Speak Like a Superstar:  Hone Your Skills and Be Authentic 

If you want your audience to be fired up and ready to take action after hearing you speak, take some tips from professional motivational speakers.  Author Michael Jeffreys interviewed 15 successful motivational speakers to learn their success secrets.  Unlike technical advice found in many other books on speaking, Jeffreys uncovers clues to “speaking and leadership greatness.”  The advice reveals two secrets:

1.   Public speaking is a learned skill, not an innate talent.  The best speakers have been willing to go out and fall on their faces in front of as many audiences as were necessary for them to “get it right.”  The attitude shared by speakers interviewed for the book is that: you cannot fail at anything in life; you can only learn from your experiences and grow in the process.

2.   Great speakers are true to themselves.  Each prepares and delivers his or her message in a way that is totally honest and consistent with who they are as an individual.  Furthermore, these individuals had a vision of themselves making a difference in people’s lives by sharing their message—a vision that was bigger than their fear of appearing foolish in front of an audience. 

 Source:  Success Secrets of the Motivational Superstars, Michael Jeffreys 

Francine R. Gaillour, MD, Business Consultant and Executive Coach for Healthcare Leaders francine@physicianleadership.com, (206) 686-4205