Speaking Engagements

Motivational speech is art made into words, a powerful resource that goes beyond simply speaking well. What is its objective? To encourage reflection or influence convictions by appealing to our emotions. Some speeches, such as Martin Luther King's I have a dream, are proof that words can change history.

It’s an oversimplification to think of leadership speaking as a learned individual delivering perfectly-turned phrases to a passive audience. Sure, that happens, but leadership speaking is about communication, and communication is a two-way street. In other words, the audience plays a critical role in successful leadership speaking. This represents a certain risk to the leadership speaker in that the audience may be responsive and engaged, or they may sit there passively, seemingly unable to be cajoled out of their passivity.

Believe it or not, if you’re in high school right now, you’re at a great point in your life. You have your whole life in front of you. And now is a good time to start thinking about your future, to make some initial plans; just remember that plans can be easily changed.

Remember too, that experts predict that the average person will change careers — not just jobs — more than five times in his or her lifetime.

And as you start thinking about one or more potential educational and career paths, here are 10 things to remember in the days ahead.