I think the greatest experience as a speaker is the journey that we place ourselves on self-discovery.
You must develop the courage to be vulnerable.
Be transparent.
You can admit some things that other people would cringe at admitting and be okay within yourself because of your own self appreciation.
Don't be afraid to tell the parts of your story that aren't perfect.
People listen, not just to what you say.
I believe as soon as my audience knows as much as I know, there will never be any more need for Les Brown.
So I have to continue to grow. I have to continue to have breakthroughs.
Who Am I?
What drives me?
What is it that challenges me?
What are my weaknesses?
What is that I need to work on?
We have to continuously get some caring feedback because you can't see the picture when you're in the frame.
First of all, you have to get started… Don't worry about the mistakes -- work through them.
Because the truth is, if you're not making mistakes, you're not getting better… and it's a journey.
Look at people today.
People who are going through foreclosure, people going through bankruptcies.
There are people who are making decisions between being able to afford gas to drive to work and putting food on the table or prescription drugs.
People are dealing with the major issues today.
Listen to the conversation around you every day.
I think it gives you the advantage when you come to the podium as a result of your listening to people ---now you can speak to them because you care about them.
What's very important is knowing who's going to be there and creating a special experience.
That's how people are transformed.
If you create an experience for those people in that hour, you can literally cause change in that hour.
You can change lives… They will never be the same again.
Find your power voice. Trust me on this.
Take the time to study.
I guarantee you will change your life.
Read constantly, listen to motivational messages, go to seminars and workshops.
Develop the messenger because who you are behind the words is far more important than the words to speak so you have to speak start working on you.
And when you speak as a result of working on who you are behind, the words will come through and you will connect with people's minds and hearts.
I will never forget Mr. Washington who said “Mr. Brown, develop your mind and develop your communication skills because once you open your mouth, tell the world who you are.”
From that time to this time, I went from being a disc jockey to becoming a community activist doing editorials on the air and galvanizing the community.
I went from there to becoming a state legislator.
Then the chairman of the Human Resource Committee.
I passed 14 bills by first term and the Ohio legislature was elected three different times and then I resigned to go back to Miami to take care of my adopted mother.
And then I became a motivational speaker.
Then I produced six specials for public television.
And then it became known nationally and internationally and then I got my own talk show… the highest rated fastest canceled talk show television, but at least I had one.
Now, I'm a speech coach. I'm helping people to discover that voice that they have within them.
You have more in you than you can ever begin to imagine or to yourself.
You owe it to the world, but you have to speak or owe it to yourself.
See you next week
