TJ WALKER - THE HABIT INFLUENCER - Personal Development | LIVE STREAM

I have a high pitched, squeaky voice. I am tall and gangly, and when reporters and journalists talk about me or draw me, they describe me as looking like an ape. And yet I went on to make a few good public speeches, good presentations, and I even kept this country together during the Civil War. My name is Abraham Lincoln. The story of Lincoln as a speaker is fascinating because this was pre video day, so you can't just go to YouTube and watch him speak. So people typically read the Gettysburg Address or read one of his inaugural addresses. We think of him in terms of writing, but he, he spent most of his time delivering speeches, a lot more time delivering speeches than writing speeches. And according to all observers, he had a high, screechy, not very appealing voice. But here's the interesting aspect of that. In his day, there were no loudspeakers. So when he was speaking to 10,000 people, he didn't have speakers, he didn't have microphones. So the fact that his voice was actually high and screechy, it was easier to carry. By most accounts, it was easier for people to hear him and understand him. That's the real lesson today for anyone who aspires to leadership. It's not so important that your voice be rich and deep and buttery. It's not so important that your voice fit the standard definition of what a beautiful voice is. All that really matters is that people can hear you and can understand you. If you have good ideas and you're willing to speak out, people can hear you and understand you. You can make a difference.