Any public speaking professional worth their salt understands the power of a pivot. Whether you are responding to the temperature of the audience in the room, developing new strategies to market your business or finding new collaborators to explore new territories – a well-executed pivot can be the launch pad for success. For the 1995 World Champion of Public Speaking, Mark Brown (CSP), pivoting has led to a remarkable career in public speaking. Although if you listen to him, he will describe some of those pivots as being “hit by a train”. Like many who have walked the path before him, pivoting hasn’t always been optional but the response to it has been.
As one of the newest members in the audience and a person who is currently making a career transition, I found listening to this month’s Virtual Chapter guest speaker riveting. Instead of a traditional Toastmaster speech of seven minutes (something new I learned this month) Mark was interviewed by Deputy President, Palesa (Leesa) Shai. If Leesa taught me anything as an audience member, it is the power of preparation. Through a series of insightful questions, we learned about Mark’s journey from bank teller to computer programmer and ultimately World Champion, just two years after starting his journey in public speaking through the Toastmasters programme.
The question of how one goes about securing the top spot is something we always want to ask of those who’ve tasted gold. We imagine the hours of preparation, the stress and the anxiety. Before the session I didn’t know there was a World Champion’s Trophy to be won, but as soon as I discovered the possibility, I immediately started dreaming of what it would mean to have the title. Mark had managed to transition from a career behind a screen to one in front of the audience with aplomb. To make it to the final stage one needs to develop not one but three uniquely impressive speeches. He drew on his lived experience of being from an immigrant family in search of a better life. He drew on his trauma and the adversity he had overcome. He ultimately drew on his understanding of the human condition and the importance of connection. His success came from focusing on “winning the audience, not the prize”.
And while he may not have been speaking to us to win a competition, he still spoke with connection in mind. He emphasised that his career has been built on ensuring that his message had meaning. He is still asked to give a speech he wrote in 1993 – for context South Africa wasn’t a democracy; Bill Clinton was yet to declare his innocence and Google wasn’t word. While an audience might forget your name, if the message has value, it will be spoken about for decades to come. And is that not the motivation for entering into this business? To put words to the needs of people, to find a voice for the change that we want to see, to shift the cultural discourse? Does your best presentation have a long shelf-life? Mark has been making money from a presentation that he gave for the first time 33 years ago. If that is not proof of efficacy, then I am not sure what is.
I have learned quickly that chapter meetings are not just about the guest speaker (no matter how inspirational we may find them). They are an opportunity to network, learn and connect with like-minded individuals. September’s meeting was kept on track by our charming MC, Freedom Munukha. We unpacked moments where we had been forced to pivot and talked through our responses. The overwhelming response was that a successful pivot lies in openness to learning supported by resilience in the face of adversity. In short, don’t stop learning and don’t give up. At the heart of it all lies a willingness to collaborate. Finding those who have walked the walk and share your values makes walking the road a little easier and a little less lonely. Two chapter meetings in and three months into launching a new career, I am finding this to be true. I am learning a remarkable amount and meeting some incredible people too! I cannot wait to see what comes next.
Written by:
Jason Hutchison
Neurodivergent Specialist and founder of Hutch-in-Mind Learning Boutique.
