Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to John Watkis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi John, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

The biggest risk I took happened in 1999. At the time, I was traveling the world as a professional speaker and had just released my first book, “Don’t Bite the Hand That Feeds You – How to Avoid Mistakes That Cost You Customers and Credibility.”

My book was in major bookstores across Canada, I was appearing on television as a subject-matter expert, and I was being booked for speaking engagements with speakers bureaus. Life was good.

As fate would have it, while on a plane back to Toronto (my home at the time), I saw an ad in the newspapers. It read, “Singers wanted for The Lion King.”

Logically, the article should have garnered nothing more than a trite “how cool” in my brain. Instead, I kept reading the details. The auditions were on the upcoming weekend. All that was required were 16 bars of a song performed a cappella. Since I had the weekend off, I figured I would give it a go. During my almost-weekly road trips, I kept myself entertained singing karaoke whenever there was an opportunity. Certainly not a qualification for performing in one of the most popular plays ever to hit a theatrical stage, but it was enough to make me curious. At worst, perhaps I could score some tickets as a consolation for auditioning? It didn’t feel like a risk auditioning. After all…I didn’t believe there was a remote chance I would be considered. I had good reason.

I attended a performing arts school in high school and was kicked out of the theatre arts program in my second year. Not sure how it’s possible to fail theatre arts, but I managed. I didn’t make the school musical, The Pajama Game, or the school jazz choir. I didn’t make the school talent show even though I auditioned with future Soul Train award winner, Deborah Cox (who did make the talent show singing a solo). I was used to hearing “no,” so hearing it again was my expectation.

When I arrived at the audition Saturday morning, there were hundreds of other hopefuls who arrived long before me. My wait would be three hours. When I signed in, I was asked if I had my sheet music with me. Sheet music? The ad said a cappella! Since I had three hours, I went to the local music store and bought the sheet music for my favorite karaoke song at the time, I Just Called to Say I Love You.

When I auditioned, the first person I sang for asked me if I had seen Stephanie yet. I hadn’t. Stephanie was THE casting director.Turns out I had done well enough that I was sent to Stephanie’s room. When I auditioned for Stephanie, I was handed a script with the word “Mufasa” at the top. I was getting a callback. I was floored.

After two additional auditions, that spanned a number of weeks, I received the call. I had been chosen as the understudy for Mufasa. This is where the risk came in…

If I took the offer to perform in The Lion King, it meant shutting down my speaking business for at least a year. In fact, a speakers bureau contacted me about doing five speaking engagements at $5,000 each. This was in 2000! On top of the shutting the business down, I knew nothing about being in the entertainment industry. It was completely different than the corporate environment I had learned to navigate and succeed in.

It’s funny how much you can do when you have no clue what you’re doing. Instead of accepting the first offer I was presented with from Mirvish Productions, I insisted on a higher number. After all…I didn’t need the show. I was oblivious to the opportunity in front of me. As a result, I got the rate I requested…and I didn’t have to pay an agent, because I went to the audition on my own. If I was going to walk away from my business, it had to be worth it.

Who knows how life would have unfolded had I decided to stick with my business and not taken the risk to perform in a production I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I still remember the day it started…June 23rd, 1994. I was a new customer service supervisor in the call center for Columbia House (mail order music club). My Director, Colin Wiggan, sent me to a seminar, How to Deliver Exceptional Customer Service. The seminar was put on by Fred Pryor Seminars (Now Fred Pryor/CareerTrack), the largest one day seminar company in the world. The seminar leader was Darsell Karrington. From start to finish, he kept the participants hanging on his every word. As I watched him work his magic, I remember thinking…that’s what I want to do!

Two years later, Fred Pryor Seminars placed an ad in the paper. They were looking for Canadian seminar leaders. I went to the audition, which was me in a room with one person and a video camera. I was offered an opportunity to attend a weekend workshop in Shawnee Mission, KS at the headquarters of Fred Pryor Seminars. They gave me material to learn and teach at the upcoming workshop.

After the weekend workshop, I was offered the position as a seminar leader with the company. A few months later, I left my position at Columbia House and traveled throughout Canada and the U.S. teaching full-day workshops in different cities on consecutive days. For example, I would fly to Cleveland on a Sunday evening, teach a full day workshop, jump into a rental car and drive to Canton for a full day workshop the following day. I led between three to five workshops per week, three weeks per month. It was a grueling schedule, but I was only 26 and the travel didn’t phase me at first. Over time, I gave workshops in Australia, England, Wales, and Cyprus.

In time, I realized I was good enough to promote my own workshops, and n 1996, I became the first black male to gain professional status in the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. I continued working with Fred Pryor seminars, and also developed my own material. In 1998, I wrote and self published my first book, Don’t Bite the Hand That Feeds You – How to Avoid Mistakes That Cost You Customers and Credibility. Though it’s out of date and embarrassing to read now, it was the gateway that opened up the speaking world for me.

Once the books were printed, I wanted to promote it on television. I walked into CityTV (local Toronto station) and told the person at the front desk I had a book and wanted to be interviewed. I didn’t know that’s not how it worked. Except it did work, I received a phone call a few days later and was invited to appear on Breakfast Television. I had been in front of cameras since I was 10 years old, so the interview was a hit. Someone who saw the interview and wanted to hire me called a speakers bureau to see if they could bring me into their company. The speakers bureau contacted me and booked that speech. Other show hosts at the station saw the interview and invited me to be a guest on their segments. It was like a snowball gaining momentum downhill…I was on a roll.

Then The Lion King happened.

All the momentum was gone and I entered a whole new world for a year. I missed speaking and wanted to return to it.

After I finished my year run with The Lion King, I was invited to share my experience with the members of the Toronto chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. What I shared turned into a talk…Lessons in the Circle of Life. It was a look at the lessons I learned onstage and backstage during the show.

Somewhere along the way, I felt conflicted. My marriage had failed and I was struggling financially, but I was motivating others to do their own great things. It’s more accurate to say I felt shame. So much so, I convinced myself to stop speaking. Instead, I turned to writing speeches for others who were successful and needed help sharing their messages in a way that properly positioned them, while making it easier for audiences to take away important information.

The speechwriting led to a concept that would turn into a talk that looked at speech craft in a way that hadn’t been done yet.

A client, who I had written a speech for, sent me an email asking if I played any musical instruments. At the time, you didn’t Google the way you would now. This was approximately 2004. When I asked why she wanted to know, she said someone had told her when she wished to hire a speechwriter, to make sure the speechwriter was musical in some way. Since speeches are meant to be listened to, they need to appeal to the ear, have rhythm, pauses, etc. When she read my speech, she felt it had musical elements and wanted to find out if I had heard the theory, and what I thought about it.

I hadn’t heard the theory, and I wasn’t sure what I thought about it. I had never analyzed my writing process. I simply wrote what sounded best based on my understanding of rhetoric (the art of persuasion), my experience on stages, and listening to speakers from various disciplines. I was intrigued though.

I was a little more than musical in “some way.” Music was in my blood. I grew up surrounded by music, and everyone in my family either played an instrument or sang. But was my method for writing speeches influenced by my musical talent?

I tried to find articles that related speeches to music, but my search turned up very little. My next step was to look at successful speeches and music separately. After breaking down the components of a song and looking at the elements that made up the most successful speeches in history, I discovered there was, indeed, a connection between the two.

Music and Successful speeches are remembered, repeated, and responded to by people who listen to them.
Music and successful speeches also have eight essential elements in common.

My findings would be turned into a talk and, eventually my book over a decade later, How to Make Your Speech Sound Like Music to Their Ears. This was an area I felt confident speaking about and didn’t feel the same internal conflict I felt when speaking about being successful in life.

Delivering the talk at association meetings led to writing speeches for a variety of clients, including BMW Canada and local politicians.

As my reputation grew, I was invited to submit articles and political commentary for Ragan Communications, the leading resource and publisher of information on corporate communications, and served as an expert commentator on BBC World Have Your Say during the 2008 Presidential election between Barack Obama and John McCain.

Unfortunately, when hard times hit in 2008, businesses buckled their financial belts, and ongoing engagements were cancelled…which left me struggling to stay upright. I was great at getting gigs, but understood little about how to run a business. I was in for a bumpy ride.

As fate would have it, my mother got her U.S. citizen ship in 2003 and had applied for a family visa on my behalf. 6 1/2 years later, in 2009, I was approved for my visa. I drove to the border immediately to get my social security number and complete the paperwork, but it wasn’t until May 2010 that I would move.

I believed I would live my whole life in Toronto. My sons were in their teenage years and it tore me up to leave them. I don’t know that I’ve ever made a harder decision in my life. What I did know was I had limited options. I had been evicted from my apartment and was staying at my grandmother’s home while she was in Jamaica. When she returned, I had to move my belongings and figure out where I would live. As it turned out, that was with my mother in Florida. Imagine moving back in with your mother at age 40. Yeah…

When I moved to Florida, I started serving tables to earn income. It was a Red Lobster in Polk County, FL. Boy, did I stand out. It wasn’t uncommon to be questioned by someone with a southern drawl…”You ain’t from around here, are ya?”

Working at that restaurant would lead me to meet a couple that would be influential in my life, and who I admire greatly to this day. They were an older, distinguished, black couple sitting in the bar booths. I was bartending that day and serving them, in addition to other tables.

The woman asked me, “where are you from?” I responded by asking “why do you ask?”

Her: “Because you’re very polite”

Me: “Aren’t people from around here polite?”

Her: “Not as polite as you.”

The table I had been serving next to them was a group of rowdy teenagers, and they received the same service I would have given to anyone.

When I explained where, I was from and what my background was, the woman gave me her card and said to give her a call.

I was used to getting cards from restaurant patrons, but usually it was someone wanting to get me into multi-level marketing. I figured this was the same old same old. Was I wrong.

When I looked up the woman from the restaurant, it turned out she was Seretha Tinsley, the first African American woman to be a manager of a radio station in the US. I didn’t even look up her husband. I would later learn he was George Tinsley, Sr, former NCAA basketball standout, and on the board of the National Basketball Retired Player Association.

After working with Seretha Tinsley and her non-profit organization for a few months, she told me she wanted to introduce me to her husband. She thought we would work well together. My investigative skills were clearly non-existent, because I knew so little about the man in the next office who would always greet me by saying “hello, young man.”

The Tinsley’s were the owners of the number one TGI Fridays in sales for 9 consecutive years. Their KFC was #1 per town size in the country. Mr. T would become President of the NBA Retired Players Association, and eventually be inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame. By that time, I had become his speaking coach and wrote his hall of fame induction speech.

Somewhere in the midst of all this, I found time to get my personal training certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, then open a fitness studio. Doesn’t fit neatly anywhere in my story. But the knowledge of the body I would learn taught me so much about physicality in public speaking. Even while running my fitness studio, I found a way to travel the U.S. and speak at fitness conventions, teaching public speaking for fitness professionals.

In November 2017, I closed my fitness studio and went back to speaking. I made the transition by becoming a contractor with Global Public Speaking, a leading firm in leadership communications.

In 2019, I would go on to finally finish and publish the book I started writing in 2006, Speaking Notes: The Eight Essential Elements to Make Your Speech Music to Their Ears.

What problem do I solve?
Attention is a precious commodity. You work hard to get it. But how do you keep it. There are so many distractions vying for your clients’ attention…which means you have to be more interesting than the distractions.

I work with clients to develop and deliver messages and experiences that capture and keep the attention of their intended audience (both external and internal), so that their messaging is clearly heard, understood, and acted upon.

Whenever you have someone’s attention, you’re on center stage. I have a variety of services and products that all center around how you communicate in those situations.

1-on-1 and group High-Stakes Performance Coaching

Virtual or onsite coaching for individuals or small groups that have a high-stakes presentation they need to develop and deliver. I work with them to hone in on the captivating content, and then deliver it so audiences pay attention from start to finish.

Online Public Speaking Courses – 10-Day Presentation Transformation

The 10-Day Presentation Transformation digital course is for business professionals who want to improve their presentation skills so they can be more persuasive, attract ideal clients, and stand out in a crowded marketplace. The learning modules can be accessed anywhere, any time, on desktop and mobile devices.

In-person workshops – Workshop Your Talk

A 2-day, in person, immersive experience for professionals who want to receive direction and feedback on their talk so they can unlock the stories and material, and unleash their inner genius.

The experience is ideal for business professionals who use public speaking to market and promote their products and services

Participants receive time on the stage where they receive coaching and realtime feedback

Conferences Education & Entertainment Experiences

Whether it’s a keynote speaker, master of ceremonies, Voice of God, breakout session, team building experience, or all of the above, I work with clients who want their attendees to be immersed in an unforgettable experience they’ll want to have again and again.

Voiceover – VOG, Corporate narration, meditations, podcast intros and outros.

When your message is important and you want a voice that stands out and connects with your audience…whether it be a corporate brand video, Voice of God for award ceremonies, podcast introduction, or meditation, I lend my voice to those projects.

What sets me apart is early 30 years of demonstrated excellence in multiple disciplines. I’ve performed at a world class level as a speaker, speechwriter, and performer…and I’ve reached those levels without a formal education. That means I’ve figured out what it takes to perform at the highest level through trial and error. I find a way to bring out the best in myself…and I do the same for my clients. I constantly question standard practices to determine if they’re the most effective practices. In the end, I draw out the best parts of my clients they didn’t know existed.

What makes these results possible is my ability to create a safe environment for my clients so they can feel comfortable failing on their way to finding the best within them.

What am I most proud of?

Thinking about this literally brings me to tears. I’m most proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish in spite of circumstances. When I look at where I’ve come from and what I’ve been through, then look at the relationships I have and the rooms I’ve been able to stand out in…I’m in awe.

I won’t go into the details. What I’ll say is that the physical abuse I experienced as a child was traumatic. I can tell stories that would shock the hardest person. As far as abandonment goes, I vividly remember coming home from school to an eviction notice when I was 14 years old…and there was no parent in the picture to turn to.

My highest level of completed education is grade 12. I didn’t get that until I was 20. Did I mention I got kicked out the the performing arts school? I dropped out of two college programs and have never earned a college diploma or certificate. And, to most people’s surprise, I’m deeply introverted.

Despite all of that, I was the first Canadian-born actor to play Mufasa in the Disney musical, The Lion King. Was the first black male to achieve professional status in the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. Was the first black president of the Central Florida chapter of the National Speakers Association. Launched the first-ever online Speechwriters Roundtable. I’ve delivered speeches and presentations in seven countries, and on four continents. I’ve authored two books, written speeches for corporate executives, political leaders, and even a hall-of-fame athlete. I’ve spoken at Harvard and Fletcher School of business. Nothing in my upbringing would cause anyone to look at me and say, “yep…he’s gonna do great things.”

I’m deeply grateful for my relationships with my adult sons and granddaughter. I didn’t have a healthy example of what a relationship could look like between a father and his sons. To be able to have conversations with them…conversations they’re happy to have with me, is everything I could ask for. To know my granddaughter loves it when I FaceTime her, and that she asks her parents to call me…how blessed am I?

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn is that creative and talented people aren’t intelligent.

“I don’t want to be known for my talent. I want to be known for my intelligence.”

The comment came out during a discussion about why I didn’t promote my Lion King accomplishments more. I wanted the world to know me for my ability to disect information and share it in a way that was easy to understand. For my book…for my speeches. Not for standing onstage in a costume singing. I remember feeling insulted when a corporate client introduced me by saying my claim to fame was performing in The Lion King as Mufasa.

Talent, as far as I was concerned, had nothing to do with intelligence. I turned my nose up at The Lion King, because it was easy for me to get into the show. I showed up once and my talent got me in. Took no intelligence whatsoever. I cringe now thinking about it.

Where did that belief come from? I would say society. Society doesn’t value talent, whether it’s athletic or artistic, as intelligence. Shut up and dance. I don’t want to hear your opinion. Shut up and dribble. I don’t want an athlete’s opinions on politics. Performing isn’t considered a “real job.”

Most of society (businesses and individuals) don’t want to pay creatives what they’re worth. Exposure is the most famous currency offered to creatives for their work. Hence the starving artist label.

As I’ve aged, I’ve learned to appreciate how much work and intelligence goes into making talent seem effortless. Actors need to understand so much about multiple topics to bring a character to life on the screen or stage. Musicians and writers put in countless hours to master their craft.

Intelligence comes in many forms. I wish I understood and appreciated this truth earlier in life. I would have embraced my full intelligence much sooner.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I’ve read, listened to, and watched countless books, videos, courses and audio programs over the past three decades that have had a significant impact on my entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy. There is one book I can point to that has had the most significant impact and completely changed the trajectory of my life: First Things First, by Stephen Covey, A. Roger and Rebecca R. Merrill.

There was one statement, in particular, that made me look at life through a completely different lens…and I never saw the world the same way again. The statement was “We’ve painstakingly climbed the “ladder of success” rung by rung – the diploma, the late nights, the promotions – only to discover as we reached the top rung that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.”

At the time, I was only two courses away from finishing my business diploma at George Brown College. This was after learning I wanted to become a professional speaker. Rather than finishing the two courses so I could get my certificate in Business Administration, I switched courses and took an Adult Education program at Seneca College. When I told friends and family what I planned to do, they all kept talking about being a couple courses away, so I should just finish the business courses and start the adult education classes after. In my mind, finishing the business admin course was only taking me higher up the ladder that was leaning against the wrong wall.

It turns out my decision to take adult education classes paid off, because, when Fred Pryor Seminars came looking for seminar leaders in 1996, I had taken three of the five required courses in adult education and had a much deeper understanding of how to design and deliver experiential learning programs for adults. It also helped when I needed to get a Treaty NAFTA visa to be able to teach workshops in the U.S. at that time.

Imagine one statement having such an impact. To this day, I still check in to make sure my ladder is leaning against the right wall.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.johnwatkis.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnwatkis/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speakperformancecoach
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnwatkis/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/johnwatkis

Image Credits

Kenneth Grant Inzpirations