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Rich Polt, founder of Louder Than Words
©2009, RiverWays Enterprises
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When
it came to public speaking, Rich Polt was perfectly comfortable wearing
Spandex and yelling out orders when he taught his spinning class at the
gym. But addressing groups in the boardroom for his public relations company,
Louder Than Words, tied his stomach in knots and made
him feel, as he puts it, "as if I was floating away from the earth."
"I’m a very outgoing person, I don't have social anxiety—you might even say I enjoy being the center of attention," Rich says. "But when I'm being perceived as the expert, I feel like if I don't know my stuff 100%, the audience will see right through me. It's very hard to show definitively how PR can benefit a company, so how do I sell that to somebody if I can't prove it?"
In addition, Rich put an enormous amount of pressure on himself to engage his audiences. "I'm a perfectionist and I know what it's like to sit through a bad speaker. I didn't want to be that person."
As an entrepreneur in the field of communications—Louder than Words works with nonprofit organizations, philanthropic foundations, and companies with a social conscience—Rich knew he needed to get beyond this particular fear in order to grow his business. He found Carla through a Web search, attended one of her SpeakingPresence evenings, and followed that up with several private sessions and a weekend intensive.
"Carla gave me permission to not be perfect," he says. "She helped me realize that 90% of public speaking is making a connection with your audience. You don't have to have all the answers."
Carla's use of the five elements to represent the various aspects of presence also resonated with Rich—particularly the small river rock she gave him as a symbol of earth. Rich began keeping the small, smooth stone in his pocket during presentations and would touch it or hold it in his hand while he spoke.
"It's a reminder to keep your feet on the ground, a reminder to keep breathing, not to lose yourself, and to stay connected with the people in the room," he says. It has worked so well for him that when he forgot to take it along to an hour-long talk he was giving for museum professionals at Wellesley College last fall, he picked up a stone from the ground to keep with him. (It worked just as well.)
"Carla has developed and honed a powerful program that is grounded in some very simple concepts, applicable not just to people with a fear of public speaking but to anyone looking to overcome basic fears," Rich reflects. "Her ability to listen and her sensitivity not only make her fantastic to work with, but are also skills I emulate and try to bring to the sessions I lead."
Rich continues to work with Carla in private sessions, framing the content of his talks to best suit his various audiences. Recently he led a three-hour seminar for the board of a large foundation that incorporated speaking, facilitation, and leading exercises.
"I had the rock in my pocket and I was having a blast," he says. "I was in the moment, things were happening that I hadn't expected, questions were coming up that I couldn't have anticipated, and I was able to take it all in and stay grounded. It was a transformative experience, worlds apart from where I was two years ago."
He adds, "Carla has helped me develop the skill sets that are required to grow this business in the right trajectory. I feel comfortable going out and telling the world what we do and why it's particularly important, even in an economy like this one."
Learn more about Rich's agency at www.louderthanwords.com.
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We are centrally located in the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire close to the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91. As such we are in in the heart of New England and close to Boston and all of Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New York and Maine.
Travel time from:
Albany, NY — 2.75 hours
Boston, MA — 2.25 hours
Brattleboro, VT— 1.25 hours
Burlington, VT — 1.5 hours
Concord, NH — 1 hour
Hartford, CT — 2.5 hours
Portland, ME — 3 hours
Portsmouth, NH — 2 hours
