I'm a entrepreneur, 2-Time TEDx Speaker, and recognized marketer advisor focused on helping CEOs/Executives grow their personal brand and position their story for impact.
1. Tell us more about what you do and what led you to speak on this platform
I am a Marketing Advisor, 2-Time TEDx Speaker, passionate Linkedin Creator with 10 million+ views. On the community side, I’m also a Communications Chair, GVBOT, Student Advisor with Adobe and my mission is to empower others by teaching them how to start sharing their story & scale their personal brand.
Being surrendered by mentors and family growing up, inspired me to speak more about the things I love and the ways I can give back to students entering the professional world or leaders of renowned brands wanting to share more of their story with their community. But I’d have to say the root of my work stems from a want to give back as mentors have done before me.
2. How do you chose and prepare for a talk?
I try to filter talks that align with my passion, area of expertise, and an audience where I can directly speak to have been in their shoes to some degree (students, business professionals, entrepreneurs, etc.) I prepare for a talk largely through conversation dialogue with other friends mentors and colleagues.
I learn by talking and doing, so I record these chats and document these ideas, then I turn these audio conversations into a google doc script and refine them 5x over into a concise topic with takeaways for my audience.
3. How can one become a public speaker?
To be honest, a couple years ago, I was actually deathly afraid of public speaking. I was asked by my friend to give a best man’s speech at his wedding and couldn’t eat the whole day from the nerves.
Shortly after, I had a couple business friends that were on the speaking circuit that nudged me to say: “Joel, if you’re going to be in the business world, you’re going to have to be comfortable with talking. Start doing it more in little ways and you’ll be amazed at the ideas and community that can follow as a result.”
Sure enough, a couple years later, I’ve completed 2 TEDx talks and talked at over 50+ events around the world on topics covering social media, leadership, and storytelling.
I always consider myself and my public speaking a work in progress but I’m encouraged by friends that push me to get outside of my comfort zone and the way they lead by example for me.
4. Can motivational speaking become a full-time career?
I believe it can, but for me, I only want it to be PART of what I do. If you can cultivate the right market demand for your public speaking, and the rates that you charge for your talk align with what you need to sustain your living cost, it sure is possible.
But for my own life, I like to use talking as part of my work to grow as a storyteller and inspire audiences that connect with my line of work. I think people need to see public speaking as a bigger picture vs a one-time thing.
5. Which is your favorite talk ever and how did it change your life?
It might be cheesy, but I think I’d have to reference Simon Sinek’s talk of “Start with Why”. It’s a widely referred to talk but I think it truly holds its own in value as it’s directed a lot of my thinking in choosing projects and work opportunities that align with my why statement of “empowering others”.
If a person, resource, or idea doesn’t align with my “WHY”, I always like to do the deeper digging of if I should take that on. We need to think 5-10 steps ahead of how ideas will impact our life and if the idea aligns with our “why”, I think we’re in the safe zone to find out how we can say yes.
6. What are the best public speaking tips that have worked for you?
A couple that has been passed to me in my time are:
1. Treat your public talk as if you’re telling a story. Everyone becomes more engaged, the talk becomes easier to remember and you start to smile or bring the emotion to life when you recall the memory.
2. If you’re not having fun or learning, you’re talking about the wrong topic.
3. Tailor your talk to your audience. A piece of advice is only as good as it is to that particular listener. Do the research to find out who's listening and how you can make it a topic for their ears only.
7. What impact do you want to make in the world?
I want to make an impact that inspires others to take action beyond their comfort zone, as that’s what other mentors have challenged me to do. I want to help others rethink the way we approach social media and how we can leverage technology to amplify optimism and build dignity in the people around us.
I have a life goal of getting back into the world of education after focusing time and energy on the world of business and hope to cultivate ideas that can impact younger demographics to change the way they set up their lives for the long run.
8. Which is your favorite book and why?
My favorite book would have to be “the lean startup” and the “ruthless elimination of hurry”. These books have influenced the way I approach ideas and validate concepts.
The authors have also challenged the way I approach my personal life and ensuring that I’m creating a margin in my day to protect my time and mental health.
Often, we get so caught up in creating an impact in the world that we forget to take care of ourselves and our family. Both these books together strike a good balance of how you can sustain impact in both your personal life and your professional life.
If anyone was sparked by my answers or ideas, please reach out to me on LinkedIn or other social media platforms. I love connecting with people of all walks of life and welcome any questions you might have after giving this a read!
I'm an entrepreneur, 2-Time TEDx Speaker, and recognized marketer advisor focused on helping CEOs/Executives grow their personal brand and position their story for impact.
I currently work as a Communications Chair for the GVBOT, Linkedin as a Content Creator and regularly advise leaders of recognized brands on how they can start and scale successful personal brands on social media.
Marketing Advisor | 2-Time TEDx Speaker | Linkedin Content Creator (10 million+ views) | Social Media Advisor, GVBOT & Adobe | Author of "Personal Brand Brief"
Linkedin: Joel Hansen
Website: Joelhansen.com
Interviewed By - Syrine Landolsi
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