#18: Speak to win, with Les Brown

This episode features part 2 of Paul’s conversation with Les Brown, who will take you from tongue tied to terrific…and teach you how to “speak to win.”

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In Episode 17, Les Brown explained how conquering yourself and mastering your mind is the first step to winning in life. Now, we delve into public speaking – which for most people is either their biggest fear or their greatest asset in life. For Les, it’s definitely a huge asset, with his incredibly charismatic approach and larger-than-life persona.

His energy moves and inspires crowds to reach for their dreams and accomplish their goals. He has earned a string of awards from organizations ranging from Toastmasters International to The National Speakers Association, which awarded Les its top honor.

SHOW NOTES:

03:10  Les was not always a master speaker, and he has not always been a natural in front of large crowds. Paul asked Les how he overcame those fears and made speaking his super-power. He says he had to work up to it.

5:55  Les had plenty of confidence in small groups – yet he had to overcome his aversion to public speaking.

9:05  There are obviously a lot of motivational speakers out there – and Les has clearly found a niche within that crowded field. He says the key is to conduct “communications intelligence” on your audience. Yet he discovered early on that most speakers fail to do their homework.

12:35  Les says many speakers miss out on the opportunity to build valuable trust with the audience because they don’t take the time to learn how to tell their story strategically and experientially.

16:10  Les talked about the most awkward situation he’s been in as a public speaker – and the inspiring story of how he was able to turn it around.

19:00  Les has nine children. He offers the best parenting tip that he’s learned from his children.

20:35  One of the most powerful phrases he repeated several times throughout the course of his nearly two-hour phone call was “Live full, die empty.”