Prepping for an interview, a podcast, or a sales call where you won’t be sharing visuals?

Doesn’t mean an impromptu Headshot can’t help.

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I was getting my thoughts together for a podcast interview earlier this morning and was feeling a bit more nervous than usual.

I didn’t have much reason to be — I’d been on this podcast before, I know the hosts, and I’d just be talking about my own experiences.

But two things were different:

1. I was asked on to talk about a specific part of my business journey I’d never told before
2. No visuals

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Some might say, “Get out of your head - just go talk.”

And to some extent, that’s what I did. I’d already been thinking about my high-level talk track anyhow.

But as a first at-bat with this story, I feared that without some visual aid I’d leave out some context, detail or narrative arc to really help it land for the listeners.

So, instinctively, I pulled out a notecard and just drew a picture. For myself.

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I wrote out the high-level pillars I wanted to hit, and a few subheadings under each, the last of which would to remind me to pause and make sure the hosts were still with me.

Then, below, one simple line depicting the arc of the story.

And most importantly, a stick figure reminding me where the real crux was — what I was actually invited on to discuss.

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During our recording, the words on the card served as buoys to keep me mostly on track, particularly as some of the hosts' questions skipped around.

But it was that little stick figure that came in the most handy, when after 20 minutes in we were still in column 2, it reminded me:

Yeah, that’s ok, this is the meat. This is why they asked me on.

And then the conversation continued to unfold organically.

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So yes, let’s create all the crisp, clever, shiny ‘intellectual headshots’ you want to share your unique expertise and value prop with the world. (I’m here to help!)

But also remember the power of a tiny doodle.

Even if you make it just for you.

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💡

-Wes