An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Be Authentic — It is essential that you can be true to who you are when you are speaking so that you can deliver the best message possible. For example, I love music, dancing or sometimes being a little dramatic. I think that this makes for a better presentation then standing before individuals in a monotone. The goal is to be memorable while engaging the audience. Be authentic and have fun!
At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Nicole D. Bradford.
Dr. Nicole D. Bradford is a published author, life coach, entrepreneur, and speaker with two decades of experience in the field of education. She energizes and equips others to take action and live audaciously authentic lives. She stresses the importance of creating the life that you desire and take steps to move from pleasing others to doing what makes you genuinely happy. It is very important that we focus on removing the lies, labels and limitations that maybe placed on you by others so that you can live an Audaciously Authentic life.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in Austin, Texas on the east side of town. I am the youngest of six children born to two parents that had very humble beginnings. I was bussed from the east side of Austin to the other side of town to complete my high school education. Growing up was tough at times because I was raised in a dysfunctional family where I witnessed domestic violence, had siblings that would go in and out of jail, and had siblings that became mothers at very young ages. No matter what was going on I was always attempting to keep peace withing our family circle, my objective was always to make everyone happy, and focus on the positive. Although I experienced some very rough patches in my youth, I always attempted to love life and live out loud focusing on enjoying every moment.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Since being crowned the first African American Miss Austin USA in 1996 I have enjoyed speaking. I began speaking at graduations, community celebrations and local school districts. As a result of those experiences, it inspired me to continue my love for public speaking. In 2018 I lost my sister when she was forty-eight years old. She had recently retired from her job with the State of Texas and one night in an unexpected accident her life came to an end. This made me think about what we do with the time that we are given on this earth. I established MAINTAIN THE FLAME to encourage others to strive to design the life they desire rather than living life for others.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
The most interesting stories for me usually happen at the end of my presentations. One in particular was the family of a single mother who had been having difficulties with raising her son. The mother shared with me what an inspiration the speech was to her and her son. I love to connect after presenting and it is encouraging when people share how my ability to be vulnerable and transparent makes a huge difference. I am a firm believer that we go through situations in life not just for us, but to help someone else and it confirms that I am on the right path when I have audience members share their connections with me after the presentations.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
The funniest mistake happened when I was serving as Miss Austin, and I was asked to introduce the comedian that was in town for an event. Not only did I get his name wrong, but I tried to exit the stage and could not find how to open the curtain. I learned to make sure that I practice names prior to, and practice how to enter and exit the stage properly 🙂
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
As an educator I know the power of teachers. I would say that the person that helped me along the way was Ms. Ellie Lardon. She was my English teacher in high school, and she never allowed me to settle. She would continuously push me to be the very best that I could be. I was never the type of student that could just study a few minutes and then walk in the room and ace the test. I was the student that was very persistent and never stopped trying. There were many teachers and individuals in my life that had written me off because I was not at the top of my class academically, but Ms. Lardon took time to connect with me on a personal level and her love and belief in me has stayed with me since I met her in the early 1990’s.
You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
I would share that you cannot allow people or situations to deter you from what you have set out to do, and you must learn to be your own cheerleader/advocate. No one is going to believe in your goal/dream more than you so you can’t expect others to share your passion or desire to accomplish the goals that you have set. Remember when you are starting out you must know your “why” it will help to keep you focused, and you won’t get discouraged when you post something and get only one view or one like. It’s not for the likes it’s the information that you believe in that you are providing, and you must believe that it will pay off in the long run. Remaining tenacious and persistent is the key! You also must learn to find out your ways of coping with disappointment where you can take a step back, rest and reflect but you must get up and keep moving. The three important strategies I use is:
- Always keep a “You go girl journal”. I keep it with me so at the end of each day I write down at least one positive thing that occurred. It keeps me encouraged and motivated to reflect/regroup and prepare for the next day.
- Connections Count — Identify one person in your life that you can share your journey with that will be honest with you at all times. You must have this person because as you begin to have accomplishments people tend to become “yes” people that just say and do what you want. That does not benefit you in the long run…you must have at least one honest person surrounding you at all times to keep you focused and grounded.
- Always remember when dealing with FAILURE you must:
F — Face your fears
A — Always ask for feedback
I — Ignore the haters
L — Learn from all situations good/bad
U — Uncover the positive in the situation
R — Refuse to Retreat
E — Eagerly wait because your time is coming!
What drives you to get up every day and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
The main force driving me to get up every day and give my talks is my dedication to the message, and my children. I say my dedication to the message because I truly believe in the importance of individuals maintaining the flame that they have for life. Life will become less stressful if we just have the courage to live in our truth no matter how we are judged and viewed by individuals that are watching your life unfold from the outside instead of understanding what you are experiencing on the inside. The second reason I give my talks is to inspire my children. As we are all aware kids rarely hear what we say, but they do watch what you do. Even though my children are 25, 21, and 19 they are always watching how I live and watching if what I preach to them, I believe. I truly believe that you cannot give what you don’t have, and I can’t give my children the Entrepreneurial spirit to remain dedicated and go in the direction of their dream if I am don’t remain committed.
The main empowering message that I inspire to share with the world is that you can either live a life that is always narrated by someone else (your job, your spouse, your friends) or you can decide to narrate your own life and live an Audaciously Authentic life where you take control and remove the lies, labels and limitations that keep you from enjoying the journey! Life is full of choices, and we need to find the courage to choose you over others’ opinions and expectations.
You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?
Thank you. A project that I am currently working on is my next book “My Soul is not for Sale.” I can’t wait to share with the world my perspective on why it’s important for us to decide not to settle or compromise who we are just to be accepted by society.
After the book I would like to get more involved in television.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life lesson quote is actually a bible verse:
Matthew 17:20 — “And Jesus said unto them, because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” This quote is very relevant in my life because there have been several mountains (challenges) in my life that I felt that I would never be able to overcome. However, I know that because of my faith allowed me to continue to preserve and come out on top.
Ok, thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?”
- Find a topic that you enjoy speaking about. for example, If you enjoy speaking about fashion, then you will be passionate and engaged when speaking and it will bring out the best in you while leaving a great impression on the audience.
- Be Authentic — It is essential that you can be true to who you are when you are speaking so that you can deliver the best message possible. For example, I love music, dancing or sometimes being a little dramatic. I think that this makes for a better presentation then standing before individuals in a monotone. The goal is to be memorable while engaging the audience. Be authentic and have fun!
- Start strong — When you enter the stage it is very important that you capture the audience’s attention immediately. It could be by entering the room from a different location; starting with a video or asking for audience member to assist right out the gate. This sets the stage for the presentation and lets the audience members know that this will be a presentation that they will remember.
- Be Transparent — When people invest in a speaker, they are also investing in an experience that allows the audience members to connect with the speaker. When a speaker is transparent, they do not mind sharing stories and being vulnerable at times. Bing transparent allows the audience members to see if as a human that they can connect with.
- One person — the goal is to walk away knowing that you have helped at least one person in the room. If you can leave the stage with one person connecting with you at the end sharing the impact that your presentation has made on their life, then you are on your way to being a highly effective public speaker.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
Some ways to overcome your fear of speaking in public are Practice, Practice and Practice some more. The more you practice the better you will become. In addition, you must understand the importance of identifying your way of preparing for the presentation. You may choose to meditate, take a walk or exercise. It is important that you place yourself in the best state of mind prior to speaking. The last suggestion would be to ensure that you know your material. If you know your material, you are less likely to make mistakes when presenting and it will help the presentation to flow.
You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
Well thank you for that. If I could inspire a movement to bring about good, it would be the E & K movement. I say that because it would be the Empathy and Kindness movement. We all struggle with something at one point and time in our lives. My goal would be to inspire others to empathize with their fellow man/woman while being kind. You never know what people are going through and you never what can help or hinder the situation. Life is tough but it is easier to manage when you are surrounded by individuals that will take the time to empathize with you and show a little bit of kindness.
Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!
I would love to have lunch with Shaquille O’Neal. He is an amazing basketball player, and a successful entrepreneur that always goes out of his way to connect with and support our youth. I can learn a lot from a businessman like Mr. O’Neal.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Yes, please feel free to connect with me on Instagram @maintaintheflame and feel free to share with others. Connecting via social media will give you an opportunity to get to know the personal side of Dr. B and what keeps me going.
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Thank you so much for the opportunity. I truly enjoyed the experience.
Dr Nicole Bradford On The 5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
