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In our Episode Today:

Our host Craig O’Neill welcomes friend and newly minted Certified Speaking Professional - Jimmy Lea to talk about his journey!

The NSA Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation is a notable achievement that involves many phases of approval. This is a hard earned achievement, which to our knowledge, has never been attained by an individual within the aftermarket before now!

You can check out the details of the process here: https://nsaspeaker.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Guide_How-to-Earn-the-CSP_Class-of-2025.Final_.pdf

Jimmy is a well known and respected speaker in our industry and he has been a lifelong communication enthusiast. Since Craig and Jimmy have been friends for many years, and you’ll hear in this episode some reflection of the impressions Craig has had of Jimmy in his early days and many thoughtful questions regarding the process of earning and value of a speaking credential.

While our topic focuses a great deal on the CSP process - you’ll begin to see how a focus on a skill looks for a true professional and learn some valuable insights into the ‘why’ behind any certification.

Topics include:

• Documenting your journey
• Gaining endorsements
• The value of capturing recordings
• Video submissions Do’s/Dont’s
• Mentoring
• Accepting Failure and Feedback
• How those with a designate safeguard the integrity of the designation
• Re-application and success!

The conclusion of this episode will give our listeners some food-for-thought on the value of credentialing in our industry, which has a tenuous relationship with the topic. Do you need a certification to be a speaker? Not at all. However, certifications DO tell an audience (as they do with a visitor of a repair facility) something about the people they are meeting with.

The Word of the Day:

Effusive

adjective

Expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner.

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

The Institute at WeAreTheInstitute.com. "Stop stressing over your business, you deserve a good night's sleep. The Institute’s coaching helps you achieve success and financial peace.

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

AutoLeap at

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In our Episode Today:

Listeners will recall the Pilot Talk (Episode 34) with Austin Brumfield - and this time our host Craig O’Neill welcomes Austin’s amazing wife, Evangela, to the podcast!

Evangela is a pilot, an Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic, and a missionary.

As mentioned with Austin, the Brumfields are joining Arctic Barnabas Ministry’s (ABM) which will take them and their aviation skills to the remote regions of Alaska. ABM aims to support and encourage those who serve in Alaska, so they don’t decide to leave!

Since do leave after confronting hardship and the remote nature of Alaska- it becomes unlikely for people who cannot leave their remote communities to develop trust with any future newcomers.

The Word of the Day:

Barnabas:

Proper Noun

Meaning: "son of encouragement”

In the conversation listeners will enjoy hearing Evangela share and reflect on a number of topics including:

• Her passion for the mechanics of aircraft - and the importance of the A&P license
• What it is like communicating with your Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) - when you are married to your CFI
• How speaking through the radio in a solo flight instills a sense of confidence
• What it’s like to speak in front of churches to raise support
• Why raising support for living in Alaska is nearly twice as hard as other missions
• Compelling details about the challenges of remote living and isolation felt by people in the remote regions of Alaska
• Airplanes as a bridge for communication
• Also airplanes in general. We do talk a bit about airplanes…

Those who know Craig, know that when he entered college out of high-school - he wanted to become a missionary pilot himself. Meeting the Brumfields later in life when he took up flight lessons in 2021 cultivated a new friendship and a new means to fuel that passion by supporting the Brumfields and welcoming them to share their story.

At Speak Up - we believe stories adjacent to our industry prove to illustrate solutions for our day-to-day situations. A key takeaway from Evangela is for us to remember to be proactive about being a Barnabas in your part of the world!

Don’t just wait to be called!

And be prepared to go this distance necessary to support those who need support!

We hope you’ll follow the Brumfield’s journey - details below!

For more information on Arctic Barnabas Ministry - Check out their site: here

You can follow Austin and Evangela on Facebook, where they post their updates and newsletters by clicking here

Evangela shared a wonderful Youtube video that was produced recently regarding missions in Alaska. ABM serves some of the individuals in the video so it's a great way to visualize the people, places, and need for ABM in Alaska. You can watch it by clicking here.

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

The Institute at WeAreTheInstitute.com. "Stop stressing over your business, you deserve a good night's...

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

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In our episode today, we welcome guest Hunt Demarest, CPA ABV.

Hunt is the host of Business by the Numbers and, as our host Craig O’Neill will tell you… Hunt uses words really well for a numbers man!

This episode came to be after Craig found himself on a walk and listening to one of Hunts recent episodes, Episode 163 - Where are my customers? It’s a great episode on getting to the root of what the numbers are actually telling you - and guess what - it involves actually picking up the phone and talking to people!

Hunt’s episode played right after Craig had listened to an episode on a health/wellness program which spoke on a similar topic… going straight to the source of information!

Often times we can get caught up in the minutia of details and analysis.

If we are not careful - it can lead to assumptions and wrong conclusions.

As Hunt says, “Numbers do not lie, but they do not tell the whole story.”

Getting the whole story inevitably involves communication - and it isn’t always comfortable for people to pick up a phone to get it.

While the takeaway for today’s episode is in the title, it expands as you listen to Hunt and Craig explore a range of topics from talking to clients, employees, and even family.

Today’s WOTD is Gumption

noun

• the ability to make intelligent decisions especially in everyday matters

Learn more about Hunt Demarest here:

https://paarmelis.com/business-by-the-numbers/

Look for his book here: https://a.co/d/hAf0cDF

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

The Institute at WeAreTheInstitute.com. "Stop stressing over your business, you deserve a good night's sleep. The Institute’s coaching helps you achieve success and financial peace.

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

AutoLeap at AutoLeap.com. Are you tired of juggling multiple tools to manage your auto repair shop? Say hello to the streamlined efficiency of AutoLeap, the #1 all-in-one Auto Repair Shop Management Software!

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

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

The Aftermarket Radio Network:

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

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In our episode today, our host Craig O’Neill welcomes founding sponsor and friend, Jeremy Glassco to discuss the potential merits and the root of the desire to step away from devices and “de-smart” with regards to phones.

Our loyal listeners will remember Jeremy from Communicating With Questions: Jeremy and the Jungle [E006].

In this conversation Jeremy makes a perfect sounding board for Craig to bounce ideas off of - as he verbalizes some of his own feelings about the ‘Frenetic’ pace of interruptions today.

We ask: Is the answer something so dramatic as to retreat from a smart phone entirely?

One such option out there is a light phone - https://www.thelightphone.com/

Topics Discussed:

• FOMO - The fear of missing out
• ….and when FOMO isn’t a bad thing if it saves lives!
• App apologetics and greater control over communication preferences
• Disciplined development
• Disciplined usage

At the crux of the topic is the dilemma that more efficient communication- which is one goal of technology - usually leads to more opportunities to communicate - which means our social energy is being drained all the time. What happens when our well runs dry?

Most importantly - Jeremy and Craig explore what is at the root of the desire to “desmart?”

Listeners will enjoy hearing take-aways and suggestions to restore balance and minimize distractions with the end goal of being more present - more focused - and simply better for the people we are meeting with.

Today’s Word of the Day:

Retention: noun

• the continued possession, use, or control of something.

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

The Institute at WeAreTheInstitute.com. "Stop stressing over your business, you deserve a good night's sleep. The Institute’s coaching helps you achieve success and financial peace.

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

AutoLeap at AutoLeap.com. Are you tired of juggling multiple tools to manage your auto repair shop? Say hello to the streamlined efficiency of AutoLeap, the #1 all-in-one Auto Repair Shop Management Software!

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

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

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

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Todays Show Post - Our notes today will be in a different format, written by our host.

Welcome to another episode of Speak Up - Effective communication.

Your place for focusing on elevating our communication skills in the auto repair industry - I’m your host Craig O’Neill….

I want you to ask yourself a question today - each time you receive a notification on one of your devices:

Do I need this?

Do I need to do something about this RIGHT NOW?

This has been my question for any number of the alerts that pop onto my screens on a daily basis. - - As I’ve been at war with distractions in my life. Loyal listeners have become familiar with my growing concern on the topic and I feel that I’ve begun to find some more balance slowly as of late and will share whats working for me.

Of note - I’ve been reading a book titled, “Stolen Focus - Why you can’t pay attention and how to think deeply again” by Johann Hari.

This read was a referral from Carm Capriotto - and it’s worth your attention.

In our episode today, I have some thoughts on the topic of notifications - and hope to get you thinking differently on what YOU are allowing devices to compromise YOUR focus!

Our Word of the Day:

Frenetic: fre·net·ic

adjective

• fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way.

Listen to this excerpt from the book, Stolen Focus - the author, Johann Hari, writes about a conversation with a friend who was getting notifications for things he didn’t want… and I’ll quote:

“... All this frenetic digital interruption is “pulling our attention away from our thoughts,” and I think we’re almost in this constant stimulus-driven, stimulus bound environment, moving from one distraction to the next.” If you don’t remove yourself from that, it will "suppress whatever train of thought you had.”

That is a quote from Stolen Focus - Why you can’t pay attention and how to think deeply again.”

The consequences of distractions are real - not just from tasks - but from our creative thoughts and even healthy mindwandering.

Hari mentions in his book that “a distraction such as looking at an image from a friend pulls the average person away for up to 20 mins! Not just one!

And if you look around, you’ll recognize that the distractions are EVERYwhere - and we now have this habitual tendency to scan for them, in our own pockets, and on our own wrists!

Look around you now - how many people do you see distracted by devices?

Before you blame yourself or feel bad about this - let me state - our technological world has been engineered this way in a deliberate attempt to get more engagement from us.

I will say - while I, like all modern humans, struggle with distractions, I have come to develop a few VERY simple and reasonable disciplines regarding notifications.

I feel sometimes a little old-fashioned on this… but as I discussed recently in

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One of the greatest joys for our team at ARN and this show is to welcome listeners of “Speak Up” to join us and SPEAK UP as a guest along with our host, Craig O’Neill!

Today’s guest is Drew Van Der Wiede.

A Service Manager from Mahomet Car Connection in Mahomet, IL - Drew recently attended VISION 2025 for his 3rd time!

Drew was also one of the brave attendees who took the stage in the course titled: SPEAK UP - Effective Communication! (Fun Fact - The course title, inspired in co-operation with Chris Cloutier, pre-dated this podcast!)

Working through his nerves, Drew gave his first ever speech to a room of 80 people. His speech stood out because he shared a story about personal triumph over adversity after being told by doctors, due to a condition, that his left arm would never be useful. Yet, Drew functioned for years as a heavy-repair specialist prior to his current role as a Service manager.

In this episode Drew describes what it was like at VISION this year, and how his participation on stage in the Speak Up course set the stage for his time at VISION.

As a first time speaker - we get to hear about his perspective of the audience - things he wished he remembered to say - and here in our conversation we created an opportunity to share a point from his speech which made his title even more memorable, as it punctuates the primary mission for this show; improving the image of our industry by becoming better communicators.

Todays Word of the Day:

gumption: noun

• shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness.
• "Drew had the gumption to fund his own trip to VISION!"

Book Recommendation mentioned in this episode:

Millers Bolt by Thomas Stirr

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

The Institute at WeAreTheInstitute.com. "Stop stressing over your business, you deserve a good night's sleep. The Institute’s coaching helps you achieve success and financial peace.

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

AutoLeap at AutoLeap.com. Are you tired of juggling multiple tools to manage your auto repair shop? Say hello to the streamlined efficiency of AutoLeap, the #1 all-in-one Auto Repair Shop Management Software!

Shop Dog Marketing at Shop Dog Marketing.com. "Want to see your auto...

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

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In our episode today:

Craig is talking about family business dynamics with Maryann Croce - Fellow Toastmaster at Remarkable Results Toastmasters, fellow Transmission Repair professional, and industry friend who knows the good - but understands the struggle so often described when you combine business and family.

Fittingly…

Today’s Word of the Day is:

Neoptism

nep·o·tism

noun

• the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives, friends, or associates, especially by giving them jobs.

Maryann brings a well earned perspective to this topic and presents many practical tips for families to work better together.

Listeners will particularly benefit from hearing Maryann’s three questions for business owners to ask before bringing in family members. By the conclusion you’ll be ready to better support, value, and listen to our family colleagues - making for a stronger communication and culture.

While this topic emphasises family dynamics, all listeners will benefit with some of the topics benign applicable to any business. Maryann also introduces the term ‘context switching’ while describing the difficulty of wearing too many hats - and explains why families tend to do this even more than other businesses.

Listeners can reach out to Maryann through her website.

https://www.smallbizvantage.com/

You can hear more from Maryann at Autoleap's Amplify

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

The Institute at WeAreTheInstitute.com. "Stop stressing over your business, you deserve a good night's sleep. The Institute’s coaching helps you achieve success and financial peace.

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

AutoLeap at AutoLeap.com. Are you tired of juggling multiple tools to manage your auto repair shop? Say hello to the streamlined efficiency of AutoLeap, the #1 all-in-one Auto Repair Shop Management Software!

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

• Email Craig O'Neill:...

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

Watch Full Video Episode

In this episode, Craig O’Neill features his guest, friend, CEO, and co-presenter from Vision Hi-Tech Training & Expo, Chris Cloutier!

Vision came and went so quickly - it became necessary for these two to coordinate a stop, sit down, and reflect on their takeaways from the Speak Up - Effective Communication Speech Workshop they led at VISION this year.

As with most things - there are unexpected outcomes, and the positive outcomes from this course ‘reverberated’ throughout the week.

Friendships were forged - Fellowship ensued - Fears were confronted.

Today’s Word of the Day (by the way):

Reverberation

noun

1. prolongation of a sound; resonance.
2. a continuing effect; a repercussion.

Chris and Craig Converse on many topics here:

• Observations on the interactions post-course with attendees who were more familiar with each-other
• How this was unique compared to other class experiences
• Why this was SO GOOD to do this course at the FRONT of an event
• All Day vs. half day - Creating the space for engagement
• A word on benign genuine - and why 'church came to class'
• Favorite moments from the course
• Thoughts on why the course becomes so impactful for people
• Chris wisdom after Craig asks Chris could imagine his passion for this topic culminating into the things they are discussing.
• What they hope to see next for the participants in this course.

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

The Institute at WeAreTheInstitute.com. "Stop stressing over your business, you deserve a good night's sleep. The Institute’s coaching helps you achieve success and financial peace.

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

AutoLeap at AutoLeap.com. Are you tired of juggling multiple tools to manage your auto repair shop? Say hello to the streamlined efficiency of AutoLeap, the #1 all-in-one Auto Repair Shop Management Software!

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

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

The Aftermarket Radio Network: https://aftermarketradionetwork.com/

Remarkable Results Radio Podcast with Carm Capriotto:...