An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Be yourself — talk like a real human. Have a favorite quirky phrase? Use it. Stumble over your words? Laugh it off and move on. Let your authentic voice shine through. People can sense when you’re trying to be someone you’re not.
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 Heather Rameau.
Heather Rameau is brand strategist, mentor, speaker, and contributing author. She helps female and LGBTQIA+ entrepreneurs build their authority, communicate their value, and connect with their clients through her psychology-based approach to personal and professional branding. She is passionate about helping her clients own their brand story, lead with vulnerability, and gain the clarity they need to confidently rise to the next level in their business.
Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Heather worked as an English teacher and in Corporate America as a management consultant. She lives in Washington, D.C. and serves clients worldwide.
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’m from Woodstock, Vermont, a quintessential New England town that looks exactly like a postcard. It was once voted “America’s Prettiest Small Town” by the Ladies Home Journal, which was kind of like our claim to fame.
I grew up in a working class family and was loved unconditionally. While my childhood was full of sweet and happy moments, there was a dark cloud hovering nearby. My dad was sick with a medley of chronic illnesses for a lot of my childhood. Because of this, I had a lot of big feelings but didn’t have the coping skills or cognitive abilities to know what to do with them.
I was dreadfully shy, so I learned early on to lean into my creativity and imagination. In elementary school, I found solace in reading and writing. In middle school, I found my voice through an incredible theater teacher who believed in me. By high school, I was playing leading roles on stage and winning state championships on the Forensics team, which is competitive public speaking — not the crime scene stuff.
And to my surprise, I really enjoyed it. For someone who used to be terrified to read my book report in front of the class, I suddenly loved captivating a room with speech. I realized how powerful words — and your delivery of them — can be.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Many of my career decisions were made with traveling in mind. I’ve been to over 35 countries and can say without a doubt that seeing the world is what makes me feel most alive.
When I graduated college, I packed my bags for Southeast Asia and taught English in Hong Kong. After that, I came back to the US and landed an entry level sales position. I was severely underpaid and barely able to afford my rent, let alone any travel. So when my firm’s consulting division had an opening for an analyst, I jumped on it. I knew nothing about consulting except that travel was required. For three years, I was on the road amassing more airline miles and hotel points than I knew what to do with but I was bored stiff by the work I was doing.
When the pandemic stopped all business travel, I started looking for a new job and was discouraged to find mostly entry level roles, ambiguous job descriptions, and postings without salary information. It soon became clear to me that I wasn’t going to find what I was looking for — I was going to create it. That’s when I set out to start a business.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Becoming an entrepreneur turns your lens inward in a whole new way. I always thought I was self-aware, but this career path has exposed and exacerbated some of my deepest limiting beliefs and insecurities. Since beginning this career, I’ve been forced to face these fears head on, unlearn a lot, and create a new identity. It requires me to know and trust myself on the deepest level, which has been the most interesting, unexpected, and rewarding experience.
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?
Thinking back on it now, it’s ironic how in my first year of business I invested in almost every type of coach, course, or resource under the sun except for brand strategy. And I’m a brand strategist!
I don’t believe any investment in yourself is a mistake but I learned a lesson in trying to cut corners and grow too quickly. I thought buying up all the Instagram marketing courses, sales webinars, and templates I could find was what I needed to do to get my business off the ground. But it wasn’t working. I was just regurgitating the content and offers I saw everyone else doing because I had no idea what my value proposition was, who I was trying to reach, and what I was trying to say. As soon as I invested in brand strategy, the fog started to clear for me.
It was a painful lesson to learn, but an important one because it reinforced the value of the work that I do. It also taught me that it’s never too early to invest in brand strategy because it’s not a “one and done” thing. Your brand is supposed to grow. Your offers, ideal client, and marketing strategies are supposed to change. But you can’t build a house without a foundation. You can’t run before you can walk. And most importantly, the clarity and confidence from having a strategy that feels aligned and true to you can collapse your timeline to that next level by years.
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?
My dad. While he always supported me in life, his death kick-started my journey of self-exploration that landed me here today. Having my world shattered at 26 shook me to my core. I began to ask questions and the answers I found within myself changed my life. I started going to therapy to unpack years of medical trauma stored deep in my body and release subconscious blocks holding me back that I didn’t even know were there. I worked to rewire my thought patterns and behaviors so I could ditch the unhelpful coping mechanisms and addictive patterns I’d adopted to give myself the illusion of control.
All of this not only ignited my love of psychology, but gave me first hand exposure to understanding how we think, the narratives we tell ourselves, what we truly are afraid of, and what we need to hear on an emotional level to open up to someone else for help. I use many of these insights to craft powerful brand messaging for my clients.
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?
My biggest piece of advice is to rewrite your definition of failure. The only way you can fail is to give up. There’s always something new you can try. There’s always another approach you can take. The funny thing is, what failed for you last year may be your biggest success next year because you change, people change, and industries change. My clients and I focus on getting to the root of your why because when you truly understand why you’re doing something, putting yourself out there failing doesn’t seem nearly as scary.
I’ll also say that when you’re able to separate yourself and your worth from the failure, you’re able to see failure as feedback. Say you had a failed launch. This doesn’t mean that you suck, you’ll never sell anything again, or you’re not cut out for this. A failed launch is feedback. It tells you that your audience wasn’t clear on your offer, why it would help them, and why they need it now. This can be fixed! I also genuinely believe sometimes failure saves us from something that is not a good fit.
What drives you to get up everyday and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?
Not too long ago there were days when only 30 people would watch my Instagram stories, which was deflating because I spent a ton of time creating that content and it was scary as hell to show my face. But I kept telling myself two things:
- 30 people are watching.
- You never truly know who needs to hear what you have to say.
Picture a room with 30 people in it and you’ll realize that’s actually a sizable crowd! Those 30 people don’t care if no one else is watching. They’re watching. And you never know if your message could be exactly what they need to hear.
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?
It’s an exciting time to be doing this work because the online service industry is going through some massive changes. The gig economy is booming, more and more people are starting businesses, and it’s never been more accessible to work on the internet. All of this creates a need to stand out, clearly communicate your value, establish your authority, and connect with people on a real level. Having a brand that reflects your mission and creates an experience has never been more important.
As for what’s next for me, I’m always looking to learn more and grow personally and professionally so that I can funnel everything I learn back into serving my clients. I’m excited to be filling up my calendar with podcast guesting, speaking opportunities, and attending some in-person events again!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I love F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again.”
It reminds me that it was an act of courage to do what I did. It’s my responsibility to live a life I’m proud of and each new day is an opportunity to do that, not necessarily starting from scratch but with just a little bit more knowledge than you had yesterday.
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?” Please share a story or example for each.
- Be prepared — you may feel angst over public speaking because you feel underprepared so dedicate the time to be sure you know your audience, your message, and what you want them to take away. Also prepare your logistics and tech. Arrive onsite early, test your audio and video. No one needs the scramble of getting lost in the parking garage or fumbling trying to connect your Airpods.
- Be engaging — if you’re in person, lock eyes with your audience and speak directly to them. Move around the room if possible. If virtual, use first names, slightly lean into your camera, and change up your speed and tone to keep your audience engaged and listening.
- Be vulnerable — open up and share your story, especially the messy parts. Take your audience on a journey and bring them with you to your moments of epiphany. Show them that if you can do it, they can too.
- Be yourself — talk like a real human. Have a favorite quirky phrase? Use it. Stumble over your words? Laugh it off and move on. Let your authentic voice shine through. People can sense when you’re trying to be someone you’re not.
- Embrace the jitters — we all get them sometimes. It’s your body signaling to you that you’re about to do something important. Breathe and slow down. Impactful pauses are like the white space of public speaking.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
For most people, it’s not the speaking that terrifies them but the possibility of being judged if they make a mistake. Ask yourself what you’re truly afraid of. Is it a limiting belief? Who told you this was true? And is it really true? Our minds are so powerful and convince us of a lot of things to try to keep us safe but I’d encourage you to think less about your fear and more about the person on the receiving end. Letting fear hold you back means this person won’t hear your message, and that could be a huge disservice to them.
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?
My mission is to be the resource I wish I had when I needed it most — whether navigating grief, starting a business, building a brand, or something else. We all go through storms in life and learn a lot on our journey to the other side. That wisdom can make someone feel seen, heard, and understood. That wisdom can be the tipping point for someone to make a change in their life, which changes someone else’s life, which changes someone else’s life, and continues to reverberate.
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 absolutely love to have lunch with Cheryl Strayed. Her writing is like comfort food to me. I’ve cried and laughed and felt so seen and validated as I’ve read her work.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
Website: https://heatherrameau.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_rameau/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hrameau/
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Heather Rameau 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.
