People I Have Met
Today, we continue our series from My Life is Just Speech Material…And, So is Yours with a section on “People I Have Met.”
When you first read this topic, you may have thought that you haven’t met anyone famous that anyone else would like to hear about. Like the word success, “famous” can be very subjective.
I have had a true honor and privilege to meet and talk with country music legend, Dolly Parton, on a couple of occasions. I can go on record right here and tell you that I believe she is a living angel and there is almost a glow around the woman when you meet her. From this experience, I have given many presentations about Dolly and her life from very humble beginnings to great success in the music industry. Indeed, many would consider her a famous person and may want to hear about my experience meeting her. She has also inspired me in many ways, and her songs have inspired some of my presentations, but more on that later in this series.
Dolly may be considered a famous person, but there are people around us every day who inspire us and provide a solid foundation for a fantastic presentation. For me, it would include my incredible mother, my beautiful daughters, my other family members, and many friends who have inspired me in some way to share a message with others. Presentation topics from these people include living life from humble beginnings, dealing with adversity, caring for elderly parents, the joy of photography, the love and innocence of children, and on and on.
Maybe you have met someone from your community who is working to help change lives, or make life better for someone they may or may not know. It could be that they inspire others through their charitable work, or how they overcame a challenge in their life. Or, it could be that there is someone you would like to meet, or have studied in the past who you find fascinating for whatever reason. This category is people you have met, but it could just as easily extend to people you would like to have met before they passed on, or would like to meet in the future.
Most people like to hear about other people. They inspire us, motivate us, excite and thrill us by what they do and say, encourage us or inform us — so many messages in presentations are about people. My life has been so blessed with people I have met along the way. I am sure there are people in your life who have inspired you to help spread a message to others.
Through my speaking experiences and involvement with international organizations, I have been honored to meet people from around the world. I love to hear the stories from their countries, but what I have learned that I find most valuable is that no matter where we are from, no matter what our backgrounds, most people share common goals of peace, love, friendship, and happy lives filled with safety and joy. It seems the more people I meet from around the world, the more I realize we are similar in so many ways. This is a great presentation topic, and as we all know, our lives are just speech material!
Who have you met in your life that would make a good foundation for a presentation? Think about what it is about this person that stands out from others you have met and what you would like to say about this person. Then, using the guidance in our series to date, formulate your presentation!