Category: Celebrity Speaking Tip

“If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren’t willing to do.”

How do you become the most decorated Olympian in history? You do things no one else is willing to do.

For Michael Phelps, that includes:

• Being in the water by 6:30am, 6 days a week, regardless of what day it is (Christmas included)

• Swimming 8 miles during each workout

• Doing 500 sit-ups at the end of every swim session

• Consuming 12,000 calories daily

The amount of dedication it takes to keep up this grueling pace for more than a decade is unimaginable to most people. But at 15 years of age, Phelps set his sites on being the best, and committed to doing whatever was necessary to achieve that goal.

Twenty-three Olympic gold medals later, it’s safe to say the hard work paid off.

If you want to overcome your nerves and establish yourself as a great public speaker, you’ll need to make a commitment to doing things most others won’t. This means practicing your presentations to the point that you’re completely comfortable with the content, and making the choice to deliver your messages with an authentic level of energy.

In our public speaking workshops, participants see for themselves the difference it can make when they do things others won’t do.

We focus our training on:

• How to organize a message that is simple and focused on listener needs. Speechworks teaches a simple Formula for focusing on listener needs. We believe that if you have strong content, you will be more confident when you get up to speak.

• How to deliver the message in a style that connects with the listeners. We focus on eye contact and energy from your face, voice and body. Our coaches will give you private feedback on areas you can improve.

• How to answer questions in a way that inspires confidence. We teach you to embrace the Q&A portion of any presentation, prepare for the questions ahead of time, and when it comes to your answers, be brief.

Consider attending an upcoming workshop. Our world-class communication coaches will help you get in shape for your big event without having to burn off 12,000 calories!

Speechworks is a communication and selling skills coaching firm. We teach professionals how to craft and deliver complex messages in a simple, persuasive manner. Since 1986, through workshops and one-on-one instruction, we have helped countless individuals become better presenters and communicators. You can reach us at 404.266.0888, speech@speechworks.net or on the web at www.speechworks.net