​

I just finished one of the most powerful learning experiences of my career: Ultraspeaking.

What made this course so incredible was that it wasn’t just jam-packed with information or theory — there were exercises that really honed my storytelling skills, and, made me think about so much more than storytelling.

Why did I take (another) course about speaking? After all, I’d already invested in acting classes, speaking coaches, storytelling courses, speaking bootcamps, voice coach training, leadership coaching, and more. But, Ultraspeaking promised to get me “to spend less time preparing and more time in the moment.”

That was a big heck yes for me, and wow did it ever deliver. (Of course I wrote a ginormous blog post about it. 😬)

Marie Poulin @mariepoulin ADHD is writing a 3400-word blog post about something unrelated to your business while also telling your team you don't have time to make a video 😬 mariepoulin.com/blog/honest-re… An ode to @Ultraspeaking Ultraspeaking is like Mountain Biking because… -... Marie Poulin: Musings of a digital strategist. Thoughts on business, workflow, entrepreneurship, and... mariepoulin.com May 24th 2023 3 Retweets 17 Likes

One of the most useful and helpful exercises we practiced (especially for workshop development) is the accordion method.

The purpose of the accordion method is to help you really get to the point of your message, and then play with the delivery of information at different timescales. You start by delivering a talk or story in two minutes. Then you deliver it again in one minute. Then again in 30 seconds. And then you go through the process in reverse — doing it in 30 seconds, then one minute, and then two minutes.

It might seem redundant, which, it is, but that’s on purpose! The point is to play with the stories, energy, tone, pauses, and pacing so that you can practice filling up space or trimming down your talk as needed. You hone your speaking by finding the edges of where to fit your stories in, how much detail to bring in, how much emotion to use, etc, so that you can be more flexible and present in your live delivery.

With this exercise, you also really get to practice working with constraints — something that I know my ADHD brain benefits from.

This idea of constraints really got me thinking about capacity planning — specifically, time + task management and the ideal week exercise. Because even though time is linear and a calendar app can split your day up into pretty colour-coded chunks, it doesn’t mean we always get the luxury of the time we planned on having.

What happens in those low energy weeks, or those that fall prey to piles of unplanned work, or where unexpected interruptions keep falling onto an already overflowing plate?

When you force extreme constraints, what gets cut?

While I may drive my team a bit batty some days (😘) thanks to the constraints and buffers that my planning process gives me, I know that I can go down these ADHD rabbit holes and let my brain connect the dots between things like mountain biking + public speaking because the bare minimum needs of the business have been named and met.

Having ADHD means that my brain operates in a way that not everybody understands, and it makes things like time tracking and staying on task a little more challenging for me than others. But, that doesn’t mean I get a free pass to bail on my responsibilities.

It’s up to me to understand how my brain works so that I can build systems that support me and allow to me follow creative impulses, AND, I am responsible for moving my work forward, contributing to the business, and supporting my team. #adhdulting.
​

If you want to read more about my Ultraspeaking experience, you can read the post here. Otherwise, here’s a TL;DR of some of my takeaways:

Embracing stories.

Often my workshops lean a little more technical and “how-to.” But even in more tactical workshops I realize just how much personal stories create engagement. I have more insight into how to weave in my personal stories in different ways to create more connection and engagement.

Practical Techniques.

I now have a toolkit of super practical techniques and activities I can rely on when I’m preparing for workshops that allow me to be more present and not worry about needing to be scripted.

Trusting myself.

I have a newfound trust in my ability to handle myself in speaking situations. I have seen first-hand my brain’s ability to get into flow. I trust that not only am I capable, but I’ll also enjoy myself! I don’t dread workshops anymore… I’m genuinely excited for the next one!! 👀

That’s all for this week, thanks for being here!

P.S. In case you missed it, here’s a round-up of some of the content we shared in May:

• ​Behind the scenes of my daily journalling practice​
• ​Make it doable, then scale​
• ​Connecting the dots between energy + profitability​
• ​Designing your ideal week with themes​
• ​Ultraspeaking is like mountain biking​

Next month we’re going to nerd out a little more on setting goals and making shit happen, then we’re going to do a deep dive into capacity planning. I hope you’re as excited as I am! 🤓🤩
​