As Motivational speeches go…Darren LaCroix’s Winning Speech
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Motivational speeches are not all the same. Some talk about motivation and overcoming adversity. Darren lived it.
A year after winning the World Championship of Public Speaking I was invited to give the speech at the National Speakers Association. I sought coaching to make it even better. Great speeches are not written, they are rewritten. Enjoy!
Stage time,
Darren LaCroix, Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking
Thanks Darren. I loved it. I feel inspired. and will now act with that inspiration. Look out floor, here I come by foot or by face.
Good article, great video! I notice a ton of subtle and really effective differences from the WCPS speech. Some worth noting include: Pacing…more and longer pauses. Customized humor (“millions…per speech”; dropping the description of Brian Tracy for an audience who would know exactly who he is), verbalizing a question we all had about what the floor smells like, bumping into the lecturn, reversing the direction of the headlne, adding the phrase “when you learn that lesson” after saying “when you take that next step”…(it added a missing link in my opinion), and changing “paid all my bills” to “died debt-free”…catchier phrase and it got a much bigger laugh.
I remember when you coached me last year, you suggested a plethora of things that were magical and perfect for me, but also a couple things that just didn’t resonate with me and my style. I tried them on live audiences anyway, and I just couldn’t pull them off, so I opted to leave them out. I felt bad doing that because I so respect you, but I realize that I wasn’t being authentic to myself, at least not at that stage of my speaking development. Thanks for the permission to grow into my own style! And thanks too for the “warning” as I move more into coaching others. I don’t want to create “mirror-me’s”. I want people to flourish in thier own style. Thanks Darren!
Darren, the original speech at the 2001 WCPS is, in my opinion, the best championship speech in 20 years. This rendition is great, but I think it lacks the ENERGY of the original and doesn’t reach out and grab the audience like the championship speech did. I know it is a different venue, but that was the effect it had on me personally. You did not smile or appear to be having fun, and did not appear to engage the audience in a personal way. I loved the reference to the horse accident the night before! Loved the re-do of the “I paid all my bills” with “debt free”. You are an inspiration to all of us who strive to become professional speakers!
Great Speech! I saw the original and this one is a more mature presentation! I can tell, however, the energy level was different, Well, the one thing about this speech is that you earned a standing ovation at the NSA Convention, you definitely EARNED IT! Great Job, really.