An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

… Believe it before you say it! You need to own the message in the core of your being. It should feel like the most important talk in the world. You cannot take people where you have not gone. You cannot share what you do not have. I will rewrite my content as many times as needed until I reach that point. It is a non-negotiable for connecting in a meaningful way with people. I have and will completely change my message before speaking if it does not deeply resonate with me.

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 Jesse Bradley.

Jesse is a speaker, pastor, author, former syndicated radio host and professional athlete. After graduating from Dartmouth College, he played overseas in Africa until a tragic illness ended his soccer career. He was fighting for his life for a year, and it took ten years to fully recover. This pain fueled a new purpose and passion as he now spreads a message of hope to millions of people around the world. Jesse and Laurie have four children, a patient dog named Bella and a noisy hamster named Kiwi.

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 the University Of Minnesota campus (our apartment was literally in the football stadium parking lot), and I told my parents that I wanted to be a professional athlete when I was three years old. Some dreams start early in life, and I was unwavering until I signed my first official contract as an adult. I never wanted to be a speaker. In fact, I pleaded several times with a high school teacher to please allow me to skip a verbal presentation because I was terrified of the endeavor. The one speech I gave in front of my high school was three minutes long, and I delivered it in my falsetto because I was so nervous. Life can be ironic as public communication is one of my deepest joys.

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

During my senior year at Dartmouth, I brought an encouraging message to high school students at a soccer camp about moving to the next level. It was the first time I remember thoroughly enjoying a speech, and they responded very favorably. It was a glimpse of what was to come. When I lost the physical ability to continue my career as a goalkeeper, I started speaking to high school students again. A fire was lit in my soul as I could see lives were transformed. I love seeing people come alive!

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

The first time I was making an appearance on Good Morning America, it felt surreal. Waking up extremely early, running the sound bites through my mind, looking at a camera knowing that our nation will be watching was overwhelming. Technical issues took it over the top. For many minutes that felt like hours, we had no audio connection. It was literally a couple of seconds before we went live (I was connecting from Seattle) that we had a breakthrough and audio returned as we started the countdown. I just tried to smile as my prayers were answered and not look as stunned as I felt.

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?

Continuing with the theme of technical adventures, I have a headset with a microphone that I use when I speak. The sound booth operators are usually faithful to keep my mic muted. They unfortunately forgot. The event was livestreamed around the world. You need to know that I cannot sing the right notes nor do I have any sense of pitch. I am loud and enthusiastic though. True story-I have been in a choir before when someone asked me to stop singing because I distracted them. All that to say, the singers on stage were wondering what they were hearing in their ears, and the listening audience online was trying to figure out who on stage was ruining the song.

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?

One of my mentors was Dr. E.K. Bailey of Concord Missionary Baptist Church in South Oak Cliff (Dallas, Texas). He took me under his wing and trained all the pastors on the finer points of communication. He inspired me and gave me a vision of how much can happen in one message. On many Sundays, I was the only white person in a predominantly black church. I felt so loved, supported, and he made me feel like I was family. He died of cancer, but his voice still rings in my heart.

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?

My advice is to accept all opportunities initially because experience is so valuable. Speak to groups of all ages. Children will give you honest feedback. I also went to senior centers and would notice if anyone fell asleep. Camps, conferences, and prisons are great options. Record it when you give a message and watch yourself. Make short videos and post them online. Ask your family and friends for honest feedback. They can give you three positive points and two areas to grow. Always be learning and improving.

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?

According the the Census Bureau, 46 percent of Americans feel hopeless during the pandemic. Hope is available to everyone. Hope is more of a foundation than a feeling. There is a practical roadmap for finding hope that includes your identity, thinking, attitude, and purpose. I know what it is like to feel like everything is lost, and I have compassion for people who feel stuck in life. I have two family members who committed suicide and that reminds me of the urgency to spread hope. I believe there is a hope greater than the challenges we face.

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 enjoy creating hope content; new series that are launching and are free on my website (JesseBradley.org). Another fulfilling role is being a guest on shows, and I’m grateful for several upcoming invitations on television programs reaching a global audience. I think collaboration is healthy and partnerships with Global Media Outreach and World Vision are exciting. I have also started writing a book. Writing is more difficult than speaking, but I am persevering.

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

“God does His greatest work in the most difficult times, and the best experiences in life can emerge from the worst circumstances.” This statement is filled with hope, and it is my story. The love and grace of Jesus changed and rebuilt my life. When I feel weak and timid, I can ask God for help and that takes the pressure off me. I know that I am not alone. Prayer gives me courage and clarity when I speak.

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. Believe it before you say it! You need to own the message in the core of your being. It should feel like the most important talk in the world. You cannot take people where you have not gone. You cannot share what you do not have. I will rewrite my content as many times as needed until I reach that point. It is a non-negotiable for connecting in a meaningful way with people. I have and will completely change my message before speaking if it does not deeply resonate with me.
2. Information and inspiration: Engage both the mind and the heart. Cognitive content includes facts, statistics, research, principles and ideas. Stories, transparency, failures, and sincere emotion connect with hearts. Too often speakers gravitate in one direction and miss the potential of the wholistic impact. When you prepare, be intentional to cover both elements well. Research is work and vulnerability is risky. As a pastor, I was initially more reluctant to reveal my humanity because I thought I needed to be professional. It took me many years to move past that unhelpful myth.
3. More boldness than nerves. I had a false expectation that I would be able to remove any sense of feeling scared. To be honest I still get nervous before I give a message. Does that make me a failure? No. There is distress (negative energy) and eustress (positive energy). We need to be alert and energized as speakers. My nerves are sometimes too amped which often leads me to pray. I sometimes feel very scared and that feeling keeps returning. As long as my boldness is greater than my nerves, I can move forward.
4. Authenticity is your sweet spot. So many speakers try to be someone else on stage, put on a front, or have a false view of what success looks like. It is great to have mentors, but it is a trap to constantly imitate other people. Have confidence that you are wonderfully made and gifted, get comfortable in your skin, find your voice, and keep all of the nuances that make you unique. Authenticity is not permission to be unprepared and sloppy. It both empowers you and helps your listeners go there too. You will have the greatest influence when you are most authentic.
5. The Top Takeaway: Some speakers have no practical application and others overwhelm a crowd with ten things they need to do. Both scenarios are not ideal. Hone in on one key next step and share it many times in clear and creative ways. If you were being dragged off the stage what would be the one thing you would express to people? Have a specific measurable action that people can take home with them.

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

I think great preparation alleviates fears. Take extra time to gather golden content. Then begin the process of separating the good from the great. Write out your talk until it lands well. Then let it marinate and drop from your head to your heart. Practice it as many times as you can. Becoming familiar with it allows you to have more freedom to move around, make eye contact, express with your body and voice what you really want to say. When have done all of the work of preparation tell yourself to savor it. Every opportunity you have to speak is truly a gift.

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 that everyone has an incredibly important story. I think if more people would share their journey, and we listen to each other well with understanding, there could be so much healing. There could be a movement of hope stories that spread organically and change countless hearts. We have the technology now to share inspiring stories around the world. Stories build friendships. Authentic hope leads to a movement and greater practical and tangible expressions of love. Hope inspires hope. Three specific outcomes of this movement (because I realize it does sound broad) would be an end of our foster care system. I want to see every child have a forever family. I also think we can end human trafficking too. We can provide clean water for every child around the world. A real hope movement would truly protect and provide for children.

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 would enjoy lunch with Elon Musk because he is very creative, intelligent, and has the means and influence to make a significant impact.

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

My new website is JesseBradley.org and @jessejbradley on all socials. I would love to connect with you there.

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

---

Jesse Bradley 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.