Nail Your Narrative: The Public Speaking Skill That Actually Sells, Sticks, and Sparks Action with Hannah Michelotti

0:28Boom! Shake the room, Fire Nation. careers. And today we'll talk about the number one skill all entrepreneurs need to master, the Costco moment, stories that change people's minds and oh, so much more. And a big thank for sponsoring today's episode goes to Hannah and our sponsors. Are you ready for the ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies? Build funnels, automate follow-ups, manage clients, and even white label your own software. Say hello to our featured partner, HighLevel, and visit HighLevelFire.com to start your free trial today. Over 42 ,000 businesses have future-proofed their business with NetSuite by Oracle, the number one cloud ERP, bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR into one fluid platform.

1:19Download the CFO's guide to AI and machine learning today at NetSuite.com slash fire. Hannah, say what's up to Fire Nation and share something that you believe about becoming successful that most people disagree with. Discipline. It's massively overrated when it's borrowed and it is massively underrated when it is yours. Most people think they're being disciplined, but really they're just performing someone else's version of success. If you think about it and all the classic hallmarks of discipline for entrepreneurs and successful professionals, it's that whole wake up at 4 a.m., write in your gratitude journal, pound some mushroom coffee, do a cold plunge, drink a bunch of vitamins and supplements.

2:08And I'm so sorry, John, if you do some of these things, but they must be working for you because everyone else, you haven't stopped to actually ask, does any of this actually work for me? The real steps to real success are not about borrowing discipline. They're about discernment and knowing what works for you. And you need to know the difference. For example, I don't say this without having tried it. I tried the whole wake up every morning at 4 a.m. and go into an orange theory class. And supposedly this habit of waking up at the butt crack of dawn before the sun is even shining on the northern hemisphere sets the tone for success.

2:46But I am a massive night owl. And my energy in my body builds throughout the day. I can work out at 11 o 'clock at night, and I often do when I'm traveling for work and clients. Last month, I was in California, and I did a 5K in the workout room at 1030 at night. So within one week of my little 4 a.m. experiment of waking up to set the tone for success, I got a really gnarly cold after going to Orange Theory for five days because I had a massive sleep debt. turns out when you have sleep debt your immune system lowers the gates and what's in all the germs my splat points were through the roof because my body was failing to function at 4am let alone have a tiny blonde woman shout at me to run faster discipline only works for you if it works for you likely you're being very successful and disciplined in certain areas of your life that are serving you and bringing you success focus on those instead of someone else's definition of what it is one of mine outside of work is that i have fastidious discipline around climbing mountains literal mountains i live in the pacific northwest the moment you say we've got a date to climb i will train plan prepare and be more physically and mentally ready to climb that mountain than anyone else so if you're listening and taking a giant sigh of relief that you don't have to drink the disciplined kool-aid of somebody else anymore, aka mushroom coffee, I'm glad I freed you from the disciplinary prison.

4:16It's not about discipline. It's about discernment. Four Sigmatic, I love you. I will keep drinking you every single day despite what Hannah says. And I love that whole conversation about being disciplined on what works for you, Fire Nation. As we talk about nailing your narrative, this public speaking skill that actually sells sticks and sparks action. And there's one skill, Hannah, one skill that you recommend all entrepreneurs master. What is that skill? I am a public speaking and presentation skills coach. So you're likely expecting me to say, get better at public speaking. In fact, the number one skill people come to me for is public speaking.

4:53However, that is not the actual number one skill people need to develop. Very few professionals know this, but the number one skill I recommend for all entrepreneurs and professionals to develop is the skill of storytelling. And I do not mean that in the abstract sense of that marketing buzzword of let's storytell. Too many of my corporate marketing clients say they're going to storytell. And then we see 17 slides of a photo montage of autumnal colors and hipsters and mass green beanies with Stanley thermos containers, likely full of mushroom coffee. Entrepreneurs and professionals need to be able to tell effective, personal, true, real, specific stories.

5:34stories and I'm going to give you two examples because I don't share this information without having examples. In 2019, I was remodeling my 500 square foot kitchen. We were seven months into a three-month remodel. Double the time. Oh, it hurts. If I had to look at another to-go box of tacos, I was going to hurl. All I wanted to do was cook in my kitchen. Is that so hard to ask for? we were at the painting cabinet stage our contractor said you need to leave for four days because of the fumes then come back so we stayed with family and friends came back on a sunday to see how progress was going to find our painter's van in our driveway i thought well i committed painter we opened the door and said hello no one replied we walked into the kitchen and found his shop vac, his pants, his belt, his socks, and his shoes scattered on the ground in our kitchen.

6:31And I was prepared to find a partially naked man in my home. As it turns out, our painter was in jail and he had been in jail for a week. And our cabinets that he was painting, they were locked in his studio somewhere within a 50 mile radius of our house. It was utter chaos. And that's just part one of the story. I'm opening the loop of the story to bring you in and engage you. Example number two, I was prepping for a live in-person workshop for nearly 20 PhDs, literal scientists, researchers, very big brain people. They use the word neurotransmitters in casual conversation. The night before my presentation, I started to spiral.

7:15I started thinking, oh my gosh, what does a public speaking and presentation skills expert with a degree in not molecular biology have any business teaching them anything? Even people like me and professionals who speak have these thoughts. So what did I do? I went rogue. I scrapped my entire polished, poised, professional opener for these individuals. If I had a boss, my boss would have been wailing, saying, Hannah, no. But because I'm my boss, I knew I could pull it off with a story. So I told them a story of how I grew up with an exceptionally academically gifted group of friends just like them.

7:58My friends in middle school were taking pre-SAT tests. That's 12 years old. They knew they wanted to be doctors, lawyers, nurses. We got to high school, and they were in advanced experimental science class building rockets. They were doing advanced calculus. I, on the other hand, was in remedial algebra. I still can't really tell you what a standard deviation is. I was doing independent art study classes, and I was in theater. My friends shipped off to Ivy League universities, and I stayed a lot closer to home for college. And I kind of quietly compared my little wobbly path to their straight shot trajectory.

8:36They seemed to know exactly what they were going to do in life. It took me a while to figure it out. But while they were the left side of the brain, it was lorantic and science and math, I was knee deep in the creative right side of the brain. I was not just in school plays. I was doing hair and makeup that stage. I developed a French accent that was stronger than most. And most people think that I'm sometimes a native speaker of French, but I must have grown up in America and the English washed it all away. and then I drew and drew and drew to the point that I started college as an art major.

9:09I wasn't broken or bad. I just had a completely different skill set. It was rooted in creativity and communication. When I shared that story very honestly without polish, it completely changed the energy in the room. The PhDs started to smile. They started to nod. I asked, do you all have friends like me? And they said yes. I had built this bridge of trust and relatability without a single graph or pie chart or piece of data. And that is the power of storytelling and presentations, building connection, trust, and being relatable. If, however, you are ironically looking for the logical reason to build personal storytelling skills and why that's a game changer for you, here it is.

9:59your audience will remember a story 22 times more than a fact or a statistic. I will say that again. Your audience will remember a story 22 times more than a fact or a statistic. I love that stat because I will tell you one thing that I've recognized Fire Nation over and over again is there's a reason why they call it history. His story, her story. We connect with stories. You need to bring that into your world because it is so powerful for all the reasons Hannah's talking about. And we have so much more to talk about when we get back from thanking our sponsors. Okay, let's talk about a platform that's completely changing how entrepreneurs are running their business.

10:44And they are also our featured partner, High Level. If you're an entrepreneur, coach, agency, or course creator looking to grow faster and smarter, High Level is the all-in-one platform that replaces your entire tech stack. Seriously, think ClickFunnels, Calendly, MailChimp, Kajabi, and even your CRM all rolled up into one powerful white label solution. You can build funnels, send SMS and email campaigns, schedule appointments, manage pipelines, run memberships, and even launch your own branded mobile app. It's drag and drop simple, incredibly customizable, and built for serious growth. My favorite part, you can resell high level under your own brand.

11:20That means recurring revenue, loyal clients in total control. So whether you're tired of duct taping tools together or ready to start offering high value services with ease, High Level is your unfair advantage. On top of it all, their support team is second to none and has your back every step of the way. Seriously, every question that pops up, they will have your answer waiting. And if you visit my special partnership link, you'll get a free trial. So visit highlevelfire.com to start your free trial and see why thousands of businesses are switching. That's highlevelfire.com, where marketing, sales, and automation finally come together.

11:57High level, join the revolution. Hiring new team members can be incredibly time-consuming, and when all you wish you had is more time, sorting through resumes and trying to get in touch with potential candidates is the last thing you want on your to-do list. Well, the future of hiring looks much brighter because ZipRecruiter's latest tools and features help speed up finding the right people for your roles so you save valuable time. And right now, you can try ZipRecruiter for free at ziprecruiter.com slash fire. With ZipRecruiter's new features, you can easily find and connect with qualified candidates in minutes.

12:31And with over 320 ,000 new resumes being added to ZipRecruiter monthly, you can reach more potential hires and fill roles sooner. Unlock contact info instantly and start making moves with ZipRecruiter. Use ZipRecruiter and save time hiring. Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. And if you go to ZipRecruiter.com slash fire right now, you can try it for free. Again, that's ZipRecruiter.com slash fire. ZipRecruiter, the smartest way to hire. What does the future hold for business? That's a tricky question. And if you ask nine experts, you'll get 10 answers.

13:07Rates will rise or fall. Inflation's up or down. What we really need is a crystal ball. But until then, over 42 ,000 businesses have future-proofed their business with NetSuite by Oracle, the number one cloud ERP, bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR into one fluid platform. With one unified business management suite, you've got one source of truth, giving you the visibility and control you need to make quick decisions. Add to this real-time insights and forecasting, and suddenly you're closing the books in days, not weeks. Start spending less time looking backwards and more time on what's next with NetSuite.

13:40If my business was in need of a platform like this, NetSuite is what I'd use. Whether your company is earning millions or even hundreds of millions, NetSuite helps you respond to immediate challenges and seize your biggest opportunities. Speaking of opportunity, download the CFO's guide to AI and machine learning at netsuite.com slash fire. The guide is free to you at netsuite.com slash fire, netsuite.com slash fire. Hannah, we're back and I want to talk about the Costco moment. What is a Costco moment and why do real life stories instantly hook your audience? It's something that we were kind of referring to before the break.

14:17Bring it home for us. John, I am not going to put you on the spot by saying, do you remember the irregularity that happened on our first call together? I'm going to tell you about the irregularity, which I can nearly guarantee has never happened with any other guest on this podcast. When we were talking, you were in the middle of a sentence and suddenly you held up your phone so I could see the caller ID. You said, it's my wife. She's coming back from Costco. It could be important. Of course, I said, please take the call. You have no idea what happened in my brain, but it's all related to storytelling.

14:54I immediately went down this rabbit hole. I was like, I go to Costco. My husband goes to Costco. Does your wife go to Costco with an intention of buying zero mangoes, but walks out with 39 mangoes for the price of $20? Is she that person or are you that person? Because Costco is one of those places that tells you what to buy. You don't get to tell Costco what you want. Costco tells you. Costco, Trader Joe's and Target, they tell you what to buy. So thanks to that snippet of you saying my wife's at Costco, it could be important, which I'm sure it was absolutely important. I was not only hooked, but you built rapport with me and you didn't even know it.

15:32Stories build rapport. They connect with your audience in a way and on a level that facts and stats and data can't and don't. And that level has a very specific name. It's called narrative transportation theory. When your audience becomes deeply engaged in a story, they experience a true sense of being transported into this narrative you're sharing. It's like sitting in a movie theater and being completely sucked into either the trailers, because I love those, or the movie itself. So when narrative transportation is happening, your audience is far more likely to be influenced by your message, adopt new attitudes, and actually retain the information you're sharing.

16:15When an audience is transported, they temporarily lose awareness of the real world and they become emotionally and cognitively absorbed in everything you're sharing in the story. Just like I was when you said your wife was at Costco, you need to take the call. It could be very important. And I hope that it was. Oh, it was very important. And that's actually, I, you know, that was gone from my mind. That was one of those memories. If people have ever watched the show Inside Out, that was at the back of my memory mind. I was never going to recall that until Hannah brought it up. And I was like, I totally remember doing it.

16:50And it actually was really important because I absolutely needed her to pick up these special protein bars because I was about to undergo a serious training that required a certain amount of protein. So it was very important. And that memory is so funny. Man, that's so crazy. Now, I want to talk about calculated risks, because I think that a lot of people are scared of just taking risks for the sake of taking risks. But if we can take calculated risks when presenting to others, that's not going to alienate the room. It won't kill our credibility. What does that look like when we are presenting, when we are public speaking, when we're entering a room?

17:28what I'm going to say will not come as a surprise, but there is a big but that you have to be aware of. This is the risk. Tell a story or an anecdote or a short example or provide a metaphor. Use the storytelling muscles you already have. I know you're waiting for the but, but be sure that your story, anecdote, example, metaphor has the key ingredient that will skyrocket your credibility. The key ingredient is called a universal theme. A universal theme is an underlying message or concept that resonates with people across different cultures, backgrounds, and time periods. Universal themes are often deeply rooted in the human experience.

18:15They reflect emotions, challenges, and truths that are widely shared by individuals. A universal theme is something that can unite every single person in your audience, whether that's two investors or thousands of people listening to you. For example, John, I'm going to put you on the spot and I'll help you out if you need it. Can you give me your best guess at what the universal theme of Star Wars is? If we really boil it down, what's the theme behind those movies? Revenge. Ooh, that's a great answer. But it's wrong. it's not wrong actually because and i'll give you the second example most people say good versus evil but when you have good versus evil you inherently have revenge happening because evil wants to fight back so let's try another one and i'll give you a spoiler there's a shared theme with star wars what is one of the universal themes of the lion king love yes wow love yes love of sacrifice.

19:16There is good and evil at play. There's revenge at play, but these are all elements we experience as humans that are universal to all of us. But here's the tieback. If you're thinking, okay, great. We've talked about Star Wars and the Lion King, but how does this help my credibility when I talk about neurotransmitters or I'm in an AI industry or automation services or health wearables or even protein bars. Here's how. The risk is not in telling a story. The risk is being forgettable. When you connect your content to a universal theme, something human, real, and raw, you're not dumbing it down.

19:58You're building a bridge instead of a barrier between your expertise and your audience's emotions. So let's say you're explaining an AI product. You could frame it as this isn't just automation. It's about reclaiming your time, about giving people hours, days, and months back to focus on what matters. The universal theme sitting in there is freedom. It could also be family. Universal themes turn your message into something people actually feel. And when people feel, they trust you and they take action. They buy what you're selling. People do not buy or buy in to what you're offering based on logic and data alone.

20:42That can inform, but it does not shift the decision-making process. When you use a universal theme, your audience will remember you and they will not just see you as a big brain, talking head, smart voice, but as a credible, memorable leader. So take the risk. Tell the story. Wrap your insight into something universal because the most influential speakers and communicators do not just inform. They persuade. And you would not be listening to this podcast if all John did was interview to inform. Fire Nation, I hope you're taking notes here because these are some powerful insights to be taken in to absorb and to make part of your life.

21:26Now, let's say that we're buying into all of this, Hannah. We're incorporating storytelling, personality. We're taking these calculated risks with our payoffs. What's our next step to level up our communication skills? What's our next step to level up our speaking skills? What is your call to action for Fire Nation today? Totally. Very often we know what I've talked about. You know, that stories are important. You know, they build trust. You know, they create connection. They're the bridge to buying and selling. And they position us as experts. But knowing all of this is one thing. actually doing it well, that's where most people get really stuck.

22:02And that's where I can help. While I am a public speaking and presentation skills expert, I specialize in storytelling. And I have a guide on my website. My website is www.hannamichelotti.com. That's spelled H-A-N-N-A-H M-I-C-H-E-L-O-T-T-I. Yes, it's Italian. And this guide teaches you not only how to see the stories that exist in your own life, but how to effectively tell them and connect them to your professional communication and content so you are seen as credible, trustworthy, relatable, and someone worth buying from who is memorable. I want that for you. And I can help you get it with this guide.

22:41Fire Nation, you're the average of the five people you spend the most time with. You've been hanging out with HM and JLD today, so keep up that heat. For links to everything that we talked about, visit eofire.com. Type Hannah in the search bar and the show notes page will pop right up. And Hannah, one more time, give us that call to action. Head to my website, www.hannamickelotti.com, where you will find my storytelling guide. Hannah, thank you for sharing your truth, your knowledge, your value with Fire Nation today. For that, we salute you and we will catch you on the flip side. Hey, Fire Nation, a huge thank you to our sponsors and Hannah for sponsoring today's episode.

23:19And Fire Nation, are you ready to rock your very own podcast? Check out our free podcasting course where I will teach you how to create and launch your podcast for free, freepodcastcourse.com. I'll catch you there or on the flip side. Are you ready for the ultimate all-in-one platform for entrepreneurs, marketers, coaches, and agencies? Build funnels, automate follow-ups, manage clients, and even white label your own software. Say hello to our featured partner, High Level, and visit highlevelfire.com to start your free trial today. Over 42 ,000 businesses have future-proofed their business with NetSuite by Oracle, the number one cloud ERP, bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR into one fluid platform.

24:06Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine Learning today at netsuite.com slash fire.