Hidden Gems: Meet Tanis Roeder of Elevate Your Communication

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tanis Roeder.

Hi Tanis, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I had a teacher in Junior High who encouraged me to enter into a speech competition and that is where my love for speaking started. I joined the speech and debate team and mock trial in high school and continued participating in every speech competition I could find. I loved speaking and knew it was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life! I loved it so much that I joined Toastmasters as soon as I turned 18 – I started going before then but could join until my birthday.

I got my degree in Speech Communication from Colorado State University but as graduation approached I wasn’t sure how to break into the speaking industry. I had been working in sales and public relations positions during college so decided to continue on that path as I figured out how to break into the speaking world.

For the next six years, I worked for a number of companies doing everything from sales and marketing to event planning and was also working for Monster.com speaking in High Schools across the country through their Making It Count program. During this time I spoke to over 25,000 high school students – and even though they could be a challenging audience – it was amazing because I was doing what I loved!

In 2011, I was finally ready to start my own company, and Elevate Your Communication was born. My intention was to become a full-time speaker and trainer, but I still wasn’t sure how to do that. I ended up landing a bunch of non-profit event planning contracts, including the largest event I created from the ground up for 16,000 people (The Fort Collins Peach Festival). I was also working with Otter Box helping to execute a Leadership Academy and plan their company events. That is where my career took a big right turn!

Cool story – I met the CEO of OB at an event and he told his head of HR to watch my LinkedIn and hire me if I ever left my current position. I told them I couldn’t work full-time for them so they said they would become my biggest client!!!

We had hired a speaker, Scott Halford, to come in and speak at OtterBox and they loved him! They wanted him to come back and teach public speaking but his schedule was very busy so they started looking at people he could train who would then turn around and teach the workshop. After some discussion, it was decided that I would be the one to teach it. This was one of the most pivotal points in my career and teaching public speaking now makes up about 75% of my business! Scott also got me involved in the National Speakers Association and I am now the President of the Colorado chapter.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
LOL, is there such a thing when it comes to being an entrepreneur? I am sure many can relate that one of my biggest struggles was focusing on my passion instead of filling my time doing things that people wanted to hire me to do. I spent the first few years of my business doing what I loved ‘on the side’ and building up an event planning business because that is what people were knocking on my door to have me do.

Most of the events I did were for non-profits, so it was very rewarding, but it still didn’t compare to when I was speaking on a stage or training with a small group of people. Even though it was a detour, I am very proud that I was able to raise over 1 Million dollars for charity over my event planning career.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Elevate Your Communication, LLC?
Through my business, Elevate Your Communication, I offer training, keynotes, and communication coaching. My superpower is being able to help people own their brilliance when they are speaking and I offer a full-day workshop that help them achieve that. I work mostly with executives, sales teams, and others in the corporate world who are tasked with speaking up in front of two or more people.

I absolutely love what I do! There is nothing more rewarding in my mind than watching someone come into my workshop with a ton of anxiety, taking them through a full day of learning and practicing, and then having them leave incredibly confident in their skills. It is amazing how good people are at speaking (who never thought they were) when they learn the small things that make a big difference in how others perceive them.

I have helped teams create and practice pitches that have landed their companies multimillion-dollar contracts, taught executives how to genuinely connect with their team members, and created team experiences that foster open and honest communication so big goals can be achieved.

I am most proud of the fact that I am able to meet people wherever they are and build their confidence. I can see the brilliance in others that they don’t typically see in themselves and bring it to the surface in a way that helps them see it is their authentic brilliance (not just me giving an ego stroke).

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
You are brilliant. No matter what it is that you set out to do when you commit yourself fully to it, you can absolutely succeed. I had no idea how to become a professional speaker, and my road was long and windy as I’m sure yours is, but I am living proof that if you want something badly enough it can be yours!

Contact Info:

• Email: tanis@elevatecanhelp.com
• Website: www.elevateyourcommunication.com
• Instagram: tanisroeder
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TanisRoeder
• Twitter: @TanisElevates