I took Eric's Speaking Academy. I had no real business plan and didn’t plan on being a professional speaker. But once I got there, it was mind-blowing. I saw people change in just five days. It’s a very professionally run program. I mean, I would give extremely high marks for the whole AV setup, the program itself—everything.
I could never have given an interview or spoken in front of a camera before this, but now it’s no problem. Eric Mead himself is amazing. Now, when I watch him give a speech, I’m really analyzing what he’s doing, realizing that everything he does is intentional. The way he tells a story is not only about how much time he has onstage but also about how he moves the audience.
We talk about applying different techniques to get your message out to the whole audience, whether they are kinesthetic learners who respond to slow, solid feeling words, auditory learners who like a lot of pitch variation, or visual people who want big movements and fast pace. You’ll learn how to incorporate all of this into one paragraph or one message, and it becomes second nature. That’s amazing.
What’s incredible is how much change Eric is able to make in such a short period of time. I saw classmates who were literally nervous, with knees shaking, on the first day. By the end of the program, they were giving speeches with confidence. Some of them even cracked jokes, and I thought, “Wow, you’ve got a second career as a comedian!”
Five days—best five days I’ve ever had. I can't even explain it enough. Even if you're not planning on being a professional speaker—by the way, I had no idea that was actually a career choice—Eric says that good speakers are in demand. You can be your own boss, take the jobs you want, and get paid. It’s like a no-overhead business model with a great crew of people.
I’m not a huge extrovert myself, but these are people I’m going to be following for quite a while.
