Do You Have an Attitude of Gratitude?

“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts. – Henri Frederic Amiel

Do you have an attitude of gratitude for the opportunities speaking before a life or virtual audience gives you?

We will explore in this newsletter your gratitude for the opportunities as a speaker to teach others, for self-expression, and to learn from others.

Opportunity to Teach Others

Do you have an attitude of gratitude for your opportunity to teach others?

Most of you are probably familiar with Stephen Covey’s 1989 landmark book, “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” You are probably less aware of a book he wrote in 1994 with A. Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill entitled, “First Things First.” In this book, Covey and the Merrills tell us that all humans have the following needs: to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy. As a speaker, you have the opportunity to leave a legacy through your speaking which gives you opportunities to teach others.

As you get older, it is natural for you to think about what you will leave our world. The recordings of your speeches and presentations, your writings, and your podcasts, to name a few legacies you will leave, will last for a very long time after you leave this earth. I often talk about Earl Nightingale as my mentor. I discovered his wonderfully instructive recordings in 1994, five years after he left our world. Those recordings taught me much about how to interact with others and also confirmed what I already knew.

So, engender an attitude of gratitude for having the opportunity as a speaker to teach others. You will be leaving a legacy that will benefit many when you are alive and when you have passed from our world.

Your human need to live manifests itself in your self-expression.

Opportunity for Self-Expression

Do you have an attitude of gratitude for your opportunity for self-expression?

As a child, a teenager, and adult, you wanted to be heard. You want to self-express your thoughts, beliefs, and viewpoints. Did you ever think why this is so? It is so because the very nature of human beings is to do so. We quite literally feel more alive when we express what is on our minds.

What a great opportunity we have as speakers to express ourselves. We maximize this opportunity when we keep our audiences in mind when we speak. Keeping the audience in mind as to what they need and want from your presentation will make you successful.

You may often think no one will want to listen to what you have to say when the direct opposite is true. Your audience has come to hear you speak. They want to know your thoughts on your speaking topic.

So, engender an attitude of gratitude for having the opportunity as a speaker to self-express yourself for the benefit of others. You might be surprised how much others are eager to listen to what you have to say.

It is ironic, but your need to learn is satisfied even when you are teaching others. The old saying is true – “If you want to learn something, teach it.” Teaching also affords you the opportunity to learn from others.

Opportunity to Learn from Others

Do you have an attitude of gratitude for your opportunity for learn from others?

So, why is the best way to learn something to teach it? You learn in the process of your detailed planning done way before you get up “on the stage” to deliver your presentation.

So, your audience is forcing you to learn your topic before you even present to them. Winston Churchill would spend 6 – 8 hours to prepare a 40-minute speech. So, Winston Churchill spent nine to twelve times the duration of a 40-minute speech preparing for it.

What does this tell you? If you want to deliver a great presentation, you have to put in the time preparing for it. This time provides you with a deep knowledge about your topic whether you include it in your presentation or not. A by-product of this deep knowledge is you will be more confident when you deliver your presentation.

However, your learning does not stop when you have finished preparing your presentation? While you are delivering your presentation, questions and comments from your audience and new insights you get on the spot all add to your knowledge of your topic. The key to retaining this knowledge is to do what we called in the Air Force a “hot wash.” As soon as possible after your presentation, rerun your presentation through the “washer” of self-reflection and trusted friends evaluations. Take written notes on what went great, what was “so-so” and what you will improve next time.

What an opportunity for you to learn!

In this newsletter, we explored your gratitude for opportunities as a speaker to teach others, for self-expression, and to learn from others

So, I will ask you again. Do you have an attitude of gratitude for your audience for the opportunities they give you by virtue of speaking before them?/p>

Call to Action

• Think of your presentations as a way to leave to the world a legacy of great speaking

• Fully express yourself in your next presentation; people come to hear YOU speak

• Learn from whatever role you are playing – speaker or audience member

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero