713: The Art of Gaining Interest with Chris Williams

This week’s Q&A Episode features actor, comedian, and magician Chris Williams. His resume is as diverse as his performance credits. You may know him as Hoover from Silicon Valley, Krazee Eyez Killa from Curb Your Enthusiasm, or Dwight from Dodgeball. He also just happens to be related to former Miss America and actress Vanessa Williams. Regardless of where you may recognize him, after two and half decades in the industry, he has become a natural at gaining people’s interest and getting noticed. In our conversation, Chris shares what he’s learned about breaking the ice, making powerful impressions, how to handle rejection, and more. He also helps Johnny & AJ answer questions from our audience. “Own who you are as you enter a room, what you can contribute and what you bring to the table.” – Chris Williams CHEAT SHEET Remember! If you have a question you would like Johnny & AJ to answer you can reach them at 1-855-ART-OF-CHARM. Calling not your style? Tweet us or send a DM on Instagram to @theartofcharm. You’ll learn about Chris… How his sibling rivalry inspired pride and drive to carve his own path. Why acting (and life) is like surfing - and why enjoying the wait for the perfect wave is not wasted time. How to use door frames to actually “frame” your first impression, and other techniques to make a powerful first impression learned from the auditioning What Toblerone chocolates and the power of acknowledgment have in common. And Chris helps Johnny & AJ tackle YOUR Questions: “What’s the smoothest ice-breaking technique you can come up with? - Ben “Any good tricks for getting people to put down their phones and start talking?” - Matthew “What is the easiest way to eject out of a low-value conversation, that you realize you are not interested in talking to?” - Bruno “What are the signs to look for when someone finds a question uninteresting?” - Jeff “How do you identify if eye contact is meaningful or awkward?” - Trent There is no magical combination of words. In reality, it’s taking an interest in the other person - AJ We weren’t all born as confident and charismatic as Chris Williams. You’ll hear in the episode, even he had to learn how to have faith in himself in his early career. From July 22 to July 28, we are hosting a 7-Day Sprint to Confidence Challenge. You can join by CLICKING HERE. You’ll be surrounded by fellow confidence seekers and supported by our AoC Coaching Staff. BAKblade 2.0 – a DIY back shaver includes a curved ergonomic handle to reach all those hard-to-reach areas. Use discount code CHARM20 for 20% on all orders over $30. Art of Charm listeners can get ANY PREMIUM INDOCHINO suit for just $379 + FREE Shipping when entering “CHARM” at checkout. This is 50% off the regular price for a made-to-measure premium suit. Incredible deal for a suit that will fit you better than anything off-the-rack ever could. Resource Links Listen to other episodes in the Breaking the Ice Series: Episode 710: The Art of Breaking the Ice Episode 711: The Art of Talking to Strangers Episode 712: The Like Switch with Dr. Jack Schafer Stay connected to Chris Williams: Instagram | Twitter Keep up with The Art of Charm Share even your smallest victories with us! We love to celebrate the Art of Charm community at the end of every episode. Send us a message or tag us on your favorite social media platform - @theartofcharm on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Other AoC Resources: The Art of Charm - 7 Day Sprint to Confidence The Art of Charm Challenge The Art of Charm Insiders The Art of Charm Bootcamp Best of The Art of Charm Podcast What do you love about Shownotes? The article-like recap? Key Questions? Quotes? Let us know what your perfect episode recap looks like here. Enjoying what you hear? Your reviews are so valuable to us and to those who haven’t discovered The Art of Charm podcast yet. Click here to share your Art of Charm experience. A big thank you to Chris. We’re grateful he was able to make the time to help us figure out how to break the ice and gain people’s interest - which he practices daily as a working actor. AND for inspiring us to eat fermented shark while in Iceland… a memory we won’t soon forget! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices