Unpacked with Ron Harvey
People Always Matter. Join Ron as he unpacks leadership with his guests.
Unpacked with Ron Harvey
Command the Stage: Mastering Mindset, Body, and Breath with Daniel Erbe
Daniel Erbe, a professional singer, speaker, and elite communications coach shares his expertise on mastering stage presence and commanding the stage with confidence. As an Army veteran of 13 years who has performed for audiences of up to 25,000 people including US presidents, Daniel reveals his proven strategies for powerful communication.
• Aligning mindset, body, and breath before taking the stage to transform nervous energy into confident delivery
• Visualizing yourself in your most powerful place to trick your mind into performing at its highest level
• Understanding how your body works as an instrument through proper posture and physical alignment
• Mastering diaphragmatic breathing techniques that fuel your voice and project confidence
• Implementing the VOICE framework: Value-driven content, Optimizing storytelling, Influence through interaction, Confident delivery, and Effortless enrollment
• Strategies for both introverts and extroverts to command attention and engage audiences effectively
• Using strategic pauses, intentional movement, and emotional connection while maintaining composure
• Preparing thoroughly for presentations while staying authentic and building the "know, like, and trust" factor
Visit danielerbe.com or find Daniel on social media @DanielErbeOfficial to access his free breathing technique video that he uses before every performance.
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Just Make A Difference: Leading Under Pressure by Ron Harvey
“If you don’t have something to measure your growth, you won’t be self-aware or intentional about your growth.”
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Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and guests and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any organization or entity. The information provided in this podcast is intended for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. Listeners should consult with their own professional advisors before implementing any suggestions or recommendations made in this podcast. The speakers and guests are not responsible for any actions taken by listeners based on the information presented in this podcast. The podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice or services. The speakers and guests make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this ...
Welcome to Unpacked Podcast with your host leadership consultant, ron Harvey of Global Core Strategies and Consulting. Ron believes that leadership is the fundamental driver towards making a difference. So now to find out more of what it means to unpack leadership, here's your host, ron Harvey.
Speaker 2:And good morning. Good morning everyone. This is Ron Harvey. I'm the vice president, the chief operating officer for Global Core Strategies and Consulting. Of course, every single time we come together, you know what Global Core does is professional development, services around leadership. But I always do the podcast and I veer away from that a little bit and invite guests from around the globe, with different backgrounds, doing all kind of unique, fascinating things, to do two things. Different backgrounds, doing all kinds of unique, fascinating things to do two things to have fun and have a really open, transparent conversation to add value to whatever you're trying to accomplish in your role as a leader or in your organization or in your community. Our job is to unpack it, have a real conversation and have fun. So I'm super excited to have another guest on the show with us that's coming to us and he'll be able to introduce himself.
Speaker 2:I always pass the microphone to our guests. Nobody knows them better than themselves. So I'm gonna pass the microphone over to Daniel. He's gonna introduce himself. We'll get started after that, but hold on for a ride. I got his bio, but I'm gonna let him introduce himself. Go ahead.
Speaker 3:Daniel Ron, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your experience and your community. So yes, daniel Irby, I am a singer, speaker, author and a coach, and an Army veteran of 13 years. I've been commanding stages as a world-class stage performer and elite communications coach. I've been captivating audiences of up to 25,000 people, performing for US, us presidents and global dignitaries. And after my military service, I decided that I wanted to give back. And who better to give back than the entrepreneur and the business community, as well as executives and CEOs, to master the art of stage presence and the voice? So, whether you're stopping onto a conference stage delivering a keynote or leading a board room, I'll empower you to own your voice in your presence on stage with power and confidence, and turn every single time you show up your talk into a money-making machine.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, thank you, Daniel. So all of you that are watching and listening, you already know that he just gave you some nuggets. So I always tell the audience take out your pens, take out your nose. We're going to give you real practical things. Oftentimes on podcasts, you get a lot of things that may be academic. We're going to be real. We're pretty transparent. We ask real fun questions. We have a good time, and so thank you for your service. We have it in common I'm a veteran of the army as well 21 years of service. Thank you for your service and thank you for giving back to the entrepreneur community and I'm excited to listen to. So, owning the stage there's a book called Own the Room, and I tell people all the time like we drop things that you can use. So there's a book called Own the Room. So Daniel's going to talk about owning the stage, and so tell me, daniel, as we get started, what made you go into the business of wanting people, or wanting to help people, own stages or rooms and be phenomenal at speaking.
Speaker 3:I just felt like it was my opportunity to give back. Which community could I give back that was really going to impact and influence a wide mass of people? And I felt it was the entrepreneur, the business owner, the communicator and the leader space. And it's not necessarily about what you say, but it's how you say it and how. As a professional singer and stage performer, I've mastered the art of influence from the stage. I've mastered the art of using tone inflection, of using tone inflection, phrasing, body language, the face, the voice, to be able to allow the audience to really experience and feel, so ultimately, they'll say yes, so Wow.
Speaker 2:So what I'm listening to, I wanna unpack for a second. When did you pick up on the? Because we talk about communication all the time and we talk about between one you and another, another person but you're communicating to thousands of people. When did you realize like all the components that you just mentioned are important for you to make a connection? Well?
Speaker 3:my connections has been on the stage in front of thousands and thousands of people as a singer and stage performer, but I just felt like it was so important and so vital to be able to give back to the entrepreneurial space in how to communicate a message to influence and impact. This is what I want to be doing now for the rest of my career. Doing now for the rest of my career is showing up, impacting and influencing a massive audience using the skills that I've learned about how to communicate in a way that's so confident, so collected, so cool and so concise that you can share your message, drive people to your environment and bring people in, because ultimately, it's about sharing knowledge, information, but you do so in a way that's just so compelling and captivating.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow, so you're a professional speaker, singer, you've been on stages. Do you still get nervous?
Speaker 3:I mean, I think it would be false to say that I don't get nervous. I don't think we would be human if we didn't get nervous. But it's how you handle those nerves, all right. So I I believe in systems, I believe in routines. I believe in systems, I believe in routines and I have a same system, same routine I use every single time I'm taking the stage, whether it's for 10 people or 25,000 people, and it's how to be able to, for me, connect my mindset, my body and my breath in one alignment. And when I'm in that place, that mode of confidence and authenticity, I'm able just to go onto the stage and just and perform at the highest level.
Speaker 2:Wow, so you drove through that real fast, Daniel. I got to slow it down and unpack it for our audience. You gave them three things real quick. I caught it, but I'm a speaker, so I get it. Can you walk through those? I mean, you said as long as when I step on stage there's three things you do. Can you slow that down and unpack it a little bit, Because I know people like wait, he did that quick, I missed it. Well, can you slow down?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely so. Mindset, putting yourself into a place of power. So there are many, many places that people feel they're most powerful, they're most comfortable. It could be the trails you love to run, in, the kitchen you love to cook in or, for some, the boardroom, where you love to lead. And what I recommend is putting your mind in that place of comfort, of safe, place, of refuge, before you take the stage, before you take the camera, and visualize that. Visualize yourself getting on that platform and commanding and performing at the highest level because you're tricking your mind, and performing at the highest level because you're tricking your mind. If your mind visualized you doing that, when you actually get on stage, you've already been there, You've already done that and you're in a place of comfort, of refuge and in complete control.
Speaker 3:So that's what I mean by the mindset when I talk about the body. As a speaker, as a singer, as a performer, your body is your instrument. So how to understand the posture, your spinal alignment, how your physiology works and incorporating that into just an ease of vocal production. And then the breath discovering how your particular breathing mechanism works, difference between shallow and grounded breathing, the deep breathing, the diaphragmatic breathing. This not only just helps you have composure and confidence, but this also then allows you to use your breath in such an energetic and powerful way that breath fuels the voice, it gives you energy and that ultimately will give you confidence when you get on that stage. So aligning the mindset, the body and the breath.
Speaker 2:Thank you for unpacking that. I love it because people listen and they'll take notes. How do I get better If all you that are listening, most of my speakers, will give you tips throughout the entire podcast. They just share things. That's very helpful. That's why I love to call it Unpacked. Is you get to have real dialogue Can you think of? You've been in it for a while? When did you realize that you have mastered it? What were the things that made you realize I'm really good at this?
Speaker 3:As far as the performing and the singing, you know that's a lifelong process. But you know, when I started winning auditions and I started beating out thousands of people, I felt like there was something that was putting myself above a lot of the rest. But it's interesting because I always felt myself as an underdog. I was not always the best singer, I was not always the best performer, I was not always the best music student, but what I could do is I could command the stage. Every single time I took the stage, I used that as my refuge. That came from when I was a young child and I just felt the most comfortable on stage.
Speaker 3:So, um, after my, uh, my military career, my performing career and I still am performing but I decided I want to give back. Um, it's my time to be able to coach, show people how I've mastered the art of commanding the stage. And now I'm not saying that I don't get nervous, because I do. But getting up in front of a thousand people, five thousand people, ten thousand people, even twenty five thousand people, 10,000 people, even 25,000 people, as I did last year at the Republican National Convention, on stage with a worldwide audience of millions, I had the most peace I've ever had and because I've now mastered that art of that connection mindset, body, breath and showing up in a way that's so authentic and you're so in your calling that you can't think of anything not to do but this Wow.
Speaker 2:Wow. How do you thank you for sharing? How do you tie back the work that you're doing, the coaching that you're doing, to being on stage? Where is the connection for people that are in the leadership roles of learning how to command, whether it's, like you said, a boardroom, whether it's a team meeting, whether it's 25,000 people? How do you tie leadership to the work that you're doing?
Speaker 3:Every single time you show up and you and you talk, there needs to be a reason and a value driven behind that. If not, you're just talking, and so that's the difference between the talkers and the speakers the speakers that show up in a commanding presence. So, whether you're an executive, a CEO, an entrepreneur, a business owner, every time you speak you're leading people into your environment, whether it's your coaching program, whether it's the business, whether it's you're a salesperson, and inviting them to your service or your product. Because if you're not showing up and you're not A providing value but B be inviting them into your environment, then you're just talking. And so it's very, very important for speakers, entrepreneurs, communicators to understand that you show up, driving value, allowing your audience to understand that you are the authority.
Speaker 3:Your big idea is you are providing all of this insight, rich solutions. Whatever your framework is, whatever your aha moment is, that's how you want to invite people in, and I've got a whole system and I've got a whole framework that I use with my coaching clients, um called the voice framework. We can go into that a little later if you'd like, but it's about how to utilize your voice, utilize storytelling, um influence through the, how to create buy-in with your audience through interaction with your audience, commanding with your voice, your presence, your body, inflection and tone, and then, ultimately, how to effortlessly enroll every single time you get on the stage, leaving your audience wanting more and wanting to know how to connect with you and what's the next steps to be able to connect.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm glad you brought up your framework. You know, without giving away all the answers to it, you know what would you share with us about the framework?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I what I just did is I just quickly ran through it, but it's my voice framework. And then I start with the mindset, body, breath. So every single time you take the stage, aligning that mindset and that body and that breath, unlocking your authentic voice, and then, like a singer does, playing the voice like an instrument. So, with, with the voice framework, the V that stands for value-driven content, that's clarifying your big idea, creating that talk that just delivers transformation and creates these immediate aha moments. That sets you up as the authority. And then the O optimizing the storytelling. People learn from the authority. And then the oh optimizing the storytelling. You know people learn from the stories and not just the facts.
Speaker 3:That's how you can actually get your audience to feel, because people love stories and they can relate and you ultimately want to be able to take your audience on your journey through your story. And I influence, through the interaction. So that's learning how to involve your audience, keeping their attention, building trust, using call and response, bringing the audience into your own environment and keeping them active throughout your talk. And the C confident delivery instrument this voice, through tone, through pacing, through pausing, through articulation, through volume, aligning that voice and that message up and E, the most important effortless enrollment, structuring that offer in a way it just feels natural, not pushy, not salesy.
Speaker 3:Right, you want to lead your audience into transformation, innovation and, ultimately, a conversation with trust, credibility it's that know like and trust factor. And you want your audience wanting more. This is what stage performers Broadway singers, opera singers, classical singers they're always to a point where that audience just wants more. They're at the edge of the seat. Tell me more. How can I work with you? How can I be with you? So that's the framework. That's ultimately how I help the entrepreneur space, the communicator space, the leader space bring their audience into their own environment and use your talk to convert every single time.
Speaker 2:Wow, Wow. Thank you for walking through your framework of how you get there and using the voice framework. What do you tell the leader that's gotten promoted? That's naturally an introvert and pretty quiet, but people need to hear the voice. People need to see them more, hear them more. How do you help them make that transition from being this introvert to being able to own the space without feeling overwhelmed and having anxiety about standing up in front of people and speaking? What are some tips that you can share with that person?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's such a great question. I'm actually an introvert and that's why it's so important for me anytime that I take the stage. Is that aligning of the mindset? What is some of the limiting beliefs that are holding people back? Could it be a root cause from childhood? Could there be an issue that they've gotten up on stage before and froze? They got laughed at, they were made fun of, maybe when they were in the high school play or something like that?
Speaker 3:So, really unpacking that, because every single time you get up on a stage, it's that fight or flight, right. Every single time you're having a conversation, it's that fight or flight. Your mindset is going to go back to that moment. So how to be able to train your mind eliminate the right, eliminate the left, come into full focus, eliminate the right, eliminate the left, come into full focus, but doing so with your body and your breath. If you understand those three concepts, when you show up and you speak whether it is a networking event, whether it's on stage, whether it's on video you're going to show up with so much more confidence and clarity and, ultimately, authenticity. So that is what I would recommend for anyone that is suffering from and I wouldn't even say, suffering. Being an introvert, being an extrovert, that's just our personality traits. I'm the introvert, but when I show up, I command, I own, I deliver, and it's with that confidence and clarity and and clarity and all the way that I was describing Awesome, awesome.
Speaker 2:Thank you for sharing Really really good insight for people that are introverts. What do you do for what are some tips or pointers for someone that's the extrovert that's usually trying to figure out how to tone it down so they can have audience engagement. They're not just talking, talking, talking, talking, talking.
Speaker 1:How do you?
Speaker 2:settle down if you're an extrovert and you tend to give out too much information and you don't engage your audience.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Some of the value that I just shared about how to use pausing strategically, how to use the breath and not just the, not just the fuel, but grounding. I think that's what, um, that's what some people suffer from when they get up and they just share just all this information and it's like at the speed of light. It's because maybe they're nervous and now they're manifesting that through being really really fast or sharing, you know, so much information very, very in a quick manner. So, using those strategic pauses, using your breath to ground yourself, using your body and really earthing all of your messaging internally in your body, and when you feel that type of grounding, you're not going to use all of that energy and excitement, emotion, adrenaline in a way that actually makes you come across rather amateur. So, yeah, I would say that you know. Another thing I notice with a lot of talkers, a lot of speakers, is how they use the stage.
Speaker 3:You notice that there are a lot of speakers that use the stage and they use the entire stage, but they do so in a way that's not strategic. So if you play it back, all you'd be doing is you'd be just looking like a tennis match, going back and forth and back and forth. There is no, there's no purpose, right, there's no control. There's no command purpose, right, there's no control, there's no command. So this also would help that person that feels as though that this out of control energy uh, you know is, is being, is not being used to their benefit, right. So strategic, uh, placement of the stage command in your body and your breath, slowing down your pace, using pauses and inflection for important aha moments, yeah, Wow.
Speaker 2:So there's really an art and a science to this speaking.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. There definitely is an art and a science. I think, as Zig Ziglar said it, he would pre-vision every single place in the stage that he would go to, very similar to how actors, singers use blocking, and every single motion, every single gesture, every single inflection, every single place on stage. It was meaning. I think this is what sets the average to the exceptional, and when you see someone that really commands the stage with that much polish, you're going to want to ultimately be a part of their environment, because they now are trusting you.
Speaker 2:Yes, I love that you're doing it. The question that's come up that I want to unpack a little bit For a one hour keynote, if I'm interested in being a speaker, how much preparation time is really built into that, because you show up and they do a phenomenal job for one hour and it's not like they walked on stage and did so the practice and the rehearsal how much time is invested for you typically for a one-hour keynote? How much time are you investing to make sure that you perfect that as much as possible?
Speaker 3:You want to make sure that you have that framework to perfect them as much as possible. You wanna make sure that you have that framework. You wanna start with that. That moment of this is how I show up and I show up in command. Right, there's a lot of people that start a keynote saying thank you so much for having me here, it's so great to be here Right then. And there you're now at the audience's level, right? But if you show up with this moment of command and of authority, maybe it's bringing them into a story that is going to set up your talk. Sometimes what I do is I'll get up and I'll sing. I start singing right away and automatically that will set me apart from someone else. So you show up with that type of authority and then you lead your audience with the big idea what is the overall idea that you want to get across? Using the facts, setting that credibility by using other professionals' quotes right, because quotes actually sets up credibility from what you're saying and then using some facts and figures and percentages and all of that tying in stories so then the audience can ultimately feel. And then coming back to who you are, who you serve, how you help, wrapping it up in this nice little bow and a call to action at the end. That, right, there can be five minutes, 10 minutes, 30 minutes and an hour, and it just depends on how you're structuring this, weaving in the storytelling, weaving in everything that I'm talking about, and then also creating buy-in from your audience. And then one other thing is feeling where the audience is. If the audience isn't ready to go on your journey with you, take some more time with them. Maybe there's another quote that you need to bring in, maybe there's another story that you need to bring in. But wait until your audience is ready for you to go through with that journey on the bus, so to speak, and start then moving from, you know, one side of your journey through your journey, with the audience on the bus coming with them. So you're ultimately, um, it's, it's like you're, you're, it's like a movie, right, you're, you're allowing the audience to experience this incredible drama, this action, this comedy, whatever, but it's doing so in a way that's so strategic.
Speaker 3:So, to answer your question, how long does that take? It takes planning, it takes purpose. It takes maybe not necessarily writing out a script like an actor or performer, but you definitely have to have your bullets. You definitely have to have your facts and your figures and your quotes and your stories. And you need to practice, but it's practicing with intention. It's not practicing just over and over and over. It's internalizing and feeling how you are presenting that story.
Speaker 3:As an opera singer, I'm going to kind of take you back a little bit in pulling back the curtains. When you are delivering an aria or you're on stage and you're having the action, you have to put yourself A in the character's place, but also in your own personal place. What type of experiences made you feel really, really sad? It was a loss of a loved one or a pet or a job. What was that feeling that you had? And how can, now that you bring that feeling into that story that you're presenting For me, the aria that I'm presenting, and then now taking yourself to a place that you can almost go on the brink of losing control, but you're not.
Speaker 3:You can pull back right. You can bring that audience in that journey, in that emotion, but not with breaking down. The audience doesn't want to see someone completely breaking down with the emotion. They want to see someone with someone that has so much control and composure, but they can do so in a way that's just. It's your internalizing right. You are experiencing what that audience is feeling like. You're bringing the audience into your story, into your pain, into your discomfort, but doing so in a way that has still command and control. So we kind of went on a tangent, but I think I gave a little bit of um, unveiling and pulling back the curtain of how the actor and the performer you know, yes, it did exactly what I wanted you to do.
Speaker 2:I wanted you to unpack it, you know so, good job. Yeah, I mean because you know, as people listen, oftentimes people like us make it look easier than it really is or people think they're going to. It's a light switches on and off and it happens overnight and I think to get to the level of professionalism that you've achieved and success that you've achieved, there's a lot of work behind it and appears to be well worth it, but there's there's work and that's for every leader in every role. But what are you doing to make sure you're ready for the stage? And every leader in every role, like, what are you doing to make sure you're ready for the stage?
Speaker 2:And that's the stage could be anything that can be, you know, talking to your spouse dealing with that could be talking to your kids. That could be, you know, dealing with family. That can be a whole meeting. That could be doing something in your community. That can be the stage. You know 25,000 people Like what are you doing to actually prep for that thing that you're going to walk into? That's that you want to influence and you want to command the stage or the presence and make an impact, and it requires preparation it really does um yeah one of the things I tell a lot of people you know on the daniel, if you care, you should prepare it's it's.
Speaker 3:It's like I said before you you want to be able to set up that no like and trust factor and you bring that authenticity in, but you do so again with command and control People. This is how I'm viewing and I've seen speakers. When someone gets up there and they're very nervous and they're stuttering and they're really, really emotional and they don't feel, they don't seem calm, collected and in control. The audience will look down or they'll scroll through their phone. They'll look around because they're not trusting that person on stage anymore, that person on stage anymore. When they trust that person on stage, it's when the audience can see them as a leader. Right, they can see them as someone.
Speaker 3:Oh, I want to follow them, I want them to take me on this journey and ultimately, I need to learn from them. And how then can I be part of their community? So when you show up and you don't have that authority, you don't have that command, and how I use my voice and how I use my body and my face and how I use the stage and how I use the stage, those are ultimately the tools and the skills to bring your audience into your world, with that authority, with that command and the no like and trust factor.
Speaker 2:Wow, I love it. I love it. You shared a lot, daniel, and I know you have, as we were talking before we got started in the green room. Basically is you got some resources and things that you love to share with audiences, so I want to be able to. A mindful of time for everyone is what do you want to share with the audience, that you want to share with them that may be useful? And then, once you do that, if you can share, how do people reach you? I'm sure there are people that are speakers and on stages that can use your services. So any tools or things you want to share or giveaways, and then a best way to reach out to you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I've got a breathing video that I use every single time I take the stage and I would love your audience to be able to access that. My website is danielerbycom and you can find me on social media Daniel Erby official, and so I definitely want to share the video with your audience. However, we can arrange that. Or, if they want to come to my website, sign up for the email list Boom, I'll shoot off that video. Connect with me on social media, send me a message. I'll definitely give that video, but every single time I take the stage again, when we talk about mindset, body, breath, it ultimately begins for me with the breath, and so I think it's super important to show and to coach my clients and anyone that wants to be part of my community how to master their breath and then use that in a way that fuels the energy and fuels the voice. So that's my gift to your audience.
Speaker 2:Awesome, awesome, love it and we'll have that as you're watching. We'll have a link, we'll communicate to make sure you have everything to be able to reach. Daniel, is there anything that you haven't shared that you want the audience to know before we wrap up? The audience to know before we wrap up.
Speaker 3:Yeah, ron, I believe that everyone has a story, everyone has a message, and it's ultimately about how to be able to deliver that message so you can impact and influence massive masses, and so, but it's it's you showing up, though, in a way that you just want to have so much composure with yourself because, again, people want to be part of your journey, part of your community, the know, like and trust. So, ultimately, you will be able to influence. Everyone has that capability, everyone can do it, but there are certain tools and techniques that will just help you from becoming the average speaker and communicator to the exceptional speaker and communicator, because, ultimately, then you'll be able to impact more and more people and give back and serve, because ultimately, that's what we're here for. We're here to serve others.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, thank you so much, and thank you, daniel, for sharing and all of your contact information and for all you guys.
Speaker 2:All the time I always tell you that we bring people on that's going to be super helpful, going to share real insights and practical tips and give you ways to reach out to them.
Speaker 2:And hopefully on this episode of Unpacked with Ron Harvey, as Daniel walked through owning the stage, getting your message right, being able to walk through all of the steps to get you prepared to make an influence and serve others, if you ever need to reach me, I'm always out there on LinkedIn it's probably the most efficient place or you can always go to our website and be happy to respond to that. But what we do actually do is always share the link to this podcast with your friends and your colleagues and your professionals in your circles. We'd love for them to have access to us. But, more importantly, we hope you join us on another episode of Unpacked with Ron Harvey, as we continue to bring guests from around the globe to add value to you on your career and your journeys, to help you be more effective at taking care of people. Until next time, Daniel and I will sign off.
Speaker 1:Well, we hope you enjoyed this edition of Unpacked Podcast with leadership consultant Ron Harvey. Remember to join us every Monday as Ron unpacks sound advice, providing real answers for real leadership challenges. Until next time, remember to add value and make a difference where you are, for the people you serve, because people always matter.
