My journey with public speaking has been tumultuous. From struggling to speak English, to speaking in front of thousands of people. I hope this short journey through history will inspire you to hone your skills too.
I moved to the UK when I was 6 years old. I came from Nigeria to join my mum and dad here and start a new life. My parents had high hopes for my siblings and me but let’s just say I didn't get off to a flying start. I was somewhat shy and reserved and mainly enjoyed playing alone. The only thing I really enjoyed was sport. I could run around and play football for hours on end. If you came to 9-year-old Mike and told him he would make a living from speaking, I would have let you know that you had the wrong person.
Over the years, what has happened since has been nothing short of amazing. Through serendipity, hard work and God’s favour, I’ve accomplished a little bit with public speaking and I’ve done the whole 180.
I’ve given over 100 keynotes, two TEDx talks, spoken in different countries, at the United Nations, with the British Royal Family, on TV shows over 20 times and more. Maybe you have just joined my journey and you think this is normal, but this wasn't always the case.
Everyone was laughing at me
One of my more vivid memories of primary school happened when I was 9 years old. I joined the school years late and so many of the students had already gotten to know each other.
Fresh from Nigeria I joined this school in southeast London, Plumstead. A few months into my arrival and the teacher asked me to read aloud a book we were reading together as a class. I trembled as I stared at the page and began to sound out the words. The whole class immediately erupted in laughter. They were laughing at my accent or the way I was reading, I couldn’t tell. Either way, the experience made me shut my mouth for years after. Throughout primary school, I didn’t speak much. In my young mind, the experience made me feel like I wasn’t meant to speak. I was ashamed of my voice and so hid it away.
Jack Petchy challenge
The next chapter in my public speaking journey was the Jack Petchy Speak Out Challenge, this time in secondary school. Now considering my earlier experience in primary school, you can imagine my aversion to any more public speaking
I was selected by my English teacher to be part of a public speaking workshop. Those who did well in the workshop would be entered into a national speaking competition with a chance to win £2000. At the time, this was the same as winning the lottery. They essentially picked the talkative kids to take part in this competition
Even though by now, I was confidently speaking to friends on the playground, the thought of speaking publicly and presenting still scared me. I thought I had an accent and I thought my voice was too harsh and heavy and because of that, I was convinced I would fail at it. I was convinced people would laugh and it just won’t go well. Still, thanks to encouragement from my mum and teachers I took part in the workshop and was entered into the competition and to my surprise, I was making my way through the competition and doing well. I kept thinking I fluffed the speech. but somehow I made it all the way to the grand final, where the top 15 speakers in the country would get to speak to 2000 people.
This is me reacting to the speech years later
What about today?
Well, quite a lot has changed since those early days. Just last week, I signed with three speaking agencies, the same ones that represent Gary Lineker, Bear Grylls and the like. Im about to take on my third TEDx talk and prepare for a return to the Middle East to do more speaking in the region. It’s been quite a journey but the shy kid that was laughed at has all but vanished over the years.
I want you to know you too are capable of turning something you were maybe ashamed of into an asset but also that you can grow in this area of public speaking
The reason I’m reflecting is to show you that all the things I do and enjoy now did not happen overnight. It has taken many years of incremental improvements to become decent at this speaking thing. I never pretended to have it all figured out at the start. I actually wasn't very good to start with. In today's socially proof-obsessed culture, we hate sucking. We just want to arrive without having done the work. We gather people around us that praise us and say the right things and as a result, we don’t grow.
Speaking is a skill and so it must be honed. It’s the one most important skill that has opened doors for me and it’s the one skill that brings all your other skills to light. Put it this way, no one cares about what you know if you can’t communicate it clearly. It’s something everyone should invest in.
Public Speaking Masterclass
On the 1st of April 2023, I will be hosting an intimate Public Speaking Masterclass for a small group of people. We will have a chance to give speeches, and recreate tough interview settings and you will have a chance to get feedback from me on your speaking and delivery.
I’m planning for it to be a transformative evening where we take our public speaking to a new level. You can grab a ticket now before they are finished
Have an amazing week,
M.T
1. I’m running a Marathon for Children that have been Abused
I will be joining the starting line at the London Marathon raising money for NSPCC. It’s a charity working to prevent the abuse of children and to help children that are abused rebuild their lives. We need to do whatever can to support children that encounter abuse in the early stages of their life.
I’m trying to raise £2,200 to support their work but also stretch me in the process. Would you donate to my fundraiser?
3. Calling All Content Creators
Over March and April, 10 projects will be able to book 10 hours at our studio Common Sense Studio for only £300. Our aim is to amplify the voices of diverse creators and young people in London!