Peak Performance for Speakers: Unlock Motivation & Resilience with Expert Brian Hite

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How can you stay consistently motivated and in flow as a speaker

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when there are so many highs and

lows and so much uncertainty?

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Well my guest today shares some

strategies that have got him

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through challenging times and

ones that he's shared with the U.

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S.

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Army and found to be very relevant

when he's doing professional stunts.

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Most of us will never have to think about

how to jump out of a moving truck or

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the right way to fall out of a window,

but we do face different kinds of high

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stakes situations from time to time.

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Brian Hite is the high

stakes performance whisperer.

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From his background in sports psychology

through to working as a master

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resilience trainer for the army, he

knows a thing or two about high stakes.

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And how to perform when

the chips are down.

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So whether you're facing uncertainty

due to a dry spell of work, or whether

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you're going flat out and want to

maintain high level performance,

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this episode has what you need.

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Would you like to be able to face

challenges the way a stuntman does?

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How about a strategy to keep you going

and performing strong in tough times?

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I think we all need that.

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So welcome to Present Influence, the

show that helps coaches, speakers and

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communication professionals develop the

skills to impact influence and inspire.

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My name is John ball, keynote

coach, professional speaker,

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and your guide on the journey to

mastery level presentation skills.

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My mission is to provide professional

communicators like you with

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everything you need to maximize your

impact and present with influence.

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I thought I'd kick off the conversation

with Brian talking about some of the

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transitions that he's made throughout

various careers and yet What transpired

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is that it's not been so much of a

transition as an accumulation of things

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so Brian started to share with us a

little bit about how he thinks about all

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Those different aspects to his career

and manages them all under one life

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Brian Hite: it's interesting that

you put it like that because I

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don't think of it as a transition.

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I'm still a stunt man.

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In fact,

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I just, I worked on a TV show called

Righteous Gemstones just a few weeks

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ago and I think I'm working on a new

TV show that's coming out a Nicole

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Kidman TV show called Scarpetta.

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I think I'm working on that next week.

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So it's, that's still

a big part of my life.

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That's still something I do.

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So I think of it more as, As a

synergistic melding of all of the

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different hats that I've worn.

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In fact, that's part of my journey,

really, for a long time, it was,

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I thought of myself as, okay,

what am I going to be today?

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Am I a sport performance

psychologist today?

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Am I an author today?

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Am I a stunt man today?

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What am I today and where I'm trying to go

with this relatively new brand that I've

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created, Brian Hite Global is bringing all

of that together into one place and really

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leveraging all of the experiences that,

that I've had with stunts and marrying

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that with the knowledge from the academia.

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and bringing in, other

experiences as well.

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Like when I was working with the U S army

and with athletes and with entrepreneurs,

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just bringing all of that together into

one place and use all of it in a way

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that benefits performers in all realms,

but really, people who are in a place

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where they're already doing pretty well,

but they want more, they want to grow.

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These are people, that the people

that I work with are ones who really

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have a drive to, to experience

what they can be at their best.

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And I've been able to, again,

through my own experiences, as

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well as working with others.

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Bring that together into the

packages that, that I offer today.

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And so again, it's not so much for

me as a transition as it is a, just

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a welcoming of, merging of these

different paths that I've been walking.

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I've been walking the separate ones

for so long and it's been a strain.

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I really, I, they're coming

together now in a way that,

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that I'm really excited about.

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John: So let me, maybe ask a different

way then, are there other lessons

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from your life as a stunt man and in

media and principles that you've had

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there that are relevant to the other

parts of what you do now as well?

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Brian Hite: Yeah, it will.

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In that it works both ways.

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So yes, to answer your question, has

stunts fed and informed my work as

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a sport performance psychologist, as

a keynote speakers, all the things

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that I'm doing, in that realm.

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Absolutely.

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It has it.

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For example, I've had experiences.

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I've worked with the U.

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S.

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Army.

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I've worked with police departments.

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I've worked with first

responders of varying types.

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And with these populations, I, I'm

familiar with the feeling of Being in

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situations where performances have truly

important and sometimes dire consequences.

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You either get it right or

really bad things happen.

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And I've been there, and, so experience in

stunts has allowed me to connect and build

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rapport, and I think convey information in

a unique way that maybe other people who

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don't have the same academic background

or what have you, Would be able to do.

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So the stunts has informed that

it really I understand being in

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those challenging situations.

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I understand the pressure that comes

from, or the pressure that can exist,

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which we can get to in a little bit.

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I actually just gave a talk on pressure

and why I think it's an illusion.

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But, but yeah, those situations

that can absolutely cause pressure

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and how do we function within

those consistently at our best.

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So the stunts has 100 percent informed

the way that I approach working with

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people who are again, in whatever

environment that they're in trying

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to grow and develop and improve.

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But it's worked the other way around too.

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So for example,

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the lessons that I learned, the

concepts, the skills, the techniques

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that I learned while in my graduate

programs in sports psychology,

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in organizational psychology were

immediately applicable in the stunt world.

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Learning techniques for how to

keep my attention where it needed

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to be, how to identify what energy

activation level I need for a

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given performance to be at my best.

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Recognizing when my emotions are out

of control and how to regulate those

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emotions and not even just regulate them,

but leverage them, use them to help me

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in whatever it is that I'm trying to do,

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different skills like mental

imagery and how to use that

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most effectively for training

purposes, for preparation purposes.

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for review and what the army calls

an AAR after action review, just,

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remembering back and trying to learn

lessons from what it is that we've done.

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So it's informed both things.

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Stunts has absolutely helped

me in the work that I've done.

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In the performance realm

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and and not even the least of which

with the speaking to, I used to be

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terrified of public speaking, terrified.

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I remember when I was in fifth grade,

I had to give an oral report on sharks.

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I remember the detail, the sharks,

it was what I had to talk about.

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And I was so petrified.

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I stood up, I don't even know how it went.

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There's no memory of how it

actually went when I stood up, but

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I remember being so scared I love

standing up in front of people.

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I love talking about the things

that I enjoy and the things

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that I think can be helpful.

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And that came from stunts of having

to perform in front of so many people.

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So regularly, I used to do live

shows in front of: 3000

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would do four or five shows a day.

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It became nothing to be in

front of people and to perform.

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So stunts absolutely has helped

that, that, that other area, but for

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sure, The knowledge that I gained

through the academic study that

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I've had and the other experiences.

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Working with the army,

working with athletes.

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All of that has helped me as a stunt man.

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every time I'm on set.

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John: Yeah.

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Was there a particular switch that

flipped for you or was it like a gradual

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to moving from having that fear to

thoroughly enjoying what you were

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doing, like presenting and speaking?

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Yeah.

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Brian Hite: no, there was

no, no switch that flipped.

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I remember being at the very

first live show that I was cast

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in was the very first stunt show.

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I went to see it.

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The summer before.

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And that's when I thought,

yes, I want to do that.

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That looks so cool.

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I can't even believe that these

people are being paid to do this job.

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and I learned how to get the job.

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I went to the people backstage and

they said, you got to know how to do

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fights, high falls and motorcycles.

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And so I learned those things, went

to the audition, got the job but then

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it came time to perform and I'd never

been in front of thousands of people.

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And things go wrong

sometimes in, in life shows.

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And so that throws a whole nother

wrench in things when everything's

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not going as planned, what do

you do then the motorcycle wrecks

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and I can't get it going again.

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All right, we've got a whole

sequence on a motorcycle.

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What do we do?

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We can't just stop the show though.

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We got to figure something else out.

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So those moments in that show

where number one, where I was

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doing something that was really.

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I truly needed to be engaged and

fully attentive in that moment.

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Otherwise I was going to have a problem

that bad things were going to happen.

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Like I said, those moments being able

to get used to those in front of people.

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And then also, like I said, when things

went wrong, just being able stay calm

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enough, manage energy levels enough, be

able to regulate the emotions enough, to

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allow my mind to open up and to assess

the situation and determine what the right

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actions are, because at the beginning

there was no assessing of the situation.

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I had tunnel vision.

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I had no idea what to do.

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I was paralyzed.

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I got yelled at so many

times by the director.

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So it was a process over

time of becoming better.

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I was like, you can't just stop.

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And so it was a process of just

getting better over time, of just

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being comfortable in that environment,

but not just a passive one.

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it really was an effort.

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I started to try to purposefully

recognize when my heart rate started

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to become too high or when my breathing

started to become too rapid and

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shallow because you can get worn out

very quickly in those shows if you

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don't learn how to breathe right.

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And so in those moments when I

recognized my breathing wasn't working,

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I really targeted my breathing.

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And so that it was a strategic,

intentional approach to managing and

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regulating myself in a way that I could

perform in that environment effectively.

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John: It's probably hard for

most of us to imagine what life

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must be like as a stuntman.

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I could probably only ever see

myself doing it if they ever do a

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live action version of Kung Fu Panda

or something like that, but, but,

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Brian Hite: a fun show.

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John: it would, they'd probably just

get Jack Black to do it, to be honest.

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But, for you though, could understand

that there's a level of resilience,

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physical and mental resilience and

toughness, something that I know you talk

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about, that's involved in stunt work.

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How important is that to the

other aspects of your life and to,

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for anyone to have success with?

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Brian Hite: Yeah, it's

incredibly important.

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And it's one of the reasons that When

I started working for the U S army,

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the, when the program began, it really

was just a straightforward, traditional

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sports psychology approach, meaning

that it was very performance focused.

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We worked with units to help them

shoot better, to improve their

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physical fitness, to clear buildings

better, to find IEDs better.

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it was, there were specific performances

that the unit was having challenges

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with, and they brought us in.

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To help do one of two things, or I guess

both things is what they were hoping for.

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One is to help people

learn the skill faster.

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And the other is to make them

or help them be more consistent

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with that skill over time.

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So there are fewer ups and downs,

fewer bad days that they have.

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And, but it was all related

to that one performance.

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So how do we keep our attention where

it needs to be so that we shoot?

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How do we recover when we miss?

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How do we make sure that we.

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Track throughout the building that

we're clearing where we're supposed

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to be given our position on the

team, because there are, it's a

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team, usually a four person team, one

man, two men, three men, four men.

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So I got to know which man I am.

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Cause that changes sometimes while

you're clearing the building.

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So really, how do I keep myself focused?

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How do I keep myself engaged?

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How do I recover if I do get

distracted by something, but

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it was all performance related.

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Then I left that job.

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I did it for two years and I left and

went back to stunts again, full for

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another, I don't know, four or five years.

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And then I went back

to the U S army again.

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And at that point they

had expanded the program.

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So there was still a performance

aspect of it, but now they had it,

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they had added a resilience specific.

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Portion to the program.

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And I really gravitated toward that.

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I've gone through a lot of

challenges in my own life.

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I've been back and forth across

the country several times.

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I've been divorced twice.

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I'm now engaged again.

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I have a daughter.

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I've been a foster parent.

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I it's a lot of things that have happened

in my life where particularly at that

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point in my life, the resilience training.

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that the army was offering and

that I was leading really resonated

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with me and I really enjoyed it.

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And I leaned into it wholeheartedly.

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And the difference was this,

the skills and concepts and

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techniques weren't that different.

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They were coming from

theoretically the same place.

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Cognitive theory from psychology is

where most of them were grounded,

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but the use and intent was different.

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In that with the performance

realm, it was okay.

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What is the performance and how do

we use these techniques to help get

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your mind where it needs to be for

you to perform well in that situation?

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Whereas the resilience training was,

okay, here are some concepts, skills,

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and techniques that you can use

across the board, whenever challenge

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strikes, whenever adversity comes,

whenever you're going through whatever

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you're going through, here are some

things you can lean on, here are some

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tools That you can use to hopefully

do one of the, to do a few things.

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One is to not get knocked down

quite as far as you might have

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otherwise when the adversity strikes.

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The other is to help you bounce back

more quickly from that adversity.

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And the third that really resonated

with me was to actually grow and

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thrive and be better as a result of

experiencing the adversity that we did.

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And those were really the

focuses during that program.

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And for me, it's been incredibly

important for my personal life.

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Through stunts for sure.

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There's a lot of ups and downs in stunts.

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Sometimes you're working,

making a lot of money.

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Sometimes you're not working at all.

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You're not making any money and you

have no idea when, which one is going

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to happen, because there's no way to

know what the future holds, all you

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can do is stay present in the moment.

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Keep doing the things that set

it, set yourself up for success.

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and that's it.

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That's really all you can control.

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And, being able to recognize that

and to maintain motivation throughout

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those both good and bad times.

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Cause when the good times are there,

sometimes there's not motivation to

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train or to go hustle or to go send

out resumes because you got the work,

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you got the money, you don't need to.

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And during those down times,

sometimes there's not motivation.

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There is what's the point?

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I keep doing this.

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I'm not getting any calls.

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There's no work happening.

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So either, either way, highs or

lows, motivation can be a challenge.

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So how do I keep that

consistent throughout?

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How do I maintain my confidence?

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How do I approach this career?

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In a systematic way that allows me

to continue to grow, to continue to

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develop, and it's not going to torpedo

my personal overall well being.

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Because for a long time it did.

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I really didn't understand how to do that.

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So what I'd learned and then been able to

apply with the Army has been incredibly

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valuable for me during my own journey.

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John: It seems to be commonly accepted

wisdom, whether this is definitely true

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or not, I'm not sure, but that every

generation we go back at the moment,

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that we go down, there seems to be

less resilience, less mental toughness.

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Is that something you would

agree with, like in the younger

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generations seem to be less and

less mentally tough and resilient?

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What can be done for anyone who feels that

they are lacking in mental toughness and

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resilience that they really need to have?

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Brian Hite: Yeah I don't know.

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I'm not qualified to

judge all the generations.

311

: 00:16:23

I've only met the few people that I have.

312

: 00:16:25

I don't have a sample size large enough

to be able to draw conclusions about that.

313

: 00:16:29

But I can tell you some of the challenges

that I ran across some athletes as

314

: 00:16:35

well as some soldiers, I think really

had to do with, and I guess it's a

315

: 00:16:40

good problem to have, in that they

were coming from environments where

316

: 00:16:45

there really were few challenges.

317

: 00:16:47

It is.

318

: 00:16:47

Where they really didn't

face adversity that much.

319

: 00:16:51

And I say, it's a good problem

to have because they were safe.

320

: 00:16:54

They were healthy.

321

: 00:16:56

When adversity did strike, they really

didn't understand what to do with it and

322

: 00:17:02

how to handle it because it is one of

those things to skill, just like any other

323

: 00:17:05

skill where we recognize that there's

a challenge and we have some resources

324

: 00:17:11

that we can apply, but the resources

we get better at the use of them.

325

: 00:17:15

Just like any other skill, just

like anything we can do now that

326

: 00:17:18

we used to not be able to do.

327

: 00:17:21

Resilience skills are the same thing.

328

: 00:17:24

We have to learn what we need to do.

329

: 00:17:26

We need to practice it in order to

become proficient and we need to

330

: 00:17:29

continue practicing it in order to

maintain that proficiency over time.

331

: 00:17:34

resilience is the same thing.

332

: 00:17:35

So if we never have the

opportunity to practice it, if

333

: 00:17:38

we never have the chance to.

334

: 00:17:40

Really dig deep within

ourselves and figure out which

335

: 00:17:45

of these skills work for us.

336

: 00:17:46

Cause some work and some don't, some were

more comfortable with and some were not.

337

: 00:17:50

So figuring out which ones they

are getting proficient with

338

: 00:17:53

them and being able to plot to

apply them across the board.

339

: 00:17:57

that has been a challenge that I've

seen a lot of people deal with.

340

: 00:18:00

Now, what are some of

those tools and resources?

341

: 00:18:03

when I talk about resources,

really, there's a researcher

342

: 00:18:06

named Ann Mastin, who's done a

lot of research on, on resilience.

343

: 00:18:10

Her work is I really, I lean on it a lot.

344

: 00:18:12

She's, she writes brilliantly.

345

: 00:18:15

what I've taken from it is really that

resilience comes down to a math equation.

346

: 00:18:20

It's the more resources we have

available, the more resilient we are

347

: 00:18:26

going to be, there's another theory.

348

: 00:18:27

If you're a theory geek like me

called conservation of resources

349

: 00:18:30

theory by a guy named Hobfall.

350

: 00:18:32

That kind of says the same thing.

351

: 00:18:34

if we, the more resources we have

available, the less stress we're going

352

: 00:18:38

to experience and the more likely we're

going to be able to deal with challenges.

353

: 00:18:43

So what are some of those resources?

354

: 00:18:45

there are myriad, I really,

for in my work, I tend to break

355

: 00:18:48

them down into six categories.

356

: 00:18:51

sometimes seven, depending on the person.

357

: 00:18:54

The six are Physical, mental, emotional,

social, technical, and tactical.

358

: 00:19:03

Sometimes I add in spiritual,

it depends on the person.

359

: 00:19:07

I don't mean spiritual in a

religious sense, necessarily.

360

: 00:19:10

It's just more of a sense of being part of

something larger than ourselves, of there

361

: 00:19:15

just being more out there than just our

little corner of the world, that sense of

362

: 00:19:19

bigness that that we're such small part

of, but such an important part of that's

363

: 00:19:24

the spiritual resource as I describe it.

364

: 00:19:27

but there are others, like financial

resources that, that plays a big role.

365

: 00:19:31

But the more resources we have.

366

: 00:19:33

The more likely we will be able to

handle challenges when they arise.

367

: 00:19:39

So with my clients, in terms of both

performance and resilience, because

368

: 00:19:43

I don't think you can really separate

the two, if you're going to perform

369

: 00:19:46

at a high level and you're going to do

that consistently, you have to be able

370

: 00:19:49

to deal with both success and failure.

371

: 00:19:51

You have to, because that's just

going to be part of the game.

372

: 00:19:54

So developing these resources, physical

resources, are you getting enough sleep?

373

: 00:19:58

Are you eating well?

374

: 00:19:59

Are you exercising?

375

: 00:20:00

Are you stretching?

376

: 00:20:02

Mental resources?

377

: 00:20:03

Are you, what's your attitude?

378

: 00:20:05

And how are you perceiving situations?

379

: 00:20:07

Is it pessimistic or is it optimistic?

380

: 00:20:09

What are you choosing to focus on?

381

: 00:20:10

And are you able to maintain your

attention and get your attention

382

: 00:20:13

back once you've been distracted?

383

: 00:20:15

Emotional.

384

: 00:20:16

resources, what is, what types of

emotions, because this matters and I

385

: 00:20:22

don't, a lot of people don't think about

it, but in performance settings, we can

386

: 00:20:26

intentionally generate emotions that allow

us to perform better in those moments.

387

: 00:20:32

If we're experiencing frustration,

irritation, boredom, these are not

388

: 00:20:36

emotions that are going to be helpful

for us in performance settings.

389

: 00:20:40

So recognizing that they're there and

having strategies and techniques to

390

: 00:20:43

change them becomes very important.

391

: 00:20:46

social resources.

392

: 00:20:47

Do we have people we can lean

on people we can talk to?

393

: 00:20:51

About whatever it is that we have

going on, we can bounce ideas off of

394

: 00:20:54

if we're trying to come up with new

strategies and techniques, or if it's

395

: 00:20:58

a team type of performance that we're

dealing with or team situation, even

396

: 00:21:03

in a family situation, do we have the

communication skills that we need in

397

: 00:21:08

order to really get across the ideas

that we want to get across and then

398

: 00:21:12

the technical and tactical technical is

just, do you have the skills you need?

399

: 00:21:17

Do you have the equipment?

400

: 00:21:17

Do you have the ability

to use the equipment?

401

: 00:21:20

if you're a soccer player, can

you dribble, can you shoot if and

402

: 00:21:23

then strategy, the tactical is

strategy, the strategic approach.

403

: 00:21:26

So that's a resource, the ability

to broaden out, to think more

404

: 00:21:29

widely, to be able to anticipate

what's coming and really figure out

405

: 00:21:34

the right approach given whatever

circumstances you happen to be in.

406

: 00:21:38

So those are some resources

that I think if people really.

407

: 00:21:41

Intentionally and deliberately

cultivate and they can, then I

408

: 00:21:47

think that does a few things.

409

: 00:21:48

Number one, it does in those performance

moments allow us to be at our best.

410

: 00:21:53

But number two, when failure comes just

adversity of any kind, not necessarily

411

: 00:21:57

failure, but just, life throws stuff

at us all the time that is unexpected

412

: 00:22:01

and that throws us for a loop.

413

: 00:22:04

how quickly can we recover from it?

414

: 00:22:05

How well can we deal with it?

415

: 00:22:07

And how much can we grow from it?

416

: 00:22:10

All will come from our

cultivation of those resources.

417

: 00:22:16

John: Let me ask you then from

A more philosophical standpoint,

418

: 00:22:19

are you more the attitude of

the obstacle is the way in life

419

: 00:22:23

Brian Hite: A little

Marcus Aurelius for you?

420

: 00:22:25

Yeah,

421

: 00:22:25

I do think that, I think

that Aurelius had that right.

422

: 00:22:28

In meditations, because it is

something where it's an attitude

423

: 00:22:33

where when we encounter adversity,

we can look at it as a bad thing.

424

: 00:22:37

We can look at it as

something holding us back.

425

: 00:22:39

We can look at it as something negative.

426

: 00:22:42

And that's fine.

427

: 00:22:43

That's a perspective and you can

adopt it and you'll experience all

428

: 00:22:46

of the challenges and emotions that

come along with that perspective.

429

: 00:22:50

But because we're human, we're

not locked into that perspective.

430

: 00:22:53

That's not the only one we can take.

431

: 00:22:55

The brilliance of humanity is that we can

choose to adopt any perspective we'd like.

432

: 00:23:01

We can flip that stuff around

and change the priorities and

433

: 00:23:04

pay attention to different things

that will, it'll completely change

434

: 00:23:09

the way that we experienced that.

435

: 00:23:11

You and I could experience

the exact same situation.

436

: 00:23:14

And when somebody asks us about it later.

437

: 00:23:17

Tell completely different stories

about, about what happened.

438

: 00:23:21

you and I could be on a movie set

and each of us could be asked to fall

439

: 00:23:24

down a set of stairs and then we do

and then afterward people can ask us.

440

: 00:23:29

John.

441

: 00:23:30

You got asked to fall down some stairs.

442

: 00:23:31

What do you think?

443

: 00:23:32

Oh, that was the most

terrifying, ridiculous thing

444

: 00:23:34

I've ever had to do in my life.

445

: 00:23:35

I don't know.

446

: 00:23:35

Brian, what did you think?

447

: 00:23:36

Oh, that was a great time.

448

: 00:23:37

I don't know.

449

: 00:23:38

Can we do it again?

450

: 00:23:39

that was a lot of fun.

451

: 00:23:40

I really enjoyed the challenge.

452

: 00:23:42

Same situation, two very different

approaches and perspectives.

453

: 00:23:46

So yeah, the obstacle is the way I

think is, that's a great approach.

454

: 00:23:51

John: in terms of being a

professional speaker and communicator?

455

: 00:23:56

What would you say are the key

ways that you motivate yourself and

456

: 00:24:04

organize things For best results,

457

: 00:24:07

Brian Hite: and this is something I

recommend to anybody that I speak to

458

: 00:24:10

about motivation, which I do a lot,

that's a program that, that I offer.

459

: 00:24:14

It's something that I, and I don't

even know why I gravitated toward

460

: 00:24:17

it in grad school, but I did.

461

: 00:24:18

it's been a decade and a half

at least at this point of really

462

: 00:24:23

being interested in motivation,

where it comes from, how it works.

463

: 00:24:28

And the biggest takeaway there

for me is that values matter.

464

: 00:24:33

And the answer to that

question, why matters?

465

: 00:24:36

So why am I doing this?

466

: 00:24:37

Why do I care?

467

: 00:24:39

Why is this important?

468

: 00:24:42

And if I can keep that at the

forefront of my mind, and anytime

469

: 00:24:47

that motivation starts to wane, really

reconnect with that value, with that

470

: 00:24:55

belief, with that sense of importance.

471

: 00:24:59

and just the fact that

what I'm doing matters.

472

: 00:25:01

If I can reconnect with that, motivation,

I don't want to say comes flooding back

473

: 00:25:05

automatically, although sometimes it

does, but it's definitely, it moves the

474

: 00:25:10

needle in the right direction and it makes

it much easier to do the things that I.

475

: 00:25:15

For whatever reason might have been

dragging in ways I didn't want to be.

476

: 00:25:22

John: is that something you would do daily

or just as, and when you feel you need it

477

: 00:25:27

Brian Hite: it depends.

478

: 00:25:27

If it's a problem, that's a

recurring problem, then I would

479

: 00:25:31

probably set times and conditions.

480

: 00:25:33

I don't know that I've had to do

that myself for things, although

481

: 00:25:39

maybe I would have benefited from.

482

: 00:25:40

Setting intentional

reminders of what it is.

483

: 00:25:43

Now I have done this.

484

: 00:25:44

I have put some sticky notes back.

485

: 00:25:46

I've got some right here.

486

: 00:25:47

I've got, figure it out and stay ready

right here in front of me at my deal,

487

: 00:25:51

because those for me are values that

so anytime I decide that I'm going to

488

: 00:25:55

be lazy or I don't want to write or.

489

: 00:25:58

whatever, whatever things that I know

need to happen in order for me to create

490

: 00:26:02

conditions for not create conditions,

but to be open to and available for

491

: 00:26:08

opportunities when they come up, because

that, that saying stay ready for me.

492

: 00:26:14

That's what that means.

493

: 00:26:15

I never know when opportunities are

going to come up, but when they do, I

494

: 00:26:18

want to be ready to snatch it and run.

495

: 00:26:20

And if I don't stay ready, then

those opportunities come and go,

496

: 00:26:23

and I don't take advantage of them.

497

: 00:26:25

So for me, that's a value, that's a belief

that I hold, should always stay ready.

498

: 00:26:29

and I do, I have it right here,

right in front of my face.

499

: 00:26:31

So when I start getting lazy,

I can look up and there it is.

500

: 00:26:34

and that reminds me to just get back

at whatever it is that I'm doing,

501

: 00:26:38

I think that reminders like that

pictures work great to pictures that

502

: 00:26:42

represent whatever your value is or

whatever it is that matters to you

503

: 00:26:47

about what you're trying to achieve.

504

: 00:26:48

Those work fantastic for me I really

liked the sayings and the quotes, but,

505

: 00:26:53

but other people really liked the visual.

506

: 00:26:55

So those are very helpful, but

really what it comes down to

507

: 00:26:58

is motivation is at its best.

508

: 00:27:00

And honestly, our wellbeing is highest.

509

: 00:27:02

When our behaviors align with our values.

510

: 00:27:06

So the more we can identify and then

keep at the forefront of our mind, those

511

: 00:27:10

values, those things that really matter,

then the easier it is to pursue the

512

: 00:27:14

behaviors that we know we need to pursue.

513

: 00:27:16

John: In terms of operating

at a high performance level?

514

: 00:27:20

If someone was coming and say, Hey,

look, Brian, could you work with me?

515

: 00:27:23

I really want to get to high level of

performance and I feel unmotivated.

516

: 00:27:27

I don't have all these

things you're talking about.

517

: 00:27:29

where would you start

that journey with them?

518

: 00:27:31

Brian Hite: I'd go Socratic style on

him at the beginning okay, so what

519

: 00:27:34

is high level performance to you?

520

: 00:27:36

I'm in my place.

521

: 00:27:37

I want to succeed.

522

: 00:27:38

okay, so what is success?

523

: 00:27:40

How are we defining that?

524

: 00:27:42

And that's a place where we usually end up

spending some time because typically the

525

: 00:27:48

answer that I get is some external thing.

526

: 00:27:50

If it's athletes, it's, I,

success is winning a trophy or

527

: 00:27:54

placing at this competition.

528

: 00:27:56

If it's performers, it getting

hired on X number of shows or.

529

: 00:28:03

Making a certain amount of money.

530

: 00:28:04

Same thing with entrepreneurs.

531

: 00:28:05

it's making a certain, building

my business to a certain place.

532

: 00:28:08

That's success.

533

: 00:28:10

and all that's fine, but I think

there's more, and this is where

534

: 00:28:13

the resource part comes in.

535

: 00:28:15

Are there some physical

definitions of success?

536

: 00:28:18

Can we define success in terms of

physicality, in terms of mental?

537

: 00:28:23

Success.

538

: 00:28:23

Is there something mental that you can

focus on where you can define success in

539

: 00:28:27

terms of a mental, something, whatever

that might be for you, emotional,

540

: 00:28:31

social, et cetera, because what it

comes down to is that if we can target

541

: 00:28:36

those resources and really include, I

don't mean replace, but include those

542

: 00:28:42

other definitions of success, those

are things that, that do two things.

543

: 00:28:46

One is we typically can be

more in control of them.

544

: 00:28:49

Whereas I'm not in control of whether

I win a competition, I could do

545

: 00:28:54

the best I possibly can and have

even ever done in my life and still

546

: 00:28:59

not win a competition because I'm

not in charge of the other people.

547

: 00:29:03

I'm not in control of them.

548

: 00:29:04

So that's one thing is it

allows me a function of control.

549

: 00:29:09

The other thing that focusing

on those resources does is it

550

: 00:29:12

typically backs things up a step.

551

: 00:29:15

And what I mean by that is if

I want to win the competition.

552

: 00:29:19

then I need to be physically at my best.

553

: 00:29:22

I need to be mentally capable of operating

and keeping my mind where it needs to be.

554

: 00:29:26

I need to be emotional here, but so

by focusing on these other smaller

555

: 00:29:32

areas that I can control, I'm actually

setting conditions that maximize

556

: 00:29:38

the likelihood of the success that

I've defined in the first place.

557

: 00:29:42

So it's not, again, it's not

replacing that ultimate definition

558

: 00:29:45

of success that somebody has.

559

: 00:29:47

It's just adding to that.

560

: 00:29:49

Maybe at a little lower level

that somebody can control.

561

: 00:29:53

So that's one of the things if

motivation is the problem, then

562

: 00:29:58

what I specifically ask is, okay,

tell me your story about that.

563

: 00:30:01

When were you motivated?

564

: 00:30:02

Like you were, you've been doing

it for however long, was there

565

: 00:30:06

a time when you were motivated

and what's different between then

566

: 00:30:09

and now, and I filter the answer.

567

: 00:30:13

Through the lens of, again, for

the theory geeks expectancy value

568

: 00:30:17

theory is the theory for levels of

motivation that I tend to go with.

569

: 00:30:20

And what that theory says is

that motivation levels are

570

: 00:30:24

determined by three things.

571

: 00:30:25

One is the extent to which we believe

we're capable of being successful at

572

: 00:30:30

whatever the behavior is, because.

573

: 00:30:33

If I don't think I can do something well

or be successful at it, I'm typically

574

: 00:30:37

not motivated to engage in it because

none of us wants to just do something

575

: 00:30:42

that we are fairly certain that's

going to make us fall on our face.

576

: 00:30:45

The second thing is the extent to

which I care about the behavior, the

577

: 00:30:49

extent to which it matters to me.

578

: 00:30:50

And this is what I was emphasizing before

that identification of why this matters.

579

: 00:30:55

That's important for motivation.

580

: 00:30:57

And the third thing is the extent to

which the benefits outweigh the cost.

581

: 00:31:01

And again, all of these

are perceptions of me.

582

: 00:31:03

It's my perception.

583

: 00:31:05

Of whether I'm capable

of being successful.

584

: 00:31:07

It's my perception of whether this

thing matters and it's my perception

585

: 00:31:11

of whether the benefits of engaging

in the behavior outweigh the costs.

586

: 00:31:15

And by costs, costs in terms of time,

costs in terms of money, costs in terms of

587

: 00:31:19

energy, costs in terms of social capital.

588

: 00:31:21

Cause maybe it's time away from my family,

time away from my friends, et cetera.

589

: 00:31:25

So the costs can take multiple

forms, but it's my perception.

590

: 00:31:29

Nobody can change it for me.

591

: 00:31:31

No coach can tell an athlete, look,

you're going to be successful.

592

: 00:31:35

It doesn't matter what, that can

contribute if the person trusts

593

: 00:31:38

the coach, it can contribute

to the person's perception.

594

: 00:31:42

But at the end of the day, it's that

person's belief about those three

595

: 00:31:46

things that will drive motivation.

596

: 00:31:48

So that would be the next place that I

go is to try to talk to them in terms

597

: 00:31:51

of those three things and see where

they land and then see where to go.

598

: 00:31:56

And that's a very valuable thing

because with, I'll just give an

599

: 00:31:58

example of when I was working with the

army and I would work with leaders.

600

: 00:32:03

I would ask them, regularly,

it's a lot of times, as soon as

601

: 00:32:06

they would sit down in the room.

602

: 00:32:07

What is the biggest challenge

that you face as a leader?

603

: 00:32:10

What is the biggest problem

that you have to overcome?

604

: 00:32:14

That's just a regular issue.

605

: 00:32:16

And nine times out of 10, these

leaders would say motivation.

606

: 00:32:22

How do I get my people to do what

I, what they're supposed to do just

607

: 00:32:25

because it's the right thing to do.

608

: 00:32:27

Not because I'm poking them,

prodding them, staying on them.

609

: 00:32:29

Like how do I get them motivated,

really engaged in what's happening?

610

: 00:32:33

Because that's just what they

should be doing because they care.

611

: 00:32:36

It's on their own.

612

: 00:32:37

I don't have to follow them around.

613

: 00:32:40

when they present this question, a

lot of times the way that they present

614

: 00:32:44

it or when they present that answer,

it's how do I get my people to care?

615

: 00:32:48

Because they associate lack of

motivation with a lack of caring.

616

: 00:32:53

And that absolutely might be the case.

617

: 00:32:55

That's one of the three things.

618

: 00:32:56

That affects levels of motivation,

but two things that they haven't

619

: 00:33:00

considered are the other two, the

extent to which somebody believes

620

: 00:33:04

they're capable of being successful,

because I can care about something.

621

: 00:33:07

I can see the importance of it.

622

: 00:33:09

I can see the value of it, but if I

don't think I can bring it to fruition,

623

: 00:33:14

I'm not going to be motivated to do it.

624

: 00:33:16

That's going to be, from an

outside perspective, a leader

625

: 00:33:19

watching somebody like that.

626

: 00:33:21

It's going to be hard for them to

distinguish between the person doesn't

627

: 00:33:24

think that they can do it or the

person doesn't care about doing it.

628

: 00:33:28

And that's when you just got to start

asking the questions get into really

629

: 00:33:31

trying to get at the heart of what

is, what's going on with all of this.

630

: 00:33:36

So by understanding that there

are three, not two or even one.

631

: 00:33:39

Things that affect motivation, we

can, I think, ask more targeted

632

: 00:33:44

questions and hopefully get to the

heart of the issue more quickly.

633

: 00:33:47

John: This may take things in

a slightly different direction,

634

: 00:33:50

but maybe not so different.

635

: 00:33:51

We'll see.

636

: 00:33:52

But what are the things for you

that as a professional communicator

637

: 00:33:58

you think help you to be able to

influence, impact, and inspire others?

638

: 00:34:03

Brian Hite: I try to be As

authentic as I know how to be.

639

: 00:34:06

I try to be as vulnerable.

640

: 00:34:08

As I mentioned before,

my life's not perfect.

641

: 00:34:10

I've had all kinds of

problems, along the way.

642

: 00:34:12

and I believe that sharing

those things is valuable because

643

: 00:34:16

nobody's living a perfect life.

644

: 00:34:17

And in these days of social media

where all you're seeing are pictures

645

: 00:34:20

of everybody smiling and all

the accolades and all the stuff.

646

: 00:34:23

we can very easily come to believe that

everybody's life but mine is great.

647

: 00:34:27

and that's just not the case.

648

: 00:34:29

So I try to be very authentic about

what's real and what's not, what's

649

: 00:34:32

reasonable to expect and what isn't

when I talk to people and just be

650

: 00:34:36

honest and open about my experiences,

about my knowledge, about my beliefs

651

: 00:34:40

and which are which, like I read this

in a research study or look, just based

652

: 00:34:44

on my experience, here's what I think.

653

: 00:34:46

Those are two very different things.

654

: 00:34:47

And I try to be very open and

honest about that as well.

655

: 00:34:50

And authenticity and honesty.

656

: 00:34:53

And I try to step in people's shoes.

657

: 00:34:56

I try to understand where they're

coming from, what their experiences

658

: 00:34:59

have been, what roads they've walked.

659

: 00:35:02

Now, I'm not them, so I'm never going

to do that perfectly, but I try and I

660

: 00:35:07

try through the provision of examples,

or even if I can't come up with examples,

661

: 00:35:11

that's one of my favorite things is in

a class, if I have no idea, like I'm

662

: 00:35:14

teaching here's the concept, here's the

thing, I'm going to put it out there now.

663

: 00:35:17

How does that apply to you?

664

: 00:35:18

Because I have no idea what your deal is.

665

: 00:35:20

Tell me a story about how

that fits in your world.

666

: 00:35:24

And I've had some of the

greatest conversations in

667

: 00:35:26

classes just by doing that.

668

: 00:35:28

I don't need to come in with a perfect

example that illustrates the concept.

669

: 00:35:32

I allow them to make that connection

for themselves and have the autonomy

670

: 00:35:36

to, okay, this seems to connect.

671

: 00:35:38

And then I listen.

672

: 00:35:40

And I think

673

: 00:35:40

that's probably, that's another

big thing too, is I actually

674

: 00:35:43

listen to people's responses.

675

: 00:35:46

I pay attention to their body language.

676

: 00:35:48

I listen to the words.

677

: 00:35:49

I listen to the tone.

678

: 00:35:50

I listen to the pace.

679

: 00:35:52

I listen to what they say.

680

: 00:35:55

and then I try to connect that

into what I've already said and

681

: 00:35:59

the, where I'm trying to go.

682

: 00:36:00

Because I have an intention.

683

: 00:36:01

If I'm talking to people, I have

a place I'm trying to get to.

684

: 00:36:04

I have, something I'm trying to achieve.

685

: 00:36:07

So I listen to what they say and I try to

use that to help move us forward to where

686

: 00:36:14

we want to go rather than just an aside

or, cause seen a lot of people teaching

687

: 00:36:19

their teachers, speakers, whatever,

somebody will speak, Oh, that's great.

688

: 00:36:23

I appreciate you, appreciate that insight.

689

: 00:36:24

And then just, they go off

on their own thing again.

690

: 00:36:27

Whereas I think it's really

important, not just from a validation

691

: 00:36:30

standpoint, but I think it actually

drives the discussion better.

692

: 00:36:35

When we can use the words of those we're

talking to the, when we can use their

693

: 00:36:40

experiences, their perspectives, the way

that they see it and express it to us.

694

: 00:36:45

If we can use that.

695

: 00:36:47

To drive the train.

696

: 00:36:48

I think the train gets to where

it's going a lot more effectively.

697

: 00:36:52

John: Are there any particular people

who have influenced, impacted, and

698

: 00:36:57

inspired you that come to mind?

699

: 00:36:59

Brian Hite: Yeah, there's one,

700

: 00:37:01

right off the bat.

701

: 00:37:02

start at the beginning.

702

: 00:37:03

There's a baseball coach.

703

: 00:37:04

His name was Vern.

704

: 00:37:05

he's dead now.

705

: 00:37:06

when I was 13 and 14, I played

on his baseball team and just

706

: 00:37:09

his, I'd never experienced a

coach with that leadership style

707

: 00:37:13

He was not a, hard in the

face, but we won every game.

708

: 00:37:16

We won literally every game for two

years and every practice was fun.

709

: 00:37:22

and I learned that teaching

with any mistakes were, I don't

710

: 00:37:26

want to say tolerated, but it

wasn't the end of the world.

711

: 00:37:29

It was a learning opportunity.

712

: 00:37:30

That's what we had.

713

: 00:37:31

I was never, I never felt like

my playing time was at risk if I

714

: 00:37:35

missed a ground ball or something.

715

: 00:37:37

and it was, he just, his

approach to the game.

716

: 00:37:41

He just enjoyed the game.

717

: 00:37:42

He enjoyed the kids.

718

: 00:37:43

It was very clear through his

way of dealing with us that,

719

: 00:37:46

that's, that's what it was.

720

: 00:37:48

And so he really inspired me from

that standpoint of just knowing that

721

: 00:37:51

as a man, I don't have to be the

stereotypical masculine, hard nosed

722

: 00:37:59

person in order to get things done.

723

: 00:38:01

We were as successful a team

as we could possibly be.

724

: 00:38:05

And none of that came across with

the leadership style that he had.

725

: 00:38:10

The second was my drama teacher

in high school, kent Cathcart.

726

: 00:38:14

Again, just a completely

different approach to teaching.

727

: 00:38:18

he truly cared about the kids.

728

: 00:38:20

He didn't care at all about the

regulations or the rules of the school

729

: 00:38:24

and the, I don't know, whatever.

730

: 00:38:27

Administrative rent.

731

: 00:38:29

He didn't care about any of that.

732

: 00:38:30

He cared about what is,

what can I do for my kids?

733

: 00:38:32

What can I do for them today?

734

: 00:38:34

what do they need?

735

: 00:38:35

He had a lesson plan.

736

: 00:38:36

he probably came in with some sort of idea

about what we were going to do, but if the

737

: 00:38:40

mood was down, if somebody had a bad day,

if something had happened in somebody's

738

: 00:38:44

life, he would completely switch gears.

739

: 00:38:46

And just move in whatever direction

he thought was best for kids.

740

: 00:38:49

And that has affected me too.

741

: 00:38:51

I've, I have a plan when I go into

things, but I'm completely open to

742

: 00:38:54

shifting it based on whatever the

circumstances might happen to be.

743

: 00:38:59

And to just flex in whatever

way I think can be most helpful.

744

: 00:39:04

And then I'd say the third is a

stunt coordinator friend of mine.

745

: 00:39:07

Jeff Cadiente is his name.

746

: 00:39:09

He's been a friend of mine for

20 plus years at this point.

747

: 00:39:13

I've worked for him on dozens

of episodes of TV shows.

748

: 00:39:17

He coordinated tV show called Martial Law

back in the day, a TV show called VIP,

749

: 00:39:23

Pamela Anderson show, coordinated 24 with

Kiefer Sutherland for several seasons.

750

: 00:39:28

Hawaii five.

751

: 00:39:29

Oh, he was stunt coordinator on that show.

752

: 00:39:30

And I've worked for him on all of those

shows, but his life too, he's had a

753

: 00:39:34

lot of ups, a lot of downs and through

it all, he's been able to maintain.

754

: 00:39:39

again, he, there's some of the downs

it's been tough, but he's been able to

755

: 00:39:43

maintain a forward progress and what

really strikes me about Jeff is that

756

: 00:39:48

because he is a good friend of mine and

I do know when he's going through ups

757

: 00:39:51

and downs and I'm on set with him when

he's going through some of those downs.

758

: 00:39:55

He's able to compartmentalize in a

way that, that is, that, that is rare.

759

: 00:40:00

He's able to be present and really just

immersed in the moment on set, which

760

: 00:40:07

is incredibly important as a stunt

coordinator, second unit director, a lot

761

: 00:40:11

of moving parts, a lot of things going on.

762

: 00:40:13

And if any of them go

wrong, people can die.

763

: 00:40:15

And regardless of what's

happening in his personal life,

764

: 00:40:18

he's able to compartmentalize.

765

: 00:40:19

He's able to focus.

766

: 00:40:21

He's able to bring that best

of himself, his knowledge.

767

: 00:40:24

and his energy and

leadership in these moments.

768

: 00:40:27

And it's been incredibly

inspirational for me to watch.

769

: 00:40:30

In fact, when he's going through

hard times in his life, it's,

770

: 00:40:33

I almost enjoy those more Jeff.

771

: 00:40:35

Sorry if you're listening to this,

but, but that's because I just

772

: 00:40:38

love watching how he handles it.

773

: 00:40:39

He handles it in a, such a

professional effective way that it's

774

: 00:40:44

it really is inspirational to watch.

775

: 00:40:47

John: Those are some great examples.

776

: 00:40:48

Thank you for sharing this with us.

777

: 00:40:50

I want to take things all the way

back to the start of our conversation.

778

: 00:40:53

You mentioned something about

visualization as part of the,

779

: 00:40:57

one of the tools to help with

motivation and development.

780

: 00:41:01

What are some tips that you could

maybe give for a listener that

781

: 00:41:04

might help them to implement that

and utilize that for themselves?

782

: 00:41:09

Brian Hite: I do entire classes on

mental imagery because I think it

783

: 00:41:12

is one of the most underutilized

skills that's out there.

784

: 00:41:16

Most of us have used it.

785

: 00:41:17

If you've been in any kind of

performance environment, probably

786

: 00:41:20

you've imagined yourself doing

whatever it is that you were doing.

787

: 00:41:25

It's just that we don't tend to do it

as effectively as we can, or really

788

: 00:41:28

even using the skill to all of its

various purposes, it's a very versatile

789

: 00:41:33

skill, meaning, probably we've used

it to practice something we've done

790

: 00:41:37

as we practice it in our mind, we

see ourselves doing it and we go over

791

: 00:41:41

stuff over and over again, that's how

most people use it, but mental imagery

792

: 00:41:45

can also be used to boost confidence.

793

: 00:41:47

We can imagine ourselves, if we're lacking

confidence, there's probably a reason why.

794

: 00:41:51

And we can imagine ourselves encountering

some kind of challenge, whatever challenge

795

: 00:41:55

it is is keeping our confidence down.

796

: 00:41:58

Imagine ourselves encountering that

challenge and overcoming it successfully.

797

: 00:42:03

Of practicing whatever skills and,

deliberately in our mind, putting into

798

: 00:42:07

practice these things that can help us

overcome that challenge in the moment.

799

: 00:42:12

We can use it to boost motivation.

800

: 00:42:14

We can, and in other words, we

can imagine ourselves succeeding.

801

: 00:42:18

What does success look like?

802

: 00:42:19

What does it feel like?

803

: 00:42:20

Who's around us?

804

: 00:42:22

What are we experiencing

in that situation?

805

: 00:42:25

That can be incredibly motivating.

806

: 00:42:26

What are the consequences of that success?

807

: 00:42:28

How does it affect other people?

808

: 00:42:30

Whatever your why is imagining

that why coming to fruition.

809

: 00:42:35

That's incredibly motivating.

810

: 00:42:37

We can use it to practice dealing with

anxiety, nervousness, stress, fear.

811

: 00:42:42

Some of these things that can hold us

back because those things are real.

812

: 00:42:46

And if we practice dealing with them

ahead of time, and this is not fun imagery

813

: 00:42:50

this is very uncomfortable imagery where

we imagine ourselves in the situation

814

: 00:42:54

we generate, we create, we allow that

fear or nervousness to, to come up.

815

: 00:43:00

We experience it, and then we take the

steps to mitigate it, not eliminate it,

816

: 00:43:05

because we want a little bit of activation

going on, but we want to mitigate that.

817

: 00:43:09

We want to get it to where

818

: 00:43:10

it's at a level and in a place

819

: 00:43:12

that's facilitating, not

hindering performance.

820

: 00:43:15

And we can use mental

imagery for problem solving.

821

: 00:43:18

Yeah,

822

: 00:43:18

if there's a certain situation, for

example, I was, one of the stunts

823

: 00:43:21

that I was doing on a show, he was

getting thrown out the back of a truck.

824

: 00:43:25

So the truck's driving down the street

and I'm supposed to get thrown out

825

: 00:43:28

the back of the truck I'm supposed

to come out the back of a truck

826

: 00:43:31

and looking like I'd been thrown.

827

: 00:43:32

but that's a tough gag because I'm

driving this direction at 15 miles

828

: 00:43:36

an hour, but I'm jumping out the

back at less than 15 miles an hour.

829

: 00:43:40

So I'm jumping this way, but actually

traveling back the other way.

830

: 00:43:44

And it does weird things with your body.

831

: 00:43:45

The physics of that is hard

to wrap your head around.

832

: 00:43:48

But what I did was I just use mental

imagery to work through that problem.

833

: 00:43:52

Okay.

834

: 00:43:52

So if I come out the truck and I duck

this shoulder in this way, what's going

835

: 00:43:56

to, Nope, that's not going to work.

836

: 00:43:57

Okay.

837

: 00:43:57

So let's say I come out of the truck

and I twist this way, which is a little

838

: 00:44:00

weird, but I, Nope, that's not going to,

I guess I could do that if I twist it all

839

: 00:44:05

the way around, but that would be hard.

840

: 00:44:06

And so what I ended up coming

up with was just do a backflip.

841

: 00:44:08

Okay.

842

: 00:44:09

Cause if I do a backflip out the back of

the truck, then I'm facing the direction

843

: 00:44:13

that my body's going to naturally

roll and I can just tap and roll.

844

: 00:44:16

and that's what I did.

845

: 00:44:16

And it worked out great.

846

: 00:44:17

But the preparation for all

of that was mental imagery.

847

: 00:44:20

I just work, I didn't rehearse.

848

: 00:44:22

I just tried out the different.

849

: 00:44:25

Options that came to mind.

850

: 00:44:27

I just, because I couldn't try

them out in the real world.

851

: 00:44:30

I couldn't, okay, let's get a

truck and try all these out.

852

: 00:44:32

See if it works.

853

: 00:44:32

that's not going to happen.

854

: 00:44:34

So my mind and for a lot of

professions, that's the way it is.

855

: 00:44:37

For example, pilots, you can't

just go in a plane and just go

856

: 00:44:40

practice flying whenever you want.

857

: 00:44:41

Or in the military, if you have these

big weapons, you can't just do that.

858

: 00:44:45

Or a medic, you can't practice dealing

with somebody who got shot or had the

859

: 00:44:50

arm cut off or whatever it might be.

860

: 00:44:53

You have to practice these things

in your mind and even on a more,

861

: 00:44:56

mundane, regular life level.

862

: 00:44:58

If somebody is giving a presentation or

leading a meeting or, whatever those

863

: 00:45:02

moments might be, we can practice.

864

: 00:45:05

Okay.

865

: 00:45:05

So how are we going to handle that?

866

: 00:45:06

Where am I going to stand?

867

: 00:45:07

When am I going to pass out things?

868

: 00:45:08

What am I going to do?

869

: 00:45:09

what, how might this play out?

870

: 00:45:11

We can problem solve

using mental imagery too.

871

: 00:45:14

So again, it's something we all do.

872

: 00:45:16

It's something that, that it's.

873

: 00:45:18

Our brains do it normally, naturally,

it's very helpful, but I don't think

874

: 00:45:22

we utilize it as much as we could.

875

: 00:45:25

Tip about how to do those things better,

it's all about vividness and control.

876

: 00:45:30

So by vividness, the image has to be

as realistic, as vivid as possible.

877

: 00:45:34

All five senses, including emotions.

878

: 00:45:38

If you can recreate or create the

image in your mind as vividly as you

879

: 00:45:43

can, That activates the brain in much

the same way as physical reality does.

880

: 00:45:48

And that's what helps train using the

mental imagery, the control ability

881

: 00:45:52

that can be a problem for some people.

882

: 00:45:54

And it takes two forms.

883

: 00:45:55

One is, can I imagine what I want

to imagine if I want to practice

884

: 00:46:00

doing a backflip out the back of

a truck in my mind, am I actually.

885

: 00:46:05

Able to control that image such that I

see it happening correctly every single

886

: 00:46:09

time that I can experience it correctly.

887

: 00:46:11

Because some people can't,

it goes wrong, goes sideways.

888

: 00:46:14

We don't want that.

889

: 00:46:15

The other is, can I sustain the

image long enough to get through

890

: 00:46:18

whatever I'm trying to rehearse?

891

: 00:46:20

For some people, they might be able

to imagine something and really

892

: 00:46:22

hold a vivid image in their mind for

two, three seconds, and that's it.

893

: 00:46:27

Other people, it's longer.

894

: 00:46:28

The good news is that

it's a trainable skill.

895

: 00:46:31

The more we practice.

896

: 00:46:32

Mental imagery, both from a

vividness and a controllability

897

: 00:46:35

standpoint, the better we get.

898

: 00:46:38

That's mental imagery.

899

: 00:46:39

I said, that was a long answer,

but it is you touched on something

900

: 00:46:41

that matters so much to me.

901

: 00:46:43

I use it all the time.

902

: 00:46:44

I teach everybody about it.

903

: 00:46:45

It is a incredibly underutilized,

but very helpful tool.

904

: 00:46:49

John: I'm glad we came back around

to that then certainly mental mental

905

: 00:46:51

imagery is the only way I'm ever going

to do a backflip in my mind, not in

906

: 00:46:55

reality, but I do appreciate that.

907

: 00:46:57

I know people can go and find you on

your website, which is brianHiteglobal.

908

: 00:47:01

com.

909

: 00:47:01

is there any other way that you might

want people to come and connect with you?

910

: 00:47:04

Brian Hite: Yeah.

911

: 00:47:04

You can connect with me on Facebook.

912

: 00:47:06

It's Brian dot Hite one on Facebook.

913

: 00:47:08

You can get on Instagram.

914

: 00:47:10

I'm Brian underscore Hite.

915

: 00:47:12

That's H I T E Brian

underscore Hite two, three.

916

: 00:47:15

On Instagram.

917

: 00:47:16

There will be a YouTube channel

at some point before long.

918

: 00:47:19

on LinkedIn too.

919

: 00:47:20

I think I'm Brian C Hite on LinkedIn.

920

: 00:47:22

That's another way you can connect

with me, or you can just send me an

921

: 00:47:26

email and I'll get back to you and

I'll get back to some free stuff too.

922

: 00:47:29

If you send me an email and say

that you listened to me on this

923

: 00:47:31

podcast, I'll send you a couple of.

924

: 00:47:35

Books, I'll send you my begin again,

utilize the wisdom of Eastern and Western

925

: 00:47:39

ideologies to achieve your full potential.

926

: 00:47:41

I'll send you a digital copy of that and

a copy of a book called the change, which

927

: 00:47:45

I contributed a chapter to on resilience.

928

: 00:47:48

Send you both of those and I'll

give you 35 percent off of whatever

929

: 00:47:51

program you decide you want.

930

: 00:47:53

As well.

931

: 00:47:54

So all you got to do

is send me that email.

932

: 00:47:55

The email is Brian at Brian Hite, global.

933

: 00:47:58

com.

934

: 00:47:59

John: That's an offer that

nobody can or should refuse.

935

: 00:48:02

I think so.

936

: 00:48:03

Do go and check that.

937

: 00:48:03

Brian has been really wonderful

talking to you and you have shared some

938

: 00:48:06

wonderful stories and insights today.

939

: 00:48:08

So I really appreciate you coming and

being a guest on present influence.

940

: 00:48:12

Thank you.

941

: 00:48:12

Brian Hite: thank you

so much for having me.

942

: 00:48:13

I've really enjoyed the discussion,

and hopefully people took away

943

: 00:48:17

something valuable from it, but

I've enjoyed talking to you, John.

944

: 00:48:19

Thanks you

945

: 00:48:19

John: undoubtedly.

946

: 00:48:20

Thank you Thanks Brian.

947

: 00:48:22

Well, thanks for tuning in there's some

things that have really stayed with me

948

: 00:48:25

since I had that chat with Brian, and some

of those things are about how we need to

949

: 00:48:29

be able to pull on our resources and that

we need to be challenged in order to be

950

: 00:48:34

able to grow and that we can choose how

we are showing up and how we are meeting

951

: 00:48:39

those challenges and that the more we do

that The more we take on challenges, the

952

: 00:48:45

easier it is for us to be more resilient,

more robust in the things that we do.

953

: 00:48:51

And I was thinking about it in terms of

someone who does improv, for example,

954

: 00:48:54

when you first maybe give improv a

go, if maybe you've never tried it,

955

: 00:48:58

but if you have ever done improv,

when you first do it, it can be a

956

: 00:49:01

bit scary coming up with the ideas.

957

: 00:49:03

You might freeze up, you might struggle

to come up with something, but someone

958

: 00:49:07

who's done it a bit more often, They

will find it easier to come up with

959

: 00:49:10

ideas and to take the yes and concept

and go a bit crazy with stuff and not

960

: 00:49:15

be afraid to explore stuff that might

be a bit corny or cheesy and Just to get

961

: 00:49:20

the ideas out there and flowing because

the more you do that, the less scary

962

: 00:49:25

it's going to be, the easier it's going

to be to start making those connections

963

: 00:49:29

I especially find this true with

humor and stand up stuff that the

964

: 00:49:32

more you are making jokes and writing

and thinking in that kind of way,

965

: 00:49:37

The easier it gets to do that, your

brain starts to more automatically

966

: 00:49:41

get into that way of thinking.

967

: 00:49:43

And that's certainly something

that came up in the conversation

968

: 00:49:45

I had with Adam Hunt.

969

: 00:49:46

It's going to come up again when I

bring you the interview with Judy

970

: 00:49:49

Carter, who wrote the new comedy Bible.

971

: 00:49:52

I really enjoyed what Brian had to say.

972

: 00:49:53

It's certainly like some of the shows

that he's on as a stuntman as well.

973

: 00:49:58

And I love this concept of bringing

all of those aspects of yourself

974

: 00:50:02

into what you do now professionally.

975

: 00:50:03

Now, I haven't really figured out a way

that I could bring my flight attendant

976

: 00:50:06

past into this other than through

some jokes and stories with what I do.

977

: 00:50:10

But certainly there are many

aspects of things I've done that

978

: 00:50:13

all kind of come together and make

me who I am now, and then that's,

979

: 00:50:18

I'm sure, true for you as well.

980

: 00:50:20

So bring all of yourself and don't

leave any parts of you to waste when

981

: 00:50:26

it comes to creating your talks and

your stories and in your communication.

982

: 00:50:29

There's so much value there.

983

: 00:50:31

If there's one thing I really hope you

do get from conversations like this

984

: 00:50:34

Is that all these different aspects

or different things you may have done

985

: 00:50:38

Maybe you've gone from job to job

career to career All of it is valuable

986

: 00:50:42

and has come towards making you Making

you someone different someone special

987

: 00:50:47

to give you your unique perspective on

things Now there may be aspects of that.

988

: 00:50:51

You don't necessarily view as being

positive but You know But you're unique.

989

: 00:50:55

There is nobody else like you out there.

990

: 00:50:58

And that's why your voice and

your perspective is so important.

991

: 00:51:01

So let that shine through

with the things that you do.

992

: 00:51:04

I've been getting a lot of inquiries

of people who are looking for some

993

: 00:51:06

help with their keynote presentations,

who are looking for a bit of

994

: 00:51:09

presentation skillss development.

995

: 00:51:11

If that's you, I would

love to chat with you.

996

: 00:51:13

You can go to presentinfluence.

997

: 00:51:14

com.

998

: 00:51:15

You can book a 15 minute free chat

with me there, or you can come

999

: 00:51:18

and connect with me on LinkedIn.

: 1000

00:51:19,865 --> 00:51:21,995

You'll find the information

to do that in the show notes.

: 1001

00:51:21,995 --> 00:51:23,175

Do go and check it out.

: 1002

00:51:24,050 --> 00:51:25,480

And I hope you'll join me next time.

: 1003

00:51:25,550 --> 00:51:29,370

I'm going to be talking about visual

storytelling with Emily Schneider.

: 1004

00:51:29,420 --> 00:51:34,020

She is an expert in helping

speakers particularly to create the

: 1005

00:51:34,020 --> 00:51:36,570

visual story of their presentation.

: 1006

00:51:36,570 --> 00:51:38,480

So we're going to get

into what that looks like.

: 1007

00:51:38,720 --> 00:51:40,410

We're going to be talking

a lot about slide decks.

: 1008

00:51:40,690 --> 00:51:43,780

If you've ever had any questions

or concerns or comments.

: 1009

00:51:44,310 --> 00:51:46,860

Thoughts about slide decks, you're

probably not going to want to miss that

: 1010

00:51:47,080 --> 00:51:50,540

because Emily's going to share with

us the right way to do this and some

: 1011

00:51:50,540 --> 00:51:54,250

of the key insights that she shares

with her clients when she's helping

: 1012

00:51:54,250 --> 00:51:58,710

them to do visual storytelling with

their professional presentations.

: 1013

00:51:59,380 --> 00:52:00,490

So do come join us for that.

: 1014

00:52:00,490 --> 00:52:02,900

I'll be back on Friday

with another solo episode.

: 1015

00:52:02,900 --> 00:52:05,447

I For the foreseeable future, we'll

keep bringing you two episodes a week.

: 1016

00:52:05,727 --> 00:52:08,147

I have some episodes in the vault

as well that I'm looking at bringing

: 1017

00:52:08,147 --> 00:52:11,417

you that were recorded, like, either

early last year or even the year

: 1018

00:52:11,417 --> 00:52:15,607

before, that just never got round to

getting into the publishing schedule.

: 1019

00:52:15,992 --> 00:52:20,382

Mainly my fault with other professional

commitments that I had on that, that time.

: 1020

00:52:20,662 --> 00:52:23,682

So I'm going to turn the clock back

a little, probably have slightly less

: 1021

00:52:23,682 --> 00:52:27,842

gray hair and gray beard in those just

so you know, to expect that haven't

: 1022

00:52:27,842 --> 00:52:31,502

been hitting the hair dye, but,

bringing you some regular episodes.

: 1023

00:52:31,947 --> 00:52:35,957

And, please do, consider sharing the

show with your friends and network,

: 1024

00:52:36,287 --> 00:52:39,477

if there are people you know who

might find some value here as well.

: 1025

00:52:39,787 --> 00:52:41,847

I'll look forward to seeing you next time,

wherever you're going, whatever you're

: 1026

00:52:41,847 --> 00:52:43,737

doing, have an amazing rest of your day.

: 1027

00:52:43,807 --> 00:52:44,237

Take care.