People School Info Session + Q&A

Key Concepts

Warmth & Competence: Two essential components of building trust during presentations and interactions.
Oxytocin: The "chemical of trust" produced through eye contact and non-threatening behavior.
Positive Primer: Using intentional positive words at the beginning of interactions to set a desired tone.
"Me Too" Moment: Finding shared experiences or commonalities to build rapport with others.
Verbal Hooks: Memorable phrases or openings used to draw people into conversations.
PQ vs. IQ: Emphasizing the importance of people skills (PQ) in addition to technical skills (IQ), especially with the rise of AI.
Career Insurance: Building indispensable skills, particularly people skills, to future-proof your career.
People Workflow: Maximizing connections with individuals who amplify your success.
Inner & Outer Circle: Identifying and prioritizing relationships based on energy and nourishment.
Golden Hour: Protecting your most creative and strategic time to work.
People School: Coaching program that has 12 core skills for high achieving professionals to master their people skills.

Building Trust in Public Speaking

Warmth (Building Rapport)

Non-Verbal Cues: Visible hands and consistent eye contact.
Chemical Basis: Oxytocin, the chemical of trust, is produced through eye contact and non-threatening behavior.
Stage Presence: Angling your body towards the audience while walking on stage, leading with an open hand.
Positive Primer: Using the first 10 words intentionally to set a positive tone and desired behavior. For example: "It’s so lovely to see everyone."
Vulnerability: Sharing a personal story to show relatability and build trust.
Example: Starting with a story about being a "recovering awkward person" to connect with the audience.

Competence (Sharing Information)

Eye Contact: Focusing on the audience and avoiding excessive attention to screens or notes.
Nodders: Identifying and making eye contact with people who provide positive non-verbal feedback.
Big Idea: Starting with a clear summary of what will be presented to demonstrate organization.
No Apologies: Avoiding apologies for nervousness or technical issues unless a genuine mistake has been made.
Purposeful Gestures: Using explanatory gestures to highlight key points and aid understanding. Example: Numbering three points with fingers.
Example: Opener: "Today, we are talking about the single most important ingredient in the formula of success… knowing how to get along with people."

Dealing with People You Don't Like

Curiosity: Replacing the need to like someone with genuine curiosity about their interests and perspectives.
- Example: Understanding what someone is negative about to build empathy.
"Me Too" Moments: Actively searching for shared experiences or commonalities to build rapport.
- Example: Liking the same type of coffee or hating the same person in the office.
Shared Activity: Engaging in tasks or activities together that require less conversation and reduce the need to "fake" interaction.
- Example: Working towards a common goal, volunteering, or playing sports.

Being More Memorable in Conversations

Name: Mentioning the person's name once to show that you were paying attention and remember them.
Verbal Hooks: Using phrases to capture attention and introduce stories or interesting facts.
- Examples: "You'll never believe what happened to me today," "Here's an interesting fact…"
Share Stories: The more stories you share, the more memorable you become.
Save interesting or funny contents on Social Media platforms: Share the contents with people that you are with to laugh together.

AI's Impact on the Workplace

Shift in Focus: Emphasizing the importance of people skills (PQ) alongside technical skills (IQ).
Communication Issues: 97% of employees believe communication impacts their task efficacy. AI is not able to fix all communication problems.
Collaboration Failures: 86% of employees and executives cite lack of effective collaboration and communication as the main causes of workplace failures.
Communication Costs: Poor communication costs UK businesses an average of 7,000 pounds per employee each year.
Career Insurance: Developing people skills as a way to future-proof your career in the age of AI.

Technical Skills vs. People Skills

Three Strategies to Create Career Insurance

Define Your End Goal: Focus on what you want to achieve in your career narrative. Instead of focusing on adding more technical skills that AI might replace, think about the soft skills you need to get to your end goal.
- Carnegie Institute of Technology Research: 15% of financial success is due to technical ability, while 85% is due to people skills.
Know the Secret Sauce: Leverage studies, anecdotal evidence, and case studies to take action.
Knowing Personality Types: Knowing which personality type you are can help with identifying the goals.
- Introverted Adventurer: Wants control over social interactions, confident presence, and to be heard without being loud.
- Goal-Oriented Extrovert: Wants to elevate their natural ability to work with people with advanced precision, to be a master communicator, and to know what people around them are thinking.
- Ambitious Ambivert: Wants more from their work and the people they work with, earn more money, be more recognized, and have a greater positive impact.

Maximizing Your "Who" (People Workflow)

Inner Circle: Identifying the five people you spend the most time with (or thinking about).
Outer Circle: Identifying the next five people in your network.
People Problems: Identifying individuals tied to your people problems.
- Examples: Rigid and controlling people, micromanagers, rude people.
Goal: Work with anyone on anything.
Importance: Maximizing connections with the right people improves efficiency, productivity, and time.

People School Overview

Core Skills (12)

Charisma Formula (making a great first impression)
Setting Others Up for Success (pre-communicating behavior cues)
Being Engaging (captivating people)
Capturing Attention (making yourself and your ideas stand out)
Building Trust (deepening relationships)
Owning Your Power (owning your presence through vocal tips)
Likability (advanced framework)
Decoding (spotting hidden emotions)
Conversation Blueprint (making conversations count)
Assertiveness (stating your needs and being liked)
Influence (being authentically influential)
Connections & Teamwork (collaborating effectively)

Student Types

Professionals: High-achieving corporate individuals looking to level up their career.
Entrepreneurs: Building their own business and needing to sell, raise money, and pitch their ideas.
Pivoters: Looking to make a change in their career and using people skills as a launching pad.

Learning Steps

Immediate: Noticing a difference in your own behavior.
Weeks Later: Others start to notice the difference in you.
By Skill 12: Experiencing a completely new way of interacting.

Components

Core Modules
Bonus Content (33 different bonuses including AI)
Audio and Transcripts
Live Coaching Program (April leads the calls)
Office Hours (Vanessa leads the office hours)
AI Tools
Community Access

Tips for Solopreneurs

Find Your Golden Hour: Protect your most creative and strategic time.
Personal Board of Directors: Connect with other solopreneurs for support and resource sharing.

Relationship Communication (Long-Term)

Project Together: Doing a project or completing a goal together.
Icebreaker Every Week: Keep asking each other new questions.
Learn Something Together: Learning a new language or skill.
Radical Transparency: Openly communicating with your partner about freshening things up.

Balancing Conversations

Trigger Words: Have trigger words ready to go to pivot from topics to you.
Gestures: Open your mouth with gestures to show that you would like to say something.

Conclusion

This AMA webinar emphasized the enduring relevance of people skills in a rapidly changing world, particularly in the face of AI advancements. It outlined actionable strategies for building trust, navigating difficult relationships, and making lasting impressions. Moreover, the presentation underscored the importance of lifelong learning and personal development, showcasing resources like People School as a blueprint for mastering effective communication and collaboration. The comprehensive approach, combining scientific insights with practical techniques, provided participants with valuable tools to enhance both their personal and professional lives.