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"ELENI SPEAKS" NEWSLETTER
Eleni Speaks and SPEEK are divisions of Eleni Kelakos Enterprises, Ltd.
Hello my friends!
Many of you know me as the president and founder
of SPEEK, a communications and executive
presentation coaching service. Some of you are
familiar with me as a touring singer, songwriter and
performing artist. And a number of you are aware of
me as a motivational keynote speaker with a flagship
program called TOUCH THE SKY. With the advent of
my newest website, www.elenispeaks.com, all of my
different facets finally-- and neatly-- come
together. Visit www.elenispeaks.com to find out
more about the different aspects of my work. And
know that this quarterly newsletter will bring you
news and information about my own adventures as a
public speaker as well as tips and tools that will help
you with your own public speaking and
communication issues. As always, my goal is to set
your souls on fire-- either by SPEAKING TO YOU, or
HELPING YOU SPEAK with passion and soul.
Speak Out and Speak Up! And Happy Holidays!
Eleni
Fire Up Your Soul!
"The Most Powerful weapon on earth is the
human
soul on Fire."-- Ferdinand Foch.
Winter is here, and with it the chance to sit in front
of a roaring fire and be mesmerized by the dancing,
leaping flames. It's comforting to sit and be
warmed by a fire that is a safe distance away,
sparks and embers dying against the fireplace grate.
But what if that fire were within you, crackling within
the very depths of your soul? What if you were filled
with the heat of a leaping, arcing passion that
burned so bright and so hard you could barely sit still?
Well, actually, you are. We all have embers within
us-- dreams and desires and deep passions-- that,
with proper stoking, can burst into the kind of flame
that can give our life new meaning and purpose.
Speaking for myself, it is this "fire in the soul" that
propells me to get out of bed in the morning and seek
out opportunities to speak/sing in front of others. I
am on a mission to use my words and my music to
motivate others to be more of who they are and
uncover their potential. When my soul is on fire, I am
not only better motivated to stay on my path,
despite the obstacles, but I am better able to stoke
and kindle the flame in others.
Simply put, when we are turned on, we
can turn other people on. When our souls are on
fire, we can help to spark the flame in others.
But how do we turn ourselves on? How do we keep
the flame in us alive? By continuously paying
attention to -- and making an effort to rub up
against -- WHAT WE LOVE, WHAT WE
ARE GOOD AT and WHAT WE KNOW is RIGHT FOR
US. For example, if you love to paint, but aren't, put
yourself in a class... take yourself to an exhibit of an
artist you respect and admire... schedule time every
week or every day to sketch or paint, even if it's for
10 minutes. Taking tiny steps towards the blazing
center of your passion is better than taking no steps
at all.
It takes vigilance, determination and self-love to
keep ourselves plugged into our passion, our purpose
and our paths. But we can, if we choose to.
Speaker's Corner
Connecting with Your Audience, Soul to Soul
Most of us are comfortable speaking one-on-one with
another person. But when we face a roomful of
people to deliver a speech or presentation, our
hearts pound, our palms sweat, our brain turns to
mush, and we have the urge to race out of the
room, never to return again.
Here's the thing: An audience is not one
large body with a bunch of heads. It is a room full of
individual people who just happen to be sitting
together: And that means you need to think about
connecting with them ONE PERSON AT A TIME.
Here's the trick: Don't speak until you are
ready, and until you have first silently connected
with your audience, eye-to-eye and soul-to-soul.
Right about now, you're thinking "Eye to eye? I have
to look them in the eye???" You betcha. They are
people just like you, and they are there to support
you, not criticize you or bring you down. If you are
willing to allow yourself to connect with them, eye-
to-eye and soul-to-soul, you will see and feel their
support of you.
So, take a big, deep breath, and make it your mission
to connect to one person in the audience. Really
see them, and let them see you. Be there in that
moment with them.Once you've connected to that
person, move your eyes to another person and really
see them. Once you feel connected to them, to the
same with another person. You will discover a
roomful of real, caring people who are there for you,
and you will be encouraged to take the next step,
which is to share your words with them.
I'll say it again: Connect first (eye to eye,
heart to heart) and Speak later. One person
at a time.
to person.
The Dust Settles: TOUCH THE SKY! at Curves Ann Arbor.
Motivate Your Employees and Colleagues with Eleni's TOUCH THE SKY!
The recent performance of my musical motivational
keynote program, TOUCH THE SKY! at Robin Black's
Curves in Ann Arbor was a terrific success-- thanks
in no small part to those of you who turned out in
droves with friends and family. Many of you spoke
afterwards of being inspired, moved and uplifted. To
that, I say "so was I!!!"
For those of you who are not yet aware, TOUCH THE
SKY!-- my collection of original stories and songs
designed to boost morale and make productivity soar-
- is available for conferences, monthly meetings and
gatherings of people whose mission is to make a
difference by being more fully themselves. TOUCH
THE SKY! can help your employees and colleagues re-
connect with their mission and re-kindle their passion
so that they can weather obstacles and stay on task.
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phone:
734-622-0522
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FIRE UP YOUR SOUL! I challenge you to schedule
some time every day to do one thing, big or little, to
stoke the fire of your passion, your purpose and your
path! Take a walk, take a class, visit a museum, sing
loud, listen to fabulous music, call a mentor, write in
your journal. FEED YOUR FLAME! If not now, when?
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