As someone in the self-help industry who is an executive coach, a leadership coach, and an entrepreneur myself, I hear a lot of people talking about the idea of self-care today. And they couch it as if it’s a bunch of bubble baths, lighting candles, or drinking your favorite bottle of wine every evening. Now, I’m not anti any of that. But I believe genuine self-care is none of these things. Self-care to me is all about making the right investments in you. 

In fact, it’s the best investment you can make in yourself. However, you may wonder what that looks like from a practical standpoint. Warren Buffet (the world’s greatest investor) once had a group of students come to his home in Nebraska where they asked him what his best investment was. They were shocked when Warren pointed to a diploma on his wall from a $100 Dale Carnegie public speaking course in the 1950s.

The Power of Great Communication

So, when you stop and think about what Warren Buffet actually does, you realize that he’s a speaker. Yes, he’s a finance guy, of course. But here’s the thing… A lot of finance guys out there are not nearly as close to the level of success as Warren Buffet. Why? Because Warren Buffet mastered the art of communication. In fact, this single skill set is what separates him from every other “finance” person on the planet—his ability to persuade and influence others. 

He was able to stand in a room full of potential investors and persuade them to invest their money with him. And of course, here we are today, decades later, where that $100 investment on a simple speaking course has translated into billions and billions of dollars. And Warren Buffet summed it all up by saying, “The best investment by far is developing yourself.” 

How Becoming an Exceptional Speaker Can Empower You in Life

The most important skill you can learn is how to communicate with people. What I’m really driving at here is learning how to become an exceptional speaker. Here’s how developing this skill will empower in your life:

1. Cast Your Vision

One of the reasons someone like Donald Trump came along and resoundingly won the 2024 election is because he knows how to cast a vision. Many politicians are trying to cast a vision of more of the same. We don’t want more of the same. We don’t want more of your left-wing garbage that takes us down a path where we destroy our wealth and lose pride in our country.

We want someone to cast a vision for the future. Let me tell you: People do not respond to need. They’re surrounded by needs; they respond to vision. I’ll tell you what: The future belongs to those who can articulate a vision. 

• Where are you going?
• What are you going to do when you get there?
• What kind of world are you seeking to create with your people/tribe?

I’ll tell you what: Martin Luther King Jr. did not say, “I have a plan.” He said, “I have a dream.” He had a vision for what could be instead of what was. And when you become an exceptional speaker (like Dr. King was), you gain this unbelievable ability to paint a picture using your words. We call that a vision. 

2. Captivate Your Audience

There is nothing worse than a boring speaker. Here’s the thing: There’s something about an exceptional speaker that’s attractive. It’s that warmth, eye contact, the fact that they know how to smile, and that within 60 seconds, they hook and attract the attention of an audience. Why is this important? Because attention is the new currency. 

So, if we don’t learn how to gain that attention, I’ll tell you what, we’ll be stuck in a place where we’re talking but nobody is listening. And here’s the thing, you don’t really have the “right” to be heard. Hate to break it to you. But you have a right to learn the skills of effective and exceptional speaking. 

3. Communicate Your Story

You’ve probably heard that facts tell, but stories sell. The biggest challenge that a lot of people have is that they haven’t learned to articulate their story. And this is why so many people struggle to communicate. They don’t know how to tell a story that captivates. But here’s the deal: your story is the guiding light that will attract your tribe, your people. 

As a result, storytelling is easily one of the most powerful communication skills you can ever develop. And becoming an exceptional speaker is how you gain that all-important skill set.

4. Convince Your Skeptics

We live in a generation where there is a loss of trust and credibility. You and I know it as well as anybody. I’ll tell you what: When you hear some pencil-neck politician going off with their scripted lines that were probably written by some copywriter they haven’t even met, it’s probably more off-putting than anything else. 

Being authentic is what actually attracts people. You have to learn how to speak from the heart because that’s what draws people to you. 

5. Close Your Sales

Did you know that Warren Buffet said that the $100 he spent on that Dale Carnegie speaking course was his most important investment? Even more important than the finance or college degrees he got. In fact, he says that’s the reason he’s so successful today. And that’s because no matter how good he was at understanding the mechanics of finance, it meant nothing if he didn’t know how to communicate that information to others. 

So, what if all your knowledge is trapped by your inability to communicate? That’s really the art of closing sales. And that’s important because everyone’s selling something. I’ll tell you what: When I learned to speak, my sales went through the roof. Not because my product got better but because my description of the product got better. 

6. Crush Your Competition

Let me give you a pro tip: In business, the best communicator wins. Always. If you become an exceptional speaker and a great communicator, your competition isn’t going to have a hope. The power of your words can snuff out your competition when you learn how to use them effectively. 

What’s Next? Join us at the Elevated Exceptional Speaker Training Academy!

I’d like to invite you to join us at the Elevated Exceptional Speaker Training (EST) Academy! This is where we’ll do a deep dive into the mechanics of exceptional speaking. We cover the neuroscience of speaking, the art of persuasion, some of the biggest mistakes of ineffective communicators, and so much more. So be sure to register today for our proven 12-week program!

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About the Author

Abe Brown, MBA, CMCT, CPHSA is the Coach’s Coach, and is an Entrepreneur, Professional Speaker, International Best-Selling Author, and High-Performance Leadership Coach. He is the founder of Certified Flourishing Coaching™ and Flourishing Workplace. Abe is also the author of the Certified Flourishing Coaching™ Programs.