive: watch yourself on video. Reviewing your performance (and sharing it with a mentor for feedback) is the fastest way to bridge the gap between how you think you’re showing up and how you actually are.

Overall, just take the baby steps, because, for the baby, baby steps aren’t small. Even doing a little bit to stretch yourself inside of each presentation helps you maintain a lifelong commitment to Communicating with Mastery.

My husband, Rev. Ken Daigle, often shares this quote.

Today we celebrate my husband, Rev. Ken Daigle’s birthday. As a meaningful gift this year, I am inviting everybody in my circle to leave an Amazon review on his book, Unapologetic Manifestation. This relatively small gesture carries immense weight for an author’s reach.

Talk of the Week

I attended my first South by Southwest (SxSW) a few weeks ago. The very final talk before I headed to the airport was phenomenal. Jack Conte, founder of the creator site Patreon, delivered a powerful, nuanced and passionate talk. He’s done more than anybody to return the power of sharing (and being compensated for it) to creators, totaling over $10 billion (with a B). Conte delivers a vivid history lesson about the various forces that have shaped and reshaped music delivery over the past century. Watch (or skip) to the end for a compelling manifesto on embracing creators amid AI’s rapid spread.

Conte is a vivid example of stretching yourself in a talk; see how much new material and how many methods he used to make this keynote a true showstopper.

JD’s Recommendations: What I’m Reading, Hearing, and Viewing

• Reading: Hidden Pressure by Zahana Tate, an eighth grader raised by two moms, offers a striking and stretching perspective on the exhaustion of racism that lingers long after reading.

• Hearing: I’m over halfway through the audiobook of Beyond Belief by my former Stanford GSB colleague Nir Eyal. Each chapter brings to life the shifts that can stretch us from limiting beliefs to more liberating ones.

• Viewing: Robin Williams is at his finest in Good Will Hunting; a scene of quiet brilliance, often said to have been unscripted. Both Williams’ improv and Matt Damon’s response serve to remind us of what presence in its purest form looks like.

As always, I’m grateful for your reading, commenting, and sharing. It makes my day! I look forward to hearing how you stretch yourself over the next few weeks as we enter a new month, a new quarter, a new season.

All the best,

jds