3 Reasons to Count Your Blessings as a Speaker!

“Speakers who talk about what life has taught them never fail to keep the attention of their listeners.” -Dale Carnegie

During this season of good will, good cheer, and good friends, I think back to a song from the film “White Christmas” called “Count Your Blessings” sung by Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. As this article is published at the end of 2019 (29 December 2019), I think it behooves us to count our blessings in 2019 as speaker.

We as humans and not just speakers tend to focus on the things that don’t go right in our lives and our presentations. Well, for this article, I ask you to suspend this urge and count your blessings as a person, an employee/entrepreneur, and speaker that you have experienced in this soon to be over year of 2019.

Three blessings I think you and I as speakers can all be thankful for are living in a country where your freedom to speak our mind is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, where you can satisfy your need to express yourself, and, finally, you can leave a leave a legacy to others through the messages in your presentations.

Your Blessing to Live in a Country Where Your Freedom of Speech is Guaranteed

We live in a country where our freedom to speak our mind is guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. There are many countries around the world where this is not possible. I am sure you can think of a few.

I think often we take this freedom for granted. We are in the 2020 election cycle now. I am sure you have heard all sorts of things coming out of the mouths of candidates, news people, and pundits. I, as I am sure you also, do not agree with all these words. However, the freedom to say whatever you feel on a certain subject is truly what makes the United States of America so ever changing, so interesting, and so vibrant.

This same change, interest, and vibrancy can be in your presentations. Think of the freedom you have when you are constructing your presentations. Whether it be how you handle the opening, body, or closing of your presentation, you have the freedom guaranteed by the Constitution to invent, create, and enamor.

We are all certainly fortunate to live in a country where your freedom of speech is guaranteed. We are also blessed to be able to satisfy our need to express ourselves.

Your Blessing to Satisfy Your Need to Express Yourself

You, I, and everyone else have a human need to express ourselves. This especially applies to speakers. We have something to say that can aid others on their journey through life. This need coupled with yours, mine, and everyone else’s need to help others can translate to a speaking career.

We are all passionate about something in life. What makes life so interesting is we are all passionate about different things. What is your passion?

Maybe your passion is chess. You love the strategic and tactical nature of chess. You love to read about chess’s greatest games. You love to play chess against a worthy opponent.

Maybe your passion is teaching the guitar. You started playing when you were in grade school. You love hearing others play the guitar. You love reading about the history of the guitar. You love hearing guitar music.

Maybe your passion is flowers. You love all flowers, but your favorites are the flowers grown in the tropical environment of Central America. You have taken trips to Central America to experience the flowers live. You may have even written a book about the beauty of these flowers.

One of the greatest pleasures of life is talking to others about your passions. The things in life that bind us to one another are the things we have in common, not the things that separate us.

So, chess lovers associate and speak with chess lovers. Guitar lovers associate and speak with other guitar lovers. Central America flower lovers associate and speak with other Central America flower lovers.

So, we are fortunate to live in a country where our freedom of speech is guaranteed. We are blessed to be able to satisfy our need to express ourselves. Maybe more important, is that we can leave our wisdom behind for others to prosper while you are alive and even after we have passed on.

Your Blessing of Leaving a Legacy to Others Through the Messages in Your Presentation

Stephen Covey in his book, “First Things First,” tells us we have four basic needs: To Live, To Learn, To Love, To Leave a Legacy.

Let’s talk about the last need, “To Leave a Legacy.”

All humans have a need to feel they have made a difference in the world that is long-lasting beyond our years on this earth. Leaving a legacy is a big part of making a difference in this world.

There are many people, too numerous to count, who have given us a lasting legacy in this world. However, here are a few who left a lasting legacy:

George Washington’s legacy was giving us a nation where the transfer of power from one government to another (1797 – transfer of power from George Washington to John Adams) was peaceful and orderly. Many of you may not know, but George Washington was the President of the 1787 Constitutional Convention that gave us the U.S. Constitution which we still live under today. Although James Madison, among others, was the chief author of the Constitution, George Washington was “the glue” that convinced the states delegates to approve the Constitution. Literally, we would not have the United States if it were not for George Washington.

Martin Luther King in his “I Have a Dream” speech, gave us a legacy to live up to in his words: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This legacy has not been lived up to fully. I hope someday we can say this is completely true in this country.

Steve Jobs legacy was making the computer as commonplace in our homes as a refrigerator, radio, and TV. Look around your home and I think you can see his vision for the computer has been fulfilled. Jobs vision, no doubt, has led to something called the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things are the vast array of common electric and electronic devices now being networked and controlled by your smart phone anywhere on earth. A few Internet of Things that come to mind are the camera doorbell, alarm systems, and even the furnace in your home.

You may not be a George Washington, Martin Luther King, or Steve Jobs, but you have expertise in areas where they do not. You have knowledge that other people want to know. Whether this is knowledge you convey on your job or as an entrepreneur, you know things others want to know and buy. The trick is finding these people who need your knowledge.

So, count your blessings. You as a speaker are truly fortunate to live in a country where your freedom of speech is guaranteed, you are able to satisfy our need to express yourself and where you can leave a legacy of your wisdom behind for others to prosper while you are alive and even after you have passed on.

Count your blessings and your presentations will be more sincere, more interesting, and more engaging!

“Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.” – Jim Rohn