An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Get to Know and Understand Your Audience — Remember that no two organizations or businesses are alike, nor are the operating realities that they face — getting to intimately understand your clients and the products and services that they offer, as well as the changing industry landscapes within which they operate, is crucial.
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 Scott Steinberg.
Scott Steinberg is a top expert on leadership, change, and innovation. A strategic adviser, consultant, and thought leader for over 1000 brands from American Express to Zynga, he’s the bestselling author of 25 books, e.g. Think Like a Futurist and Make Change Work for You. A strategic adviser to CEOs + four-star generals, firms like IBM, PwC, and the US Dept of Defense regularly seek his insight. As CEO of BIZDEV: The Intl. Assoc. for Business Development + Strategic Partnerships, and management consulting + market research firm FutureProof Strategies, he helps partners stay ahead of emerging trends. A noted content strategy, social media + communications expert, and expert witness + board member, he’s been seen in 700+ media outlets from CNN to The Today Show.
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 was just an average suburban kid who grew up obsessed with computers, comic books, music, pro wrestling, video games, and all things high-tech. Luckily for me, all of these passions tended to combine attributes like fun and creativity with concepts like entrepreneurialism and DIY business know-how — and reflected a strong sense of dynamism and showmanship. Each of these spaces also tended to change and evolve quickly: From one month to the next, companies and personalities could quickly go from being on top of the world to falling behind the pack. I didn’t know it at the time, but these interests taught me (a) the value of doing things big and making a splash (b) the importance of knowing how to handle your business and © how critical it was to regularly learn, adapt, grow, improvise, and reinvent yourself on a running basis. Likewise, I was fortunate enough to experience the early days of home computing, where bedroom coders and armchair hackers were constantly (and often successfully) locked in a technological arms race with billion-dollar corporations. It taught me to keep an open mind, that innovation can come from anywhere, and that there’s always a better, more clever way to be doing things — I still get a kick out of how 16 year-olds are often able to outthink and outfox teams of world-class engineers and computer programmers.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I started out as an author, business analyst, and management consultant who worked with hundreds of companies and media outlets to help audiences stay one step ahead of emerging technologies, trends, and events. But like many individuals, I grew up somewhat shy and uncomfortable with the concept of public speaking. Then one day, randomly, I read a magazine article that offered a shockingly insightful little tidbit of advice to the effect of “if you’re not good at speaking up and putting yourself out there, try walking up and practicing speaking to a stranger for 2 minutes every day.” As I was in my early twenties at the time, I was already going out on the town quite often, and decided to put this principle in practice, and put in the daily work at restaurants and bars around town.
Amusingly, within about 6 months, I was able to walk up to virtually anyone and start a conversation, and — if I wanted — even hold 15- or 20-minute conversations with myself in the mirror. In other words, I learned the art of public speaking the classic way: By hanging out and shooting the breeze at happy hour with folks from all walks of life and backgrounds. To this day, I’m still the guy who can walk up and say hello to anyone in a crowd, which my single friends greatly appreciate (and often seek to capitalize on) to no end. Thankfully, I was able to port these practical skills, combined with years of experience tracking and analyzing new trends, into a career speaking about and consulting on what’s coming next in the future, and how to adapt to it.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Hmm, perhaps it’s the time I got hired by one of America’s top military leaders to fly out to one of the country’s most storied destinations and help dozens of the nation’s top commanders innovate and adapt to increasingly fast-changing operating environments. Maybe it’s that moment I found myself hefting a UEFA soccer trophy on stage following the combination DJ/live orchestra set after giving a talk for MasterCard’s 20th anniversary in Poland. Then again, there’s something to be said for that solo trek I made across the desert on a camel to hoist a falcon on my arm while the sun set and sand swirled around me after IBM asked me to pop into Dubai and say a few words about what it takes to succeed in tomorrow’s business world to CEOs across the Middle East and Africa. Having been fortunate enough to often live like a touring musician for the last 25 years, and go around the world twice, the bucket list is looking a little lean at the moment, and there’s no shortage of interesting stories here. 😊
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?
Absolutely — all credit goes to Florence de Martino. As a college student, I wanted nothing so much as to work in the videogame industry. But being on the East Coast at a time when the industry was largely West Coast, no one wanted to hire me — even as an unpaid intern. Luckily, thanks to dumb luck, E3, the big videogame convention, was being held in the city where I lived that year. So I started up an online magazine and obtained a press pass, with an eye towards actively looking to meet prospective employers.
The night before the show though, a friend who was driving us around got into a car accident, and my head went into the windshield. The next day, still limping and wiping glass out of my hair, I nonetheless staggered over to the show, where at the back of the smallest hall, I ran into a stand for a French game publisher called Microids, whose games my friends used to download back in high school. I was super excited to see them; they were excited someone in America knew them and was a fan. By the time I left the show, not only had Florence gone out of her way to ensure that I received my first internship at the company, but also lent me her apartment for the summer. So ironically, my first internship wound up being in Paris, France — and by the time I left, having helped the company discover and sign hit products like SHOGO: Mobile Armor Division, I was named VP of Product Acquisitions, and the rest is history…
Mind you… None of it would’ve been possible if she didn’t take a chance on me though, which taught me an important lesson: All it ever takes is one person to open a door, and a moment’s kindness can open up a world of opportunity. Noting this, I always do my best to make a point to pay things forward.
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?
Absolutely. Number one: Persistence pays. It can take weeks, months, and years to win and get ahead in this business, but the only way to ever lose in it is to give up and quit. Life is poker… sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down, but as long as you keep playing the hand you’re dealt, things will come around again. Number two: Don’t stop believing in yourself. The world is full of folks who won’t share your enthusiasm and vision − you’ve got to have faith in your approach and be your own biggest cheerleader. Third: It’s critical to differentiate yourself − you can’t stand out if all you’re trying to do is fit in. Fourth: Make a point to regularly reinvent yourself. Just like companies, brands, and musicians, working professionals need to regularly update, revise, and repackage their skill sets, insights, value proposition, and experiences to maintain relevancy in others’ eyes. Fifth: Learn how to learn, constantly work to grow your skill set and experience, and keep an open mind − in a fast-changing world, the only surefire way to continuously get ahead is to stay adaptable, flexible, and open to new influences, perspectives, and opinions.
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?
It would help to know a few things up front:
- As the last 2 years alone have proven, we are all innovators at heart, and all possess the essential skills that it takes to successfully move forward time and time again, no matter what the future brings — even if that sometimes means having to find ways to do more with less.
- You don’t need specialized training or insight to do a futurist’s job either — just a willingness to ask better questions and apply a little more critical thinking.
- In a world of growing uncertainty, flexibility is the essence of future-proofing, and agility is fast becoming the ultimate source of competitive advantage.
- Likewise, you don’t have to be particularly talented or brilliant to get ahead in a world of growing change or uncertainty, just more thoughtful and resilient… in effect, it’s not about having to be a genius in business anymore as it is a little bit more clever and ingenious instead.
Noting this, we all have the capabilities and basic building blocks that we need to consistently get ahead in life and business. I simply think of it as my job to provide some helpful reminders here. And, for that matter, to try to do my best to equip folks with the vital tools, techniques, and insights that they need to adapt to the future, no matter what tomorrow brings.
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?
We’re gearing up to introduce the world to The 7th Estate™: A new breed of subject matter expert and thought leader who wields an unparalleled ability to help leaders lead, and is capable of influencing even today’s most well-known influencers. Likewise, we also recently launched POP FUTURE™, a new learning and development system that makes new topics, trends, and technologies easier to talk about, teach, and understand. It’s a great way to accelerate training and development. In addition, we just debuted new book Think Like a Futurist 2022: The Next Normal™ and video series FAST FORWARD: Get Smarter Faster™, which can help anyone stay ahead of the curve more effectively and learn to spot and adapt to new developments and breaking events more rapidly. In coming months, we’ll be bringing you more books, teaching tools, training guides, online classes/courses, events, and other surprises — needless to say, we won’t be getting much sleep here! 😊
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
There’s a great quote in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade that I never hear anyone mention. It effectively goes: “You lost today, kid — but that doesn’t mean that you have to like it.” I interpret this to mean as follows: Never mistake a defeat for final defeat. And just because you may have encountered a roadblock or setback doesn’t mean you can’t find a way to steer around it in the end, so long as you are willing to push ahead. In other words, never stop trying: Every problem is simply a puzzle to be solved. It’s your job to keep trying different combinations of ideas and actions until you find the solution.
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.
- Get to Know and Understand Your Audience — Remember that no two organizations or businesses are alike, nor are the operating realities that they face — getting to intimately understand your clients and the products and services that they offer, as well as the changing industry landscapes within which they operate, is crucial. Noting this, you need to customize every presentation to the individual audience and company, keeping in mind the types of day-to-day challenges and concerns that your audience routinely confronts, and incorporating stories or learning which address or parallel viewers’ hands-on experiences. Where multiple stakeholders, departments and initiatives are involved, it further helps to couch presentations in terms that are universally applicable — what matters is context and strategic takeaway, not granularity. By way of illustration, a talk that I give on how to innovate and adapt to the future of business for C-level leaders at an international bank will take a different form than one I give to frontline salespeople at a top global manufacturer who needs to adapt its solutions to address the growing rise of automation and artificial intelligence.
- Keep Things Short and Simple — In a time of shrinking attention spans and growing Zoom fatigue, people’s patience is becoming increasingly limited. As a result, various presentations that you give should be simple and straightforward to follow, and get to the point quickly, not to mention lead with attention-grabbing stories and takeaways right out of the gate. Remember: You don’t have to harp on a subject ad nauseum, cover every topic in-depth or dissect every nuance of a scenario to make a difference. Even just a handful of actionable takeaways presented to a receptive audience can make an impact. I like to focus on providing 3 or four key learnings and lessons, break each into its own section of 15 minutes maximum length and balance out every 2 slides of content with one fun, easily understandable story or anecdote.
- Be Approachable and Engaging — Even if your subject is serious, you can often boost audience interest, relatability, and engagement by tackling it in a more approachable or informal fashion, so long as you’re still being insightful and professional. Bearing this in mind, speakers are often better advised to avoid being overly formal and lead with humor, empathy, and relatable stories that capture audiences’ attention out of the gate and invite them to let their hair down than to adopt a similar posture as they might in drier corporate meetings or training videos. Professional speakers aren’t generally given much time to grab audiences’ attention and get a message across and, when speaking to audiences who may be dealing with challenges in their business, may be seen as outsiders trying to tell others how to do their job. An effective way to bridge this gap is to let folks know that you take your subject matter, but not yourself, too seriously — and that you’re not there to offer answers as much as help them come with better answers on their own. For instance, as a general rule, I like to keep conversations casual, acknowledge that the new normal isn’t so new or all-that-normal anymore, and remind folks that we’re all in the same boat at present. Not only does doing so make virtual speeches feel more relatable and approachable, it also helps invite viewers into the conversation and reminds them that they won’t be talked at until they tune out.
- Promote More Interactivity and Audience Involvement — Shocker: As they’re the ones operating on the everyday frontlines of their organization, your audiences are routinely far better attuned to what’s happening in their business — and have a better idea of how any lessons you present can be applied to their situation at-hand. That’s why it’s super-important to get them more involved in the keynote speaking process. Many simple strategies can help you boost audience engagement, awareness, and takeaway here. For instance, online polls and surveys, app-based feedback tools and fun little animated explainers can serve you well in your battle to capture and hold audiences’ attention, as can inviting meeting attendees to participate by submitting questions and suggestions prior to your presentation. However, few exercises hold a crowd’s attention as much as interactive activities that invite participants to perform a task together or call and response sequences that invite them to speak up and share. Similarly, you can also liven up online programs with the sudden and unexpected appearance of surprise guests beaming in from afar, or by implementing games, challenges, or breakout workshops that viewers can participate in from home. In effect, the idea here is that speeches shouldn’t be a one-way street where you’re talking at an audience, but rather more of a two-way conversation where you’re talking with them.
- Be Contemporary and Up to Date — Sorry, Charlie: Audiences have heard enough about Apple, BlackBerry, Blockbuster Video, Circuit City and other familiar Jurassic Age business examples and case studies for a lifetime. Likewise, even in a time where thousands of employees are starting to return to the office, the last time many visited a workplace (or got the chance to make watercooler jokes about increasingly outdated professional norms) was roughly 2019. Today, we operate in a business world that’s been completely redefined by digital transformation, the rise of COVID-19 and a growing jump in virtual/flexwork. Stories, examples and images that you highlight in your online presentations (let alone jokes and references) should all be adapted to feel contemporary and current. As you go about assembling your presentation, be sure to audit everything — references, jokes, etc. — to be sure it feels fresh and up-to-date. Today’s business world moves quickly, necessitating frequent change: Your command of any given topic and preferred approach to presentations should continue to evolve over time, too.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
Certainly — for starters, remember that no matter how big your audience is, you’re not trying to change thousands of people’s minds, just one. In other words, if all it takes is one person to open the door to your next project, passion, experience, job, or opportunity, don’t let the fact that you’re speaking to a sea of individuals intimidate you. Likewise, if you’re not comfortable looking folks directly in the face, look to the top of their heads — it will still appear as if you’re looking at the audience’s eyeline. In addition, don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by the size of a crowd or disheartened by negativity from individual participants: Instead, look for an advocate or two (someone who’s nodding, smiling, or dutifully keeping along with your talk vs. yawning or scowling) and focus on them from time to time as a source of encouragement and energy instead. And practice, practice, practice. By the time you give a speech, you should have delivered it enough times that it should roll off the tongue. Also, don’t forget: Audiences want you to succeed, and are rooting for you. If you make a mistake or hiccup on stage, own it, shrug it off, laugh about it, and move on. They’re on your side, and they’re right there along for the ride with you.
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?
I’d be teaching more entrepreneurial skills − and how to innovate, be more creative, and be more resilient − in public schools to children of all ages, starting at the youngest possible opportunity. While technical aptitude and book learning can take you far in this world, grit and resilience and often proven to take you just as far, if not further. Moreover, I’d also be teaching the art of futurism and adaptation to others on a running basis and looking to consistently reeducate them as well. As far as I can tell, humans are incredibly strong, resourceful, resilient, and adaptable creatures — but we often don’t take the time out of our busy day to plan and prepare for the future, or steps to plot ahead and plan for hiccups or bumps in the road in life or business before they arrive. In addition, as I outlined in bestselling book Make Change Work for You, people also have unlimited potential — but seven fears tend to hold us back in our work and personal lives as well. Noting this, I’d also be working to raise awareness for how to be braver and more courageous − and yes, these are skills that can actually be taught. I’d probably also be opening up a network of nationwide community centers, as I absolutely love seeing people succeed and do well, and teamwork and collaboration will only become more critical to getting ahead in tomorrow’s fast-changing world. Together, we can create a brighter future, and lead the way forward.
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!
Shark Tank star and billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban. It’s not easy being a self-made businessperson, but he’s managed to successfully find ways to make all sorts of incredible and imaginative ventures work over the years, while also seemingly managing to stay relatively approachable and humble. You don’t get that far in life without picking up a few helpful insights and tricks. I also have a feeling he’s got some fun stories to share from the journey along the way 😊
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
You can find me on Facebook, LinkedIn, or at my website, www.FuturistsSpeakers.com. We also drop regular videos, articles, eBooks and more that you can download or enjoy online. Also be sure to check major online retailers such as Amazon.com for our latest works. We’re often light on sleep, but always up to something interesting!
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Scott Steinberg 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.
