Scale Up Strategies: The Business Podcast for Coaches, Consultants, and Speakers
We're your hosts and Business Coaching experts Mary Fain Brandt and Laura Bashore
We’re sharing all our mistakes and insider tips from our 20+ years in business and
how we successfully scaled up our businesses without losing our minds or our husbands.
Sure you can piece it together and try to DIY your way to success
OR
you can listen to us every week and learn the shortcuts because we promise there
are some.
Scale Up Strategies: The Business Podcast for Coaches, Consultants, and Speakers
The TEDx Advantage: From Application to Standing Ovation: Bobby Umar's Insider Guide
Securing a TEDx talk remains one of the most coveted opportunities for speakers, coaches, and thought leaders. But what exactly does it take to not only get selected but to deliver a talk that transforms your career and business? In this illuminating conversation, five-time TEDx speaker Bobby Umar pulls back the curtain on the entire process.
Bobby's journey from rejected applicant to becoming a TEDx veteran with over 2 billion social media impressions offers powerful lessons for anyone with a message to share. The most liberating revelation? TEDx isn't looking for celebrity status or extensive credentials – they're seeking compelling ideas presented in unique ways. As Bobby explains, "TEDx doesn't care about your experience level, your level of achievement, your status. What they care about is what is the story, what is the idea, and will it help my audience."
From crafting an attention-grabbing title (think "Could You Change a Person's Life in 20 Seconds?" rather than generic topics like "The Importance of Resilience") to navigating the interview process, Bobby shares tactical advice that has helped countless clients secure their own TEDx opportunities. He recommends developing three distinct talk ideas and creating application templates that can be quickly customized for different opportunities.
The business impact of delivering a successful TEDx talk can be substantial. After his first presentation, Bobby saw his speaker fees jump by 2.5 times, consulting fees double, and speaking engagements increase by 40%. But the pathway to these benefits requires understanding the three-part journey: landing the talk, crafting an exceptional presentation, and strategically leveraging the resulting video content.
For those ready to pursue this career-defining opportunity, Bobby's parting wisdom emphasizes focus, community support, and clarity of purpose. As he puts it, "Your focus leads to the result. Make sure you have a way to be as focused as you can to get the results you want, because we can't do 20 things."
Ready to transform your ideas into a TEDx-worthy presentation? This episode provides the road
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You're listening to Scale Up Strategies, the business growth podcast for coaches, consultants and speakers. We're your hosts and business coach experts Mary Fain Brandt and Laura Bas hore.
Laura Bashore:We're sharing all our insider tips from 20 plus years in business, including how we successfully scaled our businesses without losing our minds or our husbands.
Mary Fain Brandt:Sure, you can piece it together and try to DIY your way to success. Or you can listen to us every week and learn the shortcuts, because we promise they're really awesome.
Laura Bashore:So grab your favorite cup of coffee, tune in and let's start the show.
Mary Fain Brandt:Hey, laura, I used to want to do a TEDx talk and I know that that was something on your list for this past year. But I don't think a lot of people really understand how to go about creating a TEDx talk and how to get chosen.
Laura Bashore:It's not just having a talk like hey, here's one I've done before, right yeah, I think that's something that a lot of speakers aspire to, because we're aware of all the benefits that could happen from that, you know, and having this quality real and getting seen, and but it takes a lot more to get chosen for that, and so it's really important that we look to the people who've done this previously and try to figure out how we can get some best tips and practices, because I've even interviewed and, I will admit, not made it past the interview stage. So I'm really excited that we're going to be talking to Bobby Umar today, who is not only someone who's done a TEDx, but he also helps people learn how to do that, get through that process. So I can't wait till we bring him on. I think our listeners are just going to get a lot of value out of it.
Mary Fain Brandt:It's going to be a great episode, so whip out your notebooks, your laptops and take some notes so that you can get on stage with your TEDx talk.
Laura Bashore:Hello, we are on today with a very special guest, someone who's going to be able to provide you insights with not only how to apply for TEDx, but how to figure out how to get accepted as a TEDx speaker. So we have expert Bobby Umar on, and, before we get into the conversation, I want to share a little bit of his expertise with you. So Bobby is a former engineer who is an inspirational speaker and storyteller and has delivered over 1,000 keynotes and workshops across four continents. So for the past two decades, he has contributed to Inc Magazine, which named him the top 100 leadership speakers, alongside such noteworthy giants as Richard Branson, brene Brown and John Maxwell.
Laura Bashore:Bobby is a five-time TEDx speaker and one of the top digital influencers in the world, with over 650,000 global followers. I saw that on your LinkedIn page. I was like all right. To date, his social media influence has garnered over 2 billion impressions. He's been named the second best business coach to follow on Twitter and the fourth best leadership influencer, according to Cred. Bobby is an international author of three books, including a number one bestseller, and most recently he was named a top seven networking guru to follow A doting dad and board game nerd who champions authentic connection and heart-based leadership. Bobby has appeared on hundreds of podcasts, tv and radio shows and with a background in marketing from Kraft and Unilever, to name a few, engineering from places such as Barbardier and the performing arts oh, second city. Okay, you did. I thought I was going to surprise you with that one. Bobby has led Ray Allen for two decades and runs two other companies. He is is now a recognized thought leader in digital marketing, personal branding and building meaningful relationships, so thank you again for coming on today.
Mary Fain Brandt:Bobby, you got some street cred there. You got a lot of street cred.
Laura Bashore:It was. I know I feel that way sometimes about my intro too. I'm like but all these pieces matter, you know? But it's great information because when people are looking for you to guide them on a topic, they want to know that you can back it up so wonderful.
Bobby Umar:But let me just clarify that, of the hundreds of podcasts, this will likely be the best one, so I just want to make that clear.
Mary Fain Brandt:Oh, you're the best. Thank you, thank you. Well, thank you for taking the time to be on our show, because you are very sought after, very busy. I know that you work with hundreds of clients and you're on stages and podcasts and live shows. So I found some interesting statistics and Laura and I love our stats, so I'm going to read some of the stats that I found about.
Bobby Umar:TEDx.
Mary Fain Brandt:So here we go. Let's nerd out on this. So mind-blowing TEDx statistics. Tedx events have been held in over 170 countries, with more than 37,000 TEDx talks recorded. Tedx talks reach millions okay, probably hundreds of millions of viewers annually through YouTube, with over 3 billion views and counting. And, according to Forbes, 85% of TEDx speakers report what Increased credibility and professional opportunities after their talk. And that's probably one of the big reasons that people are like oh, I want to do a TEDx talk. You know, they want to get on stage. They want to. Maybe they've written a book, but it's not just about the fame, right, bobby? I'd love to kick off with why TEDx matters so much. Is it just for the fame?
Bobby Umar:No, I think that there's lots of reasons why people want to do a TEDx talk. I mean, the number one reason I think is really important is that a lot of people want to have a message or story for the world that they think can create impact and change lives and inspire people. So I think that's a big part of it. And then, of course, yes, there's branding association with the TEDx, because it's quite an attractive alumni of people Like I mean, you think of all the biggest names in the world who have done TEDx Talk, like Bernie Brown and Simon Sinek and Bill Gates and that type of thing. So certainly it's good to be part of that company.
Bobby Umar:And then, of course, you know, the PR and branding piece is good. And then, of course, having a TEDx Talk position you as somebody who's seen as multiple things you know storyteller, an expert, an authority, potentially a coach or a consultant and also a good speaker. So all these things can help you with your business, your career, your brand, speaking, all the different things that you want to do. So I think that there's a lot there that TEDx offers that is appealing to a lot of people. And of course, you didn't mention the business thing, which is true. So in my case specifically yes, the TEDx talk definitely impacted my business.
Laura Bashore:Right, and I think that's really interesting, because sometimes people don't understand the point of a TEDx and then they're shocked when it's not for them to go up there and talk about how they run their business. That's not what they're looking for, but it can lead to benefits for your business, even though that's not exactly why you're up there, so it's a really good point.
Bobby Umar:Yeah.
Laura Bashore:I think that the first time I did.
Bobby Umar:My first TEDx talk was about the five C's of connection, how to connect people with people on a more deeper level.
Bobby Umar:And you know they say tell us the best idea of your life, go dive deep in your personal story, use minimal slides and do an 18 minutes. I was like, wow, that's that. That's, that's complicated, okay, and I came up with a topic that had nothing to do with my business. But what I can tell you is that after my first TEDx talk, after my first TEDx talk, you know, things really changed. I mean, my speaker fee jumped up by two and a half times, my consulting could be doubled, I increased my number of speaking gigs 40% that year and I started speaking all over the world, and so for me, that was a huge boost to what I was trying to do, and I knew before that it would be something, because I saw how many people have done a tech stock. I saw the caliber of people that have done one. I was like this is a great brand to have. Let me make sure I have a good video, and that's exactly what happened, so I'm really grateful for that.
Mary Fain Brandt:Love that, and you've done five talks now.
Bobby Umar:Yeah, so I've been asked to do eight. I said no to three of them, but I said yes to five.
Mary Fain Brandt:Oh, that's interesting. So let's just go off topic here. Why no? Because I think that's important, right? I think it's in life. In life, it's important to know what to say yes to and what to say no to. So could you elaborate on why you said no to those three?
Bobby Umar:Yeah, so the first four TEDx talks I did. They came to me within two years and what happened was two of them weren't organized enough to have appropriate video content, so I never got the video, which kind of annoyed me, you know, frustrated me, and so when the other three came, I asked very specific questions Okay, what's your video setup? You know, so some of them had poor video setup, some of them didn't have a good social media digital presence, and I was like, look, I don't want to spend all this time.
Mary Fain Brandt:Because doing a.
Bobby Umar:TED Talk is hard, like you have to mostly memorize a lot of it, rehearse it over and over again, and so it's a lot of work. And so for me I was like, look, my own mom actually asked me and I was like, listen, if you're not organized, I don't want to do it. I think that's really important to figure that out. And then when finally the eighth one came along I actually pitched that one. I saw someone told me hey, bobby, they're doing one called the Power of connection. Like oh, that's great, that's my hashtag, so let me pitch my one of my ideas that I had. And then I basically made a video over there in my office and they called me the very next day saying we want you so.
Bobby Umar:And then my first question was what's your video? What's your video situation? Tell me about your organization. You know like, so that type of stuff would make a big difference. So it's important to understand. And so for me, my lessons learned. That's something I definitely pass on to my clients because I want to make sure they do it the right way. But having a TEDx talk is like launching a book or launching a program. You got to do it the right way. There are many people who have a TEDx talk and they don't leverage it.
Mary Fain Brandt:They look like some people.
Bobby Umar:I did a TEDx talk five years ago and nothing happened. Well, what did you do about it? Same with launching a book you can launch a book and nothing happens. I mean, it's about how you build a buzz around it and take people on that journey with you and then promote it.
Mary Fain Brandt:because when you do that, then they're more likely to say, oh my gosh, yeah, that's a cool book, or yeah, that's a cool TEDx talk, or yeah, I want to know more about it yeah, you've got to do the marketing, the promoting and the launching, so I know we'll probably get into that a little bit later, but let's start off with what are the key elements that TEDx organizers look for in a speaker, and how can someone position themselves to stand out in the selection process? What behind the scenes information do you have to share with our audience?
Bobby Umar:Well, the first thing I want to mention is that anyone can do a TEDx talk, and there's people out there who think they can't do one, but the truth is, tedx doesn't care about your experience level, your level of achievement, your status. What they care about is what is the story, what is the idea and will it help my audience or my organization?
Bobby Umar:So, there are 10-year-olds who have done TEDx Talks. There are 20-year-olds who have done four TEDx Talks, so never think that you can't do one. Every single one of us has a story within them. In fact, I typically work with people to get to extract three stories about TEDxTalks with them, because I think that we all can do that, and so I think that's the first piece.
Bobby Umar:Now, in terms of how you land a TEDxTalk, well, that's the first thing, which is coming up with the right story, topic, idea and title. And in particular, the title makes a big impact because it tells people, it creates intrigue. Often a lot of people say my TEDx talk is all about the importance of resilience, or why empathy matters, or you know, but those are really general, generic concepts. You want to have something very specific, so I'll give you, you know, my fifth TEDx talk. The topic was called could you change a person's life in 20 seconds? And I go what does it? What does he mean? What, how's that possible? Now, what they don't know when they watch the talk, they'll realize. I talk about 20 second hugs and how orphans and widows who are skin starved. This actually helps them from a health perspective and actually helps save a life. It changes their lives. It really helps. So that that's kind of where the perspective came from. Another one that I like is, for one of my clients was uh bike on a broken spirit. Now, why that's a great topic is because it's under five words, which is short and sweet. It tells you about the story and it also tells you about the lesson in four words, that's fantastic.
Bobby Umar:So to me, like coming up with the right topic title is the number one thing. Then the second thing is knowing the process who to talk to, where to start, how it all works. A lot of people don't know that. They don't know where to find TEDx events, they don't know who to talk to, they don't know how the process works. So I think that's the second thing to understand, and the third thing is to put together a really good application. So how do you answer the questions in a way that's going to create success? Because some people they will apply for a TEDx talk, not get in, not get feedback, don't know what went wrong, but in my mind it's about how you pitched it.
Mary Fain Brandt:So if I can pitch it with a video, and get asked the next day to do a TEDx talk. There are ways to do it in the right way. I think you're on to something.
Bobby Umar:Yeah, yeah, for sure, you could ask the next day.
Mary Fain Brandt:Yeah, I was going to ask you if there was an age thing, because I know older people have done TEDx talks. I didn't know what the youngest age was, so that's, that's interesting, and I think, yeah, and I agree with that title or headline. You know, it's that three second grab. I mean attention span. Is that going to get someone to read more? Is that going to get someone's attention? So I'm actually sitting here like, oh, I just came up with one, if I ever want to do one in my head, so thank you.
Laura Bashore:So I had a question about common mistakes. I think you already addressed one in some of the things that you just shared. But one of the things is what, if somebody makes it to the interview process Like it I've found or what I've heard from others and then experienced it myself, I got rejected in the interview process? What can what's like a common mistake that happens there when you've got, you know, like 10 minutes to do your interview with them, like what are some things that you've helped clients with to avoid in that part?
Bobby Umar:I think the biggest thing when it comes to the interview process is to make sure you are responsive and you want to help them and you want to give to the audience, versus talking about the things that are going to benefit you, right?
Bobby Umar:So, hey, I have a book coming out in a month and that's why I'm so keen about this. Or, you know, I know it's going to help my business, so, you know, I think that's why I'm so keen about this. Or you know, I know it's going to help my business, so you know, I think that's really cool. Like, uh, you know, you want to be someone that is there to help their organization, their event, be successful and to deliver value for their audience. So make that very, very clear in that and don't don't mention all the things. I mean. Certainly it's in your bio or they don't know. Maybe you have a book or you have a program, whatever that might, but I don't think you want to focus on that. People talk too much about their business and about their expertise and things like that, as opposed to what's the talk going to look like and how it's going to impact people.
Laura Bashore:Right, so staying really focused on this. Is an interview all about your talk. It's not really for you to. It's not like a job interview when you're trying to draw in other expertise or things like that.
Bobby Umar:Yeah, exactly, exactly. So make sure you, you know, do that. And I think that another thing, another thing you can do, is just honestly be responsive. Right, you know, like the, you know they want people who are responsive. There are people who can say, hey, we want to do an interview and we'd like to bring in, and then what happens? You don't respond for two weeks, like, why would they want you, like, be responsive, be there? The other thing I'll say is be open. You know, when I had my fourth tedx talk, they said, hey, we want to bring you, we want to bring in a for all our speakers, we bring in a speaker coach. Now, instead of me saying, well, listen, I'm an accomplished speaker, I don't, certainly, I've already done three texts like I certainly don't need a speaker coach, I said, sure, I'm happy to meet them. Like you know, like, why would I do that? Well, look at me, I don't, you know like, so for me, uh, but it was part of the process and I, so I had to meet with that person and that's fine.
Mary Fain Brandt:Are there any tips that you would share with our audience about crafting a compelling and unique TEDx pitch, or anything on the application that you're like this is where people get hung up. Okay, obviously being responsive, right, and you talked about having a unique title, but what else can you tell us, tell our audience, about crafting that compelling and unique TEDx talk, because I feel like TEDx talks are very unique the good ones- Sure, I think a lot of times when I see applications, they often they don't say too much about the story.
Bobby Umar:There is too much bio and not enough story. And so what is the story? Right, like? So when I did my fifth TEDx talk, you know the story was, I said my story was my best friend at university was going through something traumatic, and she basically came over and hugged me for two minutes and I didn't say and that led me to my business, where I did all these things and my bio. You know I had a degree in engineering. I didn't, I just said she did that and made me think about it. And then later on, I was at a funeral and I noticed people hugging for a very long period of time with people that were not either their significant others or their close family members. It was stranger sometimes and they're significant others or their close family members, it was stranger sometimes and so that brought the idea of what the TEDx talk would be about why do people hug for long periods of time? And so that's kind of where it came from.
Bobby Umar:So I think, focus on the story, not about your bio. I, in fact, just just the other day I was going through one of my clients uh, you know, uh pitches and I was like you know, this is all about your bio. Like stop talking about this stuff, like I don't care about your degree, like talk about the story. How did it impact? You share the emotions, right, and then get into the lessons and how it's relevant. I think that's the most important thing. And the second thing is about you know, making sure it's catered to the audience and the theme, and and that's where you'll make a better impact on the application yeah, that that was kind of where my next question was going or where my brain was traveling with when you were speaking is okay.
Laura Bashore:So, especially for first time applicants who maybe have not done as much research and don't understand those things that you just mentioned towards, they want someone who's within the community. But I've noticed that some of the newer ones right are more open to a little bit broader. How do you find the right theme? So, let's say you really want to do a TEDx talk. You know you're excited about it. Do you research a theme and look for that to kind of spark the story with you? Or are you starting to do searches with your story already in mind to find a theme that matches the story that you already have that you'd like to share?
Bobby Umar:Well, I think you can go either way. I mean, you know, when someone approached me with the theme was Power of Connection, I had an idea for a talk, so that's fine. But I think for the most part, if you want to have success, I would actually go through my life story and bullet point different pieces and then extract what are some of the TED Talks.
Bobby Umar:You'd have Always have a TED Talk in your back pocket, always have three different ones, and then when you look for TEDx Talks, you'll see ones that are you know, when you do a research on a list of TEDx Talks, there are going to be ones that are coming up soon, like in a couple of months, there's ones that are close by in terms of where you live, and there's ones that have themes that align with you. And so, don't be afraid to you know travel. I mean, I traveled for my fifth one, took a train for four hours to do the TEDx talk. I had another friend who went from Canada all the way to Zurich to do her TEDx talk. So so you know, like it depends on how important it is to you, but yeah, like you should be willing to travel and do that kind of stuff. So I think that's what I would say.
Mary Fain Brandt:I'd like to expand on that a little bit because I'm not sure everyone understands how the TEDx talks are kind of set up because there are those themes, because I was approached to do a TEDx talk years ago and it was a theme one and it wasn't a good match for me. So there's location, there's themes. Can you talk a little bit about how TEDx is set up that way?
Bobby Umar:Well, yeah, and I think that's a good point to let people know that every single TEDx organizer is different, right? So there might be a TEDx organizer that wants to have most people local, or another TEDx organizer that wants to have a specific theme. There may be one TEDx organizer that's more easygoing about something and another one that's more tech-focused. So they choose the themes based on their interests or their audience, or sometimes they switch it up to have new audiences. So every organization is different. They are basically licensed to run it locally from the TED brand in California all across the world. So there's thousands of them around the world and so each of them is different.
Bobby Umar:So you know, like some people say, well, you know they're only hiring locally. Well, actually, if you have an amazing idea and amazing application, stick with the 80-20 rule. If it's amazing, 20% of the time they'll let you in because they want you. And you know, if you also have a very strong brand, I mean if you're very well known, I mean I will say the reason I got the first TEDx talks was having a really strong follow leadership brand. So there's something to be said about having building relationships and building a network.
Bobby Umar:There's something to be said about having a strong follow leadership brand out there, because then opportunities come to you right, they see you and they want you to come in. So the seven of the eight TEDx talks came to me because I was known and they wanted me to come speak. So I think that's important. You don't have to have a strong valuation brand, you don't have to have millions of followers, but that's any type of notoriety you have around your brand will help Love it Okay, and and that really ties into what you were saying is when clients work with you.
Laura Bashore:That's why you're helping them come up with those three at least having like three different talks, so that you can figure out how these apply to anything that you're looking for really.
Bobby Umar:Yeah, if you're making it up after you see it, it's almost like it's too late, yeah. So I think a lot of times what happens is, you know that people go from you know application to application and they're just trying to figure it out and, okay, let me put something together together. I don't think that's the way to go. I think the way to go is kind of my model, which is like we dive in your life story, we extract a bunch of talks, we then vet it from our audience. So like, let's say, I have a dozen talk ideas and I'll do a couple polls on linkedin or on twitter or on facebook and I'll share a couple stories and you'll start to see which ones really resonate, which ones people really love, and start commenting, engaging. Ok, that's a good idea. And so then from that, you come up with three really good talks and keep them diverse. You know, one could be personal, one could be more under expertise and one could be something completely different. And then, once you have that, then you leverage the, leverage your knowledge of your brand and your audience and things you care about, and then put together a really good application template you care about and then put together a really good application template so that when something comes your way and you have a list of TEDx events. You can then just copy paste things of just a few things, versus trying to, you know, spend hours on each application. You know it's better to spend hours in setting up those systems in place so that then you can start pitching to like dozens and dozens of TEDx talks, and that's you know.
Bobby Umar:People have asked me how do you guarantee a TEDx talk? Well, one is we have three ideas versus one. Number two, we generate a very, very strong list of stuff. And then, number three, we help people with the application and their thought leadership, their storytelling and content strategy. And when you have all that, then you're more likely to land a TEDx talk. And that's also why you know, when I do it, I guarantee the TEDx talk.
Laura Bashore:And that's also why you know when I do it, I guarantee the TEDx talk, because at this point, every single person who's following my methodology has landed TEDx talk. That's great, that's a great success rate. And it's so funny because, also as a career coach, the way you're explaining this I'm like, oh, that's how I talk to all of my clients is you know you have that running and be prepared. So it's really putting a lot of thought into it, being prepared at any time. Obviously, you want your TED Talks to go well, right, like that. That is a goal, and one of the things that can happen if it does go well is you can also then get picked up by the main brand of TED and have that too.
Laura Bashore:So I have a twofold question. So the first part is I just want to know have any of yours or any of your clients been picked up that way? And then my second question is just going to be if you can dive in a little bit more about how to make that talk more impactful. Like, what are the deliverables that you're looking to do within that talk?
Bobby Umar:So let's talk about the first one, and I'll probably forget the second question, but I'll ask you again. But the first so the first one was again. I would say, I'm already forgetting what was the first one again.
Mary Fain Brandt:Have you been picked up for the TED?
Bobby Umar:or any of your clients, because I don't think people understand.
Mary Fain Brandt:There's two.
Laura Bashore:So maybe, maybe start there.
Bobby Umar:So one of the goals of getting a TEDx talk is having the brand association, which is great. The second thing is you want the video. But the third piece of resistance is getting your TEDx talk on the TEDcom site. That's a big goal. So I've had friends who've got their talk and it's on the TEDcom site and that's how their career goes.
Mary Fain Brandt:Is that the red circle? Do people like? No, someone said something about the red circle or something.
Bobby Umar:Okay, never mind yeah, so, and so what happened? So, for example, simon sinek's first text talk was so great but technically it may not have landed and features because the the video was green. He used a little flip chart to talk about, start with the why, but then, once it got featured on tedcom, his entire business and thing took off. The same thing happened to brandy brown, who was just a researcher, and then her vulnerability talk got featured and next thing you know, her entire brand took off right. So that's a definitely a big goal.
Bobby Umar:Uh, when I did my fourth tedx talk, I made the mistake and this was the one. I was like this is gonna be the one like I really put it together. So I thought this could be amazing and I really worked hard on. I even threw a lot of cognitive business dissonance type stuff in there great imagery. But then I used copyrighted material from Sesame Street because I used Super Grover in the page and that led to me not getting it. So that was my fault. But then the fifth TEDx talk, that's for me, that's the one that made the TEDcom site. So I was very happy about that.
Bobby Umar:But that is a goal, because and when it comes to TEDx talk talk, there's three parts, right. There's one, you have to land the talk. Number two, you have to then craft an amazing talk. And number three, you have to leverage the talk. And the work on all three of those will happen kind of at the same time, like you can't. Just like you know, while I'm preparing to land TEDx talk, I'm putting stuff out there in the TEDx universe, I'm telling people it's what I want to do, hear my ideas, hear my, because that's taking people through that journey, which is when you do, when you want to leverage that TEDx talk. People are following that journey with you. Now, when you create that TEDx talk I think that was the second question how do you put together a great TEDx talk, or was it? Did I miss that?
Laura Bashore:No, you got it Okay. So when?
Bobby Umar:you put together a great TEDx talk, yeah, I mean, now you have to figure, okay, how do uh make something? Number one keep it short and concise. Get into the story. Uh, you, your opening has to be really, really good. So, whether it's an opening statement of the story or a story, and then getting into it, but you want to. You know, in a compelling question, but you want to get right into it. None of this. You know, hey, it's great to be here and hey, I'm bobby, I'm from toronto, like none of that stuff. Get right into it. Immerse the audience. That's incredibly important and you know you also want to keep it really simple, right? So a lot of people?
Bobby Umar:Another mistake people make is they want to share their life story. No, you want to share a snippet from your life story, some aha moment. So a good example is that there was a movie made about Nelson Mandela starring Morgan Freeman, and instead of telling Nelson Mandela's life story you know, from riots, jails and the freedom in his presidency, they just took one year of his life where he was dealing with some of the issues of being president and there's still some racial tensions and there's a rugby game going on, and that was the two-hour movie. Same with TEDx Talk. Take that one kind of piece from your story and that's the TEDx talk and don't. And then the other thing I'll say don't give them like super, super detailed stuff.
Bobby Umar:Here's my 17 point plan on how to do this. Like what is that? One simple thing, maybe three things, but like what is that one simple thing you want people to do or think about? Uh, as they leave, what's that call to action? Those are things they're going to make the TEDx talk. And, of course, last thing is rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Make sure you have a really good setup, visuals and confidence to deliver something really amazing.
Mary Fain Brandt:Wow, so many good tips. I love it. So I want to make sure that anyone listening or watching this understands that this is what you do. You are the consultant advisor coach for anyone looking to do a TEDx talk. So, Bobby, we'll have all of this in the show notes, but where do you want people to reach out to you?
Bobby Umar:Yeah, so I mean, you know I'm everywhere on social media, so you can certainly look me up on every place Twitter, instagram, linkedin, facebook, you name it, youtube, tiktok, whatever but the primary place would be LinkedIn, because that's where I talk a lot about TEDx stuff and storytelling and paid speaking and all that kind of stuff, and then my websites, which is rayallencom that's my company name, but that's kind of where you can find me.
Mary Fain Brandt:Fabulous, laura. Do you have any other questions for Bobby, or should we go into our end of show questions?
Laura Bashore:We've got four questions that we ask all of our guests on here, and so Mary's going to start off with the two first questions and I'll end with the last three and four. Well, how do I do math? Okay.
Mary Fain Brandt:It's okay, laura, I got it Okay. So, bobby, what was the last risk you took as a business owner?
Bobby Umar:Okay, the last risk I took as a business owner, yeah, um, well, I would probably say quite recently, because, uh, in the fall, uh, I guess in in August, september um, two things happened. One was there was an issue with, uh, my businesses that I was kind of working on. So I saw, and I saw there was a challenge or an issue and so I decided to go with a new person to help me. You know, because if something's not working you've got to try something different. So I took a risk to invest in another approach of doing things.
Bobby Umar:And at the same time and I'll give another part of this, though is that at the same time, I'm personally dealing with family issues around neuro stuff, neurodiversity, adhd, autism and dementia in three different people in my family, and so, trying to navigate that, I've had to make the call to step back, because what happens is I I spend one day a week now with my parents, and I spend multiple times during the working day to take the kids to different appointments and pick them up and things like that, which has definitely impacted my ability to be a business person. So I've had to really scale back up what am I going to do, what am I not going to do? And so taking the risk to just say I'm dropping out of these things and doing things differently, being more efficient. That has been a huge shift for me this year, and so, you know, I'm not sure where it's going to go, but it's definitely something I've had to have to take a risk and figure it out.
Mary Fain Brandt:Yeah, that's a big shift. Yeah, yeah, been there on one of those. Okay, so what is a quote that you live by in life or business? Like, do you have a quote or a mantra or a statement?
Bobby Umar:Well, there's so many, but you know it's funny about. In my email signature I have this quote for many, many years and I don't anymore because now my quotes one of my own which I'm not going to share, but the one I had for years was if opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
Laura Bashore:Yeah.
Bobby Umar:And that was by Milton Berle, a famous TV guy. But yeah, I love that. I mean, to me that's a huge thing. So I love that one. And one of my other mantras is Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, because he jumps in everywhere bouncy, bouncy, bouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun. And I love that idea. Wherever I go, just be bouncy, bouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun, fun. Like, why not? Like, we're right here, let's do this. I like it. So for me that's a great mantra to just try to be like that. And yeah, I think those are two big ones for me.
Laura Bashore:I like it thank you, thank you, yeah, and I think having that kind of last mantra there will help when you're taking those big risks or having those things that you didn't plan for and then figuring out how to shift things around, because it's something that happens with all of us. Is just life right? So many different opportunities in our, in our career that we have to say, okay, let me re-examine, let me do this. My kids are 10 and 8 and I I do have some of that going on with my younger son and so, yeah, you just have to figure out, okay, well, this is what we're doing now and and just make it work. So thank you for sharing that. I really appreciated it. So a more light-hearted and easy question, which I think you already answered, but those are pretty good, easy questions, I thought.
Bobby Umar:But okay, lighthearted, what is your number one social platform for business? My number one social platform for business? Gosh, I mean there's so many but I guess I'll have to say LinkedIn for the most part. I think that's the one for me now. I mean it wasn't before but it's changed right. But I mean LinkedIn currently has done very, very well for me, especially after I became a LinkedIn top voice this year. So that was kind of nice to get that blue badge, and so it adds a lot of legitimacy to me. So you know, I started shifting to doing sending people emails, which normally would never work, but now, because I have a strong brand, people will typically respond to it, which is cool.
Laura Bashore:Nice, all right. And then, finally, what is the key to your success, key to my success?
Bobby Umar:success? What would be my success? Well, I think that there's a few things. One is having a clear why statement that drives me and moves me and fuels me every day. My why statement is there are lost, stuck and unfulfilled leaders everywhere.
Bobby Umar:What that means is everywhere I go, I meet people who feel lost in their careers, stuck in their jobs, unfulfilled in their workplaces, and so I'm here to help them. But that also, that philosophy, fuels me as a father of kids. It fuels me as a husband, as a son, as a brother, as a friend, and I think that wise statement has really helped me tremendously. Second thing is having people to support you, to be accountable and to ask for help. Never be afraid to ask for help and surround yourself with community. So I have a coach, I have a community and I have my family and I'm very, very good about asking for help whenever I need to.
Bobby Umar:And then, number three, focus. Your focus leads to the result, right? So make sure you have a way to be as focused as you can to get the results you want, because we can't do 20 things, we can't do 10 things. What are the one, two or three things you're going to do this month, this year, next year to make that impact? And I think that also has been a big part of it.
Mary Fain Brandt:I love that. I love asking for help, because a lot of times as business owners, we think we can do it all ourselves and we can't and have any type of life you know Laura doesn't agree with. There's a life, life and work balance. It's all like this, you know, when you're a business owner. So I love that you put out there that ask for help and and be focused. Well, Bobby, I just want to say thank you for taking the time. This has been very insightful and thoughtful. Part of your brand, you like how I wrapped that back in there.
Bobby Umar:Thought leadership and, as I say, trust the process. I saw that.
Mary Fain Brandt:I love that. I just want to encourage our listeners once again to connect with Bobby on your preferred social media platform. If you're curious about TEDxTalk you're thinking about doing one you applied and didn't get in Bobby is the person to talk to. I 100% will send anyone your way that is looking for that and should I want to do one in the future, I now know who I'm going to come work with. It'll happen, you know, laura, do you want to take us? You want to close us out? Absolutely.
Laura Bashore:So we will be sharing all of Bobby's contact information in our show notes here. So definitely make sure you contact him and, as always, if you are connected with us or listening to this episode right now, if you're not already subscribed, please do, and let's make sure that you share this out, because we're sharing a lot of great information and bringing on some guests to help us do that as well. So until our next show here is to great conversations, great coffee and oh, I need more coffee Even greater success.
Mary Fain Brandt:I love it All right, ciao.
Laura Bashore:Thank you.
Mary Fain Brandt:If you enjoyed the podcast, show us some love. Please rate, review and subscribe to our podcast, and if you have any feedback, go ahead and share that with us too, because we want to hear from you. Until then, stay focused, stay motivated and stay caffeinated.
