Public Speaking Consultants

Have you ever heard the statement that deep down we all know what we need to do meet our objectives? It is true. The biggest problem is usually translating our thoughts and ideas into concrete action. Of course, there are numerous factors that determine whether we do achieve our objectives. If you look at it critically though, you will realize that it all boils down to our belief that we can achieve our objectives as well as the deliberate actions we take to make sure those objectives are realized. Public speaking consultants aim to bridge this disconnect between goals and achievement.

If you have attended a session where a public speaking consultant delivered the keynote address, what was the first thing that came to your mind immediately he or she step on the podium?

If everyone would have the courage to state what his or her real thoughts are in that kind of situation, the dominant question sentiment would be, "Here we go again. The same old hype based on information we already know and have heard many times before."

Now this type of assertion can be viewed as both true and false.

The reason it is true is that, firstly, not every public speaking consultant will have a positive and effective impact on their audience. In other words, public speaking consultants are not homogenous. As with every profession, there are differing skill and experience levels from one public speaker to the next. In addition, public speakers are sometimes not equally effective across all demographics even though there are those that can inspire a wide variety of audiences. Many speakers often cut a niche in an area that they are most effective in.

Lastly, the aforementioned assertion is true because, at the end of the day, what a public speaking consultant actually says is rarely, if ever, new information.  Rather,public speaking consultants aim to draw out and tap into your best abilities, the knowledge of which may be hidden deep in your subconscious. Therefore, in the same breath, this reason makes the sentiment quoted earlier false.

Does all that sound confusing? Well, let's put it another way: the public speakers aim to persuade you of your ability to overcome a seemingly insurmountable challenge. This is why any person in authority whether in business, a not-for-profit organization, a politician or even teachers, must seriously consider engaging a public speaking consultant as a way of re-energizing their team. As effective as a CEO, the head of a political party, the leader of a religious organization or a college principal might be as a public speaker and a leader, it is important to make a point of once in a while bringing in someone that the team is not accustomed to as a way of injecting fresh impetus to the institution.

History is replete with public speakers and the kind of influence they had on their audience even though many of these influential figures did not go by the title ‘public speaking consultant'. For instance, would you consider Michael Jackson a public speaker? Well, if you really think about it, he was. Here was a man who at one point galvanized the music community to raise funds for starving communities in Ethiopia. His music ‘spoke' to hundreds of millions the world over so powerfully that on his death, the sale of his music skyrocketed.

Michael Jackson is one of South Africa's most renowned and influential public speaking consultants having spoken to diverse audiences in the business, political and civil society arena.