Ryan Avery, Author at Ryan Avery

Aug 27

5 Reasons Why You Should Start a Competitive Speakers Club

By Ryan Avery Motivation One Comment

Last month I, along with 22 other Toastmasters, created a club in Portland, OR, dedicated to helping speakers improve the way they speak competitively at all levels.

Whether you are a Toastmaster or not, you should consider starting one of these clubs in your city.

Here are 5 reasons why:

1) To surround yourself with those who are better than you

2) To improve the way you develop and deliver your message so any audience would want to hear it

3) To improve the quality and quantity of those who compete at all levels

4) To improve the quality and quantity of those who are judges at all levels

5) To receive expert feedback that executives would pay for

Our goal is to start a Competitive Speakers Club in every Toastmasters District around the world.

So far, we have started five. We have 86 more to go! We want to improve the quality and quantity of competitive speakers around the world and want you to join us!

If you are in Toastmasters, or want to join Toastmasters and would like to start a club, we have ambassadors ready to help you get your club started.

Email me at ryan@averytoday.com, and I will connect you with someone who can help get your club up and running!

Together, let’s improve the quality and quantity of competitive speakers around the world by creating a community of those interested in being better speakers! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Aug 25

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4 Reasons to Co-author Your Next Book

By Ryan Avery Motivation No Comments

I get a call from Jeremey Donovan saying he would like to do an interview with me the week after I win the World Championship of Public Speaking.

We talk, and I mention I would like to co-author a book with him. Contracts are drawn up, writing begins, and three weeks later I have taken our idea of helping people be better speakers and made the book all about me.

He decides to terminate the contract, and we move on our separate ways. Like my friend John Garcia says, “Your ego is not your amigo.”

Six months later, I realize I was entirely in the wrong and call Jeremey to apologize. I tell him I let my ego get in the way, and that if he ever wants to write a book together I would love to.

He replies back with, “You will never believe whom I just got off the phone with?” I ask, “Who?” He responds, “McGraw-Hill. They want me to write a book about the World Championship! Would you like to write it with me?” I say yes and we get to work!

First, this goes to show you how great of a guy Jeremey is. Second, never underestimate the power of an apology. So we draw up another contract, he connects me with an amazing literary agent, and ten months later we have a #1 best-selling book on Amazon translated into four languages helping leaders be better speakers!

Here are 4 reasons why you should co-author your next book:

1) Drives you to be a better writer: I am a better writer because of Jeremey — no question about it. Not only did he teach me along the way, he stretched me to think and write differently and gave me skills I can use to write my next book.

2) Helps you hold yourself accountable: It can be easy to say “I will write that chapter next week.” With a co-author you both give each other deadlines. You do not want to be the one who lets the other down.

3) Double the marketing: You reach twice as many people! This is a no-brainer!

4) Develops a stronger product: Speaker Leader Champion is a book I feel proud of because it comes from two very different style speakers who thought long and hard about the value we could add to our readers. Because of it, we produced 92 tips with 44 insights from twelve World Champions on how to be a better speaker!

If you have ever wanted to see your book on the shelf and in the hands of many, start looking for a co-author today!

Looking forward to reading your book! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Check out Speaker Leader Champion and learn how to advance in your career through public speaking!

Aug 23

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The 2014 World Champion of Public Speaking is…

By Ryan Avery Motivation One Comment

We have a new World Champion of Public Speaking for Toastmasters International. They just crowned this year’s World Champion of Public Speaking in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and it was an amazing contest!

Every year thousands of people across the globe watch live to see who will be crowned the World Champion of Public Speaking. With a speech titled, I See Something, Dananjaya Hettiarachchi took the stage and came out victorious!

More than 30,000+ people from 126 countries compete each year for the World Championship of Public Speaking and now Toastmasters has a new reigning Champion.

Congratulations Dananjaya! Get ready for the ride of your life this next year and enjoy visiting Toastmasters

From all of your Toastmasters peers and friends, we wish you the best of luck on your new journey as the 2014 World Champion of Public Speaking. We all see something in you so represent us well, help grow our organization and keep using your voice to make a difference! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Let the world know about the new World Champion! Spread the news by click on a social media button below! Want to learn more about the new 2014 World Championship of Public Speaking? Sign up to receive blog articles at the right hand corner of this page and stay tuned for an in-depth and upcoming blog article about the reigning WCPS.

Aug 20

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4 things to look forward to for #TICONV14

By Ryan Avery Motivation No Comments

Toastmasters International will host its first International Conference outside of North America this year in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Chelsea and I are on our way to attend.

Throughout the week I will be recapping the event and posting about my journey of what it took to become the

Here are the 4 things to look forward to for #TICON14

1) Seeing friends: Chelsea and I have traveled to many Districts and met many amazing people. It is always so good visiting with them, catching up, and hearing their goals for the upcoming year. This might be my favorite part of any conference!

2) Meeting new members: I am still in contact with many of the Toastmasters I met at my first convention. I hope to meet many more! I am also looking forward to connecting with leadership teams in China and Australia to learn more about their Districts, since I will be speaking at their upcoming conferences.

3) Finding out who will be named this year’s world champion: I cannot wait to see who will be crowned this year’s World Champion. I have attended so many District contests this year and have seen some powerful speeches. This year’s competition is going to be tough which will make for a great event! Who will become the next World Champion of Public Speaking? We will know very soon! If you want to be among the first to know, subscribe to the blog in the top right hand corner of this page. I will post immediately once the winner is announced!

4) Reliving fun memories: It is fun to think about the year I competed and what it took to get there. It is fun to think about my team at Special Olympics Oregon supporting me and sending me flowers to my hotel room. It is fun to think about the friends I met, my family being in the audience, and my District being by my side every step of the way. It is fun to think about Chelsea and I tossing and turning the night before the big competition and her saying, “I love you no matter what happens… but you need to get some sleep!” It is fun to think about how much our lives have changed and imagining what these next years will look like! Reliving memories can inspire you and light a new fire inside of you! What are some fun times you can relive to get those creative juices flowing again?

We arrive in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday (yea, 30 hours of travel time). Looking forward to having fun, learning a lot, and seeing people I care about. Enjoy your weekend, and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Question: If you are a Toastmaster, what are you looking forward to most? Remember, if you are not going to the conference you can still join in live stream!

Aug 18

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5 Lessons Learned Being a World Champion

By Ryan Avery World Records 6 Comments

Two years ago today, with help from my mentors, coach, family and friends, I became the youngest World Champion of Public Speaking in history.

I have since learned that being a full-time speaker is the best job in the world. You get to travel, make a difference, and earn an income doing something you love.

During these past 730 days I have learned a lot of lessons through many mistakes, trials and error. Five lessons, which include:

1) You are as good as your last accomplishment: What are you doing today, to be better tomorrow?

2) You can’t make everyone happy: No matter how good you are, there will always be people who do not like you and people who will. Whom do you want to invest your energy towards?

3) You have the power to empower people: Your voice carries weight! What you choose to say or not say can make a difference in someone’s life. What are you doing to make sure you are using your voice to empower those around you?

4) You have a lot more to learn and do: Once you start thinking you are good, you aren’t even close to being great. What can you learn, what can you do, and whom can you meet to help you reach new heights?

5) What you do with your achievements are up to you: Can you name the last five winners of American Idol? They each had 10,000,000+ people a night watching them sing. Where are they now? The only excuse we have is ourselves!

Remember: You are not successful when you become a world champion; you are successful when every day you train like one.

What are you doing to be the best at what you do? It doesn’t mean you have to be the best today–it means you are working towards being the best one day! Let’s keep making things happen and learn more, do more, and always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Aug 15

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6 Reasons You Should Participate in 31 Days of Kindness

By Ryan Avery Motivation 6 Comments

I posted on my personal Facebook page last month hoping to entice a few of my friends to join in on a kindness challenge.

Little did I know this challenge would draw such a huge response. Within an hour, we had more than 100 people ready to participate. I remember saying, “Oh, wow! I need to put something together!”

Chelsea and I brainstormed ideas and designed the branding elements utilizing Canva. Within 48 hours, we had a team of more than 500 people ready to be part of the first ever #31DaysofKindness.

Ultimately, more than 725 people participated in this year’s #31DaysofKindness. What an experience it was! But it shouldn’t stop there. We should continue to perform acts of kindness every day. More importantly, we should encourage others to initiate their own #31DaysofKindness campaign.

Here are 6 reasons you should participate– and invite others to participate– in 31 Days of Kindness:

Click image to download the 31 days of Kindness collage!

Click here to download the 31 days of Kindness collage!

Makes you aware – You begin to understand how much you really have to give and what abundance we all have. If we all gave a little more, all smiled a little more, and all helped a little more, how much better the world would be!

Makes you care – It really gets you thinking about your fellow human beings. You can do simple things every day to make a big difference in other peoples’ lives. It doesn’t require a million dollar donation or starting your own foundation to make a difference. We are talking about doing little things that make a big difference and show others you care about them.

Makes you happy – I cannot tell you how happy I am having completed this challenge. Think of the last time you did something nice for someone. How did you feel? I felt like I was on cloud nine, everyday! Selfish it may be, but being kind also makes you more happy!

Makes you appreciative – You start to look at the world differently and understand how much you really have in life. Take a look at what we can be thankful for, and appreciate, everyday.

Makes you feel connected – There is strength in numbers. When you see others using the #31DaysofKindness hashtag and connect with them, it makes you feel amazing! You feel like you are doing even more, because you are part of a larger group!

Makes you dream – You dream constantly of what else you can do, what the world would be like if more people did kind things every day, and how you can make a difference one kind act at a time.

I have some big goals for us next year. If you want to be part of the planning committee, or have ideas of how we can improve to get more people to join in this effort, email me at ryan@averytoday.com!

Either way, start today being more kind and adding value to the world with what you already have! Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s #31DaysofKindness. I’m looking forward to continuing the tradition in 2015 and the rest of this year! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

If you were part of this year’s #31DaysofKindness, share this with your friends and family. Let’s get more people performing acts of kindness around the world!

Aug 13

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We want to speak at 2015 SXSW! You can help get us there!

By Ryan Avery Motivation No Comments

Chelsea and I have submitted a proposal to speak at SXSW in 2015, and we could use your help. We are working to get more couples and emerging leaders interested in becoming entrepreneurs.

Your vote REALLY makes a difference! You can vote by clicking on the thumbs-up button on this page for the following speaking proposal:

Business Partner & Life Partner: Can They Coexist?

How do you balance your life partnership and business partnership so both are successful and don’t end up in the red?

Starting your own small business and entering the world of entrepreneurship is already overwhelming and intimidating, but the added element of doing this alongside your spouse can make it even more challenging.

Many business owners are seeking the support and encouragement from their most intimate cheerleader–their spouse– whether the spouse works directly with them or quietly endorses and fosters their unique business ideas.

The dual presenters are a twenty-something, married couple who have been in business together for the past two years. Ryan was raised by entrepreneurs and is a Motivational Speaker. His wife, Chelsea, left the field of social work to manage their business. Both Ryan and Chelsea struggle, at times, with their new reality.

In this session, you will take away strategies for balancing your working relationship with your most intimate one.

Questions Answered

How do you balance your life partnership and business partnership so both are successful and don’t end up in the red?

Is there such a thing as work/life balance?
How do you support your partner’s pursuit of his or her dreams when you do not share the same passion?
How to identify the roles and responsibilities of each toward strengthening the business?
What are the biggest mistakes married couples make when starting a business together and how to avoid them?

In order to vote, you must create an account. It’s free, and will take three minutes. Your participation would be a HUGE help to Chelsea and myself, as we view this as a launching pad for more joint speaking ventures in the future and to help couples around the world.

Thank you so much, and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Share with your friends and family by clicking on a social media button!

Aug 11

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How to Stop Caring and Comparing

By Ryan Avery Motivation 21 Comments

Without a doubt, my biggest struggle in moving forward and becoming more successful is figuring out how to stop caring what people think about me and how to stop comparing myself to others.

This might sound easy for some; but for me, it’s been my largest obstacle.

I can receive 100 emails a week: 95 amazing ones and five “not so friendly” ones. Out of all of those emails — which ones do you think I dwell upon the most? Sometimes, I am good at letting the bad ones go, but not every time.

I can speak in front of 200 people, rock the keynote to get a standing ovation, and be invited back to speak the next year, but then have one person come up to me and say, “Your style is way too much for me, and I don’t like it.” What do you think I think about most? Sometimes, I can let the negative comments slide, but not every time.

I have been blogging for over five years now and working to grow relationships with my readers. It has been paying off, but I see other speakers–who haven’t been blogging for as long as I have–claim 100,000 followers! I can’t help but wonder: What am I doing? Where am I slacking? Why am I not there, yet?

As the saying goes by Roosevelt, “Comparison is the thief of joy!”

I am tired of living my life like this. I know I am capable of so much more! I must stop caring what people think and stop comparing myself to others. So, this weekend I decided to do something about it. I took time to define what success looks like to me and to figure out a solution to stop comparing myself to others.

In order to stop comparing ourselves to others, we need to first understand what makes us happy and feel successful. I needed to define what success looks like for me.

After some long walks, workout sessions, and coaching from my wife, I found my current definition of success: I am successful if I can do what I want, when I want, and with whom I want! As long as I can say this everyday, it doesn’t matter what anyone else is doing because I am living a successful life.

What is your definition of success? Work hard to identify it! Identifying what success looks like to you is a first step in overcoming the tendency to compare yourself to others.

I haven’t mastered this, yet. I still need to work on not caring what others think of me, and I would really like to hear from you. I began this blog to help us all become better speakers and leaders. I hope I am not the only one who feels like this. So, let’s start a conversation: How do we stop caring about what others think of us? How can we stop comparing ourselves to others?

Leave a comment below, or start a conversation on a social media outlet. Let’s help each other out.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas. As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Aug 08

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Correcting My Mistakes

By Ryan Avery Leadership, Motivation 8 Comments

In the survey I sent out a few weeks ago, several of you asked me to share personal stories and mistakes I have made and what I learned from them. So here is an update!

In the the past few weeks I have had multiple people reach out to me, letting me know I have had grammar and spelling errors in my blog posts.

I will admit I am not the best speller, nor did I do the best in my English classes (C-). Even with the easy to remember rules, it is hard for me to distinguish the simple things like… then and than or their and there. I can’t remember if I put the quotation marks before the punctuation or after? I still have trouble with grammar and spelling but that is not an excuse.

This is embarrassing for me because I am a professional speaker and published author. Some people might wonder how I can be a published author and not know these skills? Well I have a lot of help from copy-editors, line-editors, managing-editors, a co-author and team of people helping me.

Until recently, that is the biggest mistake I have made with my blog. I have not had the proper team helping me deliver you the highest quality content and I have been treating this blog as a hobby and not a business (which is not a good thing as this website is where a majority of my speaking leads are generated).

I have also not wanted to spend money on an editor. Instead I have been asking my friends, family and Chelsea to look at articles on a occasion, but that is no more. Starting next week, I will have a managing editor to work on www.RyanAvery.com to proof-read all pages and posts before they go out.

I will deliver you quality content that is geared towards helping you be a better speaker and leader. I made a mistake. I took for granted that this blog is not a place for me to share my stories or ideas but rather a place people come to learn and if there are mistakes in my writing, that does not produce a conducive atmosphere for learning.

I needed to ask myself, “Do I want this to be a hobby, or a business?” If you say business, are you treating it like one? The answer as no so I am ready to do something about it.

Thank you to those who have reached out to let me know about my grammar/spelling mistakes. Thank you to those who have stuck around, subscribed to the blog and shared an article. I know many people can leave a blog once they see one or even two mistakes and I appreciate you following me along this journey. I write for you. I would hate to know you leave because of my inability to catch simple mistakes.

Let’s keep making things happen and work towards reaching our goals! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Aug 06

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10 Questions You Should Be Asking to Grow Your Blog

By Ryan Avery Motivation, Productivity No Comments

Last month I sent out a survey to my friends and followers to see how I can improve the experience on RyanAvery.com and ways I can add the most value to you as a reader.

The answers you provided blew my mind! I was posting mostly on Tuesdays and Thursdays but you wanted Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

I was posting blog articles but you wanted to see more videos!

I was thinking you wanted a newsletter only once a month, but you said send it out every week!

After I got the results I have started implementing what you want (still working to incorporate more videos and the weekly newsletter). By listening to my readers and giving them what they want, the page views on my blog almost tripled in one month (photo above is a screenshot of my WordPress stats)! Thank you to everyone who took that survey. My hope is to make this the best blog you visit and that adds the most value to your life!

So what should we do to grow our blogs? Create your own survey this week and listen to what your friends and followers tell you. Once they tell you, give them the information they want, how they want it and when! It will help grow your blog and in turn help you produce stronger, more sharable, content.

Here are the 10 questions I sent in the survey that you can copy or modify to make your own:

What type of content would you like to see more of on THEBLOGHERE.com (Select all that apply)
a) leadership b) communication c) public speaking d) INSERT YOUR OWN CATEGORIES

What type of content do you enjoy most?
a) educational-based b) entertainment-based c) BLOGGER’s personal life d) interviews

If you wanted to sign up for INSERT BLOGGER HERE newsletter, how often would you like to receive an email-based newsletter that offers valuable content?

a) daily b) weekly c) monthly d) I would prefer to receive text updates

How do you like your content presented (please select all that apply).
a) blogs b) videos c) podcast

How often would you like content to be posted on THEBLOGHERE.com? (Select all that apply)
DAY: M T W T F S S

What is the best time of day for you to read/watch/listen to your favorite blog?
a) morning b) afternoon c) night d) what time zone are you in?

What one thing could INSERT BLOGGER HERE do online to help you in your life? Or what/how can INSERT BLOGGER HERE improve in order to add more value to you?
Left this field empty for them to fill in

Would you pay $XX.XX a month to be part of an exclusive group were you learn BLANK every week and hear BLANK on how to BLANK?
a) absolutely b) maybe c) no d) if maybe, why?

When you think of THE BLOG what comes to mind?
Left this field empty for them to fill in

What tagline resonates with you more when you think of INSERT BLOGGER HERE?
Pick your top three tag lines and see what resonates with your readers

Copy these questions and use them in your survey to survey your following. Make it a priority this week because the quicker you give your audience what they want, the faster your blog will grow and the more value you will add to others. Keep using your voice to make a difference and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

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Aug 04

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5 easy ways to live in the present moment everyday

By Ryan Avery Motivation, Productivity One Comment

Today’s question comes from Kapil Patel from Ronkonkoma, NY when he asks “How do you live in the present moment everyday?”

This can be difficult now that we are conditioned to be distracted with the temptation of multitasking and the various communication channels we use. But is necessary if we want to taste what life has to offer!

They say, “Today is a gift, that’s why we call it the present.” I know sometimes I will wake up and say, “Where did my weekend go?” or “How was that day was so quick?” It’s because I numbed out or while or was focused on something else. There are times when I am trying to complete a task and the whole time I will be thinking about the next thing I have to do. Rather than put my energy and focus in what I am doing I am out in la-la land and wake up feeling like I didn’t live that day.

We only get one life. Some of us get better lives than others. Some get more years. Very few find ways to be happy everyday but it is possible!

Here are five things to do to center yourself and be present everyday:

Remind yourself you will be gone one day: This can be hard to think about but if we can remind ourselves we are not immortal and one day their will be a last page to our autobiography it can help get us focused. I know when I think about this it brings me back to what is important in my life; family/friends, adding value to others and being adventurous.

Give thanks for all your senses at night: I used to do this for years. I would lay in bed and go through all of my senses one by one and think about what would I see that day? What did I feel ? Hear? Taste? Smell? Now I don’t wait till the end of the night. I do it when I experience it. This exercise has heightened my senses and makes me appreciate the small things.

Do something random: That photo you see above! I took a run the other day and all these kids were playing in that fountain so I decided to run through it. I have always wanted to do this and decided “What the heck, I am sweaty anyways, why not get wet!” I think some of the moms might have judged me, but who cares, I still want to feel like I am 12 sometimes and I smiled the entire way home. It’s like in the

Set up reminders: Put a reminder every 3 hours in your phone during the times you are awake that says, “Are you being present right now?” Or put quotes up around your house, car, bathroom or office! Set up visual reminders and make sure you change them often so they don’t become things you look at and pass over.

Take 5 minutes of alone time: This has been one of the best things I have done in the past few years. Everyday I take five minutes of alone time. No phone. No computer. I don’t think about what I need to get done or what I did wrong or where my future will take me. I sit, walk or lay in an area that is calming and I won’t be distracted for at least five minutes. Sometimes this can be me locked in a laundry room or on a hotel balcony overlooking the ocean.

The Latin word for present is Ostendo, Ostendo is defined as: show, reveal, make plain or declare. So being present is more than a “feel-good” feeling. This can often be the time when you come up with the best ideas, when you reveal who you really want to be, when your inner self declares what you want to accomplish in life. It can also be a great way to feel alive and happy!

Take time to implement these five action items into your daily routine and start living in the present moment. Thanks for the question Kapil and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

P.s. What other ways can we be in the present moment? Remember to sing up for my blog in the top right hand corner if you want to receive posts similar to this every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9am PST!