Speaking around the globe – a dream in process

As we begin: 32 plus years ago, I had a dream to speak my way around the globe. The challenge then was that I wasn’t a great speaker and had no idea where to start. Then I met Immediate Past International President John Noonan at a business organization. I shared my goal, and he asked if I had heard of Toastmasters and encouraged me to take that first step to start my adventure. I did and it helped launch this amazing journey.

This success manual is full of ideas, tips, and techniques learned over the past 32 years, as well as Pro-tips from fellow professionals encountered around the globe. 2023: I have travelled, in person, to 68 countries so far (will surpass 72 by the end of this year) and spoken in person in 29 countries on 6 continents, so far. As well, I have presented virtually in at least 20 since covid hit. This book contains solid foundational steps to help build both your confidence and competence as a more professional speaker. I keep updating it as I learn new skills and encounter lessons along the way. I want you to succeed. You can make your dream a reality, and we can help. Read on my new friends and fellow travelers!

13 Steps, A Shaky Start

The night was dark, it was raining, and the wind was howling. There were 13 steps, in a darkened outside entrance from the dimly lit parking lot, down into the basement meeting room. How did I know? I counted them as I went down, went back up, and then, screwed up my courage and went back down again. 

I descended slowly, hesitantly for the second time, reached out and nervously placed my hand on the doorknob. My heart was pumping (fast ), my legs were shaky, and my breathing was short and labored. Was I making the right decision? What would I find on the other side of the door? Maybe I should just turn around and go home? How would I react? Whose crazy idea was this anyway? Would they like me, help me, or reject me? Ok, Hooey, go for it!

I forced a smile on my face, turned the knob, and opened the door. I stood there for a minute, took a deep breath, and stepped into Vancouver based Toastmasters of Today! I made that first step that has taken me around the world sharing my message of hope and encouragement.

I still remember my first visit that Tuesday night, mid-March 1991. I was nervous and shy. Now, anyone who knows me will find that hard to believe, but it was very true, back then. This was a scary moment for me. I had recently come through a devastating and debilitating divorce. Frankly, I didn’t feel very confident in myself or my speaking abilities. If you’re a Toastmaster, remember your first visit to your club. Perhaps, like me, you felt a little nervous or intimidated by members who could get up and seemingly speak without notes or nervousness. But perhaps you too pushed past it.

I was there, reviving a dream of being a professional speaker and someday being able to stand on the big stage sharing my ideas, travelling the world, and inspiring and investing in the lives of those in the audience. It worked, well!

What I found at the bottom of those 13 steps was a supportive, friendly group of people who befriended me and became my champions, coaches, and cheerleaders; some of whom still play that encouraging role today.

Perhaps you have had a similar experience as you began something?

Perhaps you are feeling a bit shaky about starting down this path to becoming a better speaker? Perhaps you too want to be a more professional speaker?

Perhaps you have played a similar role in the growth of a Toastmaster member or business friend? Coaching and mentoring work!

That one step into the room, following the 13 down made an amazing difference in my life and my career.

In 1998, I had the distinct pleasure of walking across a Palm Desert, California stage to be inducted into the Toastmasters International Hall of Fame as the 48th professional level Accredited Speaker in our rich history.

In 2008, I had the rare privilege of keynoting the leadership luncheon at the Toastmasters International convention in Calgary, Alberta. As part of my introduction, they played a video of me walking across that Palm Desert stage. My opening words were, I may have walked across that stage by myself… but I did not get there by myself!

It took those first 13 steps, plus the loving, supportive investment of thousands of fellow Toastmasters, CAPS, GSF, and NSA colleagues, over many years, to help move me toward that goal.

It took those first 13 steps to start me on the path to living my dream of travelling the world sharing ideas and challenging people to reach out and build foundations of success under their dreams.

In 2011, I was selected as one of 300 Toastmasters International Brand Ambassadors, around the globe, appointed as influencers to help with the launch of the first re-brand in their history. I served as one of our Learning Masters as we evolved our programs. 2018-2019, I served as Region 4 Advisor. I am glad to serve and give back to this amazing organization.

When I received The Spirit of CAPS award (the highest award given in our Canadian speaking industry) at our 2011 Canadian Association of Professional Speakers convention in Toronto, I shared it with those in attendance. I emphasized that all the nice things our President Ravi Tangri, CSP mentioned in his introduction were not accomplished, by myself. I simply had an idea, asked for help, a lot, and got it. So, can you!

Your dream may not be to become a professional speaker. But, if you have invested in this book my guess is you have a desire to become a better, more confident speaker, right?

You can learn to ‘Present like a PRO!’ We can help!

What follows in these ‘Speaking for Success’ pages are tips, creative techniques, proven ideas, and exercises to help you move that dream or desire into a reality. Ideas, when acted upon, can become forces for good that can change the world. Evocative, engaging words reinforce those ideas and add power to your presentation inspiring people to act on your ideas.

PS: I have wished I had videos of my early speeches from Toastmasters. I tried so hard to be ‘motivational’, to encourage. Sadly, what I did was preach. I was stiff, didn’t smile, didn’t move, and came across as knowing it all. I’ll give you a few links to more current videos throughout the book.

PRO-Tip:

Every member of your audience can increase their capacity to learn and go away with meaningful, valuable information providing you deliver it in consumable chunks. 

Lani Donaldson, www.lanidonaldson.com

What is your next step?

Bob ‘Idea Man’ Hooey

Distinguished Toastmaster

48th Accredited Speaker worldwide

Past District 21 Governor

Toastmasters Brand Ambassador

Past Region 4 Advisor

Charter member CAPS & GSF

Member NSA-Arizona

2011 Spirit of CAPS recipient

Past CAPS National Director

Past CAPS Foundation Trustee

1998 & 1999 President CAPS BC

2012 President CAPS Edmonton

Past NSA CLC member

Charter member PSA-SPAIN, VSAI

Certified Virtual Presenter

I remember someone saying, You should smile more. I thought I was, but I was so focused on ‘being’ that I was not allowing myself to ‘become’.

I never realized I wasn’t having fun, I was stressing.

Later, I started relaxing and allowing my fun side to show. This was when I started connecting with my audiences. I realized that it was not about me, it was about them. When I started focusing on them and allowed myself to be ‘real’ on stage it all started coming together. They laughed with me, and I started becoming more effective in sharing my ideas. I love hearing them laugh.

Now, I do my homework and prepare my programs. Then I simply go on stage and ‘play’ along with my audiences around the globe. What a great idea – wished I had found out earlier.

Bob in Athens (November 2022) where he did two presentations on leadership and professional speaking while there.

Bob’s demo video: https://youtu.be/-fAFD9mkUPo www.ideaman.net

Foreword by Dr. Peter Legge, CSP, CPAE, HofF

So, you want to be a more professional speaker?

It has been said that 80 percent of the speakers in this business 10 years ago are no longer in the business. Why, you ask? They forgot it was a business and got carried away with the glamour and excitement of travel to foreign destinations, standing ovations, staying in wonderful hotels and being treated as a star – and yes, that is certainly part of the package, but first and foremost, it is a business and a tough business in which to survive and be profitable.

Bob ‘Idea Man’ Hooey is a living example of the pursuit of excellence coupled with a servant spirit. His is a lasting legacy of what it means to be a true professional speaker.

His book Speaking for Success – 10th edition is a must-read packed with valuable ideas and Ah-ha’s for you in your quest to stay in this business longer than 10 years.

What does it take to be a professional speaker?

My very first public engagement was when I was nine years old. We were living in England, and I had been asked to sing at the local cinema in our hometown, Greenford. The Granada Cinema on the high street held a 10 a.m. Saturday kids show way back when it was the only show in town and just about every kid in Greenford would always attend. I performed Mr. Sandman.

Was I a hit? I have no idea, but something inside me turned on to show business and little did I know that some 30 years later, I would be back on the stage as a professional speaker, travelling around the world sharing my philosophy and stories of success, from Vancouver to London to Boston to Hong Kong. I speak to varied audiences, from small groups of 25 to large theatres of some 3,000. I also travel about 100,000 miles every year. I must confess that sometimes the travel gets a bit tiring, always in and out of airports and hotels, encountering strange cab drivers from another planet, poor sound systems and many other spirit-testing problems. However, the excitement of being in front of an audience is so exhilarating and full of adventure that some days I can’t believe my good fortune at getting paid handsomely for a craft that I love so much.

I have been speaking professionally for 40 plus years. I learned at the very outset that this was not a profession for wimps, nor was it a profession that was as easy as it looked. In fact, it might have been one of the biggest dreams I ever wrote down: my determination to speak on the international stage.

John Stott is the author of Basic Christianity and the director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. He is also one of the world’s foremost preachers. In 1982 I was given one of his books titled, The Art of Preaching in the Twentieth Century – Between Two Worlds. In it, he tells a story about the importance of preparing sermons. It is also vital to consider his words for the kind of motivational speaking that I do:

"Once upon a time there was an Anglican clergyman who was lazy. He had long ago given up the bother of preparing his sermons. He had considerable native intelligence and fluency of speech, and his congregation were simple people. So, he got by pretty well with his unprepared sermons. Yet in order to live with his conscience he took a vow that he would always preach extemporaneously.

Everything was fine until one day a few minutes before the morning service began, who should walk in to find a place in the pews but the Bishop. The parson was embarrassed. He had managed to bluff the congregation, but he was much less sure that he would hoodwink the Bishop. So, he told the Bishop that he had taken a vow to speak extemporaneously. The Bishop seemed to understand, and the service began. To the preacher’s great consternation, halfway through the sermon the Bishop got up from his pew and walked to the back of the church and scribbled a note and left it on the vestry table. The Bishop wrote to the Preacher, ‘I absolve you from your vow.’"

I first spoke for free whenever and wherever I could. I believed I had something worthwhile to say and that I needed exposure and self-confidence. Practice, practice, practice… some 500 speaking engagements for free to begin to learn the art of speaking. At the beginning I was amazed how difficult it was and to learn that most people would rather die than give a speech – which means at a funeral, you would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy. I persisted and very slowly someone in my audience would ask me to speak at a company sales rally, perhaps for a fee of $100. I later was convinced to join the National Speakers Association. This worldwide organization is based in Phoenix, Arizona. I was