Quartet #42: Practical advice for speaking to an audience of 10 or 10,000
Happy June!
There is a very good chance that you will be required to do some public speaking at some point in your musical career - from the stage, for a job interview, during a masterclass.
Public speaking is terrifying for the vast majority of the world but it doesn't have to be.
The advice in #1 is the best I've ever received for pubic speaking.
And now on to this week's ideas...
Quartet of the Week
1. The Best Advice for Public Speaking (5-min listen)
Between audiences and masterclasses I have spoken to well over a million people in my career and this simple rule is the best piece of advice I have ever heard for public speaking.
And the beautiful thing is this advice applies if you are standing in front of 10 people or 10,000 people.
2. This Will Force You To Stop Procrastinating (1-min read)
I love me a call to action (and a 1-minute one at that!) that provides absolutely zero wiggle room to get out of it:
“It doesn’t matter if it’s good right now. It just needs to exist.”
3. The Rule of Thirds in Design (7-minute read)
If you are subscribed to this newsletter there is a good chance that you have at least dabbled in designing things like graphics, event announcements, YouTube thumbnails, logos, etc - or could stand to at least get decent at it.
This post, along with visual examples, is a great place to start.
4. Godin on Being in the Top 5% (1-minute read)
How the hell does Seth Godin get this much nuance into a 1-minute read??
Here he makes the case for being in the Top 5%, specifically how to go about doing it, and what it means for you moving forward. All in 250 words.
"The approach is to pick the right set to be part of. Not, 'top 5% of all surgeons,' but perhaps, 'top 5% of thoracic surgeons in Minnesota.' Be specific. Find your niche and fill it."
What's New With TEM
TEM316 drops tomorrow and was inspired by the wonderful Brené Brown. I briefly get into why setbacks are not only inevitable but actually a good sign! And how to reframe the disappointment we feel when we experience one.
My Final Thought of the Week
Here's a quote to send you on your way:
“In a perfect dream, things would be set exactly the way you would want them. But I think it's more interesting that in real life, things aren't exactly the way you planned."
—Naomi Osaka
I have had a largely linear career in music which is unbelievably lucky. I dropped out of graduate school to join a full-time touring group that took me all over the world many times over. There wasn't even a single day of limbo in between school and making a living as a performing musician.
I say this because my career has had so many twists and turns that it would take me 10 minutes just to list them - and I've had a pretty linear career!
There was the time when our management company stole over $30k from us and I suddenly couldn't pay my rent.
There was the time when a college teaching gig that I thought would be a long-term part of my portfolio career became anything but that almost overnight.
There was the time that I was asked to join a trio with two superstars in the music business and I was absolutely flying from the possibilities and the entire thing imploded within a month.
There is a virtual 100% chance that your career will be filled twists and turns - some that you see coming, and some that are seemingly out of the blue.
Everything is how you respond.
I love how tennis superstar Naomi Osaka frames this: that the unexpected is actually what makes life interesting.
What a beautiful mindset to bring to your career and to life!
Here's to having a creative week!
Cheers,
Andrew
The Entrepreneurial Musician
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