Thread by @brandonthezhang

When I started podcasting this summer, I was nervous, and the definition of awkward

Taking Write of Passage, I became good friends with @robbiecrab.

Robbie transformed my life by teaching me how to be a better speaker, and more importantly a better communicator

(thread) 🧵

1/

While in Write of Passage, Robbie and I came up with an idea to have daily writing accountability groups.

3-4 people on a call writing in silence and debriefing everyone of their progress in the end.

We tested it ourselves first.

2/

Every morning, 5 of us would get on a call and write. A 5 minute briefing, 60 minutes of focus and a 5 minute debriefing.

Even after Write of Passage ended, the tradition continued.

We introduced others to the idea as well and the community grew.

3/

I continued to write with Robbie well into the summer.

We grew to become true friends, talking about more than writing and Twitter.

Being on endless calls with Robbie and watching him conduct himself made me want to be a better speaker.

4/

He has an uncanny ability to perfect a story in one take.

An amazing storytelling mind.

A great poise when faced with new prompts and questions.

102 Trial cases teaches you that.

5/

As the calls continued to go on, it evolved to a place where it was often just me and Robbie on the call.

In our debriefings we would often chat for much longer than the 5 minutes we allotted.

Every day, the conversation added up. My voice became clearer and louder.

6/

Whenever it was in conversation, Robbie would always push me to be more accurate, more precise, more evocative.

The results showed, I was more confident doing the podcast, more comfortable.

I spent less time worrying about the edits, I knew I spoke clearly.

7/

Then Robbie told me he was announcing Performative Speaking.

It made perfect sense.

He had been giving me the training all of these calls, one conversation at a time.

The method of making me a better communicator worked.

8/

It works because Robbie perfected it through 102 criminal law cases. In front of juries not judges.

It works because Robbie perfected it through his time teaching public speaking at SMU Law School, where his students swept the public speaking awards.

9/

It works because I know Robbie pays attention to every individual.

The past months on Twitter he has taken time to get on a call with every person that reaches out to him.

I have the same policy, but I learned it from him.

10/

This isn't new for Robbie he did the same thing at SMU.

The first year he spent teaching Performative Speaking, he asked every student to give him feedback.

He wanted to make it better.

11/

I'll be joining the inaugural cohort of Performative Speaking, not just because I want to be a better podcast host.

But because, I believe in the ability for the course to create new opportunities, build invaluable relationships and make impressions that last.

12/

I would love to help Robbie out in any way I can, because he helped me get to this point on my journey.

If you are curious about if Performative Speaking is the right fit for you. Reach out to me and I will schedule a call.

Full curriculum👇

performative-speaking.teachable.com/?affcode=72680…

13/
Performative speaking is for you if you want to:

Stand up in a meeting and pitch your idea with confidence
Create a confidence in speaking that is a part of your entire life
Boost your career prospects by being the best speaker in the room

14/
The Pillars of Performative Speaking

Age of Persuasion
Create your Character
The C.A.P. System
Be the star of the room
Build your Expert
Create your video home
Find your West Wing

15/
The Logistics

15 live class sessions beginning on October 19th
3 live sessions per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 8PM EST) for 5 weeks
At least 6 pre-recorded unit videos
Private online discussion forum (circle)
Live small group sessions if class size exceeds 30 people