An Interview with Public Words Inc. Founder Nick Morgan
Nick Morgan is exceptionally talented at making magic as a speaker. He has worked with a lot of our leaders to improve their speaking prowess. He is also a great proponent for speeches that change the world. In fact, he has authored one book on the subject. Today, he's going to share with us some of his secrets to speaking success. "Listen" to him speak and YOU'LL be mesmerized! Read on!
What's the key to being a great public speaker?
Be passionate about your topic, be focused on one single idea, and realize that a speech is about the audience, not about the speaker.
How does one talk to his or her unconscious?
When you're falling asleep, or when you've got 'down' time, or when you're just waking up -- these are the times that your unconscious is most receptive. Keep it simple, and repeat over and over and over. It takes about 3 weeks of daily work to make a change in your unconscious.
Tell us more about YOUR work.
I run Public Words Inc. with 2 other great people - Nikki and Kate. We help people tell their stories. I coach people on speaking, on non-verbal communications, and on storytelling. I write books, blogs, and articles on communications. And I speak on the subject too.
How can the HungryPeople blog ensure that our story gets a chance to be heard by as many people as possible?
It's an 'ADD' world - people are overwhelmed with information. So keep it brief, clear, and compelling and keep saying the same thing over and over again. Eventually, people will hear you.
Can a speech really change the world?
Absolutely. President Kennedy did with his inaugural address. Martin Luther King, Jr. did with his 'I have a dream' speech. And countless others have inspired teams, started movements, and communicated passion around the world -- thus changing it.
Can my body language persuade others?
Yes! In fact, it's almost impossible to persuade others without persuasive body language. Every communication is two conversations -- the content and the body language. When the two are aligned, you can be persuasive. When they're not aligned, people believe the body language every time.
How can we develop a story line that can't be ignored? What do YOU think about the SUCCESs ideas from the book Made to Stick (by Dan & Chip Heath)?
By telling a new story about something the world needs to hear -- using one of the old, classic story structures, like the Quest. Dan & Chip Heath's book is great, and takes most of its ideas from the classic work by Robert Cialdini, Influence: Science and Practice. Everyone who is interested in persuasion should read Cialdini.
Tell us more about what's it like working with Sally Hogshead and Tim Sanders?
They're both incredible speakers with oodles of charisma. With them, I got quite specific and technical right away because their basic speaking skills were so strong. It was a matter of working on the finer points -- and bringing the story line of their speeches out so that nothing got in the way of their messages.
Who are YOUR personal heroes?
I've got so many: Winston Churchill, FDR, JFK, MLK, Jr., Ann Richards, Obama, Leo Buscaglia, Steve Martin -- I could go on and on....
What are YOU hungry for?
Universal health care, and serious progress on saving the environment. If we can be healthy, and if we can live on a healthy planet, we humans have a future!
About Nick Morgan
Dr. Nick Morgan is one of America’s top communication and speech coaches. He has been commissioned by Fortune 50 companies to write for many CEOs and presidents. He has worked widely with political and educational leaders. And he has helped design conferences and prepare keynote speeches around the world.
Nick’s methods, which are well-known for challenging conventional thinking, have been published worldwide. His most recent book is Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma, published by Jossey-Bass in January 2009. His acclaimed book on public speaking, Working the Room: How to Move People to Action through Audience-Centered Speaking, was published by Harvard in 2003 and reprinted in paperback in 2005 as Give Your Speech, Change the World: How to Move Your Audience to Action. Nick also served as editor of the Harvard Management Communication Letter from 1998 – 2003.
After earning his PhD. in literature and rhetoric, Nick spent a number of years teaching Shakespeare and Public Speaking at the University of Virginia and Princeton University. He first started writing speeches for Virginia Governor Charles S. Robb and went on to found his own communications consulting organization, Public Words Inc, in 1997. He is a former fellow of the Kennedy School at Harvard University.
Nick attributes his success to his honest and direct approach that challenges even the most confident orators to rethink how they communicate.
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