Driving Business Growth and Overcoming Leadership Solitude: Insights from Business Sounding Board Phil Fraser

Mastering Public Speaking & Business Soundboarding with Phil FraserIn this episode of Present Influence, host John Ball dives into the importance of presentation skills in professional success and how being a confident speaker can give you a competitive edge in business. John sits down with guest Phil Fraser, who shares his unique role as a business sounding board, helping small business owners combat the loneliness of leadership and provide much-needed guidance. The conversation covers Phil’s background in presentation skills, tips for handling Q&A sessions, and essential elements that make speakers listenable. They also discuss the impact of podcasting on professional growth and valuable lessons in hosting and guesting on podcasts. Tune in for practical insights and strategies to enhance your public speaking and leadership capabilities.keywordsbusiness sounding board, business coach, business mentor, small business owners, loneliness, challenges, presentation training, communication skills, Q&A sessions, podcasting, podcasting, guesting, audience building, business sounding board, Leeds Business Podcast, entertaining, educational, motivational, inspirational, strategytakeawaysA business sounding board is a combination of a business coach and a business mentor, providing support and guidance to small business owners.Having someone to talk to and bounce ideas off of can help alleviate the loneliness and challenges of running a business.Effective communication skills, including presentation skills, are crucial in business and can boost professional credibility and confidence.Handling Q&A sessions during presentations can be done by using specific phrases like 'Who has the first question?' and 'Who has the final question?' to encourage audience participation and maintain control.Podcasting is a valuable tool for reaching a wider audience and sharing expertise and insights. Guesting on other people's podcasts can help build your audience and raise your profile in a specific community.Creating your own podcast allows you to stand out and target a niche audience.Podcasts should be entertaining, educational, motivational, and inspirational to keep listeners engaged.Being a podcast host can enhance your positioning and credibility in your industry.As a business sounding board, Phil helps small to medium-sized business owners create a strategy to achieve their goals.titlesThe Power of PodcastingTips for Handling Q&A Sessions The Benefits of Hosting a PodcastSound Bites"I work with small business owners to stop them being lonely at the top.""I help business owners to be better business owners and to not be lonely at the top.""My background going all the way back, my initial first half of my career, I sold advertising space.""I will guest on other people's podcasts... I'm piggybacking on your audience.""How hard can it be to run your own podcast?... It's a lot harder than it looks.""I launched the Leeds Business Podcast... to raise my profile in the Leeds business community."00:00 Introduction to Presentation Skills00:24 Meet Phil Fraser: Business Sounding Board01:32 The Role of a Business Sounding Board05:43 Phil's Background in Presentation Skills09:03 The Power of Public Speaking09:57 Transformative Journey of Public Speaking16:17 The Importance of Presentation Skills in Education18:53 Mastering Q&A Sessions20:31 Effective Q&A Techniques21:45 Podcasting in the Professional World22:01 Phil's Podcasting Journey Begins22:30 Guesting on Other Podcasts23:22 Creating the Leeds Business Podcast25:04 Local vs. International Podcasting26:03 The Art of Good Hosting and Guesting30:44 Balancing Entertainment and Education34:08 Professional Benefits of Podcasting36:50 Phil's Ideal Clients and Strategy40:35 Final Thoughts and TakeawaysMentioned in this episode:Speaker Fee AuditFind out in less than a minute if you're undercharging for your speaking and where you need to look to fix any leaks with the Speaker Fee Audit. It's free to take and find out if you're missing out on money.