Dr. Randy Harvey. Source: http://howtobeaspeaker.com)
Discovering one’s voice is easier said than done. Today I delivered a presentation on finding your voice during a Humphrey Seminar at Arizona State University. It is what Randy Harvey, the 2004 world champion of public speaking, (which can be viewed here), calls “speaking from the heart.” I said you can only find your unique voice if you answer Harvey’s three questions: Who are you? What are you about? Where did you learn that.
Answering these questions is as difficult as connecting the dots between your present life and your future. “It could take a lifetime,” Harvey warned. But finding answers to these questions is the difference between delivering a “wow” speech and a “boring” speech.
Steve Jobs once said “You cannot connect the dots looking foward, you can only connect them looking backward”
So is there a way to find your voice? Is there a way to direct your future?
Jobs said you have to trust in something.Trusting in something gives you something to follow with your heart, even if it leads you to a well-worn path. Harvey calls it the “core value.” A core value is one such thing that will make you sacrifice your life for. It is something that will make you think and act differently from others. So here are a few questions to help discover your voice.
What do you love most?
Who are you in your family … in your business and among friends?
If this was your last day, what would you like to do?
What is your core value?
Where did you learn that core value?
If you are interested in finding your voice, I recommend buying a DVD “How to be a Speaker” or where possible attend their training sessions. http://bit.ly/1iNQzMN
Written by Steven Kapoloma @kapoxxy
Edited by Domenico Nicosia
Nice post Steven! I love that quote you chose in the picture. People connect with people-not ideas- which I think is the fatal flaw in a lot of boring speeches. If the presenter connects with the audience on a real level, but speaking from the heart, then the audience will be receptive. And the only way to speak from the heart is to know yourself, which is where all those questions come into play. Good job.