An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Use properly-structured stories to emotionally connect with your audience and make your points memorable.

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 Sheryl Green.

Sheryl Green is a New York native living and thawing in Las Vegas since 2008. After a devastating divorce, Sheryl discovered the power of storytelling and has brought her love of the craft to fiction, non-fiction, and content writing for businesses.

Sheryl holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology and has worked in Customer Service, Public Relations, Education, and the Non-Profit world. A passionate animal advocate, she served as the Director of Communications and Cuddling for Hearts Alive Village animal rescue.

She is the author of “Surviving to Thriving: How to Overcome Setbacks and Rock Your Life,” “Once Upon a Bottom Line: Harnessing the Power of Storytelling in Sales,” “Book Writing for Busy People,” and “Do Good to Do Better: The Small Business Guide to Growing Your Business by Helping Nonprofits.”

Sheryl brings a unique blend of experience and insight to her audiences. A high content speaker who is motivational in style, she will entertain your audience with humor and heart.

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 on Long Island, New York. My parents divorced when I was 4-years-old and my mom and I went to live with my grandparents. I spent weekends with my dad and my stepmom until they moved out of state when I was a teenager. Then, I’d spend some holidays and summers with them.

I’m an only child, so I grew up kind of fast. I was frequently called “precocious” and excelled in school (except for history… man, was I bad in history). I always loved to read and write, but I was deathly afraid of speaking in front of people. As I got older, I started wearing all black and considered myself a “goth.” I was really into music and I was obsessed with serial killers.

I graduated high school and then went to a local college to study Psychology and Anthropology. By the time I finished, I decided that I wanted to be an FBI Profiler and catch serial killers, so I got my Masters in Forensic Psychology. I’ve never worked in that field, but the degree has come in handy while writing mystery novels.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

As I mentioned, I was deathly afraid of public speaking. If you’d have told me 15 years ago that I’d be doing it for a living, I would’ve laughed in your face.

I moved out to Vegas because of a really traumatic divorce. My ex-husband did a very, very bad thing and I left him to start a new life. I began to share what I’d been through and realized that it was helpful for others going through similar circumstances. About that time, I joined a writer’s group here in Vegas and agreed to be on the board as the Critique Group Organizer. When the president told me that I’d have to stand up and address the attendees at every meeting, I pretty much had a heart attack. He recommended Toastmasters and it gave me the confidence I was missing.

The first meeting I spoke at, was the clincher. I had some humor in my presentation and the entire room was laughing with me. It was like a drug! I knew that my place was on stage.

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I spoke at a personal development conference and shared the story of my marriage, my hasty exit, and the steps I took to rebuild my life. At the end of the event, an attendee came over to share. He had committed a similar crime as my ex-husband and never realized the impact it had on his own ex-wife. He actually called her on the break to apologize for what he’d done.

I never met that woman, but I know I changed two lives that day.

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 was chosen to give a TEDx Preview talk about Why Animal Rescue is Better Than Antidepressants. Despite the fact that I practiced for weeks, there was one line (at the very beginning of my speech) that I couldn’t get out correctly. When the day finally came, I got up on stage, delivered my first line, and then froze at the “problem sentence.” It took almost a minute to get back on track and regain my composure.

When I finally finished my speech, the sound guy met me in the hallway. “You did an amazing job!” he said.

I responded with a string of obscenities about how I did not do a good job.

That’s when he pointed to my lav mic… which was still hot.

The lesson? Always assume your mic is on and be careful what comes out of your mouth!

I also learned that if a line isn’t working, stop trying to force it and just change it.

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?

It’s hard to pick just one! I have had so many mentors along the way and so many individuals that have supported me and kicked my butt when I needed it.

However, I will give a shoutout to Darren LaCroix. He’s a World Champion of Public Speaking, a CSP through the National Speaker’s Association (NSA), a mentor, and a friend. As a brand-new speaker, he got to know me and saw my potential. He invited me to work at his events and gave me the opportunity to learn, connect with successful speakers, and become a better speaker myself.

Cut to a few years later when he saw me present to our local NSA chapter and gave me one of the best compliments you can give a speaker, “You made me cry, made me think, and inspired me to make changes to some of my stories.”

He’s helped me become a better presenter, and I’ll always be grateful.

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?

What is your WHY? If you’re just going into this business to make money, there are much easier ways to do that. You need to have a passion for helping people and affecting change. That’s what’s going to keep you going and help you attain the level of success you’re looking for.

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?

Sharing our stories is a gift we give the world. When you are open and vulnerable, you give everyone around you the freedom and the permission to be vulnerable as well. Stories empower us to communicate better, share our lives, and operate in a space of compassion… something our world could use a lot more of.

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?

I’m queuing up to do a series of programs that will teach salespeople, fundraisers, speakers, etc. how to tell better stories in their businesses and their lives. I’m also working on my next book about the life lessons we can learn from plants (I will neither confirm nor deny that I have 100+ houseplants).

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

When I was at the lowest point of my depression, my stepmom told me to “Go do something for someone else.” It was the kick in the pants I needed to leave my pity party, find purpose, and make a difference in the world. If we stop focusing on our own problems and start focusing on what we can do for others, our problems magically get better.

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.

1 . Knowledge of your audience so you can tailor your content to who will be in the room.

When you ask someone who their audience is, you’ll often hear something like, “oh, everyone!” This is a dangerous pit to fall into. Not everyone needs to hear the same message, and among those who do, not every audience needs to hear it the same way. When you know who is in your room and have an idea of their backgrounds, goals, challenges, etc. you can tailor your message, your content, your examples, and your call to action, to them. If you have the opportunity to speak to a few audience members before the day of the event, do it! You’ll gain a ton of “insider” knowledge and be able to speak to the audience in a way that shows them you get them and their struggles.

2. A little bit of anxiety. If you don’t feel a few butterflies, you’re likely not invested in giving your audience your all.

I can’t count how many times I’ve stepped on stage with butterflies doing parkour in my stomach. However, I do know it’s “every” time. In fact, there are some days that I’m walking up to the stage screaming inside my own head, “Why do you keep doing this to yourself!?! Go home!” Thankfully, the moment I get on stage and say the first few words, I can look into the audience and realize that my program is about them, not about me. I can take my energy and focus off of my fear of looking foolish and shift it over to impacting their lives.

3. Properly-structured stories to emotionally connect with your audience and make your points memorable.

A lot of people consider themselves “storytellers” but few actually realize the structure that goes into crafting a story. Our brains are wired for story and in order to effectively tap into the power of stories, you need to understand (and follow) the rules. When you structure properly, you take the audience on a journey and evoke a strong neurological response. The neurotransmitters released (Cortisol, Oxytocin, Dopamine) create the emotions necessary to make your stories relatable, sticky, and life-changing.

I just saw the Top Gun remake in the theater and that story took me through a roller coaster of emotions and then delivered me safely to a good place. (Don’t worry, I won’t spoil it). This is the experience you want to create for your audience.

4. Remember that the speech is about what the audience needs to hear, not what you want to say.

It’s fun to talk. It’s fun to tell stories. It’s fun to be the center of attention (for some). But, when you deliver a speech or a program, it’s not about you and what you want to share. It’s about what your audience needs to hear. Whenever I deliver my storytelling programs, I drive home that you must decide on the point you want to make first, and then select a story that backs it up. This ensures that you are presenting for your audience, not for your own ego.

5. A book or other materials that 1) position you as an expert in the field, and 2) Provide a “next step” for your audience members.

You’ve probably heard the old expression: “He wrote the book on it!” It’s constantly used to establish someone as an expert on a specific topic. Professional speakers aren’t just speakers. They are experts in their fields and they deliver their expertise through a number of avenues. Writing a book is the best way to communicate, “I know what I’m talking about and I can help you with your problem.”

A few years ago, I reached out to the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) conference about speaking. The meeting planner was hesitant to have me speak about storytelling since I’d never worked in radio or television. Then, I shared my book “Once Upon a Bottom Line: Harnessing the Power of Storytelling in Sales.”

The meeting planner changed her tune. “Oh, well since you wrote a book on the subject, we could definitely use you.”

A book also provides a way for people to follow up with you and get more help in the future (while you get more business).

If you need help writing a book, I wrote one called “Book Writing for Busy People” which will take you through the entire process.

As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?

Practice. I know it sounds trite, but the only way to get over your fear is to face it. Join an organization like Toastmasters and take advantage of every opportunity to stand up and speak. You won’t die. You probably won’t even pee yourself. But if you do, it’s a safe place and you won’t be the first or the last person to do so.

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 would invite every single person to do something for someone else. Lend your time, talents, treasures, and voice to a cause or a nonprofit. Help others. Focus on something outside of yourself and ask yourself each day, “How can I make the world a better place?” If everyone did something we could solve this world’s problems.

And please, adopt don’t shop… and spay and neuter your pets. There are plenty of wonderful animals waiting for a loving home. Go save a life.

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’d love to meet John Paul Dejoria, the co-founder of Paul Mitchell. His work as an entrepreneur and philanthropist is inspiring and I’m grateful for everything he has done for animals and the environment.

Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherylgreen/

https://www.facebook.com/SherylGreenSpeaks

https://www.instagram.com/sherylgreenspeaks/

This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!


Sheryl Green 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.

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