 Public speaking is said to be the number one fear for most people. Not for Joze Piranian, who is grabbing fear by the balls. He is a lifelong stutterer who uses a breathing technique to control his stutter. He is on a mission to destroy his fears one stage at a time, starting with Speaker Slam. On November 21st 2017, Joze accomplished a major feat when he competed in the GRAND SLAM of Inspirational Speaking against the best speakers in Toronto and won. The 2017 GRAND SLAM – featured all the year’s winners. A roster that was the culmination of 8 Speaker Slams, brought together the best speakers of the year for the ultimate throw down in inspirational speaking. 14 speakers from all facets of life bared their souls on stage as they competed for a $5000 prize package.
Until just a few years ago, he avoided speaking at all cost, but now, actively embraces the challenge. It started at McGill University, Joze joined the debating club where he broke out of his thick shell and participated in tournaments. In order to overcome his fear of public speaking, he joined Toastmasters International; he still attends the meetings on a weekly basis in Toronto. Joze's recurring experience with adversity gave him the insight that fear is merely an indication that we must say YES and...just do it. "If we are afraid of something, it probably means that doing it would tremendously benefit our personal growth." That's how Joze wound up on the Speaker Slam stage. Unwilling to stop here, Joze continues to do stand-up comedy, where he combines his passion for comedy with his drive to master public speaking. Joze is deeply motivated to continuously self-improve while eliminating self-limiting beliefs, pushing his boundaries and meeting amazing people along the way. If you would like to follow Joze's journey, subscribe to his YouTube channel: Yes Way Joze Fun Fact: Jozé has lived in four countries and stutters in six languages.  Established in 2016, Speaker Slam attracts over 100 monthly visitors, showcasing the highest standard of public speaking in Toronto, while giving speakers an opportunity to meet and engage with other professional speakers with different backgrounds and nationalities. If you would like to get on the stage as well, you can apply to be a speaker here: http://www.speakerslam.ca/apply-to-compete.html Special thanks to all our speakers and our judges: Fay Chapple, Blake Fleischacker, Karen Donaldson and Sunjay Nath for making this night amazing for everyone!  Congratulations to Joze Piranian (1st), Jonathan Andrews (2nd) and Ande Clumpus for taking top spots at this years Grand Slam!
 Does the thought of public speaking leave you shaking at the knees? Do you have nightmares about the audience throwing tomatoes as you fall off the stage? If you’re nodding your head, it's no wonder you're nervous. That anxious feeling is a signal that you are focusing on yourself instead of the value you're giving to your audience. Focusing on ourselves leaves us vulnerable to disappointment. Focusing on our audience, and how to best serve them, is how we can feel like Rocky Balboa, at the top on the steps, jumping with our hands in the air and our theme song playing. Here's a story of what not to do… I recently gave up an entire hour of my precious time, listening to a so-called professional speaker who had just enough engaging energy to keep me curious as to what he would say next. I finally came to accept that he wasn't going to respect my time and give me a beneficial take away. There was no lesson, or inspiration, or unique perspective, or message that would improve my life in any way. He seemed to just like being the centre of attention. Technically, he used all the right actions; he had eye contact, asked questions, used tonal variety, moved with purpose, etc. But, as polished as he was, I felt like I needed to shower afterwards, to cleanse myself of my poor choice to stay and listen. Speaker Slam sets up success... Have you noticed that Speaker Slam incorporates a theme with each event? That theme is an element that encourages speakers to give something of value to the audience. We all have a unique perspective that we can share, and successful speeches leave listeners inspired in some way. It may be a lesson on how to overcome adversity, or a message on building resilience, or motivation to stand up for what you believe in. With a sincere and generous motivation, we’ll feel less anxious about getting on stage. Being genuinely helpful lessens the nervousness around failure and refocuses us on what we know we can contribute. When our motivation is based on giving, sharing and respect for our audience, instead of our desire to be a superstar, our anxiety will decrease. I just rewatched Michelle Emson’s very personal, Speaker Slam talk about her “butterfly” transformation. Michelle’s talk is successful because she uses her story to enhance the lives of her listeners. She gives her audience a great lesson to ponder about how transformation comes at a price. Then inspires us when she explains it's worth it. And she leaves us with a clear message on loving our own uniqueness, before we can respect the uniqueness of others. She has a smooth delivery, but even if she had completely blundered, tripped on her way to the stage, or did any of the things we get nervous about, she would still be winning because she’s sharing something beneficial with her audience.
If we reframe success as giving our audience something of value, and we do that, then we’ll achieve a great talk 100% of the time. There's no need to get jittery with a 100% success rate. Get on stage and be excited instead. -- Written by www.SmartLife.tips blogger, Yvonne Lines. The above post is inspired by a nugget of wisdom found in the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler’s book, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living. |
What is Speaker Slam?Our Inspirational Speaking Competition features 10 competitors going head to head and heart to heart, to deliver 4-6 minute speeches based on a monthly theme with a chance of winning cash and prizes valued up to $5000. Our winners have gone on to get paid speaking gigs, TEDx talks and online notoriety. Archives
April 2019
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