Becoming an Authentic Speaker

You are a speaker.

Whether you call yourself a professional speaker (which means you make money doing so) or if you are someone who uses the act of speaking as a means to get a message across, influence someone, or go as far as having your words inspire the listener to take action, you have an important story to tell.

I truly believe everyone is an expert at something. From my father who is a criminal lawyer and speaks in high court, to the car salesperson whose stage is the showroom, to a keynote speaker like Michelle Obama who is speaking to the nation about the future of the United States…and to me, a mother of four, who is constantly training my children to do household chores – We all need to know how to speak to get what we want. Every day.

The first time I stepped on a stage as a speaker, I was terrified.

[blur]My dream had always been to be on Broadway, but singing, dancing and acting in front of hundreds of people would have been a piece of cake for me. I’d been training for that my whole life. Speaking on stage, on the other hand, was completely unfamiliar territory.

Was it the best speech I’ve ever made? I wish I could say YES! But I had to start somewhere. You can see the birth of my speaking career documented in the upcoming film Impact. Fast forward three years, and now I’ve spoken on stages all over the world. I so look forward to doing that again one day soon!

Being authentic as a speaker starts with inner confidence and inner faith. You must feel a healthy dose of confidence in yourself and your abilities – and have a strong sense of self-worth – to be able to move an audience. To acquire that confidence, mindset and positive thinking are vital.

Does your inner voice say negative things to you? Do you criticize  yourself in the mirror, when you’re getting dressed, or when you are tackling something new for the first time? I often speak about the devil voice vs. the angel voice. Try to quiet the devil and let the angel voice sprinkle new positive words into your mind.

You also want to surround yourself with the right people: those who build you up and support you, no matter what. And you know how important having a mentor is to me (and should be to you too!) Mentors help you develop the confidence and expertise that you need to succeed.

Whether I’m speaking to someone from the stage, on the phone, in person, or over Zoom, people tell me all the time: “Didi, I love your energy!” Energy and confidence go hand-in-hand.  When you can master that and come to a conversation with both, that’s the secret to connecting immediately with a stranger.

People love to be around others who have great energy because they feel good when they are around them. Are you aware that people truly want to strive to feel good? Feeling good steers you in the right direction for achieving what you want on a daily basis.

To be an authentic speaker, you need to know the art of articulation. It is a skill that can be taught, learned, practiced and mastered. The most important element of articulation is your delivery. It includes your energy, body language, how you are standing, your posture, and even what you are wearing!

Body language incorporates so much more than whether or not your arms are folded in front of you. It comprises facial expressions, eye contact, hand gestures, posture, and stance. We, as humans, are always judging so whatever you look like will always have some type of impact on the listener.

You also want to make a point of being present while you’re presenting. Your focus should be on your audience, and making eye contact with them. And remember to enjoy yourself! People will feel your positivity and merely by exuding good energy, you’ll win at making connections.

One thing to avoid when you’re speaking is the use of overly intellectual or fancy words. You may think that using big, fancy words will make people deem you more intelligent and well educated, but it can actually have the opposite effect. When you use simple, easy-to-understand language, people consider the message more intelligent because they can comprehend it!

When you’re easily understood and you trigger emotion, you’ll have an engaged audience. The last thing you want to happen is for them to feel dumb because they don’t understand you or become bored and switch off. Then you won’t be able to get them back…

It’s the same idea with your Elevator Pitch for you or your brand. It should be engaging, intriguing, and inspiring within the first 30 to 60 seconds that you speak. That’s why GREAT delivery skills are needed.

Could your Elevator Pitch use some work? Are you stumped when someone asks, What do you do? Then it’s time to PERFECT it…[/blur]

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Didi Wong

CEO of The Yes Academy

Born in Hong Kong, raised in England and now residing in Los Angeles, Didi Wong is an Award-Winning International Keynote Speaker, TV Producer, Business Mentor, Best-Selling Author, and Angel Investor.

Didi is the CEO of The Yes Academy, a results-driven educational mentorship program for entrepreneurs.

She was given the highest level award “Women of the Decade for Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital” from the Women Economic Forum as well as an award of Achievements, Recognition and Excellence by the National Council of Women from the Egyptian Government. She has also been honored to speak at the Global Entrepreneurship Initiative at the United Nations and she was the resident speaker on the Think and Grow Rich Legacy World Tour 2019.

As a TV Producer, she is the Executive Producer of “In Case you Didn’t Know with Nick Nanton” featuring Robert Kiyosaki of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” and another TV show “SpeakUP”, both on Amazon Prime Video. She has starred as a guest judge on the #1 Digital business show “Elevator Pitch” as well as a feature documentary on her journey as a speaker called “Impact.”

Didi was given the Certificate of Recognition by Mayor Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles for helping women entrepreneurs succeed. She is featured in the article “Women Who Mean Business” in the current March issue of Oprah Magazine. In Fall of 2020, she will be knighted as “Lady Didi” where she will join the Royal Order of Constantine the Great and St. Helen of Spain to further the Royal initiatives both domestically and internationally.

Her superpowers lie in managing her four children under the age of nine, including a set of identical girl twins and all her projects and clients, always with a smile on her face.

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