Meet John Watkis | Presentation Skills and Public Speaking Expert

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Watkis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
Actively seeking feedback

A mentor once told me “you can’t see the entire picture when you’re inside the frame.” He was spot on. Having eyes with an outside perspective is the best way to see yourself and improve.

Whether I’ve taught a workshop, designed an online course, or performed in a show, I make it a point to ask what I can do next time to improve. Notice I didn’t say I ask what I did wrong. Knowing what I did wrong does me no good if I don’t know the steps to take in the future. I also ask what I did well. Knowing what I did well tells me what I’m already doing and should lean in to.

When I’m preparing to deliver a new keynote speech, I’ll deliver it to a Toastmaster club (public speaking) to get their feedback. I evaluate the feedback, work what feels right into my keynote (I don’t act on all feedback), and do another test run. I also watch video of myself and take notes.

The more feedback I receive and act on, the better I get.

Update what I know

Despite having limited formal education, I’ve taught workshops at Ivy league schools, written speeches for leaders in the public and private sectors, and coached organizations to win the largest contracts in their history.

How am I able to teach at such a high level with limited formal education? I constantly seek out knowledge on a variety of topics that relate to communication, neuroscience, mindfulness, fitness, creativity, and any other topic that would make the heartbeat of a geek race with anticipation.

Most of my driving time is spent listening to audiobooks and podcasts, or silent reflection. I’m seriously out of date when it comes to current music, but I’ll take it in exchange for feeding my mind the information that helps me steer clear of outdated beliefs and practices.

Because I’m constantly learning and challenging my beliefs, I’m able to think critically and creatively. I see patterns that emerge across topics and connect the commonalities when I form opinions.

Listening to understand

I learned the principle of listening to understand from Steven Covey, author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey said “Most people listen in order to respond when they should be listening to understand.”

I can’t take full credit for adopting this habit, because I’ve been hearing impaired since my mid 20’s. It’s a habit I had to adopt in order to understand what people were saying to me. There have been numerous times I’ve misunderstood what people said to me because I wasn’t wearing hearing aids and didn’t focus 100% on them while they were speaking. I would get the most confused looks when I responded to something I thought they said, rather than what they actually said. This was in the literal sense, but it also happened in the figurative sense. I’ve often missed the true message someone was trying to convey to me, because I didn’t listen to understand.

When I learned to lean in and listen to understand (with or without hearing aids), people trusted me more. They felt my attention and intention to fully understand what they were communicating and what it was they wanted and needed. As a result, they were more open, shared more information, and made it easier for me to identify their true needs and challenges. When I fully committed to listening to understand, people felt like I understood them, which resulted in them wanting to do business with me. Don’t we all want to feel like someone “gets us?”

Listening to understand has also saved me time. Because I spend time understanding the true needs of clients, friends, and colleagues, I spend less time correcting mistakes or clearing up miscommunication that leads to friction, resistance, and hurt feelings.

Mindfulness & meditation

Mindfulness is the foundation of every other skill. Until one becomes mindful of their thoughts and behaviors, they’ll find themselves in the same situations, repeating mistakes, but not understanding why.

I owe much of what I’ve accomplished to the practice of being mindful and spending time in meditation. This means observing my thinking without judging my thoughts. Reflecting on past actions and feelings, and trying to understand the motivation(s) behind those actions and feelings.

Working with therapists has helped me become more aware of my triggers and what causes them.

My mornings start with meditation, affirmations, and quiet time in reflection. This makes it so much easier to handle the stressors that are guaranteed to surface at some point during the day. Do I experience stressful moments? Absolutely. At the same time, I’m able to better navigate the stress because I spend so much time being kind to my nervous system as a practice.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What sets me (and my business) apart from others is proven performance, at a world-class level, as a speaker, speaking coach, performer, and speechwriter. I have nearly 30 years experience as a professional speaker, having spoken in eight countries, on four continents. I was the first Canadian-born actor to play Mufasa in The Lion King musical. As a speechwriter, I was tapped by BBC and Ragan Communications to analyze speeches by Barack Obama and john McCain during the 2008 Presidential elections. As a speaking coach, my clients have secured their largest contracts and senior level jobs. You’ll be hard pressed to find the longevity, experience, and level of success across different disciplines that I bring to every project I work on.

I got to where I was by putting in a lot of time on stages, making multiple mistakes, and learning how to avoid making those mistakes again. There were times success felt easy, but it’s only because I enjoy my work. There have also been times I’ve wanted to run away and live in the wilderness, because the stress of being a solo-preneur is not for sane people. On some level, you have to be a little crazy to work for yourself.

Many doors have been opened for me by the people in my network. Relationships have been just as, if not more, important than my skills. It doesn’t matter how skilled you are if you don’t get the opportunity to demonstrate those skills. The people in my network trust me enough to introduce me to the people in their networks. That’s been a big difference maker for me.

The most important lesson I’ve learned is that you perform at the level of your beliefs. The subconscious mind is so strong, it will cause you to sabotage yourself and remain where you are. I’ve been on a constant journey to reshape the limiting beliefs I learned early in life. The more I shed those beliefs, the more success I attain, and the more my business grows.

What do I want the world to know about me? I will always be a work in progress. My goal is to keep learning and growing until I expire.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Because I’m new to LA and travel a lot, I’m not the best tour guide for the city. Don’t judge. I do have a few favorite spots, though.

We would definitely visit Salt & Straw. I don’t care which location. Their ice cream is top shelf.
Sunday would include salsa dancing outdoors at Third Street Promenade, in Santa Monica.
We would dedicate one day to hiking at Switzer Falls Trail.
Hollywood Bowl for a concert would be an option if there was a singalong or artist I enjoyed.
I would want them to experience The Grove, in West Hollywood, and possibly the Santa Monica Pier.

What can I say? I need to work on my tour guide skills.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This section could be an article all by itself. I am who I am…and where I am, because of so many amazing people. I hesitate to write this, because I don’t want to miss anyone. My mastermind partners, Sherril Harris and Dr. Pat Baxter. We’ve been meeting bi-weekly for 8 years and counting. Allison Shapira, Author of Speak with Impact, has opened up so many doors for me and been an inspiration in my life. I couldn’t ask for a better friend and colleague. Dawnna St. Louis showed me what it looks like to take action and think of myself as a premium brand. I think bigger because of her. Carolyn Quintin, past Dean of the Central Florida Chapter Speakers Academy, connected me to so many opportunities and has been in the background of many of my projects.

Since moving to LA, I’ve been blessed to meet 2x Emmy Award winner, Paulette Lifton, who has become a close friend and supporter. She constantly encourages me and pushes me into the spotlight even though she knows I shy away from it. Lisa Konczal has been an amazing friend and colleague who constantly reminds me of who I am and has introduced me to her network of other heart-centered professionals.

I would be remiss if I didn’t shout out my two sons and my granddaughter. It’s a blessing to be loved unconditionally.

There are so many others I could name. I’m beyond blessed to have so many supportive people in my life.

Website: https://www.johnwatkis.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnwatkis/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwatkis/

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/@johnwatkis34

Image Credits
Photographer: Kenneth Grant Inzpirations