Okay here’s a comment Thom Wert posted about my last post on You Don’t Need Any Special Education:
No special education nessary?? I agree, but let’s make sure people understand that education is necessarily to be successful. How can you speak on something that you know nothing about? You need to read and study about the subject your going to speak about. Mine you, education doesn’t have to be formal, it can be self taught! You don’t need to go to school (even though some of us get lessons from the school of hard knocks!) So my advice is to choose a subject that interest you, then it will not be a chore when preparing speeches.
And here’s my reply…
Hi Thom,
Great point. You said it right. You are such a faithful fan man.
Of course one needs to have great knowledge of the topic. Are you kidding me? I was talking about formal education such as a college degree. Yes, it’s a plus to have formal education. But it should not be a reason not to make it as a motivational speaker. I’m a prime example.
I don’t have a college degree nor do I have a high school degree. Heck, I’m still learning English. Listen, there are countless highly successful businessmen and keynote speakers without a college degree.
Hint… I’m not telling not to get a degree. Get it if you can. There are many ways to skin a cat.
Now, do I know a thing or two about my topic? Well, what do you think? Of course! I spent years studying my field. Oh, I should also mention I spent a truckload of money to acquire the right knowledge. Let me put it this way, I bet I spend more hours studying than your average college student. I mean hours…!
Book knowledge cannot and will not move an audience to tears, laughter, and deep reflection. That’s boring. It’s the knowledge we acquire through personal experiences. AND it’s our ability to tell those experiences compellingly in an emotional way.
I just spoke to about 500 hundred high powered sales professionals three days ago. There’s no doubt they know much more than I do about their subject. But once I finish speaking, lights went on like a Christmas tree inside their heads. Hmmmm… I wonder why. Can you guess?
That’s right. I was able to challenge their assumptions and cause them to think differently. Simply put, you have to take your audience to a place in their mind they have never been before.
I agree. I a am a mother of going on 7 ahildren. people come to me for advices from time to time. I said, why can i not make money out of this….and speak to a larger crowd. I love to talk all the time. It breaks my heart when I cannot share things to my children…anything I read, learn, experience and enjoy, …I share to them. The passion is important…I didn’t graduate college but…damn I’m good in speaking English straight…It’s true, a lot of people look for those with graduate and corporate experiences…but I believe that…being humble and committed is important. I was just afraid to try again…I did it before…I know I can do it again now that I am 40 yrs. old. I just need a PUSH.
I enjoy reading your posts. Thanks for all the hard work. Sara
Hi!
Your article is very inspiring to me. I am currently a grad student in Mental Health. My passion is to do motivational speaking/workshops for parents who have lost children. Unfortunately I know how it feels and I want to help others get through the grief and struggles that life brings after the loss of a child. I live in Florida and want to travel and speak to as many parents as posible.
I had a ticket to see a famous motivational speaker in my town recently, but when the day came up i didnt have enough motivation to go!! Now my dishes are pilled up as well as my bills!!! What can i do??
Mr. Godefroy I’m a lot like you myself. A former dropout and worked hard to get what Ed. I have. But I am still trying to find my way I have served as a school PTA President for several years. So speaking to the public is no problem for me. But I’m still unsure as to where to start. It’s time I began helping more with youth staying in school. There’s much more experience to tell, who do I need to talk to about this.