An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Consciousness — Without awareness, there is no real connection. Consciousness focuses on the speaker’s ability to be fully present in the moment and genuinely open with him/herself.
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 Marcy Amaro.
Marcy Amaro, Speaking and Leadership Coach, and Founder of the Igniter Series, helps heart-centered community, faith, and business leaders define, refine, and leverage their message so they can authentically and confidently create transformational impact experiences.
After more than 20 years as an educator, Marcy became disillusioned with what she perceived as the death of creativity and uniqueness, and the squelching of pure talent and ability. Recognizing that the effects of this trend extended to leadership in the marketplace, she turned her attention to helping leaders rise to their full potential by differentiating their talents, stories, and abilities. Through her proprietary Impact Igniter Playbook, she has helped her clients land and create thousands of stages across the world over the past 12+ years.
Marcy is an international speaker and has been featured on many live and virtual stages including the Puerto Rico Association of Realtors, and ASOPYMES (The Puerto Rican Association of Small and Medium Enterprises). She has shared the stage with the likes of Dr. Shad Helmstetter, Michael Sorensen, Natasha Miller, Lisa A. Romano, and Dr. Zoe Shaw. She is the host of the Sincerely Speaking Podcast and for her expertise has been featured on The Humane Marketing Podcast and Live on Purpose Radio. Marcy offers free tools and resources through her website MarcyAmaro.com.
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 as a curious daydreamer. I spent most of my time pretending to be other people and acting out my fantasies. As the third of five children, I often felt torn between the need to keep the peace and the desire to stand out. My solution? To become a performer! If I could distract people when they were feeling less than happy, or relieve tension with a song or a dance, I could simultaneously achieve both of my goals. That seemed to work for a while. The only problem was that I am a natural introvert, which meant my solution was not sustainable.
Then, when I was thirteen, we were shocked with two announcements that resulted in very conflicting emotions. First, we were told my mom was pregnant (which was very unexpected)! Then, within a few months we received the news that my dad had irreversible kidney failure. As the oldest girl in a Hispanic household this meant that it was time to stop dreaming. It was time to step up to the plate and grow up.
As with most challenges in life, this time period turned out to be an amazing blessing. I learned to embrace and even use my introverted nature to help me focus on the important elements that needed my attention. I also realized how good I am at listening, a skill I used to help my siblings, especially my sisters, tackle the difficult times ahead.
It was also this period in my life that catapulted me into leadership. I took the reigns of the household when my mom was in the hospital taking care of my dad. I still managed to do well in school. And, most importantly, I learned to push myself beyond my comfort zone and search for solutions.
I owe everything that I am to my family, my faith, and to the lessons learned as I grew up. I would not have it any other way.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
When I was 16, I was called into the guidance counselor’s office at school. Since I was always a good student who did what I was told, being called to the office came as a HUGE surprise. The even bigger shock came when I entered the office and was greeted with a truly unexpected question: “Who do you think you are?”
My guidance counselor, the person that was supposed to guide and support me, made me feel like to most undesirable person on the planet. As she went on to explain how I came across as arrogant and full of myself and continued by describing all the ways in which I acted like I thought everyone else was beneath me, all I could think about was how wrong she was.
In reality, I felt inferior to all my peers. I never really thought of myself as better, smarter, prettier, or even nicer than anyone around me. So, at the time, the only logical conclusion I could come to was that I needed to become invisible.
I spent the next few years trying to find new and more creative ways to not be seen or heard.
At 21, through several unexpected circumstances, I started work as a teacher (instead of the neurosurgeon I had planned to become). Soon after, I found myself helping young people recognize their untapped potential and the value of their voices in sharing their unique talents with the world. And that is when it hit me!
I had allowed someone else to silence MY voice, and here I was trying to convince others to speak up and share their messages with the world.
It was then I realized I needed to work on liberating my voice and using it proudly and confidently for the purpose for which it was intended. I would help others define, refine, and leverage their own messages. I would become a catalyst for others to ignite transformational impact through their stories as I helped them become confident and bold in sharing the unique discoveries they have made along their journey.
This one realization started me on a decades-long quest to help others release and leverage their messages as they lead authentically and powerfully.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
One of my first speaking engagements was for a school department which hired me to help them transition into a new set of procedures that were about to be implemented. My task was to build up morale and empower the teachers to adopt the new guidelines without feeling like they were being robbed of their pedagogical freedom.
I was really excited about this job! As a former teacher, I have a heart for educators, but I have also witnessed first-hand the many ways in which the system is flawed. Needless to say, I saw this as an opportunity to effect real change. I knew that if I planted the right seed in these educators, they could disseminate it throughout the district.
So, I went in there ready to take on the world.
I started talking about autonomy and putting students first. I made it a point to let the teachers in the audience know that they were still in control and that they could still make a difference.
Then, I made the comment… “Paper holds anything you put on it. So, make sure your paperwork complies with the rules, but in practice give your kids what you know they need.”
I swear, I heard a collective gasp as the words left my mouth. Turns out one of the administrators was sitting in the audience. His hand immediately went up, and he started drilling me about the statement I had just made and whether my intention was to incite insubordination.
Now, while my intentions were pure, I learned from that experience to carefully research both your event and your audience.
You can have the most perfectly crafted message, know the content inside and out, have all the technology and the visuals in place, but if you don’t take the time to research your audience and to know exactly who’s sitting across from you, then you’ll never reach the highest level of impact of which you are capable.
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?
I’ve always been clumsy.
My daughters and I joke about it all the time… NOW!
When I was younger, however, it was a real cause for concern and constant embarrassment.
I hardly ever wear skirts, and I NEVER wear dresses. It’s not that I have anything against them. I just don’t think I look good in them. But, for one of my first presentations, I figured I should look as proper and presentable as I could. So, I dusted off one of my skirts, pulled on my blazer, and slipped on my professional-looking black pumps. I was ready!!!
I remembered my dad always taking off his coat before getting in the car to avoid getting wrinkles on it. So, I did the same, and hung my jacket on the little coat hook in the back of the car. Unfortunately, when I went to grab my jacket out of the car, I stepped right in a puddle that was perfectly hidden by the car’s shadow. My black pumps were now brown!
Not having any other shoes and realizing that I was quickly running out of time, I took a deep breath and wiped my shoes with the jacket. So much for wearing a blazer and looking perfectly put together! But what else could go wrong?
Well, now that I had considerably less time to get backstage, I rushed down the long hallway trying my best not to sweat and ruin my makeup. Bear in mind, though, that I wasn’t used to wearing high heels of any kind. And one of my shoes was still wet from the puddle. As you probably suspect by now, I lost my footing and landed face first on the sidewalk.
The good news? My shirt and skirt did not suffer any damage that a good dusting couldn’t fix. The bad news? My knee was now bleeding, and my hair was a total mess!
When I finally made it to the backstage area where I was to meet the event coordinators, I looked like I had been run over by a truck! They looked at me in disbelief! “What happened?” “Are you alright?” I could hear the voices echo all around me.
Well, I got on that stage anyway. With all the nerves and frustrations of the day, I still managed to deliver a presentation that touched people’s lives and made a difference for the cause the event supported.
I learned three very important lessons that day. Trying to be, or look like, someone you’re not is a recipe for disaster. If I had just worn pants and a nice pair of flats I would’ve avoided a world of embarrassment and pain. Second, always prepare for the unexpected. Bring an extra change of clothes, arrive earlier than you’re told to, bring an extra copy of your notes, have your slides in an external drive and bring it with you. Do everything in your power to ensure a smooth delivery of your presentation, because even the slightest mishap can throw you off your game.
The most important lesson I learned that day is that being a speaker is not about looking good, it’s about DOING good! I looked like a mess, felt like a failure, and probably worried the event coordinators to death. But, at the end of the day, the only thing that truly mattered was that the audience heard a message that impacted their lives and made a difference. THAT, that is truly the one thing that matters most!
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?
Along my journey I have worked with many mentors and coaches without whom I could not have done ANY of what I’ve done. Out of the many people I am grateful for, the one that still stands out as having the greatest impact in my life is my dad.
He grew up in a very dysfunctional home, barely finished high school, and married my mom at 19. However, he managed to be an amazing father, extremely successful in business, and a humble leader with a servant’s heart.
When I was 7 years old, I was faced with a decision that felt life-altering to me. Instead of making the decision for me and imposing his will, my dad took me for a drive and talked me through the process of making the decision myself. At the end of our conversation, he shared with me the wisest words I’ve ever heard. He stopped the car, looked me in the eyes and said: “Honey, people seldom regret the things they try, but the almost always regret the ones they don’t.”
That maxim has propelled me to venture into some of the toughest, and most rewarding, experiences of my life.
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?
Failure is not a possibility, it’s a guarantee. Anyone who dares to try something new will experience failure and disappointment.
The key is, first, to understand that failure is the greatest and most effective teacher. While it might be hard to accept, we learn a lot more from our failures than from our successes. So, look at every new failure as feedback. Capture the lessons that serve you. Use them to grow and improve. Then, discard the rest.
Second, it is important to understand that we can use failure as a measure of how close we’re getting to the success we crave.
Allow me to tell you a story to illustrate what I mean. When my oldest daughter was about 3 years old, she refused to stay in bed at night. We would tell her stories, play classical music, give her warm milk… You name it, we tried it. Still, we could not get her to stay in bed. Most nights, we would wait until she fell asleep on the floor, or the couch then move her to her bed.
One day, we became truly frustrated and felt like real failures as parents. How could we possibly be good parents when we couldn’t even get our baby to stay in bed? So, in desperation, we sought help from my best friend, who happened to be a professional nanny. We asked her how we could win this battle. “How many times should we put her back in bed?” we asked. Her answer: “One more than she gets up!”
That simple answer enveloped so much wisdom! It is still the anchor I use to help me navigate failure and all sorts of difficult situations.
How many times should you try? One more than you fail.
So, when faced with the prospect of failure, remember that you only have to persist one more time. If you work at making sure that the number of times you rise is one more than the number of times you fall, you will never stay down, and success is guaranteed!
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?
First and foremost, my faith and the love for my family. Everything I do, I do to serve others and to be a positive role model for my two daughters. I also strive to make my husband proud.
When it comes specifically to giving my talks, I am driven by the belief that I can help people transform their lives and the lives of others by sharing my message and knowledge with them. I believe that every human being on the planet has a special and powerful message to share with the world.
I don’t believe for a second that any of us is here simply to occupy space. I believe we were given this life to make a difference with our unique perspectives, talents, abilities, knowledge, skills, and experiences. It is my life’s mission to help as many people as I can discover, refine, and share that message or story which most clearly promotes their purpose and vision.
My main empowering message is: “You too have a story. And it is a story someone is desperately waiting to hear! So, go out and share it!!”
The true essence of who we are encounters so much opposition out in the world. It’s time to rise above the fear, judgment, hypersensitivity, and ego-centeredness that keep us silent and disconnected. I aim to be a catalyst for releasing the voices of those who strive to make the world better for future generations.
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?
Well, I recently launched a new workshop called “Speaking Confidence Catalyst: How to be bold, confident, and charismatic on any stage without feeling like an imposter or a fake.” And I’m also about to launch my new digital course, which is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to creating electrifying presentations that engage your audience, spark action, and ignite transformation.
In the coming months, I will also be launching my new immersive experience, which will be a three-day retreat/intensive workshop which will walk people through the entire process of discovering their passion and purpose, elevating their self-leadership, and advancing their message.
I’m excited about the feedback I’m getting from workshop participants, and to share my decades of knowledge and experience with others. It also brings together my two greatest passions: speaking and teaching!
I can’t wait to see the amazing platforms people create through these programs and new offers.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite quote is “The Good is the Enemy of the Best.” Although I’ve seen this quote attributed to others, the first time I read it was in a book by Oswald Chambers.
When I first discovered this quote, I was reminded of my dad’s lesson I mentioned earlier. So very often we become content and complacent. This quote helped me understand that being grateful for what we have and how far we’ve gotten is not the same as settling.
When life is tough and we feel pushed, or shoved, into difficult choices, the decisions seem easier. We will do whatever it takes to get out of an oppressive situation. When things are going well, however, the thought of risking what we have, even for the possibility of something better, tends to paralyze and confuse us.
This quote along with my father’s advice has kept me moving forward and taking risks. I would not have had children, moved to a different state, changed career, or made many other difficult decisions were it not for the transformation these lessons created in my mindset.
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.
In order to be a HIGHLY effective public speaker, it’s important to remember the 5 C’s: Communication, Consciousness, Charisma, Clarity, and Cause.
- Communication– Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. “We’re talking about being a highly effective public speaker! Of course, communication is important!” However, when I mention communication, I’m not simply addressing your ability to convey information in a way that lands with the listener and is positively received. Within communication I also include the often ignored, and rarely taught art of listening! Listening is an integral and irreplaceable part of communication. Anyone who speaks without listening is not only a poor communicator but will quickly become irrelevant in their space. Listening as a public speaker happens in three dimensions: before, during, and after the delivery of the speech.
Before delivering a speech, listening comes in the form of research. Get to know the audience you will be addressing. If you are addressing an organization or business, familiarize yourself with institutional goals and mission prior to the event. Listen to the audience’s concerns and desires, and see how your message and approach might best fit their needs.
Listening during the event is called being aware of context. In other words, learn to read the room. I was once a speaker at an event in which participants could select from a menu of topics in breakout rooms. As speakers, we got to deliver the same content to 4 different groups throughout the day. Now, I could’ve delivered the content in the exact same way every time. However, I noticed as the third group entered the room that they were dragging their feet. They looked tired and hungry, and I was genuinely concerned that they would fall asleep. So, I did things VERY differently with this group. Instead of simply following my original outline, I quickly thought of ways in which I could have them stand and interact. Since I always overprepare, I brought flipchart pads with me, so I had them collaborate on activities using the large paper, and then had them discuss their insights. Time flew by, and everyone got the content they came for PLUS some innovative ideas on how to engage a group. Had I not read the room, most of the audience would’ve likely fallen asleep.
After the event, request and actively listen to feedback. The only way to grow is to become aware of the areas in which we can improve. Without feedback this effort will be wasted. Have a way to measure your performance and get feedback. Whether that is by having evaluation cards, conversing with the audience after the presentation, or something more tangible like conversion rates, find a way to measure and evaluate your performance.
2. Consciousness — Without awareness, there is no real connection. Consciousness focuses on the speaker’s ability to be fully present in the moment and genuinely open with him/herself.
Great speakers tap into their audiences’ emotions. They bring the listener along on a journey that often includes many twists and turns. In order to do this effectively, the speaker can’t be guarded or unaware.
Instead, a highly effective speaker will be keenly aware of any emotional blocks or distractions that might be standing in the way of making a real connection with their audience. This connection goes in both directions which makes being fully present essential for the speaker.
If you’re on stage planning your next vacation or thinking about the grocery list or the idiot that cut you off on the way to the event, you will not create the kind of lasting impact and memorable experience that great speakers are known for. You might deliver all the words in the right order at the right time. People listening to your presentation might even learn something, but you won’t reach their hearts.
A few years ago, I had the privilege of witnessing the most impressive example of what a fully conscious speaker looks like, and the lasting effect they can have on their audiences. I was participating in an industry event while I was still teaching. As the orator began her presentation, I felt like she was distant and detached. A few minutes into her presentation, she had a moment of real consciousness. She stopped, took a deep breath and chuckled lightly. Then she looked across the room for a second and admitted that she had been distracted by some news she received prior to going on stage. She then made a joke that she used as a segway for the next element in her presentation.
From that moment on, she had both our mental and emotional attention. I will never forget her or her talk, because I felt she brought me into a very intimate and fully connected conversation among friends.
3. Charisma — People don’t want to hear from anyone they don’t like, trust, or respect. Many speakers and other presenters mistake credentials and other credibility markers as the only or the most essential way to garner approval from their audiences as people of authority.
In truth, credentials and titles can have the opposite effect. They can often create a void between you and your audience, making you feel unreachable and your suggestions unattainable.
How do we remedy this? By tapping into charisma.
Contrary to popular belief, charisma is not something you’re born with or that is reserved for a lucky few. Charisma is the ability to rally others around you and to make them feel like they can trust you and even like you.
Doing this from stage is very simple and can even help ease your nerves. Simply focus your energy on being grateful and compassionate.
When you can find genuine reasons to be grateful for the people in front of you, the event you’re taking part in, and the message you get to share, you become a magnetic force. People will almost instantly lean towards thinking that you’re a likeable, trustworthy person.
If you add compassion to that equation, their opinion of you as trustworthy will be reinforced. Compassion and goodwill are near synonyms in this conversation. Focus on helping them win! Think about what THEY need, what THEY can gain from your speech, how THEY want to feel after your presentation is done. Ultimately, make your entire presentation about what you can do to help THEM win and be genuinely thrilled when they do.
You’ve heard that in order to calm yourself before an important speech or presentation you should picture your audience in their underwear or naked. The main problem I have with this idea is that it relies on you degrading your audience to feel better about yourself. A completely different approach, which I learned from Olivia Fox Cabane, is truly effective and creates a much more positive environment. Picture your audience as having angel’s wings. When you can see your audience as a group of benevolent beings who mean you no harm and want to help you succeed, you feel much more inclined to want to do the same for them. Be your audiences’ angel!
4. Clarity — One of the biggest mistakes I see speakers make is starting their preparation process by focusing on the content or information they want to share. They spend hours, even days worrying about what they will say and how they will say it. While this level of preparation IS important, and there is obviously no speech or presentation without information, the truth is that there is something even more important that you should be crystal clear about before you even begin planning content.
Before gathering information or writing an outline, even before giving a title to your presentation or settling on a topic, you should ask yourself these questions: What is the end result I’m creating for my audience? What problem am I solving? What am I doing to improve their lives or make their present better? How am I contributing to their dreams and aspirations? How will I ensure they have a solid return on their time investment?
Now, this doesn’t mean that all your presentations need to be earth-shattering or deep. There are some extremely gifted speakers whose main goal is to entertain and delight. Guess what? The people sitting in their audiences are very grateful for the release and the gift of laughter.
The point is not to pigeonhole all highly effective speakers into a singular category or area of strength. However, it IS essential that you plan your speech with a specific and clear end in mind.
Once you are clear on the end result you want to create for your audience, making decisions about what to include and how to deliver it becomes easier and a lot more streamlined.
Imagine if you will, that you’re going on a road trip. You pack your bags, fill the tank with gas, grab snacks, and even create a playlist of your favorite songs for the road. You start your trip with excitement and anticipation, then your spouse asks where you’re going. To which you respond: “We’re going on a road trip!” They look at you with less patience than before and ask you once more to tell them where you’re going. How many times do you honestly think you can respond to that question by simply stating that you’re going on a road trip before they ask you to turn the car around or let them out of the car?
The same is true for your audience, if you can’t set a clear course for where you’re intending to take them, and if it becomes evident to them that you haven’t planned a destination that they will benefit from, then they will abandon the journey. They will check out.
5. Cause — What action do you want to cause your audience to take? What is your call to action? How will you wrap this conversation up so that it doesn’t all end in nice words with little to no significance?
Good speakers inspire their audiences and leave them feeling ready to take on the world. Great speakers add another layer to that, they TELL their audiences exactly what they should do with that feeling and inspiration.
Every presentation, regardless of the context or type, should end with an effective call to action (CTA) that delineates the path the audience should follow once their time with you has ended.
We have been trained to think of CTAs as pertaining only to sales conversations. Nothing could be further from the truth. Throughout history, all great orators have moved their audiences to transformation by inspiring them to take specific and decisive action.
Now, your CTA doesn’t have to be extreme. We don’t all have the calling to end world hunger and poverty. Not all our speeches will echo the passion, strength, and determination of Martin Luther King, Jr or Winston Churchill. We do, however, all have the ability to move our audiences to action. Whether it be to share a smile with someone, contribute to a charity, or spread kindness to strangers, a great speaker holds the power to initiate a chain of small changes that can snowball into positive and lasting results in our communities and even the world. It is our responsibility to do so.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
Yes, speaking in public is the number one fear in the world. Now, there are very valid reasons for this fear. We are designed for community, and the feeling of being an outsider and feeling like you don’t belong can be very damaging, difficult to process, and can translate into a fear that rejection might result in isolation, abandonment, and even death. When you stand in front of others, you expose yourself to judgment that can lead to rejection.
During our early years of existence, our ability to survive depended on others liking us enough to take care of us. We were at the mercy of others until we learned to take care of ourselves. But, that need to be liked in order to feel secure remains deeply ingrained in our brains.
Not only that, but at the primitive brain level, speaking in front of others feels very similar to being a prey stalked by predatory eyes. All these triggers activate our instinctive fight, fly, or freeze response.
So, is it possible to rise above these instinctual and VERY real emotions? Of course, it is! And I believe it starts with three simple strategies.
- Shift your focus — In spite of what our primitive brain might be telling us, we KNOW we’re not in real danger of being attacked by a large beast or becoming dinner for our audience. In our new reality, this fear is more closely related to protecting our ego. So, the first strategy is to let go of the ego. To make this shift, stop focusing on you. Stop worrying about your voice, your outfit, your credentials, or even what you will say. Shift the focus outward and think about the people you will serve. Think about what THEY want, what THEY are there to get, how THEIR lives will be transformed after the event, and what THEY will be grateful for in the end.
This exercise becomes even more powerful if you can think of ONE specific person that can represent your audience. Think about that one person and what they might be praying for, hoping for, willing to invest and sacrifice for.
Your job then is to do your best to help them get what they’re there for. When you can remember that it’s not about you, the pressure is considerably reduced and the prospect of helping others makes the nerves and fear completely worthwhile.
2. Use your body — In recent years, we have come to realize that the opposite of the expression “mind over matter” is also true. Thanks to the work of people like Amy Cuddy, we have come to understand that “matter over mind” is just as powerful, and much more efficient.
While training your mind to control your actions and the way your body reacts to certain stimuli can take a long time, it is fully possible for a shift in your body to positively affect your mind almost instantly. So, use your body!
Check your posture. Are you slouching? Are your extremities crossed? Is your back curved? Are you tensing up? If so, shift your posture. If only for a few seconds prior to entering the stage, assume a “superman” stance. Straighten out your back, uncross your arms and legs, move a bit to loosen up any tension.
Check your breathing. Is it shallow? Is your chest open enough to allow oxygen to flow freely? Is your clothing restrictive? Make any necessary adjustments to ensure you’re getting as much oxygen as possible.
Release. This one is very personal but find the things that allow your body to be as energized and lose as possible. Some speakers jump up and down, some dance, some scream, some meditate, some chant, some pray. Test a few different things until you find what works best for you. Then, make it part of your routine and do whatever is necessary to get yourself into peak performance state.
3. Use the fear — Here’s the truth, fear will never go away. We can learn to work through it, we can try to ignore it, or we can find ways to cope. But fear will always be there because it is essential to our survival.
However, I have found that what we call fear can be interpreted in many other ways. Our emotions can be easily misdiagnosed. I’ll give you an example. Think about the first time you fell in love. What evidence did your body give you of the fact that you were in love? Did you feel clammy hands, rapid heartbeat, sweat, butterflies in your stomach? Now, think about the last time you were really nervous or afraid. What evidence did your body give you? Did you feel clammy hands, rapid heartbeat, sweat, butterflies in your stomach? Same feelings, different interpretation.
I have trained myself, and many others, to use this to our advantage. When I start to feel what I would normally label fear or nerves, I ask myself two questions: “What else can this mean?” and “How can I use this?”
The first question allows me to relabel the sensations I’m experiencing as a more empowering emotion. Instead of saying that I’m scared, I might conclude that I’m excited or that something big is about to happen. Once I have a new, empowering label, I repeat it over and over. “I’m so excited! I can’t wait to see what awesome thing happens next…”
The second question helps me channel the emotions and turn them into energy. “I can use this emotion to keep me going.” “I can use this emotion to perform better than I ever have.” “I can use this emotion to drive me to be even more in tune with my audience and their needs.”
With a bit of practice, your brain will automatically run through the exercise without much need for prompting and you will be able to leverage your “fear” with minimal effort and maximum speed.
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?
Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone deserves to be heard!
As I said previously when I shared my story, I started down this journey because I allowed someone else to silence my voice. I spent way too many years hiding and repressing my message and the value I could share with the world.
Through my decades of teaching and helping leaders reach their greatest potential, I have found more than enough evidence to support the belief that all of us, each and every one, has a story that can help elevate, support, heal, rescue, or validate another human being. Each of us has a unique set of experiences, traumas, victories, regrets, joys, and perspectives that make us uniquely qualified to serve certain groups of people. Our obligation is to liberate our voices and share our messages boldly and unapologetically so that those who need to hear what we have to say can find us.
It is our responsibility to speak up and speak out, so others understand that they have permission to do the same.
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!
Wow, that’s an interesting question!
Someone I have always admired and would LOVE to have lunch with is Tom Hanks. The breadth of his work and the ease with which he transforms into each of his characters is fascinating. Beyond his work, though, I have always had the sense that he must have fascinating stories to tell. I would love to learn about his creative musings and the inspirations behind them.
From the business world, I would love to have a one-on-one conversation with Russell Brunson and his wife Collette. I admire their ability to support one another through all the madness of entrepreneurship and the way in which they integrate business, family, and faith. It would be amazing to have the opportunity to ask them both about their journey and the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
The easiest way to connect with me is through Instagram (@marcy.amaro). Your readers can also follow me on TikTok, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
They might also be interested in checking out my podcast, Sincerely Speaking, which can be found in all major podcasting platforms.
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Thank you! I appreciate the opportunity!
Marcy Amaro Of MA Global Concepts 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.
