78. Five public speaking lessons from the newsroom
There are lots of public speaking and business tips that can be taken from the fast -paced world of news. In this episode, former TV news reporter Joya Dass and I chat about our journalism experiences and how they can help you be a better business person and speaker.
Transcript
Sally:
Welcome to Episode 78 of That Voice Podcast, "Five Public Speaking Lessons from the Newsroom". If you're new to the podcast and new to me, you might not know that I used to be a radio and TV news reporter. And that's why I do a fair bit of corporate media training and I also work with lots of young journalists to help them develop a great news voice so they can tell the story and not just read the script. It's not like my TikTok newsreader comedy into the hairbrush, in case you're wondering. And you know, my experience in news has taught me lots of lessons about business and also public speaking. And what better way to share some of these lessons than with a fellow former journo, turned public speaking coach and speaker, like me! I'm talking about Joya Dass. Now, Joya spent 20 years as a business news anchor, delivering live hourly reports from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. How cool is that?
Sally:
Now, before I bring our chat to you, I would love to invite you to my Voice and Vinho virtual party. The event's online. You can drink, whatever you like. I'll be drinking wine and using lots of wine metaphors that are going to help you nail down your vocal brand, produce a rich, attractive voice, speak with clarity, and you know, be engaging when you talk. This is the taste of My Six Week Voice Makeover, and it's only 37 US Dollars (if you buy before the 1st of June). So that's Voice and Vinho, the link's on my website. It's also in the show notes. So if you want to speak with more confidence, more clarity and more charisma, and virtually drink wine with me, then get your ticket to Voice and Vinho.
Sally:
Okay. Let's dive in! Joya Dass, welcome to That Voice Podcast.
Joya:
Thank you for having me, Sally. I feel like I need to get on a plane and come visit you in Australia. Although that's a long time to wear a mask!
Sally:
Oh, please do it is worth it. And it is so lovely to speak to a fellow former news reporter.
Joya:
Yeah. I spent 20 years reporting from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. I'm one of the gals that you see every hour-- just analyzing what the market's doing, what are the top stocks you need to know... Done in two minutes and into commercial break.
Sally:
Wow! And what did you have to study to get a position like that?
Joya:
I will tell you that I went to get my Master's in Journalism. I don't know that I knew right out of the gate that I wanted to do business news, but my first internship while I was in grad school, is with the Chief Financial Correspondent of Nightly News, NBC Nightly News here in New York. And that was when I was like, I love that no matter what's happening in the headlines, your money always makes the news because people care about their money. Also, I noticed that because the markets were obviously not open on Saturday or Sunday, you could have some semblance of a life, even though you're a reporter. Also, if like a cat like runs up a tree or you burn chicken on your stove, like that's not the story you want to send me on because I'm just not passionate about that. But I was passionate about getting up and telling you about your money. I just think that it's such an important thing and it never gets cut.
Sally:
That's absolutely right. One of my news directors said the heat, health, and the hip pocket. So you can never go wrong with weather or health or anything, money-related. So you're absolutely right. And so tell us about now, how you've made that transition out of reporting into your own business.
Joya:
I launched a documentary production company back in 2010 and it was really because I've just done the news grind for so many years at that point-- getting up at 2:30, into work by 3:30, on the air by 5, that I was like, "Alright, I'm doing all this, but where's this body of work that I can look, at and say, 'I'm proud of this.'?" So I stayed on the air, but I launched a production company on the side. And that was truly when LadyDrinks, which is my women's leadership platform, got its birth. I had taken on a business partner and she had started LadyDrinks in Toronto, monthly meetups for women in film and TV to network and get jobs post recession. So she was like, "Hey, you know, as a business development exercise, could we host LadyDrinks meetups in New York city?"
Joya:
And I said, "Sure, whatever." But I didn't realize that an entire generation of Indian girls had grown up watching me on TV at a time when no Indian girls were on mainstream TV. And 300 were showing up to my events. And I thought, "Okay, whether I like it or not, I'm in a place of responsibility." Because truly, as we're being raised as Indian women, there's no space to have conversations about becoming CEO, COO, Managing Director, Senior Council... not in our friends' circle, not in our homes' circles. So then where are you going to have those conversations? And then where are you going to find the support for it? I decided to create it because I was a master at doing that for myself. And so now it's been nine years. I've left television, I'm running this platform full-time, but I don't know that I've ever worked as hard in my whole life. And as much as I do-- Monday through Sunday as I do, you know, really leading this thing that I've built out of nothing.
Sally:
But it's so fantastic. You know what they say? You can't be what you can't see.
Joya:
Yeah.
Sally:
So being that role model for so many people is so fantastic! And I guess when you were on TV, you didn't know how many people were watching. Whereas when you say, "Come, and come to Lady Drinks.", you can actually see in person all of the people that you're impacting.
Joya:
And I would wager that that's so much harder because you have instant feedback. If someone's on their phone or instant feedback, when they're talking to their friend or now we're on Zoom. So, you know, when someone's just zoned out and not paying attention, and you're still like scanning the room, and reading the room and you're painfully aware when you are losing the room. So for me, I would wager this is way harder. But I find it much more rewarding.
Sally:
Oh, fantastic! So today, we're going to talk about five public speaking lessons that we can take from the newsroom.
Joya:
Yeah.
Sally:
So let's get started. What is lesson number one?
Joya:
Trust, but verify, I just went through this, you know, in hiring a young college graduate. You gotta ask for references, you gotta check those references. And I think you got to hire anybody that you're going to hire on a contract basis for a probationary period to see whether or not your values are aligned. And if in person, this is going to be able to deliver. So much as you would with facts when you're in the newsroom, you want to make sure you trust, but verify when you're hiring somebody, because I mean, that's just going to impact your bottomline.
Sally:
Absolutely. And if you're not hiring and you're just putting together a speech, I think that, that point is so relevant because when you are researching your statistics or your facts, you know, it's not enough just to kind of do a quick Google search and say, "Oh yeah, well, that's what the first results says." And then put it in your keynote. It's important to be able to dig down and verify because something like that can totally throw your credibility if you are looking to get out there on the stage.
Joya:
If you're only in front of people for one time only, you only have that one shot to have their credibility. Or for even you to get clients out of the room if that's something that's, you know, part of the mission statement of being there in the first place. So, knowing your facts and trusting, but verifying is important, important, important.
Sally:
For sure. And also a lot of speeches these days are recorded. And so they're living on forever. So you want to make sure you've got those facts right.
Joya:
Everything on the internet lives forever, even when you delete it.
Sally:
Like those Facebook memories that come up, because I was quite an early adopter of Facebook so I see these photos from my university days, and I'm like, "Oh, untagging that one!"
Sally:
Okay. That's great. Now what's lesson two?
Joya:
Always have Plan B. I don't care where you're going, what you're doing. You know, you have Plan A and you hope for the best, but in live TV, I've learned that you always have to have Plan B, and Plan C road tested and ready to go. Because time is not something that you have a ton of when you're doing live television, as you well know. And so, if things are going South very quickly with Plan A, Plan B and C need to be ready and you gotta be able to pull the trigger. So for me, even in business, like if things, if you know, or an interview that I'm doing with a speaker is going south, like I will quickly pivot. If someone is not the best speaker, I will immediately flip it and start with questions. You know, like I can't lose the room. I think that to me is detrimental to my business. It's also detrimental as a speaker to lose a room. So for me, you got to think on your feet.
Sally:
Yeah, absolutely. And just from my own experience, Plan B, if the tech fails, if nobody shows up live.
Joya:
I've had a speed dump out like minutes before, like, thank goodness I network like a fiend, you know, that I could pull somebody out of my hat and be like, "I need you to do me this favor. I will do whatever you want, but please, I need you to speak to my class today."
Sally:
Yeah. It's interesting. I've had a fair few scenarios where I've been the one they've called, like "Sal, our speaker has dropped out.", or "I've lost an interview. Can you do it?" And I think it's because they know that I am ready to jump in-- kind of how we are in the newsroom. Always ready to go.
Joya:
Absolutely. And that's a skill, that's a skill set and not a lot of people have that get up and go.
Sally:
For sure. Okay. Number three.
Joya:
Watch the draft. You know, when you've like put something out there or you've asked somebody to do something and then there's just dead silence. I like to call that the "draft", which means like that, even in silence, that's information too. So, next! Onto the next. Onto the next. Onto the next. I, now as a business owner, am selling every single day. So much, like when I was calling somebody to be the subject of a news piece and they don't call me back inside of hour 45 minutes, you know, half an hour... Onto the next. I don't have when I have a deadline at six o'clock and it's already one o'clock, the luxury of waiting for you to get back from feeding your cat or your dog, or you're picking up your kids. I got to find somebody and I got to have them locked and ready to roll. So similarly, like if I put out a sales call for a next event and it's a high ticket item and no one's responded, double up on the calls. Double up on who you're reaching out to on LinkedIn, because I know that that is information as well.
Sally:
I remember in news, but I'd used to get a phone call returned the next day, like, "Oh, yep. Can we set up the interview?" I'm like, "Mate, the story ran last night. It's been and gone, like, you're too late after you didn't answer." They're like, "Oh no, but I had to run it past head office, and this" I'm like, "Oh my gosh, you need better media advisers, because this is just not how it works."
Joya:
The ship has sailed, my friend. Onto the next, as I said.
Sally:
That's so right! All right. What's our next lesson?
Joya:
Think on your feet. I mean, doing live television and especially from the floor of the stock exchange meant that I was never in the studio. So if my battery goes down, my mic goes down. For whatever reason, the connection isn't happening. It was on me, especially in the wee hours of the morning when not all the texts are in to figure it out. I remember there was a time that my master control guy, it was a huge snow storm. It was three o'clock in the morning. And he calls me, he's like "Joya. I'm not going to make it for the beginning of your broadcast today. I need you to line up the satellites and get yourself on the air." And I was like, "What?" He's like, "I'm going to walk you through it. Any other reporter I know wouldn't be able to do it, but I know you're going to be able to do it and we'll walk you through it, and you're going to get yourself on the air today. So I think you have to be able to be not afraid and think on your feet and the same as with, in business. You know, if something again, is going south, you think on your feet and you've gotta be able to pivot. You can't wallow in the sadness. If I don't have 15 people signed up, all right. Who do I got to reach out to it? Think on my feet, go to an event, host an event, but make sure I've got that room filled.
Sally:
Oh my gosh. So did you get to air in the end?
Joya:
I did, I did. And I remember the news station was like, "Wow, Joya. We heard you got yourself on the air today!" I was like, "I don't have time to talk about this! Like, I got to think about what I got to say now! Now that I've gotten the satellites up and running, I've got to figure out what I got to say." And they're like, "Wow..."
Sally:
Amazing. And yeah. Great lesson in business and a great lesson in speaking as well. Being able to think on your feet, if something does go wrong, if a joke does fall flat, if you do forget your words, if you do get a tickle in your throat. You always have to have that adaptability in order to adjust. Because I find that when people are too wedded to a plan, that's when things can go very wrong very quickly.
Joya:
And I know that you teach a lot of reporters. And you coach them on how to read a script versus being conversational, like so much of business news. And it was the biggest gift, is you've just got to get up there and talk. And you're be able to think on your feet because the market is changing fast. What you just said five minutes ago, isn't even valid anymore. So, thinking on my feet is probably one of the biggest skill sets that I've learned from being in the newsroom and being on the trading floor.
Sally:
Ah, yeah, it's such a skill. Live television. My goodness. What are we up to?
Joya:
Number five is be on time. Like my boxing trainer said to me, she's like, "You're always early. Like I really stress out before meeting you, because I know you're always early. And I'm like, if I'm three minutes late, I'm going to hear about it from you." But she's like, "Is it because you're on TV?" I'm like, "No, it's because my parents were always like, three hours late to everything." And with news, I feel like, you know, my life just the pendulum swung completely the opposite way. Be on time, be early. For me, it was just like, you know, ingratiating myself into the room, getting used to the scenario. So I wasn't huffing and puffing by the time I had to be on the air, like I was completely like, okay, I'm grounded. I'm here. I'm good. Ready to go. And so for me, when I have a meeting, if I'm doing a Zoom call, I'm always early. It's a sign of respect. Respect for the person that's taking time out of their day to show up to, you know, do a sales call with me or vice versa, but be on time. And I remember saying to my boxing trainer last Thursday, "Seconds are late in television." And here, I have friends that show up 45 minutes late to things. And I think it's just so obnoxious.
Sally:
Yeah. It's so interesting in news, you get a very different concept of time. So I used to do line producing, which was, you know, in the studio. Putting the show to air essentially. And so when we had like a two minute countdown, that'd be like, "Oh, go get a drink?" Go grab something that you need, go to the bathroom. Like two minutes is great. And then it's like, right. 15 seconds we're on. And so you're totally right. You get this idea of, of time being so important. And so when for speaking, even if it's virtual, you always want to be well and truly set up. I would say, like 20 minutes before at the least, if you can. And if you're driving somewhere for a speaking gig, get there early. Like, I can't believe how often I'm at things. And they're like, "Oh, the speaker is stuck in traffic." I'm like, "No way." If you think you might get traffic, just get there early and go and have a coffee. Go and sit in the park. And for me, if I'm ever speaking, that's a place more than an hour away. I will always go the night before.
Joya:
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there are so many variables like going to the airport that you can always control. Like why would you put unnecessary stress in your life? And for me, again, it's just being grounded in that space and maybe even going around and glad-handing and talking to some of the people in the room. So now I have allies to make eye contact with, if I'm in a live room and I'm talking to people. I love getting to things early. And my final point is, finding common ground. Again, if you're pressing that flesh before minutes before you're actually able to speak, you're establishing common ground. And for me, I often only had the commercial break to get very quickly up to speed on who the company was, what they do, and the three questions I need to ask cos they're ringing the opening bell or closing bell today.
Joya:
And so, finding that common ground was critical because then that kind of breaks down the barrier. And when the camera actually turns on, there's so much more at ease where you have some rapport and those are the minutes that really count. So today, when I'm at a networking event or I'm, you know, pressing the flesh as it were with a speaker that's about to speak. I love coming on early. Once again, that theme keeps coming up and just talking about, "Hey, I'm going to the bourbon trail in Kentucky this weekend" or, "Hey, you know, I tried out this new restaurant in Brooklyn this past weekend." Something, anything that makes us human.
Sally:
Absolutely. It's always about finding what connects us, not what divides us.
Joya:
Well in public speaking, you also want to create a talk where people see themselves in your story, right? Those "Me, too" moment. "Oh me, too!" You know, that's when you have impact, that's when you have influence,
Sally:
Oh, such good points! And as well, I love how you mentioned this, you don't need any added stress in your life. Because all of that added stress with the panicking about parking, or traffic, or tech, or any of those things-- they will show up in the voice and they will show up in how you speak.
Joya:
For me, it shows up right here, where people get Botox. That's where you see it.
Sally:
Oh my gosh, Joya. I have been thinking about getting Botox just this morning. My forehead's starting to look like one of those roly poly bulldogs.
Joya:
You look beautiful.
Sally:
Oh, thank you. I don't know. You kind of hit 35, but I've noticed a big difference, but anyway, conversation for another time, Joya, thank you so much! There's such fantastic points in there. Was there anything else you wanted to add?
Joya:
Uh, nope. You can always get in touch with me by emailing me at info@ladydrinks.com. I always love meeting new people, just as I met you on Instagram. And so, I'm @joyadass on Instagram, on Twitter, on pretty much every platform. It's my first and last name, which is right here down below.
Sally:
Joya Dass, thank you so much for joining That Voice Podcast.
Joya:
Thank you for having me. I can't wait to visit you and meet you in person!