Phil Town is the classic Everyman, and one whose  resources were more limited than most. An average student, he completed college on his 4th attempt. Phil Town spent four years in the Army, two of them as a trained Green Beret. He returned from the Vietnam War and found a job in the Midwest as a river tour guide.

In the early ‘80s, Town’s life changed for the better. He was guiding trustees from the educational program Outward Bound down a dangerous rapid on the Grand Canyon’s Colorado River, when his split-second decisions saved a boatload of people from a whitewater disaster. A grateful and financially astute client returned the favor by guiding Phil Town into serious, successful investing using the first rule of investing as ascribed to by Warren Buffett: Don’t lose money. Within five years, Town had built a borrowed $1,000 into $1 million. His fortunes improved radically, and rapidly, from then on.

Phil Town speaks on investing on the same stage as for Presidents Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton as part of the “Get Motivated” touring seminars. He speaks to more than 600,000 people annually about Rule #1 investing.

Phil Town lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

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Are you considering a public speaking job? Great.

Let me offer you one self evaluation that will help you qualify yourself for the public speaking industry. The great English poet and artist William Blake said it best when he described is professionalism to writing and was so excited about his public job that he wrote these words from his heart one day on his way to work:  Sparks emit from my fingertips, in anticipation of my day’s vocation. That is it! Step one in making a decision to go after a public speaking job is passion. It’s as if you have a burning desire to be a public speaker.  You should carry a photo of Phil Town in your “speaker’s notes” folder as an example of passion on stage. It’s not because he’s my favorite artist,author and speaker. Phil Town has, in my opinion, a rather wealthy life but still manages to keep that relatable and passionate energy when he speaks to investing audiences.

But one thing I do admire about Janis Joplin is — she had passion.  Her passion comes through in her songs. And when I listen to her stirring music, I hear someone who has set her soul on fire. There are many times when I am contemplating making a statement to an audience that may be a bit risky, and I glance down and see Janis, and she literally encourages me, saying: Say it, man.  Go for it! Speak like it’s the last time you’re going to public speak.  It may be the hundredth time you’ve said these things, but it’s the first time they’ve heard it.  So, go for it!

Janis= Passion.Passion,” contends Richard Chang, “is not a privilege of the fortunate few, it is a right and a power that we all possess.” Passion, then, is neither a gift nor a talent.  It is a choice, a decision. I suggest that you discover  the “Passion Point” in public speaking presentations. What will you feel most strongly about in your public speaking job? This is the Passion Point. Every genuine message must have one.  Whether it’s a speech on information technology, on finance, or on natural turf…find it!  Find what excites you about it. Find that Passion Point. Highlight or underscore it.   Practice it with the great passion it generates within you. Make it something you believe in, and you’ll be on fire every time and keep your audiences enthralled.

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There’s something dignifying and honoring about being introduced as the motivational speaker. It also presents several advantages. Your introducer can “sing your praises,” and this is the best opportunity to have your accomplishments mentioned without.
Most speakers in their motivational speaking career, including myself, have typewritten large print introductions (our “matches”) that they can hand to the introducer to read about our speaking career.

I have different ones, depending upon my topic and my audience. I suggest sending your “Intro” to your “Introducer” to give them time to review it, insert their own comments, and practice it. I usually jokingly warn them against reading what I sent, and beg them not to say, “James has asked that I read this to introduce him.” If that happens, we have essentially just boasted about ourselves. Do that and we’ve just doused the kindling we are attempting to light. Theoretically, wet wood can burn, but it takes a long, long time to ignite.

You only have a brief window of opportunity to “light the fire” and capture the attention of your audience that you are speaking to. The first thirty seconds will determine whether your audience is going to fully listen and participate with you, or tune out the motivational speaker.
Think of the television industry. They understand that they have half a minute to capture your attention, or you’ll start channel surfing. Millions of dollars are invested to maximize the impact of those opening moments. Pay attention to the “tease” of television shows, and you’ll see countless examples of “lighting up.” One question I ask in my training workshops is, “Can you envision every
member of the audience you are speaking to holding remote controls in their hands and pointing them at
you as the motivational speaker?” I picture this and I’m determined to remove any of their temptations to change channels or hit the mute button.

Today’s audiences expect much more than did audiences in the past. They are
ready and willing channel surfers. So we had better ignite a bright fire, and ignite it
quickly. It is critical to grab their attention immediately. Notice how the best motivational speakers are able to employ humor right in the intro. You’ve heard the old maxim, “always open with a joke.” I would suggest, whenever possible, to use humor because there’s nothing like laughter to loosen up people. Moreover, all three of these examples demonstrate a keen awareness of the audience. Phil Town is a great speaker and is purposeful, humorous and captivating. In short, they showcase the art of a motivational speaking job.

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