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

6 Sept 2016 · 2 min

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2:09

TJ Walker uses Arnold Schwarzenegger as a case study to show that perceived disadvantages (specifically a foreign accent) can be overcome in public life through other communicative strengths. The speaker argues that confidence, optimism, clear plans, and genuine presence can outweigh flaws in pronunciation, and that authenticity—speaking with conviction even with an accent—can lead to major success (e.g., becoming governor of California).

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English wasn't my first language. When I came to America, people said I had a funny accent. Forty years later, they felt the same. But I didn't let it bother me. And I ran for governor of the state of California. Some say I never actually learned how to pronounce the name of my state, but I became governor of California and served and was re elected. My name is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Now, what's the real lesson here, folks? You may love or hate Arnold Schwarzenegger's politics, and critics can debate his tenure, but what can't be debated is the fact that he's overcome what other people perceive as disadvantages. He had a strong foreign accent and yet rose to the pinnacle of power in the most populous state in the United States. How did he do it? Part of it is he had other strengths to mask flaws. Yes, he had an accent. Yes, he said California. California. But when you saw him speak, he always exuded the sense that he was happy to be there. He was confident about the future, he was optimistic about the future. He had plans, he has ideas, and he was confident that he could do the job. So all the other things he had that he brought to the table as a communicator overwhelmed the flaws. That's the real lesson here. You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to sound like a news anchor from the Midwest who got on CBS or NBC in the 1980s. You can sound like you. You can have an accent. You can be from anywhere in the world. If people can understand you and you exude optimism and confidence and you speak with conviction, you can be a wildly successful communication.