An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis
Competence is critical to how successful or unsuccessful an individual will be as a speaker. Who wants to listen to someone who is not knowledgeable about the topics he/she presents or lacks decent communication skills? One of my top tips for speaking is to give speeches on topics with which you possess knowledge and expertise. I vividly recall when I was an educator having to give a presentation on a subject that I am not comfortable with- geometry. It was disastrous. As I gave my presentation, it became very clear to the audience that I was incompetent. I am so thankful they were gracious and helped me out along the way.
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 Damon “DaRil” Nailer.
Multifaceted, passionate, and skilled all describe Damon “DaRil” Nailer. With over 1K speaking engagements and many published works under his belt, Damon is known as a “Renaissance Man”, Inspirational Communicator, Gift Guru, and Authority/Expert who provides direction, inspiration, and education to any audience. Mr. Nailer possesses a wealth of knowledge in the following areas: educational, entrepreneurial/business, religious, entertainment, relationships, leadership, and parenting. As a result of his experience and expertise, he has been featured 200+ times in various media outlets, including The Huffington Post, Reader’s Digest, Thrive Global, Goalcast, MSN, Yahoo, Yahoo Finance, Redbook, Insider, podcasts, radio/TV shows, magazines, newspapers, etc. Currently, he serves as a motivational speaker, consultant, author, and educator.
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 born and raised in the Uptown 13rd Ward section of New Orleans, LA. My caregivers were my mother, grandmother, and 3 older brothers. My childhood was interesting as well as challenging because I saw a lot, heard a lot, and experienced a lot. In addition, I constantly struggled with sickness in the forms of asthma and allergies, which included many emergency room visits, and hospital stays. Despite my issues/dilemmas, overall, I would say my adolescent years weren’t too bad and I wasn’t a terrible child (I wasn’t an angel either). LOL!!!
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
While growing up, I found myself regularly searching for positive role models. It seemed as though no matter how much I looked, they were few and far in between. Because of this, I pledged to become a source of inspiration and positivity that young people could admire, look up to, and emulate. This commitment is what led me into initially becoming an educator and later a motivational speaker.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I would have to say the most interesting story that has happened to me since beginning my career is how my speaking skills enabled me to land my current job as a parent educator. I reached out to a local nonprofit organization to conduct some workshops that coincided with a program I had created. They informed me that they did not have funds to pay speakers, but they were always looking for life skills presenters. I agreed to facilitate a few life skills sessions if they allowed me to offer my program to their clients. All parties agreed, and we proceeded. After one of the sessions, I discovered that I knew one of the employees. She spoke to me about facilitating a men’s parenting class. They ended up hiring me as an independent consultant to oversee their Nurturing Fathers Program and eventually, a full-time position became available, and the rest is history.
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?
The funniest mistake took place when I conducted my first speaking engagement. After observing an experienced speaker conduct his presentations without utilizing any note cards or written outline, I decided I would do the same. And boy, oh boy, my first presentation was awful. I totally bombed. I thought I had prepared enough and had sufficient content, but I did not. It lasted only a few minutes. Thank God, I did not allow this to hinder me from trying again. From that experience, I learned to prepare notecards or at least an outline of a speech for my speaking engagements. Of course, after many years, I can speak without note cards or an outline, but during those early days, I had to use them until I developed enough competence and confidence as a speaker.
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?
I’m certainly grateful to God for all of my success. I would have to say my wife, Necole, has been the other common denominator in my journey to success. She has stood by me through every venture, adventure, creative idea, business, and form of employment. Not only has she been present, but she has always encouraged me to pursue these endeavors and supported me once I began them. The most critical situation she backed me on was when I left my sure, stable teaching career to pursue the unpredictable life of an entrepreneur. I know it took trust, faith, and love on her part to do this, especially when things became a bit challenging. Nevertheless, through it all, she never discouraged me or left my side.
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?
The greatest pieces of advice I can give anyone trying to pursue a challenging and intimidating career path are the following. 1. Condition yourself to believe that failure is not an option and if things don’t go as well as planned, then chalk it up as a learning experience. 2. Always remember that you do have options and be willing to pivot if you don’t succeed in one endeavor. 3. Overcome fear by trusting your gut and following your passion. If it’s burning inside of you, pursue it so you won’t have any regrets later.
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?
There are several reasons why I am driven to get up every day and give my talks. The first reason is that beyond a shadow of a doubt, I know that I was created to be a speaker. Secondly, I truly believe I possess insight and transformative wisdom to share with others. The final reason is that I fully understand the power and influence of words. With that being said, I realize I am gifted with the ability to change the trajectory of individuals’ lives through my encouragement, inspiration, and knowledge. I wholeheartedly embrace this, and I don’t take it lightly.
My message aligns with my mantra which is- All men/women are created with a skill and a mission to fulfill, meaning everyone has a purpose for existing and once it is discovered, an individual’s existence will truly change for the better in that he/she will be able to live a passionate, exciting, fulfilling, and prosperous life.
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 am currently working on a new online course that will provide great information on visualizing, communicating, networking, public speaking, and so much more. I see myself continuing to conduct speaking engagements and expanding my audience across the globe.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite life lesson quote is “No means next option, new opportunity, and not over”. This is relevant and resonates with me because of my varied experiences with so many endeavors. I have endured countless closed doors and rejections as a music producer, songwriter, artist, motivational speaker, author, entrepreneur/business owner, and talk show host. In order to keep going and remain encouraged, I had to adopt this as my life lesson quote.
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.
Competence, Confidence, Charisma, Authenticity, and Empathy are the five vital elements needed to be highly effective at public speaking.
- Competence is critical to how successful or unsuccessful an individual will be as a speaker. Who wants to listen to someone who is not knowledgeable about the topics he/she presents or lacks decent communication skills? One of my top tips for speaking is to give speeches on topics with which you possess knowledge and expertise. I vividly recall when I was an educator having to give a presentation on a subject that I am not comfortable with- geometry. It was disastrous. As I gave my presentation, it became very clear to the audience that I was incompetent. I am so thankful they were gracious and helped me out along the way.
- Confidence- My perspective is that competence breeds confidence. When you work on developing your speaking skills and choose to give talks on concepts you know, you will automatically possess it. This element is important because an audience can discern your level of confidence when you speak. If they perceive that you are full of confidence, it will make them comfortable and supportive. If they detect that you lack confidence, it will often make them uneasy and inattentive. Fortunately, I am a confident individual, so most of the time I have been successful with this component. However, on a couple of occasions, I have struggled with it. I believe it happened several times when I first began speaking at a juvenile correctional facility. It was probably because this was not my normal element/environment that I spoke in. Once I gave a few speeches, I eventually gained my confidence to speak in that setting to that particular audience.
- Authenticity- Finding your distinct, unique voice is the greatest milestone you can achieve in your quest for becoming highly successful at public speaking. I have witnessed many speakers throughout my life. However, the most memorable and inspiring ones were those who were genuine, original, and humble. They ran in their lane and flowed in their vein. They didn’t imitate anyone else, stretch the truth, or act as though they were superior, but they connected well with the audience and their content resonated with me.
- Empathy- Individuals who are apathetic or lack feelings usually struggle when it comes to public speaking. This component is a must if you want to be highly successful at speaking. This characteristic enables you to sense and detect the vibe of the audience. I always say that speakers are like thermostats. We can measure and control the temperature/energy of the audience. Those who lack empathy are not able to feel out audiences effectively. The result is that there is not much connection between them and the audience, they fail to pivot or go in a different direction when the audience’s attention span is waning, and they don’t know how to evoke a variety of moods in an audience.
- Charisma- I consider charisma as the “it” factor for being a successful speaker. You may have all the other elements, but if you lack this one, public speaking may be a challenge. Charisma is the ability to charm, persuade, and influence people. It’s an art and uncanny ability that successful speakers possess. The reason why it is so vital is because it is something innate and can’t be taught. I can give tips to improve the aforementioned elements for being highly successful at public speaking, but, for this one, individuals either have it or they don’t.
As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?
One way to overcome the fear of public speaking is to consider the audience to be a group of friends. This way, you approach your engagement as a casual, comfortable conversation as opposed to a formal speech. Another way to overcome the fear of public speaking is to seek small group speaking opportunities to gain more experience.
Additionally, here are some ways you can improve your public speaking skills 1. Record yourself delivering speeches and then listen to them to evaluate the positives/negatives. Use this method to continue adjusting, improving your speeches. 2. Watch and listen to quality professional speakers to see their styles, formats, and techniques. 3. If possible, join a speaking group like Toastmasters’ International where you can learn more about speaking and get opportunities to deliver various speeches in a safe space. 4. Conduct research on tips for public speaking and/or enroll in a course on the topic.
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 believe I am actually already in the process of leading such a movement. I will name it after the title of my latest book- Living, Loving, Leading. My philosophy is that all of us are leaders in some form or fashion. I think if we can find the best space to serve humanity with our gifts, then we will become better leaders and live a life that we truly love.
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!
Bishop T.D. Jakes. I believe it would be great to be in the presence of a highly successful individual who possesses similar talents and wears some of the same hats as me.
Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?
https://www.facebook.com/damon.nailer/, https://twitter.com/daril1, https://www.instagram.com/damon.nailer/, https://www.kitrilconsult.com/,
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
Damon Nailer Of Kitril Consultancy On 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.
