Yahya Bakkar: How To Be a Powerful Speaker & Get More Speaking Gigs (Ep. 4)

Holy smokes! Ashley and Yahya Bakkar drop some major truth bombs and valuable insights on public speaking! If you are interested in becoming a better public speaker and booking more speaking gigs, this will be your jam.

You can listen to the full episode on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Yahya Bakkar really perfected the craft of public speaking telling his story and really creating a movement around his message. The way that he captivates his audience is like something I’ve never seen before. He’s coached some of the biggest names in the industry such as Gerard Adams and Lewis Howes. Yahya has built a seven-figure business off of public speaking alone and in the episode, he breaks it down step by step. I highly recommend you listen to the full episode if you want to know how to craft your message, deliver a powerful public speech and book more speaking gigs.

Here are some of the key highlights and takeaways I got from the episode:

  • Do what is true for you. Be authentic, real and raw. Do what you feel is right and not what other people “think” is right.
  • Be relentless and resourceful. When you really want something, you have the ability to figure it out. Put the time in and do your research!
  • Trust there is something more. What you believe you attract.
  • You don’t need to see the whole staircase to take the first step. You don’t need to know everything to just START.
  • Focus on your WHY. This will light you up and bring out real, authentic passion.
  • Clarity comes from action not thought. You will never know the outcome without taking action.
  • Not taking action is a choice. We have a choice in everything we do. If you want something, you have to take ACTION.
  • If you can’t fix it, feature it. If something happens, and there is no fixing it, use it to humor the audience and be real.
  • Go deep as opposed to wide. If you can make an impact on one person, you are still making an impact. Always look at it like you are speaking to 1 person no matter how large the audience is.  
  • You are not alone. If you ask most public speakers, they will tell you they still get nervous before they get on stage, in front of a camera, etc. Whatever you are feeling, someone else is feeling too.
  • People crave authenticity! Speak what is on your mind and be confident!
  • Your imperfections make you influential. We all have imperfections, this is what allows us to relate and connect to others.
  • People don’t want a presentation, they want a conversation. Speak to the audience in a way the engages them.
  • “No amount of self-improvement can make up for a lack of self-acceptance.” You must accept yourself as you improve, or you will always feel that “missing” piece.  
  • You’re valuable because you exist!

The Art of Storytelling

Yahya Bakkar is a master storyteller and has really shown the importance of mastering the art of telling your story. It creates an instant connection with the audience and allows them to relate to you on a deeper level.

  1. Be ALIVE. If you can become more ALIVE on stage, in person, and on camera, you’ve already won ¾ of the battle. As Yahya Bakkar says, “Simplify your approach to amplify your results. If you want to show up more powerfully, just become more ALIVE!” So what exactly does coming ALIVE mean?

Yahya breaks it down like this:

A=Authentic.

L=Likeable

I=Influential

V=Vulnerable

E=Empathetic

  • The business of speaking. People buy people. Period. Whether it is a product or a service, they are buying YOU. If someone does not trust you, they will not buy from you. Your story is a big part of who you are so it is up to you to master sharing it.

Embrace Where You Are

Yahya Bakkar throws some serious truth bombs on this subject. He said, “You’ve got to embrace where you are to get to where you want to be.” If you don’t, you will create a pattern where no matter where you end up, you are never going to be satisfied. You will always be looking ahead and not being in the present. At some point, you’ve got to embrace where you are and channel it. Transform your pain into your purpose!

We all need to understand the power of being the author of our own stories and regardless of what ends up happening, there is a purpose and a reason behind it.

The 5 P’s

Yahya Bakkar shared his 5 important P’s to go over before you speak in front of an audience. So whether you are getting ready to speak on stage, on camera, an interview, etc., ask yourself the following questions:

  • Person — Who is the person I am speaking to?
  • Problem — What is the problem they are going through?
  • Perspective — What is the perspective I am going to offer based on my experience or somebody else’s experience that I can share?
  • Process — What is the process that is going to help them go from their problem to the 5th P…
  • Promise — Where do they want to go? Define their destination; their “promise land”.

This is such a powerful tool as it really gets you to focus on the audience and not yourself… which eliminates a lot of anxiety.

At the end of the episode, Ashley asks her guest to share something they want to leave the audience with, and Yahya Bakkar absolutely killed it on the end note.

He said, “I don’t know where you are at in your life at this point, personally or professionally. But if you’re going through some pain and you feel like your life is a mess right now, you can turn your pain into purpose and your mess into a powerful message by taking complete ownership for everything that’s going on in your life. You can be a vehicle for transformation, you can be a vehicle for inspiration, not by putting yourself on a pedestal, but by showcasing and sharing your journey along the way with the people that you feel called to serve. Maybe that person that you feel called to serve is just you, a younger version of your future version of you.

So show up and become unapologetically self-expressing, unconditionally love yourself, you’re worth it.”

You can connect with Yahya Bakkar on both Instagram (@YahyaBakkar) and Facebook. You can also check out worldclassspeaker.com/blueprint if you want to download the 5-Steps To Become a World Class Speaker!

If that was as powerful for you as it was for me, you can listen to the full episode on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

OR you can watch it on my YouTube Channel: