"I BOMBED… then it changed everything"

Welcome to The Right Room!Join our Free Community: https://www.facebook.com/TheRightRoomConnect with Celeste: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celeste-decamps-empowermentthroughmovement/Rapid Rapport: https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Rapport-Profitable-Relationships-Connections-ebook/dp/B0D8FCFG9DConnect with Jane: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-parmelCardinal Business Advisors: https://www.cardinalbusiness.proFollow us: https://www.facebook.com/TheRightRoom/ https://www.instagram.com/therightroompodcast“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room – Welcome to The Right Room”

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Ever “bombed” a presentation so hard it followed you to the parking lot, and then realized you’ve been leaving free marketing on the table?

In this episode of The Right Room Podcast, hosts Jane Parmel and Celeste DeCamps welcome repeat guest Lorraine Lane, who shares the moment that changed her business: a 10-minute networking presentation she avoided for two years, then completely tanked… and used as the catalyst to build a speaker-ready system that started bringing in clients.

Lorraine breaks down why most small business owners waste their time in the spotlight, how to prepare weeks in advance, and the simple steps that turn a “ho-hum talk” into an opportunity people remember, follow up on, and buy from.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

✅ Why “my work speaks for itself” is a false belief that costs you business

✅ How to prep so you’re not scrambling from a weak intro (bring a hard copy)

✅ The difference between presenting on Zoom vs. in the room

✅ When to take questions (and when not to)

✅ How to identify what actually makes you different, using past-client feedback

✅ Why a strong wrap-up matters (and why “Well, that’s it” isn’t one)

Room Service (your step for the next 48 hours):

Write ONE sentence: “The #1 thing I want this audience to remember about me is ______.”Then ask 3 past clients this simple question (Lorraine’s method): “What did you thank me for, specifically, and why did that matter to you? ”Use their words to shape your next 10-minute talk, introduction, and close.

About our guest:

Lorraine Lane helps business owners become confident, compelling communicators through structured preparation and presentation coaching. She also creates “right rooms” of her own by hosting multiple in-person networking events each month designed for real connection, not cookie-cutter pitches.

About The Right Room Podcast:

The Right Room delivers a story, a strategy, and a step each episode so you can make a meaningful change in your business this week.

👍 Subscribe for more episodes on networking, communication, profit, momentum, and growth.

Estimated Timestamps

00:00 Intro and welcome back to Lorraine Lane
01:10 Lorraine’s story and the presentation she bombed
03:40 The coach’s challenge that changed everything
05:25 How speaking became a business growth strategy
07:20 Why most business owners waste presentation opportunities
10:05 How to prepare before you ever step in front of a room
13:10 Live audience vs. Zoom presentations
15:00 Why communication coaching matters
17:45 The confidence shift that happens when you improve your message
20:10 Room Service: what do you want people to remember?
22:00 How to discover what makes you different
24:45 Lorraine on creating the “right room” through better networking
28:10 Lorraine’s masterclass and six-week program
31:10 Final reflections and wrap-up

#PresentationSkills #SmallBusinessMarketing #NetworkingTips

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

There are not enough words to tell you how I bombed. I mean, really awful. And um, so I cried all the way home and decided this I had to do something different. So I was working with a coach at the time and I thought he would be sympathetic, but he wasn't. So he said, so when are you going to stop crying and do something about it?

SPEAKER_01 0:37

So I am trying to figure out where to put my marketing dollars. And I don't mean that literally marketing dollars. I'm talking about my investment of me. And um I really look to someone who explains networking on such a level and the salesability of me and and what I do on on such a such a way that it hits home. You know anybody like that, Celeste?

SPEAKER_02 1:11

Well, that's that's kind of my job. Helping people with their communication skills. But I am a big believer in talking to everybody who has their own perspective and their own take on it, plus their own solutions, because this way I have more tools in my arsenal when I am helping somebody with their public speaking. And I think that this is a great time to introduce into the right room our wonderful repeat guest, Lorraine Lane.

SPEAKER_01 1:50

See, I'm really happy. Lorraine, we're happy to have you in the right room. Welcome.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

Thank you. Glad to be a repeat guest.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

Well, this is where we bring business owners in, and we walk, we hopefully they walk in with any questions that they would have and leave with a little bit of clarity um around whatever you're going to talk about. So again, I'm Jane Parmell for everybody listening out there in TV Land. Um Celeste Camps.

SPEAKER_02 2:17

And in the right room, we talk about story, strategy, and step. And that's where you come in, Lorraine. Tell us your story.

SPEAKER_00 2:28

Um so I was networking to start my business because I was told that was what would build my business and get me out there, and that um other people would be my sales force, right? I got into that myth. So when you're networking and and have joined a group, one of the requirements is that you do a 10-minute presentation of your business, right? Well, I successfully avoided doing that for two years. And there was a membership chair who was on the ball and put me on the calendar, and she let me know that I was on the calendar a week before the date that I was going to do the presentation. And I totally blanked out and didn't remember until she called me the day before, you're ready, right? And I was like, Well, I thought, you know what? I can stand in front of the room and train 40 managers. Can't be that hard, right? There are not enough words to tell you how I bombed. I mean, really awful. And um, so I cried all the way home and decided this I had to do something different. So I was working with a coach at the time and I thought he would be sympathetic, but he wasn't. So he said, So when are you gonna stop crying and do something about it? And I thought, well, I'm not ready to stop crying yet. But anyway, I his challenge was get three, not one, but three 10-minute presentations ready for the spotlight. So I met the challenge, I got them ready, and then he said, So how are you going to use these to market your business? So what I did was I told several people who were looking for speakers that I was I could step in when somebody canceled, I could just step in. And I will tell you that was a game changer for my business because what happened was I got a phone call like the night before. Could you step in? And I thought, okay, my only answer is yes. So I stepped in, did my presentation, and I started getting clients from that strategy, and it forced me, it forced me to be in the front of the room, and I realized most small business owners don't use that opportunity. It's free marketing. And when you give a presentation that's lackluster, doesn't do anything to promote your business, you're losing out on that opportunity. So from that, I developed a six-week program to get people ready. And and one I learned so much from doing that that people don't prepare. There's a whole way to prepare to set the stage so that you step in and your presentation takes off. People are not scrolling on their phones. Um, and and to do a presentation when you're on Zoom is very different than when you're in front of the room with a live audience. I learned that too. So unfortunately, we all did. Yeah, there's a lot to it, and people will say to me, but I'm not a speaker. You may not be a Tony Robbins, but you are speaking about your business all the time. All the time. Whether you do a 30-second introduction, whether you're on a panel, doing a painting.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

That's the whole key. Um, I think that, you know, I I know I've taken your advice many times over because I I think it's like you said, we're not in a we're in a society where everybody's scrolling. And and I'll be honest with you, I've been in live presentations, live meetings where the person is presenting and reading it off their phone, and they're talking to their feet. They have their head down. And and simple presentation skills, simple communication skills that the people just don't have. Um so again, 10 minutes, a short amount of time when you're not prepared could be the longest amount of time ever. Um what would you say is the best uh one of the best strategies to to at least get started? Because I I like you said, you didn't you put it off, I think, subconsciously or consciously, you know, and and I and I know in talking to being a B and I coach, being a business coach, I've I have to talk people into doing, you know, what doing their story, doing their presentations. What what's a good help helpful helpful way to start it that that it doesn't seem so overwhelming?

SPEAKER_00 8:01

Yeah, it starts weeks before. Because have you ever gone into and you're the speaker, and the person who's going to introduce you says, Oh, I forgot your bio on my printer.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

So then they introduce you with, here's Jane, she's gonna talk to us today. Thanks. So immediately you're you're off spotlight, right? It's like you're scrambling because your introduction wasn't there, didn't say what you were gonna talk about. So it it scrambles your your presentation. You're trying to recover for the first couple minutes. Um, so how you prepare yourself always have a hard copy, right? And it's not a resume, it's an introduction. So I help people with that. And and then um how you start who are you talking to? What do they need to hear from you? Are there other speakers that have talked about the topic? I remember I was giving a keynote, and two speakers, one after another, spoke on the same topic. So the second speaker was so off that she just totally lost her audience because she didn't realize, didn't ask enough questions. And you know, so that was a big I'll never forget that because she was just so um knowing who has spoken before to this audience, what have they spoken about? Is your topic of interest to them, right? So that's and set yourself up for success. That's what I tell the people in my program. Let's set you up for success. And if you're not well trained on how to answer answer questions, don't let people ask questions during your presentation. You know, either you'll take questions at the end or you'll be in the back of the room. Because if you open yourself up to questions, the first thing people say, how much do you charge? You know, it's like that's that's an oops. Um, and and how you scramble back from that, you know, and so and and then wrapping up, because a good wrap-up is not, well, that's it. That's not a good role on on your package, right? So all of those pieces need to fit together, and and we spend time on how to transition from one topic, one bullet to the next, but right? How you transition is so important. Definitely.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

Right. And this is why it's important to have a coach. I think people don't seem to understand you can't proofread your own work, you need another set of eyes on it. Well, that's why we have coaches and athletes, we have coaching for you know, directors doing a play, helping the actors. And for some reason, when it comes to effective communication, people seem to let that drop to the bottom of something that's important until, yes, they get up in front of a group of people and realize they're not effective and they're not engaging. And then they sit there and go, Well, I guess I'm just not good at it. Instead of realizing that you get a coach and you get somebody who understands not just what you do, but your business. So, what you're doing as a business coach is really explaining that you have the message. Let's make it more powerful and work with me to do that. And I think that's one of the best reasons to have you on is to really explain to people that your key to success is being able to, with confidence and clarity, explain what it is you do and why people need you. And I really applaud you, Lorraine, because I know the work you put into this. I know how passionate you are about it, and that you are talking from your own experience. And you're so great about being vulnerable about it and telling your story. And I think that's probably what makes you so effective.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

I love go ahead. I'm sorry, Lori. Go home, go ahead. No, no, I was just gonna just add on just a little caveat on that. Is I love when you you show your vulnerability as well, because you've you've always said to me, and and you just said before we we even got started that avoidance, you had damn pat. You were a you know, you you two years, you were in a group for two years and didn't have to uh didn't have to present. I don't know how you did that. That's good. I was I was really good.

SPEAKER_00 13:21

But I had the idea that if I did a good job with my clients, that would be enough. Right. Right, that that would speak for me. Well, that was that was a false belief for sure. Because when my coach you know forced me to do three three talks and get them out there, that really changed my business. It really changed my and it it changed my confidence, you know, that that I could do this. And um I actually began to have fun with it. I I imagine imagine that. Imagine, yes, this thing that I was so avoiding, and and then I realized I must have lost a lot of business because I did not speak about my business and I did not introduce people into the work that I do. So I I don't know how much business I lost, but I'm sure I did. I'm sure I did. Because when I started speaking, business started coming.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

That's that's a really a really good gauge of whether or not you're effective. That is that is eye-opening and probably very distressing on some level, you know.

SPEAKER_00 14:36

Yeah. So I mean, people, small business owners don't realize the value of doing a good presentation and presenting well. You know, you can give a whole hum presentation, but when you capture people's attention and you speak well, when people come up to you and say, hmm, I want to talk more about that, it's everything.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

It becomes everything. And and for them to see the difference themselves when they have somebody who will work with them, and not just criticize, but to give real critiques, real solutions to be better. And when they realize that even with a thimbleful of knowledge, how much more confident you come across. And that's just not that one time. That's a tool you carry with you forever.

SPEAKER_00 15:32

Yes, exactly. So the structure that I provide in a six-week program, we can use over and over and over for a 30-second introduction or a keynote or a 10-minute presentation for sitting one-on-one with a potential client. So, you know, we're we're speaking all the time about our business.

SPEAKER_02 15:56

And with all of the investing that we do, they I think that's one investment that is mostly overlooked.

SPEAKER_00 16:05

Yes, I think so. I think so.

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Definitely, definitely. Um, one thing I wanted to ask you before we move into uh something we call room service because we're here in the right room. Um well, actually, you know what? Let me let me get into the right the room service because I think that'd probably be the best way to ask. What's what's one step that any of our listeners can take and then literally in the next day, two days, the next week, they're drowning in marketing, they know they have to do a presentation, or or maybe they don't even maybe they have to realize they need to do a presentation. What can they start move? How can they start moving into clarity, getting the getting the opportunities and the presentation set? Okay.

SPEAKER_00 16:51

To start the start them off, I would say, what is one thing that you want an audience to take away from your talk that you want them to remember? So that's one thing we work on, you know, in those well, I want them to know that you know, I show up on time. Doesn't everybody know what is unique about you? Okay, nobody goes out there saying, I'm gonna show up late to do my work with you, or I'm gonna be dishonest. Those those things are givens. And so when you waste your time saying those things, you're not differentiating yourself. Okay, so what makes you special and different? And for some people that takes a lot of work, but you are bringing yourself what makes you special and different, and you need to be able to talk about that.

SPEAKER_02 17:50

Cool. And when you work with people, how do you get that process started? Because I think for a lot of people, when given that question, they said, I don't even know what makes me different. I'm doing the same thing everybody else is doing. I don't know. How do you help them get to that understanding of what makes them different, unique, special?

SPEAKER_00 18:11

What do your clients say back to you? Thank you for. Okay, what do they say back to you? That's goal, okay. Um they probably don't say, Oh, yeah, like every other coach that I've okay, there's something unique about you, and so you need to hear those words. And if you haven't paid attention, I give people a way of asking that question of past clients so that they can hear what people say. So have to do some pre-work. You know, you don't just pull a 10-minute presentation out of the air, I learned. Um so so asking those questions and then bringing that into your your presentation to say, this is what makes me different, why you want to work with me, why other people have worked with me. So that's a start. And yes, that's a very start.

SPEAKER_02 19:17

That's that's very good advice. I again, I think people don't I think they almost feel uncomfortable saying, Well, what did you like about me? Yeah, but the way you're phrasing it by saying to somebody, I'm so glad I helped you. And yes, yeah, could you just you know uh say a little bit more and be a little bit more specific so that I know that what I'm doing that helped you would help somebody else.

SPEAKER_00 19:42

Exactly. And so I give them the questions to ask. So then it isn't like I need to know what you liked about me. You know, there's there's some good questions to ask and reconnect people with why they liked working with you. And a couple of my clients have come back and said, Do you know they hired me again because of the questions I asked?

SPEAKER_01 20:04

Yeah, yeah, they needed a little reminder. Yep, that's good. Yeah, that's great.

SPEAKER_02 20:09

Yeah, that is a good excuse too. To write like you, like you said, to talk to past clients again and keep top of mind. And just you know, whether you need their input on what they find special about you or not, but it's a good way, I a good way to get back and instead of just calling them up going, do you need me again? Any chances?

SPEAKER_00 20:35

Yeah, well, so they set it, they set it up so that there's they say I'm working with someone to help me get a 10-minute presentation. And one of the things I have to do is call the clients and ask these questions. Are you willing, you know, to spend 10 minutes with me? Oh, sure.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

Yeah, that is great. That is really that's a that's a uh it's like a reverse engineering of it. It's it's a nice way to do it. I like that. That's cool. Well, listen, not not to change subjects, but one of the questions that we ask everybody uh that comes into the right room is what does it mean to be in the right room? What does it mean for you personally when you're in the right room?

SPEAKER_00 21:17

When I'm in the right room, is there's an energy, right? And um so I create right rooms with people because I'm hosting three in-person networking events every month, and I don't do 30-second introductions, I don't do presentations, we present and we connect. So you're networking to connect, right? You're sitting there listening to other people, but not talking and not connecting. So I have hundreds of Exercises that promote conversation, meeting people, and then talking about what they learned in the conversation when they talk about their business. So it it's promoting, and my my group is now over a thousand people. I passed the thousand people mark this week.

SPEAKER_02 22:22

Congratulations.

SPEAKER_00 22:23

Congratulations. I started with zero, and I now have a thousand people in my alliance. So I'm just real happy with that. But you know, people start coming, are showing up. So more and more people are showing up toward that. Um so in those, you can feel the energy of people, you know, getting to talk to each other. And we have to know how to talk to each other without feeling sleazy and without, you know, because I say we're here because we want to create business. That's the agenda. Okay. And so how do you make connections? You know, when we were little kids, it was, you want to be my friend? Right. As adults, we don't do that. You want to be my friend, you want to do business with me? No, we don't do that. So yeah, when they throw business cards in your face, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 23:25

That's the equivalent.

SPEAKER_00 23:26

We want to do it in a way that feels comfortable and ask asking questions. So most people don't know how to ask questions. So I give them questions and they have fun with it. So it's just that is a right room. That is the right room. Very good.

SPEAKER_02 23:46

And what we want to do now, because we don't want you to go just yet, you have mentioned now a six-week course. I would like you to have this time now to talk about that. I believe you have a master class coming up. So if you could enlighten our audience, who I'm sure at this point would like to know more.

SPEAKER_00 24:04

All right. So the masterclass is three tips that I share with people on presentations, okay, so that you get a taste of what the six weeks is like. And that's a free class. It's on Monday, March 2nd at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. And if you want to register, it is you want me to put the registration in a chat or just give it here?

SPEAKER_02 24:29

We'll put it in the comments. Yeah, we'll put it with the video. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

So, and then the six-week course um starts on March 5th at 4 p.m. for six weeks. And during those six weeks, you will get a chance to do your presentation live and get feedback. And it's a small group. I keep it at 10 to 12 people because I do individual coaching during the six weeks. So and and um years later, people are coming back to me saying, I'm still doing this, I'm still doing that. So so yeah, it's it's um I had I had one person who said, Oh, I get presentations all the time, but I'm gonna sign up anyway. And then we were in COVID and she had to do her presentation online, and she bombed. She said, Oh, this is hard when I don't have a live audience. So, yeah, there is a difference between being online and with your audience right in front of you. So she recovered them. We recovered.

SPEAKER_01 25:45

That's good. A little bit of a bruise ego, but okay, that's great. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:51

So yeah, it it's it's a marketing tactic that I think people don't build in enough.

SPEAKER_01 26:03

That's true. They have to that's something that they really have to um consider, like you said, free marketing. You have an opportunity to get up in front of people, you know.

SPEAKER_00 26:13

Take the opportunity, right? Right, do the professional equivalent and do it well, or you are unmarketing your business.

SPEAKER_01 26:21

Exactly. That's that is powerful. Definitely gotta think about that. Well, thank you so much, Lorraine. It is so wonderful to hear your your your wealth of knowledge, your your tidbits, your I love, I love the avoidance because we're all guilty. We're all guilty. Um, but it, you know what, it makes it, it makes it human, it makes it personable, and it gives everybody the grace to know that you can um avoid things sometimes that you don't want to do. You know, it's okay. But there's a point where you understand how much it can impact your movement forward. So we really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Oh, you're welcome. Go through.

SPEAKER_02 27:04

And I and I am very appreciative of the actionable steps that you gave. And I think your masterclass is something everybody should invest in if they would like to up their game, be more confident, and be clear about their messaging. And the only way to do that is to have somebody who knows what they're doing to really help you through it. So thank you so much, Lorraine, for being in the right room.

SPEAKER_01 27:32

And make more right rooms along the way. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 27:37

Good to see you go. You too.