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Speak Up! Effective Communication

Speak Up! Effective Communication

Written by: Craig O'Neill
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About this listen

 A perfect compliment for an individual and for small businesses is to be a better communicator. Craig O'Neill exemplifies influence and leadership in helping people find their fullest potential as communicators. “Speak Up!” is a podcast that clearly focuses on learning to communicate more effectively so that we can influence positive change in all our interactions.Copyright 2026 Craig O'Neill Economics Management Management & Leadership Self-Help Success
Episodes
  • 10 Tips For Public Speaking: Tip #5 Relax, Nerves Are Normal [E084]

    10 Tips For Public Speaking: Tip #5 Relax, Nerves Are Normal [E084]
    Mar 2 2026
    Thank You To Our Partners AutoFlow, Shop Dog Marketing, In-BoundWatch Full Video EpisodeIn our episode today:I tackle Toastmasters' tip number five: "relax." Spoiler alert - that's not actually helpful advice. You can't just relax on command any more than you can tell an angry customer to "calm down" and expect it to work.Instead, I'm reframing this tip entirely: Nerves are normal. Expect them. Understand them. Don't fight them.I walk you through why nervousness happens - it's your body's fight-or-flight response doing exactly what it's designed to do, even though you're facing a room full of colleagues, not a predator. Your heart races, your mouth goes dry, your voice shakes, and sometimes your mind goes completely blank on material you know cold. I've experienced it myself, even after six and a half years of Toastmasters.I tweaked the, now familiar, APAC framework to be…. (Acknowledge, Probe, Answer, Continue) … the C is usually ‘Confirm’, I explain what's actually happening physiologically and why about 74% of people experience speech anxiety.While nerve effects diminish over time with practice, you can also take heart that most of what you feel internally isn't nearly as visible to your audience as you think.So you have nerves.Good.Speak up with NERVE!Word of the Day: Equanimity - Mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in difficult or stressful situations. You can feel your heart racing before a presentation and still speak with equanimity - the nerves don't have to shake your composure.Sincerely, Craig O'NeillThank You To Our Partners AutoFlow, AutoLeap, Shop Dog Marketing, In-BoundAutoFlow at AutoFlow.com. Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during and after the visit to a single thread. Learn more at Autoflow.comShop Dog Marketing at Shop Dog Marketing.com. "Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings.In-Bound at CallInBound.com. Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound.Contact InformationEmail Craig O'Neill: speakup@craigoneill.netJoin Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmastersThe Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: Advancing the Aftermarket by Facilitating Wisdom Through Story Telling and Open Discussion. https://remarkableresults.biz/Diagnosing the Aftermarket A to Z with Matt Fanslow: From Diagnostics to Metallica and Mental Health, Matt Fanslow is Lifting the Hood on Life. https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/Business by the Numbers with Hunt Demarest: Understand the Numbers of Your Business with CPA Hunt Demarest. https://huntdemarest.captivate.fm/The Auto Repair Marketing Podcast with Kim and Brian Walker: Marketing Experts Brian & Kim Walker Work with Shop Owners to Take it to the Next Level. https://autorepairmarketing.captivate.fm/The Weekly Blitz with Chris Cotton: Weekly Inspiration with Business Coach Chris Cotton from AutoFix - Auto Shop Coaching. https://chriscotton.captivate.fm/
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    25 mins
  • 10 Tips For Public Speaking: Tip #4 Own the Room [E083]

    10 Tips For Public Speaking: Tip #4 Own the Room [E083]
    Feb 23 2026

    Thank You To Our Partners AutoFlow, Shop Dog Marketing, In-Bound

    Watch Full Video Episode

    In our episode today,

    I reframe the classic Toastmasters principle "Know the Room" into "Own the Room." I explore what it means to take complete responsibility not just for your presence in a space, but for what the space itself communicates to the people who enter it.

    Whether you're a service advisor showing up to your desk every morning or presenting at an industry event, the space you occupy testifies to the quality of your work before you even speak. This episode will help you understand why owning your workspace builds the trust that makes all communication possible.

    In this episode, I cover:

    1. Why arriving early isn't about knowing the layout—it's about solving inevitable problems before anyone's watching you scramble
    2. The contrast between speakers who lose composure when room problems arise and those who remain unflappable through disasters
    3. How John Thornton's deliberate preparation for his training spaces communicated extreme respect for hard working speacilaists time
    4. Why your facility is a liminal space—a threshold between your customer's world and your shop's work—and what that threshold communicates
    5. How a physical workspace setup (counter barriers vs. shoulder-to-shoulder positioning) changes the relational dynamic with customers

    Word of the Day: Liminal - relating to a transitional or in-between space; occupying a threshold between two different states or realities.

    As I prepared this episode, it occurred to me that Bob Greenwood's words that impacted me were: "You dress nice out of respect for the people you are meeting with.” ALSO apply to why we should own the space we communicate in… the people we are there to connect with. They are worth it!

    Sincerely,

    Craig O'Neill

    https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/episode/john-thornton-part-1-e181

    https://mattfanslow.captivate.fm/episode/john-thornton-part-2-e182

    Thank You To Our Partners AutoFlow, AutoLeap, Shop Dog Marketing, In-Bound

    AutoFlow at AutoFlow.com. Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during and after the visit to a single thread. Learn more at Autoflow.com

    Shop Dog Marketing at Shop Dog Marketing.com. "Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings.

    In-Bound at CallInBound.com. Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound.

    Contact Information

    1. Email Craig O'Neill: speakup@craigoneill.net
    2. Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club:
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    27 mins
  • 10 Tips For Public Speaking: Tip #3 Know Your Audience [E082]

    10 Tips For Public Speaking: Tip #3 Know Your Audience [E082]
    Feb 16 2026

    Thank You To Our Partners AutoFlow, Shop Dog Marketing, In-Bound

    Watch Full Video Episode

    In our Episode Today:

    "Know your audience." It's tip number three on just about every public speaking list. But I want to slow down on that word—audience. What picture does it put in your head?

    If you're imagining a passive crowd waiting to receive your message, I want to challenge that. The real question isn't "Who's watching me?" It's "Who am I communicating with?"

    In this episode, I dig into some communication theory—the old "Hypodermic Needle" model versus Active Audience Theory—and then get practical with three different audiences we all face:

    1. Public speaking: The Prisoner, the Vacationer, and the Learner
    2. Clients at the counter: Reading behavior through warmth, hostility, dominance, and submission
    3. Your team: Ability and Motivation—when to collaborate, counsel, instruct, or direct

    I found myself referencing things I’ve learned from my mentor and coach Dennis McCarron, throughout this episode. Dennis was one of only six certified trainers in Dimensional Selling and Coaching from Psychological Associates. If you want to go deeper on their Q4 framework, visit Q4Solutions.com.

    Our Word of the Day:

    INTERLOCUTOR (in-ter-LOK-yoo-ter)

    noun

    1. A person who takes part in a dialogue or conversation
    2. One who participates in an exchange, not just observes it

    Use in a sentence: "The moment you see your client as an interlocutor instead of an audience, you stop presenting and start connecting."

    The big takeaway? Stop performing. Start interlocuting.

    Sincerely,

    Craig O'Neill

    Thank You To Our Partners AutoFlow, AutoLeap, Shop Dog Marketing, In-Bound

    AutoFlow at AutoFlow.com. Your partner in technology, Autoflow consolidates your client interactions - before, during and after the visit to a single thread. Learn more at Autoflow.com

    Shop Dog Marketing at Shop Dog Marketing.com. "Want to see your auto repair shop thrive? Let Shop Dog Marketing be your guide. Our customer-first approach, combined with AI-driven creative content, ensures top rankings.

    In-Bound at CallInBound.com. Cover your communication needs and revolutionize your auto repair business with AI-driven call analytics from InBound.

    Contact Information

    1. Email Craig O'Neill: speakup@craigoneill.net
    2. Join Our Virtual Toastmasters Club: https://remarkableresults.biz/toastmasters

    The Automotive Repair Podcast Network: https://automotiverepairpodcastnetwork.com/

    Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto: Advancing the Aftermarket by Facilitating Wisdom Through Story Telling and Open
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    26 mins
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