Thursday, 19 April 2012. Towers High School in Decatur, Georgia. I was but one of the Speakers participating in Career Day under the direction of, and in concert with, The Stewart Foundation and the Administration of Towers High.
To three different groups of teenagers I was able to impart the truth that each of them has a dream in place. It tells them what they would like to be when they grow up. I call that dream their passion, or the voice inside. Most were able to let this voice speak, knowing their passion and dream precisely.
At Towers High there are pro-football players, pro track and field sprinters, cosmetologists, forensic pathologists, artists, actors, musicians, a young man who wants to be the first pro athlete to compete in the NFL and the NBA, and video game artists among other professions and occupations.
We talked about the nuts and bolts of living out their passions; the promise and the obstacles as well. The other speakers with whom I shared the ‘stage’ proved to be on the same page as I, and we delivered a cohesive message of hope.
A couple of months ago I addressed the lunch crowd of an Optimist Club with a message entitled, Caretakers of the Voice. The gist of my remarks established my sincere belief that we as adults are the caretakers of the voices inside our youth – our future.
Young people today have mighty dreams and aspirations! In high school, for the most part, no one has yet attempted to quash their dreams, written their dreams off as unachievable, assaulted the practicality of lofty aspirations, or insisted they stop dreaming and get a job. That’s good. On 19 April 2012, more than 140 speakers validated the dreams of our future, and encouraged them to continue to strive toward those dreams they now hold dear; to stubbornly hearken to the voice inside.
Interestingly, I was blessed to also encourage a teaching professional who desires to be a published author. Having self-published my first book, I was able to provide keen insights into the process, and deliver great hope to his efforts. You see that voice inside does not go away with age, we just get too busy to listen any longer. Four years ago I listened again and it has profoundly changed my life. Let us therefore not only be caretakers of the ‘voice’ inside our youth, but in ourselves as well.
Fearlessly,
JD
Showing posts with label voice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label voice. Show all posts
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
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
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
Sunday, March 11, 2012
The Voice Inside
Last December I was blessed to encourage a combination of children, tweens, teens, and adults during one of my Fearless Speaker clinics. The primary message delivered that day was that our voice is important. As my audience learned that day the physical voice manifested through the interplay of diaphragm, vocal chords, lungs, and tongue is only the most obvious voice we possess.
Our inner voice, the one we define as the voice of our spirit, soul, or mind, is of singular importance. We may call it a still, small voice or a whisper of the mind, but let us never call it inconsequential, irrelevant, or unimportant. This is the voice of dreams, aspirations, and inspiration.
Most recently I followed this theme as a keynote in a business luncheon and encouraged the men and women in attendance to listen once again to that voice. It was just four years ago that I listened and set upon the life change I now celebrate every single day! My goal each day is to be better than I have been, and to do more than I have done.
Find that voice of your dreams. They can still come true. This is my testimony….
Fearlessly,
JD
Our inner voice, the one we define as the voice of our spirit, soul, or mind, is of singular importance. We may call it a still, small voice or a whisper of the mind, but let us never call it inconsequential, irrelevant, or unimportant. This is the voice of dreams, aspirations, and inspiration.
Most recently I followed this theme as a keynote in a business luncheon and encouraged the men and women in attendance to listen once again to that voice. It was just four years ago that I listened and set upon the life change I now celebrate every single day! My goal each day is to be better than I have been, and to do more than I have done.
Find that voice of your dreams. They can still come true. This is my testimony….
Fearlessly,
JD
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