• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Time to Shine Podcast

Be inspired to speak

  • About
    • Special Thanks
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • Support this Podcast

Petri Rajaniemi: Becoming a Speaker is a Process of Unlearning

Mon, 13 Jun 2016 11:15:51 +0300 by Oscar 1 Comment

https://media.blubrry.com/time_to_shine/p/content.blubrry.com/time_to_shine/Petri_Rajaniemi.mp3

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:23 — 32.7MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS | More

Petri RajaniemiPetri Rajaniemi is founding partner at Future Works, a professional collective of frontline thinkers on the future of work and the ever-changing business landscape. Mr. Rajaniemi started his professional career as Secretary General of the Finnish Student’s Alliance and has since worked as the head of development at Finnish Education Providers and later as the head of development at the Federation of Finnish Enterprises. He has personal background in a research-based biotech startup that was “a complete and utter failure”. Currently, he helps publicly listed and medium-sized companies, as well as public organizations and NGOs, to find a credible future in these turbulent times. When speaking, his aim is to say at least something that no one else says.

Becoming a Speaker is a Process of Unlearning

Once Petri started to take public speaking professionally, he felt that becoming a speaker is not a process of learning but a process of unlearning. The more you let go, the more of you comes visible, the best you are. A lot of people says that “when a child is born, the child is a canvas that life paints the picture on.” Petri has heard and agrees with another version that says “when a child is born, the child is a beautiful painting and life colors it with black paint.” Unlearning is removing the black paint, and as a speaker you must unlearn to remove the black.

“When speaking, my aim is to say at least something that no one else says”

Before becoming a speaker, Petri sat in front of hundreds of seminars. Everybody was saying the same thing, you saw the same type of expert just with a different tie. Petri is not trying to change the way people see the world, but to add something new. When he gives a presentation, he focuses on trying to find something that no-one else has said previously. He is not trying the speak the truth but trying to speak some truths.

Petri’s TEDx experience

This was a dear experience for Petri because it was where it all started. In 2013, he applied for TEDxTurku’s casting and was selected. There is a huge difference between speaking as an organization and speaking as yourself. Petri realized that it was his first ever time speaking as himself, just 3 minutes before the talk started. He felt very nervous, but the talk became a success. The only thing he regrets is that his nervousness didn’t allow him to use humor, as humor is very important for Petri as a way to interact with his audience.

Related: As a Speaker, What Makes You Unique? Find and Share Your Passions

Favorite quotation

“Had I not been destroyed, I would have been destroyed .” — Søren Kierkegaard

Recommended book

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Routine to Shine

“My practice is practice” Some people thinks that practice is a sign of weakness. Petri practices a lot. He does easily 20 runs for every new talk, in order to “build the routine” for that talk.

Instead of “imagine your audience naked”, do imagine them as human beings: feeding their elderly parents, being frustrated with their relationship, etc. That’s the way to connect and make impact.

Links

Petri at Twitter

 


P.S. If you liked this episode, you might enjoy subscribing to our mailing list. Also, I’d appreciate if you write a review in iTunes or Stitcher. Your reviews will encourage me and will help other people to find the podcast. Thank you!

Filed Under: Podcasts Tagged With: connect, humour, learning, NGO, Professional speaker, speaker, TEDx, unlearning

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. Time to Shine Podcast : Public speaking | Communication skills | Storytelling – Petri Rajaniemi: Becoming a Speaker is a Process of Unlearning 13.6.2016 | Jakso.fi says:
    Mon, 13 Jun 2016 14:06:16 +0300 at 2:06 pm

    […] Petri Rajaniemi: Becoming a Speaker is a Process of Unlearning […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Time to Shine Podcast

Great presenters get results. Take advantage of my 20% discount

Patricia Fripp FrippVT special discount

My new book “Rock the Tech Stage” is out:

Rock the Tech Stage

Use promo code “SHINE” and save $50 on Roger Love’s The Perfect Voice

Subscribe by Email
Public speaking resources

Tags

authenticity author body language breathing business coach coaching communication skills design emotions entrepreneur entrepreneurs fear of public speaking feedback leadership motivational speaker movies music presentations Professional speaker rhetoric sales singers slides social media speaker speakers speaking business speaking coach speechwriter speechwriting startups stories storytelling technology TED TEDx TEDx coach theater Toastmasters trainer training video voice voice coach

Footer

Subscribe to Time to Shine Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSSMore Subscribe Options
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2021 · Genesis Sample on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in