237. Get to the Point 2.0
Book the GET TO THE POINT workshop on April 1 HERE.
Get to the point!
Is this something you've ever been told?
Speaking confidently and concisely will transform your meetings, panel appearances, social media videos, podcasts and presentations.
In this episode, my workshop co-presenter Leanne Hughes reveals -
👉The naked truth of what it's like co-presenting with me.
👉 Her stand-out framework of the workshop.
👉 The immediate ROI of past Get to the Pointers.
👉 How she's managing to release a podcast episode every single day in 2025.
Transcript
Hello. I will get straight to the point. If you are in Brisbane or can get to Brisbane and want to communicate more confidently and concisely in meetings, on panels, in interviews, on social media, on podcasts, in presentations, get your ticket to our Get To The Point Workshop on April 1st, not an April Fool's joke, I'm running this workshop with the Queen of facilitation, Leanne Hughes, who I'm chatting with on today's episode. Leanne shares her favorite part of the Get to the Point workshop, the incredible results from past attendees, and also how she's managing to release a podcast episode every single day of 2025. How amazing.
Sally:
Leanne, it is such a pleasure to chat with you as usual. How are you?
Leanne:
I'm doing well, Sal. It's been too long.
Sally:
It has. And seeing you do a podcast every single day of 2025, how are you going with it?
Leanne:
You are the queen of speaking up for your business. I call myself a Self-designated thought breeder and it's like, do I have 365 ideas in me? Yeah, I think I do. So it's more of a personal challenge than anything. A really fun creative project and I'm seeing a lot more in the world and I'm observing a bit more and and thinking about key lines that I can then riff on on the shows. It's been really fun.
Sally:
Yeah, and articulating your words out loud helps you synthesize them.
Leanne:
Exactly. And so my goal is, I mean, at the moment I'm doing light editing 'cause I don't have time to edit these things. I'm hoping within maybe a hundred, 150 days there's no need to edit and I'm just so good. There's no filler words. I don't overthink something. So really it's more, I guess a personal development type of thing as well, just being able to use a voice and get to the point quite quickly as well.
Sally:
Yeah, it's such a good segue, isn't it? So we have been running our Get to the Point workshop. We've done it twice and it's coming up to the third time now. How have you been finding co-presenting with me?
Leanne:
I love co-presenting with you. It's like, almost like a holiday, when you facilitate on your own, you're in charge of absolutely everything. And to have a co-host that is as capable and talented and fun to hang out with as you, it's not, it's absolutely not work. It's like a highlight in the calendar and I think our styles are quite different as well. So it's lovely to see how our styles can also compliment each other for the workshop and what people latch onto. What about, what are your thoughts on, on co-facilitating as well?
Sally:
Leanne, likewise, you know, it's such a sigh of relief to have such an experience. I mean, you are the queen of facilitation, the two-hour workshop blueprint, which by the way, if you come to the workshop you get a copy of that. It's so great. And I found that the two times we've ran it, it's been such a success and the feedback coming in has been so good. People have said, Oh my gosh, I've walked out of that room, made a change to my video, I put on social or made a change to my meeting I had with a client and immediately I had a better result.
Leanne:
That means a world to me because I mean we both, you know, we've been guests, participants in other workshops where you walk away thinking great, really helpful at a philosophical level and maybe I've got some reframes in mind, but like, How do I actually use this? And you're right in that WhatsApp group that we create, I think if we've even had stories of people like the next day we might have done a piece of content for LinkedIn and they've just like really thought about how to sharpen that. It's direct value, it's direct ROI, I should say.
Sally:
Yeah, a hundred percent. And people even coming back to the WhatsApp group, you know, weeks after months after the workshop saying, Hey, just checking in, letting you know I'm still using these techniques and they're so great.
Leanne:
Sometimes the gold is actually revisiting it and you pull out different threads. 'cause What I found interesting in our program, both the times we run it, they've been really different experiences. Do you remember the first group was like, it kind of felt like an extrovert party. It was loud and the second group was, it was more considered same workshop, same facilitators, just a different group with the people that are there. And some people pick up on like they love the sway framework. Other people think the launch questions, you never really know what what our group will really latch onto.
Sally:
Yeah. And two things there. The first one is it shows that getting to the point and being a strong communicator has nothing to do with whether you're an extrovert or an introvert. And so everybody is welcome in this workshop. Don't feel like you have to stand up and speak on your own and you're all, you know, on the spot, even though I guarantee that you'll want to by the end because that's just the environment we create. And the second thing is, yes, the launch questions, that's one of my favorite parts of the workshop. Just briefly explain without giving too much away what the launch questions are designed to do.
Leanne:
It's really to establish where your group is at, 'cause Often I've discovered when you are hosting a workshop, you could be running it to people that are maybe even more experienced at a topic than you are or maybe have had no exposure to the topic. And typically if we're an expert, we think that no one might know. Like no one else knows what we know. But adult learners, like they've got real world experience. And so you sort of wanna figure out where do you launch your expertise from? Where do you launch your explanation from or discussion because you wanna know what these team knowledge is. And so I always use launch questions either like beforehand or you know, even during a panel just to find out like, who are the people in the group here? Lets me sort of focus my effort and energy and direct a conversation that's more valuable as opposed to telling people what they might already know or sharing concepts and language that they have no idea what that actually means.
Sally:
Absolutely, yeah. It's leading with curiosity. And it reminds me of a big shift that we have in the workshop. It's a quote that we use, what you lack in confidence, you tend to make up for in words the Jim Rohn quote.
Leanne:
Yeah, and even like feeling the pressure to, to fill a silence or to just give more and more content thinking that more content equals more value.
Sally:
Value is in volume as I say.
Leanne:
Oh, that's, well say that again Sal, that's worth repeating.
Sally:
Oh, value isn't in volume.
Leanne:
That is really powerful. We should add that to our little manifesto that we've got.
Sally:
Yes, I love it that we start off the workshop with a manifesto. So for me, the launch questions, I love that. I really like of course a couple of the voice exercises we do, you may or may not get to throw things at us, which is always fun in a workshop. What about for you? What's the standout of the workshop for you?
Leanne:
I love your sway technique and that's something that I picked up just from being in the workshop and co-facilitating with you that I've used in PAL interviews. I've used it on Zoom calls because it directs energy. It's a beautiful sequencing of your voice. I don't, again, I don't wanna give you acronym away, but yeah, that, that's my favorite.
Sally:
Yeah, and that's what's so great about this workshop is you do get the practical framework. So there's the baton technique to move things along. There's a sway technique for the storytelling. There's the launch questions and it really is a masterclass thanks to you Leanne. And I've done a lot of facilitating as well in how not to make a workshop boring, you know, bringing in all the different elements of, of movement and questioning and pair and share and you know, all of those things. So if you ask somebody who does facilitate any sort of workshops, I highly recommend to come along just to see the master at work.
Leanne:
That's you, self. And I think you talked about contrast there, like all the different things we do to mix it up. I think the ultimate contrast is sharing your voices, so your voice, my voice, the voice of the group as well. Like that's in such an easy way to bring in that contrast as well.
Sally:
Yeah. So I mentioned if you do any sort of facilitating of meetings or workshops, a hundred percent this is going to be on the money for you. What's, what are some other scenarios people might find themselves speaking in that this would be useful for?
Leanne:
Yeah, I think it's everyday applicable. So, but again, I don't wanna be too generic here, but I think panels are, are a really great, because in a panel often you have to nail a point quite quickly. I think in content, like your content strategy as well, even in written format, it's really helpful I think in meetings especially like how do you using a format like sway like share a point to be persuasive and influence a result. So there's many different formats and I think the good news is like it's, we we're not prescriptive about that and I think many of the, the people in the group are like, oh great, I can take this into my board meeting. Or Oh great, I'm running a hosting a podcast.
Sally:
Yeah, yeah. Or what a great idea for social content or what a great idea to answer questions as a podcast guest.
Leanne:
Yes. Yeah.
Sally:
And there's even a little bit you can use with media interviews as well.
Leanne:
Oh of course. That's and that's your strong suit
Sally:
<Laugh>? Yeah, I do full other workshops just on media techniques. But with everything going on in the world at the moment, there's so many great examples of what to do and not to do in the media and that's another thing in the workshop. We have some really up to date fantastic examples of people getting to the point very well and even giving too little. So there is such thing as not giving enough information.
Leanne:
Yeah, there's that, that really kind of cringe-worthy Mike Tyson interview, which is like, you feel the cringe in the room and it's just funny to debrief.
Sally:
So Leanne, is there anything else you wanted to add?
Leanne:
I think it's what I most love about this as well is apart from like the value from the, the actual day and experience is the network that you get to meet. We have a really dynamic group of people that always show up that are highly engaged, that wanna do better with their lives and there's like just some wonderful people to meet as well. So I think any opportunity to invest in your own learning particularly in a face-to-face environment. I mean, I do a lot of online but nothing beats in person to be honest. So I'd encourage you if you're on the hesitation station, like back yourself.
Sally:
Oh, Iove your hesitation station phrase. Yeah. Get on that train and get off that station. Amazing. So we are doing this workshop on April Fool's Day. It is not a prank, it is not a joke. We will be there. And it was any consolation, I actually hate pranks ever since I was younger and somebody gave me a spoonful of wasabi and told me it was guacamole. I have been oh, anti prank ever since that day.
Leanne:
Yeah. Me, too. Like, it, it is a kind of bit I maybe that gets comes an age, but that is an awful prank. I'd be How hideous. That's that's actually really cruel. That's super cruel.
Sally:
I know. And it was followed up by, did you know they took gullible outta the dictionary and I was at an age where I was like, oh really? Anyway, so, I haven't got a good relationship with pranks, so not in April Fool's Day, we'll be getting to the point on April 1st, the early bird price for the tickets, which is half the regular price finishes on March 18, two weeks before. So if you are thinking of coming then get your ticket now before March 18.
Leanne:
Yeah, that, yeah. Good call out. And Sally, yeah, thanks for the opportunity to chat about this and just be in your orbit. Like I love the work that you do and how you show up, how you show up for businesses and just yourself and how you, I just love that confidence. I think it rubs off on all of us as we see you progress.
Sally:
Oh, that's so beautiful, Leanne. Right back at you. You're very, very inspiring and it's so powerful to be in the orbit of people doing really cool things with really good heart. And I feel that because you know, we have a similar vibe, which is why we're friends and then the people that we attract to our workshops have that similar vibe and energy and it's so beautiful to be part of. And we go for drinks afterwards usually.
Leanne:
Oh yeah. We have an after party. That was a really fun addition to the last one. I'll have to put that time in my calendar. Just remember after parties on. So fun.
Sally:
Yeah, so great. Well you can follow me on Instagram @SallyProsservoice or @thatvoicepodcast. Leanne, what are your handles?
Leanne:
Yeah, @LeanneHughes and I podcast Daily on Leanne on Demand.
Sally:
Amazing. And I'll put the link to sign up for the workshop in the show notes and you can also reach out to either of us and we'll be able to give you more info. Leanne. So great to chat. Thanks for coming on the podcast.
Leanne:
Legend. Thank you.