The Challenge Before Us

What an interesting and exciting time to be a Speaker!  We have the singular most marketable skill in a world ruled by communication - the ability to address an audience, to hold their attention, and to convey a message.  But what is the message YOU wish to convey?

For those of you who desire the stage as a professional Speaker please remember to whom much is given, much is required.  When you step in front of an audience of any size you do so as a de facto expert.  If you are speaking to a local civic group about real estate, your words carry weight and people may make a decision to buy, sell, debate, or stay out of the market based on nothing more than what you say during that twenty or so minutes.

The same applies to virtually any other topic.  Anthony Robbins' success today is built upon the foundation of information he taught years ago when he first came to be known as a thought leader in his own right.  Your success in the future will likewise be built upon the message or messages you deliver.  And remember, to your audiences the fact that you command the stage elevates you in their eyes to the position of expert.

The message which I am truly blessed to share with audiences has universal application.  Every person on the planet can and should find out the reason for which they were born.  We all have the opportunity to live lives of great meaning and significance when we do.  Ultimately, as a Christian and a Minister, I believe a life of great meaning and significance finds its only true and lasting fulfillment through faith in Jesus Christ.

That said, it is important within the diligence and steadfastness of my faith that I frame the message in terms to which everyone can relate no matter if they self-identify as Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus or profess no faith at all.  When I speak in a secular setting I am not preaching to win converts as much as I am disseminating a truth of Scripture which applies to all.

But, in a sense, I am preaching to win converts, and every professional Speaker is as well.  Our very success depends in no small measure upon winning public opinion within our sphere of influence as a thought leader.  Take for example the plethora of personal success systems.  There are countless books, CDs, and DVDs on the market aimed at pleasing the 'disciples' of Jim Rohn, Anthony Robbins, or Les Brown to name only three.  In every industry and market segment there are thought leaders who have followings.  And so it goes with you as well.

If your message does not have universal application as mine does, you should yet frame it for as large an audience as possible.  However, please endeavor to never lose sight of your audience's need to be treated honestly and with the utmost respect.  You hold great responsibility when you hold the microphone.  You are an expert, after all.  The challenge before us as Speakers is to honor the sacred trust between Speaker and Audience, and to seek their betterment at all times.

Fearlessly,
JD

The Recording Studio

Recently, I set about a plan to record devotionals.  I don't have a recording studio I can access, nor do I have a so-called desk studio in my home.  The high-value, low cost shock mount mic is still at the local music store.  My subscription to Voice 1-2-3 remains fun to watch, and the only mixer I have access to is made by Sunbeam.

What's a speaker and budding recording artist to do??

Use your imagination.  With that very thought in mind, I picked up my smartphone, swept my app screens to the left and stopped on the Voice Recorder.  A gentle tap, the app opened, I tapped record and started talking.  Problem was...I was in the house.  Family, neighbors, animals and all manner of noisy life tend to ignore the sign on your head that says ON AIR.

I was forced to retreat to the only available haven for peace, the only retreat for solitude...my Bronco.  That's right. A classic, 1995 Ford Bronco (351 V-8, Cleveland Block, just sayin') was calling my name and beckoning me to slide behind the wheel and go for a ride.  Don't know if you've ever sought peace and quiet in a Bronco.  I'll say this:  Peace - a state of mind - is possible.  Quiet - a state of noise - is not.

This is where imagination came to the rescue.  My thought was why not make this devotional series real and raw?  Forget the sterility of a studio with its sound engineers and 256 track board!  Forget the desk studio and the eggcrate cone of silence!  I say give me hundreds of ponies under the hood, and ambient sound that would make Mad Max proud!

My first Bronco Devotional turned out to be quite a success.  The mic on the smartphone (samsung, android) is actually pretty good.  There was never a time that I had to wonder what it was I said because the entire 12-minutes was clear as a bell!  I converted it to MP3 and had a keeper.  The road noise actually added an interesting backdrop and lent an edge of authenticity to my remarks.  No script while driving.  You either know the material or you don't.

Recall when those TV shows began to use a camera that seemed to move all over the place?  I think it was NYPD Blue that broke the ground for that trend.  After feeling an initial irritation, I realized the genius behind the ploy;  I concentrated all the more on the center of the frame.  And so it is with the Bronco Devotionals - listeners pay close attention to the 'center' of the sound.

Want to record for an audience?  Want to podcast?  Want to burn to CD for giveaway or sale?  Get your imagination involved and create opportunities!  If you want to succeed, you will.  If you want to make excuses...you will.  Don't make excuses, make successes.  The recording studio is where you choose.  Turn on your mic, but first turn on your imagination.

Fearlessly,
JD

Design, Purpose, Passion, Destiny

We have a very specific design, although our individual designs are all different.  My physical design includes my appearance, the way I prefer to dress (www.pinterest.com/jdthespeaker), how my brain processes and absorbs information, and how my lungs, diaphragm, vocal chords, and tongue turn sound into speech.  My design is also intangible.  I have life and educational experiences unique to me, related to both nurture and nature, which inform my knowledge base, worldview, and opinions.

My purpose is linked to my design.  Because of my design, my purpose is more achievable.  With a different appearance, voice quality, or ability to translate thought into speech my specific purpose would either be impossible or different.  But that is not so.  My purpose is to encourage others.  I have coined the phrase, "Be better than you've been, and do more than you've done," to identify the goal of my message.

The message finds an audience based upon more than just design and purpose however.  There has to be passion for a thing to drive its pursuit.  Without the passion to see men and women become all they are meant to be in this life, my design and purpose would fail.  If you have no demonstrable passion for a particular pursuit - any moral and legal one will do - then your design is wasted, and your purpose will go unfulfilled.  However those of us who do have a passion are led directly and correctly into a life of destiny.

You see none of us are here by accident.  No cosmic coincidence has resulted in this planet's ridiculously amazing and diverse flora and fauna.  There is design inherent in all the natural world.  I laugh sometimes at the thought of wild animals having a 'fear' of man (we can't out-run them, out-swim them, out-climb them, without weapons defend ourselves, and should by no means, apart from being well-armed, attack them).

But because life on this planet follows that design (our dominion), we are free to discern our purpose, pursue our passion, and live a life of destiny.  The destiny of the person who embraces their design, identifies their purpose, and pursues their passion is a journey comprised of learning and living.  Consciously or not, with passion in our lives we will work each day to be better than we have been, and to do more than we have done.

I know people whose design and purpose has resulted in passions for hunting, music, making friends, sports, real estate, selling, starting businesses, acting, medicine, law, and on and on.  (hint: there's a reason not everyone wants to be a doctor...)  We have different designs, purposes to achieve, and passions to propel us.  Our destiny awaits!

For more on defining YOUR passion, and living YOUR destiny, read my book, Be Known for Your DEEDS. It's available on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com.

Fearlessly,
JD

Destined for Success

How many of us believe we are destined for success?  I used to, then went through a phase that had me doubting anything other than a status quo existence.  And the status quo was status low!  It caused me to re-examine my life, my priorities, how I did business, how I did relationships, and how I did my faith.

Today I have no doubt that I am destined for success and it's because I have redefined success.  I no longer attach success to a robust bank balance, thriving investments, season tickets, expensive toys, or enough botox to keep me wrinkle free until I'm 90.  All of those things are nice symptoms of someone's success, and I welcome them as they come...or not.

Success is wrapped up in living out one's destiny.  Mother Theresa was an unabashed success, and we would have to conclude that Bill Gates is as well.  Delmar Walker, my late Dad, was a success, but he never made much more than 50k in a year.  As in the case with Mother Theresa, success is not tied to money.  It is tied to passion and destiny.

As of this writing, I don't yet own the boat I want.  I don't own the car I'd like or live in the exact house of which I dream.  My expensive toys are rather dated and old - not so pricey any longer.  No season tickets.  The bank account is far from robust, and the wrinkles will just have to add character.  But I am in the lane I was born to occupy.

There is a deep satisfaction in that.  The cool part is that I am being rebuilt after a fashion that maintains my integrity, my focus, my love of life and people, and will provide the comforts I will never again take for granted.  My path to this point is not one I would have chosen for myself, but I rejoice in the strength I've gained, the lessons learned, the new relationships which have been forged, and the clarity with which I see what success really is.

Success is a function of doing that which you are designed to do, and then doing it with all the gusto you can muster.  I speak from intimate experience, and now am able to not only tell others how they, too, can achieve success that is sustainable for a lifetime, but I can teach them.  It's a cool train.

Fearlessly,
JD

Sense of Accomplishment

Years ago I worked for a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in the File Room. During one particular week all Administrative staff members were given a survey to help judge how we handled stress among other outcomes being explored. One of the situations on which we were to comment had to do with specific tasks. The question was, “Do you feel a sense of accomplishment after completing a job?”

Surprisingly, one of my co-workers responded that, no, he did not feel a sense of accomplishment. Instead he felt that more pressure was just around the corner, and the stress was only building. In his estimation, there was no sense of accomplishment because more work was coming his way.

Of course he was right to a certain extent. Being employed most often means having tasks which consume each day. His job was critical to the performance of the entire office, and he did it well, but was unable to enjoy his own daily successes. Thankfully the work was unending – we stayed employed! We had a segmented and orderly flow of work. Success in each phase, led directly to success in the next and following phases until we had reached the end of the work day.

Now let us segue to all of life’s endeavors. Each day we start with a fresh slate even in the presence of work left over from the day before. There must be work to accomplish each day, in fact for six days each week, or we are in danger of losing focus and our edge. That may seem crazy, but it is the prescription followed even by God! Work six days then rest on the seventh day. Even when work is less than fulfilling, it still has meaning, and it is imperative that we look for the little victories in each day.

Whether we own our business, or exchange hours for money in the employ of someone else, we must identify where the victories will be found, then pursue them. When we are successful in prosecuting our tasks with this mindset, we find each week to be loaded with obstacles overcome, victories to build upon, and a life that takes on greater importance.

Each day we must make it our goal to be better than we have been the day before, and to do more than we have done before. This is my mantra and daily goal. I find that building my speaking business is loaded with challenges which compel me to conquer in the areas of time management, marketing, prospecting, public relations, writing, speaking, editing, publishing, physical networking, social networking, studying, and rehearsing. There must also be time to excel in eating properly, exercising adequately, and getting enough rest.

It can be a grind. It is also exciting, and I would not trade this life for another. I see great things ahead, and each day I relish in the accomplishment of a job well done.

Fearlessly,
JD

The Two Keys to Speaking Success, Key One

My lifetime of speaking has provided invaluable insights, shortcuts, work-arounds, and band-aids.  Don't get me wrong and think even for a second that I believe I have learned all there is to know.  Far from it.  Each time I speak, there is something to be gleaned, and stored for future use.  With that in mind, you may yet take the following to the bank.

There are two keys to speaking success.  Upon these two keys all successful speeches are built.  Without these two keys, the greatest material, the friendliest crowd, a venue's amazing acoustics, or a sold-out show will not help you as you crash and burn in front of all God's children!  Yikes!

The focus of today's blog is Key One in The Two Keys to Speaking Success.  It is a key that works in concert with Key Two, as these two keys feed off one another.  It can be developed, part of your DNA, or come to you rather organically over time, but it must be present for the good speech to become great.

Key One in The Two Keys to Speaking Success is Confidence.  Without confidence most personal endeavors miss the mark of excellence.  We all are subject to a greater exposure to failure when we operate without confidence.  It is confidence that allows us to take the stage fearlessly.  It is confidence that compels us to take a speaking gig with only two days to prepare.  And it is confidence that puts our audiences at ease and allows them to trust us.

When teaching 'The Two Keys' I provide the background on where my own confidence came from.  It originated from an outing at the lake with my folks when I was about six years old.  On this particular weekend, my Mom and Dad had asked me to tell a joke.  There were three or four families camping together that weekend, and most of the adults stopped what they were doing to hear the joke.

We all know the humor of a six-year old is not terribly sophisticated, but they laughed!  Most likely they were just being polite, but hearing that laughter made me feel great.  It gave me confidence.  Quite obviously my parents had already laid the groundwork for this success in how I was being reared, but that is the moment I readily identify as the beginning of my confidence as a speaker.

From that point on, I had confidence that my voice was worth hearing.  I performed in elementary school plays, volunteered to be on stage for high school fund raisers, was a DJ in college, and with two days to prepare preached a revival sermon in a church, city, and country where I'd never been before.  Confidence:  It is Key One in The Two Keys to Speaking Success.

Fearlessly,
JD

The 'Jerry' Method

The ‘Jerry’ method?? Okay, admittedly I need a new name for my speech preparation discipline. So while explaining the ’Jerry’ method I’ll be thinking of the new title. Agreed? Agreed.

Some years back I was asked to be a Guest Lecturer for a Bible School class at a local church. My message that night had been thoroughly researched and carefully written. I knew the information not just from my recent research in anticipation of its delivery, but from other studies of Scripture that had taken me to the same texts. I was aware of context, history, personalities, and a number of relevant cross references in advance of preparing my remarks.

With my lecture written, I was ready for the class – or so I thought. I felt unable to discuss the topic of the lecture apart from reading what I had written. What had happened?? I knew the subject matter; I knew the background information; I knew the personalities to be discussed, but why the need to read rather than having the freedom to properly teach?

At that time the aim of my lecture/speech preparation was the creation of a written product. I felt chained to the page. Today my research is just as detailed, but I no longer focus on producing a paper; instead my focus is on performance and delivery. Geared toward performance, I now visualize the entire event in my mind before composing a word.

By the time I begin rehearsal I will have set the stage for success in my mind, but not a word will yet be written. I research then rehearse what I have learned while continuing to conceive the lecture or speech in my mind. When finally the lecture or speech arrives on paper, I know it cold. My general knowledge of the subject matter now enhances the specifics of the remarks, and I am able to give the class or audience a memorable and interactive experience.

This was once the ‘Jerry’ Method. As promised a new, more definitive title for my speech prep discipline has been created. It is now The Performance Method. More on the practical application of The Performance Method to come….

Fearlessly,

JD