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In this series of Well Prepared Training articles we pay homage to the people we admire when it comes to the way they speak in public.
That last sentence probably doesn’t even do them justice. Our choices for these articles have truly found the purpose of their voices and speak so that everyone is listening to them. They inspire. They engage. They create passion. They can evoke tears. They tell compelling, human stories that make you feel something with every word. These are the inspirational speakers that blow our minds.
Our next speaker is Amy Cuddy. Yes, the woman that made the ‘Power-Pose’ famous. Amy is a social psychologist, author, public speaker, famous for confidence building body language and she’s a previous Harvard Business School professor. Wow.
Oh, and her TED Talk, on Body Language, has been viewed over an astonishing 54 million times. She’s clearly saying something people want to hear.
It took us some time and debate to decide which of Amy’s speeches we wanted to talk about but in the end, we decided on her performance, and we call it that because it’s literally a work of art, at Inc 5000 Conference in 2019 where she talked around her research into the power of body language.
We love the power that Amy brings to the stage but she doesn’t threaten the listener or viewer, she makes them feel engaged. Her power pose doesn’t intimidate, it simply boosts her confidence and our confidence in her as the speaker. It’s clever stuff.
There are so many parts of this speech which really inspired us, but we especially loved the pace, the clear and easy way she explains something that has so much depth in her research.
She helps her listeners to engage and understand by using real life examples and stories so you can almost hear the penny dropping as the audience realise she’s making complete sense. It’s an amazing thing to watch.
When she moves onto a sensitive topic and one that might ruffle feathers, gender stereotyping, it’s done with such confidence, heartfelt knowledge and passion that people just listen and nod. We particularly loved one message she left the session with.
“When you feel personally powerful, you are more likely to be able to empower the people who work for you”
We were so impressed with her stance, her clear and direct communication, the confidence, the way she practised what she preached and the way she has the audience in the palm of her hand as they realised that this speaker, was talking to them and making them want to be more like her. Incredible.
You can watch Amy in action in her multi-million streamed TED Talk by clicking this link.
Now we can’t guarantee to make you speak like Amy, but we can help you become an awesome public speaker through our own SPEAK programme so if we can support you get in touch.
We’ve been celebrating Black History Month highlighting those who have inspired us at We Are BRAVE. This choice is for many reasons (he’s kinda done a lot of stuff) but we adore his style when it comes to the way he speaks & engages in public. It’s Barack Obama.
Originally an American attorney at law and democratic politician and senator, Barack Obama went on to become the 44th President of the United States holding office from 2009-2017 and the very first African American President.
Once again, we are not making political statements here, that’s something we never get involved in. What we do want to talk about is the public speaking skills that made this POTUS one of the most engaging presidents to ever hold office.
At the very nature of his most high profile job was public speaking, and whilst we know that he will have received coaching and support, he without doubt has a set of natural skills that he uses to inspire and engage his audience to go on his journeys with him.
There are so many choices when it comes to his speaking resume, but we decided to choose his presidential victory speech. It contains almost all of the factors you could wish for when considering how to rally a crowd and leave them knowing that something great is coming and that they need to act. Something that many public speakers wish for as a success measure for their own presentations.
His speech needs to be watched to understand its power, but we’ve selected some of the elements that really stood out for us because of the ways it either engaged, inspired or grew interest and passion from the audience. There are many to choose from!
He starts by congratulating the audience, not himself, on going out and voting, on having the will to change, on letting their votes do the talking and trusting in him to be different. He never once congratulates himself. His passion and sincerity when he does this are masterful.
Within minutes he manages to engage everyone around the USA when he is inclusive in his storytelling. Old, young, black, white, Hispanic, gay, straight…the list goes on. He skilfully is thanking those that are around him and letting you know that you’re a welcome part of his success and team too. He unifies all those people. We are the United States of America.
A skill many speakers struggle with is being humble. Confidence and arrogance run a very close line and he manages to be humble when he talks about those around him, despite just being elected to President of the United States. Instead he used his time to congratulate those around him and those who ran against him mentioning his campaign manager, supporters like Joe Biden, opposition like Senator McCann and Sarah Palin and of course, tugs at the heartstrings when coming back to thank his wife and beautiful daughters.
He also skilfully pays respect to his grandmother who dies just 3 days previously whilst also reminding the people of America that his commitment was to them and the election. Everyone deals with grief and this helps the audience to empathise with him. Evoking empathy, in a presentation, is a rare skill.
He masters the use of his voice, the tone, the eye movements, the hand gestures and ends as he started, talking about the people who voted and supported him, carefully making sure to recognise those that donated $10 and $20 along with those who supported with millions.
He tells them “it’s your victory” and I know that you did it not to win an election, but you did it for me. He has told the audience what he stands for, and now I’m going to stand up for you.
And then, of course, like any good speech, he needs a call to action. What will we do differently? Well in this case it’s all about attitude and for Barack Obama, he simply wants the American public to remember one thing from his election to President. That when it comes to growth, the challenge ahead, any actions and future change there is only one response he wants to hear. “Yes, we can!”
You can watch Barack in action by clicking this link.
Now we can’t guarantee to make you speak like Barack did, but we can help you become an awesome public speaker through our own SPEAK programme so if we can support you get in touch.
In this series of Well Prepared Training articles we pay homage to the people we admire when it comes to the way they speak in public.
That last sentence probably doesn’t even do them justice. Our choices for these articles have truly found the purpose of their voices and speak so that everyone is listening to them. They inspire. They engage. They create passion. They can evoke tears. They tell compelling, human stories that make you feel something with every word. These are the inspirational speakers that blow our minds.
For this article, we have selected someone who speaks publicly with absolute ease. Joanne Rowling OBE, much better known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author, film producer, television producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. Most famous for bringing the world her literary masterpieces with the stories of a certain young wizard, Harry James Potter.
We thought long and hard before selecting the speech that stood out for us, she has many under her belt, including reading a passage from Peter Pan at the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony in London. We wanted a speech that stuck with us and we chose her graduation speech to students at Harvard University in 2011.
The overarching message we took from this, and would encourage you to do the same, is the perfectly played use of humour throughout. Her audience engages with her within seconds as she plays on the fears of public speaking and relaxes the audience (and herself) with the power of laughter. A clever trick many of us can use to ease into a public speech. The power of laughter and relaxing is incredible. She is, without doubt, a master at this. Her self-deprecating humour is powerful and empowering (along with her wicked twitter responses if you look at those).
There are many highlights to this public speech, but we picked some prime moments for you. We strongly advise you to watch as she masterfully tackles topics that many wouldn’t dare to even write down. Included in this speech are personal stories, anecdotes, government issues, African torture, personal failure, divorce and poverty.
Each topic is skilfully delivered using the power of her voice, knowing that her audience are listening to her with interest and compassion. She is a multi-billionaire, talking of poverty could be taken the wrong way, but the way it is delivered, and the story passed along instead warms you to her and the story even more.
She talks passionately about what imagination means to her, and the distinct lack of it in certain arenas. Her stature and body language are strong. She explains that for her, imagination is the powerful tool that allows us to empathise with others without ever actually being in their shoes. An interesting take from someone whose imagination has inspired millions of children (and adults) around the world through her writing.
We love her humour, both outright, and sarcastic and especially the little eye movements that show us how comfortable she is sharing her words and inspiring people to laugh with her. She genuinely seems to be there because she wants to congratulate the students and share her insights with them.
Even after going to more solemn moments during the talk, she ends with her humour when she discusses the reason, she will never be able to run for Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
You can watch J.K. Rowling speaking by clicking this link.
Now we can’t guarantee to make you speak like J.K. Rowling, but we can help you become an awesome public speaker through our own SPEAK programme so if we can support you get in touch.
In this series of articles we pay homage to the people we admire when it comes to the way they speak in public.
That last sentence probably doesn’t even do them justice. Our choices for these articles have truly found the purpose of their voices and speak so that everyone is listening to them. They inspire. They engage. They create passion. They can evoke tears. They tell compelling, human stories that make you feel something with every word. These are the inspirational speakers that blow our minds.
This time we are talking about a legend when it comes to speaking in public, and who has reached millions of people all around the world. Our choice is Simon Sinek. He’s a British-American, highly accomplished author and motivational speaker. One of his books, Leaders Eat Last, appeared on the bestseller lists for Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. He’s famously helped many businesses come up with their ‘WHY’ from his book, Start with Why and his many speeches about finding the Purpose of your organisation.
We immediately had a favourite speech from this guy, it’s one that stood out to us, and we didn’t want to choose the ones that 50 million people have already streamed! Instead we chose What Makes a Great Leader from TED in March 2014.
There are so many parts of his presentation that really ticked boxes for us but we really enjoyed the way he makes it easy for the people in the audience to get on the same page as him quickly and want to move through his story with him.
He talks with passion and conviction about leaders needing to make their employees feel secure and letting them into a circle of trust and safety. He doesn’t just use the words and move on, he lets you know that if you want to do this it’s time to take responsibility. The message is clear – it’s on you, and yet you feel glad he’s effectively telling you to step up and make a change. That is a public speaking skill that many would kill for.
He cleverly draws you in from the very first words of his speech when he talks to you about Captain William Swenson (we won’t ruin it for you but it’s a heartfelt moment) and brings his words alive with analogies and experiences which help him drive home his point. That we all want to work for an organisation where we feel safe and protected and when we do, the evidence suggests we cooperate and work harder.
He owns the stage, he can interact with all of you and one of you, he writes on his flip charts and still has the audience waiting for his next word or story. He speaks so concisely and with such energy and passion that it’s hard not warm to him. His storytelling abilities are second to none. That’s why we chose him as one of our inspirational speakers.
You can watch Simon in action by clicking this link.
Now we can’t guarantee to make you speak like Simon does, but we can help you become an awesome public speaker through our own SPEAK programme so if we can support you get in touch.
In the spirit of being ‘well prepared’ we’ve invested in the capability to use an online platform for virtual learning with our clients. We know businesses are relying on their teams to be credible, speak clearly and influence well via virtual platforms & our solutions can support those skills.
Interested in learning more? Grab a copy of the FREE download or get in touch.
In this series of Well Prepared Training articles we pay homage to the people we admire when it comes to the way they speak in public.
That last sentence probably doesn’t even do them justice. Our choices for these articles have truly found the purpose of their voices and speak so that everyone is listening to them. They inspire. They engage. They create passion. They can evoke tears. They tell compelling, human stories that make you feel something with every word. These are the inspirational speakers that blow our minds.
Our first choice is Michelle Obama. Previously the First Lady of the United States of America and wife and ardent supporter of husband and President, Barack.
Never has anyone in that role spoken to the people as she did. As we now know, not every FLOTUS speaks or communicates like this but Michelle did, and she was truly a professional in every sense of the word.
We had a difficult time choosing the speech that we wanted to write about, because there are so many. A passionate protector of people, she spoke out on the topics that were important and were close to her heart and to her beliefs.
We settled, after much discussion, on the speech that she delivered at the Democratic National Convention in 2012. Now this isn’t about politics for us, we won’t even go there, this is about the way she delivered her speech and used the power of her voice to inspire thousands upon thousands of people both present and watching live at home. It’s an amazing thing to watch or listen to.
There are so many parts of this speech which really moved us, but we especially loved the human elements;, the references to her children and their future, the fact that Barack’s best shoes were a half size too small for him. She made us feel that she was sharing personal information with her friends.
We were in awe of her humour, both outright and tongue in cheek, the confidence as she delivered her messages, the eye contact on a stage being watched by thousands of eyes, the controlled passion when her volume increased and the eloquence of her words as she told a story about why, as Americans, they had to keep working for what was right for the USA. The audience applauded, they cried, they stood and waved because she moved them to. With her words and her voice.
You can watch Michelle in action by clicking this link.
Now we can’t guarantee to make you speak like Michelle, but we can help you become an awesome public speaker through our own SPEAK programme so if we can support you get in touch.
I was recently one of the lucky members to be in the audience of a panel discussion at The AllBright. Hosted at the brilliant members club, the theme was ‘Power’; what it means, when you’ve used your own, how we pay it forward.
The panel were a mix of women from different industries; from one of the UK’s only crane operators to an activist & author who speaks actively against FGM.
One of my favourite moment was in answer to the question: “What’s the most powerful thing you’ve ever done?”
The answer that moved me the most was “I stopped trying to fit into a mould and I stopped accepting the shame of being different.
I decided I was proud to put my name to something I built” That is exactly how I feel right now. Proud to put my name to what we’re building. What we’re building with our BRAVE programme is awesome.
Knowing the power of that statement felt pretty damn good.
We recently took advantage of the exceptional hospitality at AllBright for one of our planning sessions. If you haven’t discovered this secret yet, they celebrate the community and connection of smart-thinking women. We loved it and took one step closer to being ready to share BRAVE with all of you.
“To love oneself,” wrote Oscar Wilde, “is the beginning of a life-long romance.”
The answer, if you haven’t already guessed it, is a big YES.
For most of us, it still feels a little foreign, but if you don’t show yourself some self-compassion then you’re probably in for a bumpy ride.
When things are going well, self-compassion is generally pretty easy. We’ve all been there. The going looks good and therefore it is very easy to feel good about what you’re doing.
It’s when things aren’t going to plan that we tend to forget to bring compassion for ourselves and instead replace with fault finding, criticism and negativity.
In the world we live in now self-compassion is super important. A simple concept that came from Buddhist psychology explains it in easy terms. It teaches us that self-compassion has 3 elements, 1. self-kindness, 2. common humanity and 3. mindfulness.
Being KIND to yourself is important. Especially at work, which is often where our stresses and pressures can be felt the most.
The next time something doesn’t go to plan, and you start to listen to the internal dialogue we all have that helps you to understand what’s happened. STOP. Just for a second or two and try to imagine what you would say to your best friend if this had happened to them or try imagining how you would phrase it to the newest member of the team. Chances are you would find a kinder way to say it than you were about to. It’s natural to be hard on yourself, but its not healthy so just try to be kinder with the voice in your head.
To give you a simple sense of common humanity. It’s recognising that everyone makes mistakes, and no one is without their weaknesses. No-one is perfect (not even that John in Accounts who never seems to mess up). We are human beings and we make mistakes. Learning to accept that you are not alone in your errors can comfort you by feeling inclusive instead of feeling alone. Once again, think how you would advise others in the same situation to get some perspective.
Mindfulness can sometimes conjure up images of lunchtime yoga and downward dog poses, and whilst they are in fact useful as part of mindfulness, they’re not essential. We simply suggest that you allow yourself some extra time to think, and consider how what is happening right now, in the moment, could impact others and you. It’s too easy to get caught up in what’s happening and lose perspective and mindfulness can help you calm things down. It could be that you give yourself a ten-minute breather when things are tough, or that you postpone making a decision immediately so that you can consider all the implications first.
One way to build stronger skills when it comes to these topics is to up-skill yourself. Get yourself onto some training courses that help you with the hard stuff. Learn to handle conflict, disagree well, think differently and creatively and learn to build your brand positively. A huge part of human development is constant learning, and at Well Prepared Training we can help. Check out our KIND page to see how.
Ask yourself this question. What do I need to make me feel good?
