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Nov 14

17 Speeches in 17 Days with 17 Photos!

By Ryan Avery Adventure 15 Comments

I spent 17 days delivering 17 speeches in China and Hong Kong these past few weeks.

I want to say thank you to D85 and D89 for hosting us and making these events happen. You were so gracious and kind. You and your teams could not have been better to us! Thank you also to McGraw-Hill, SAP and the IFC for hosting corporate events and Speaker Leader Champion talks!

Below are 17 photos from our adventures speaking in China!

Our first stop was Beijing! We ventured to the Great Wall and found it to be a life changing experience. We also were pretty much the only white people and this caused everyone to look at us. So several times we got stopped by people and they asked if we could take photos with them. It was hilarious. It made me think of how that would work in the United States if we saw someone that looked different than us and we went up to take their photo! Do you think people would be flattered or offended? Thank you Felix for an awesome time!

This was one of my favorite meals while we were in China. However, here is a tip: You see that bowl of dumplings to the left? Well when you bite into them you need to be carful! Why? Oh well you know, because they are filled with juice and if you want to have juice fly all over the table and everyone gets soaked in it, then it is a good idea! Again, sorry to everyone at the table for making a mess! I now know how to eat dumplings! Thank you Susan and Beautiful (That is her name translated into english) for a wonderful day in Shanghai!

This was one of the coolest “21-Century” speaking opportunities I have had so far. I spoke on top of the 68 floor at the IFC in Hong Kong while my speech was being live-streamed at their offices in China, Singapore and Australia. We interacted, they asked questions and I taught a workshop about how to deliver a winning presentation. Does this mean I have spoken in these countries now?

The room fit 110 people according to the fire ordinance! No worries though, we fit 200+ students in this room while I delivered my talk at the Beijing Foreign Affairs lecture hall. Speaker Leader Champion just got picked up in Mandarin and will be available in China staring May 2015!

After getting done with almost a two-hour training to corporate managers at SAP headquarters in China, what else should you do besides a thumbs up selfie? Thank you Flat for making this one happen!

This was one of the nicest hotels I have stayed in. It was located in Shanghai with a view of the skyline, a rooftop deck and glass pool on the 28th floor! I spent every morning and night here looking out at the city. China has shown me that we in the United States do not know what it means to have a “BIG” city!

I went scuba diving indoor with three whales while I was in Qingdoa. What scared me the most was the size of their teeth! I didn’t know whales had teeth. Did you? I also learned a valuable lesson about the importance of communication as the Mandarin-Speaking instructor reminded me before I got in the water that “we must pee in the pool!” We had a long conversation about me not wanting to pee in the pool and after a while I realized he was trying to saying “we mustn’t pee in the pool” It really is the little things that make a BIG difference in communication! Ryan (was his name also), I had a blast diving with you and thank you for taking me here!

The food. Again the food was spectacular! We tried some items that I would usually never try in the United States like jelly fish, pig intestines and I saw more chicken heads on a plate than I would have liked to but other than that the Chinese know how to cook and cook well!

Master Your Stage! The D89 Fall Conference was spectacular! So many new friends and their leadership team is fantastic! They had one of the best conferences I have ever been to. They showed us a great time and I hope we can visit D85 again in the future! D85 also inspired me to learn another language and I am now committed to being fluent in Spanish by the end of 2015!

Sail Your Dream – The D85 Fall Conference! I have to give major props to the leadership team in D85 as they really set the stage for what Conferences are like in China. Full of fun, entertainment, education and did I mention fun? I had such a blast spending time with members and leaders in D85 and can’t wait to be back!

I am not going to lie, we may or may not have watched Mulan before we went to China! When we got to the Forbidden City that is all I could think about and that it was no longer a cartoon but real life! This was probably one of the best monuments we went to while in China as it always seemed fake to me but now I was actually getting to walk in the same place that more than 30 emperors walked over a 400+ year time period! Amazing!

Chelsea and I celebrated on top of the 118th floor at the Ritz Carleton in Hong Kong for our last night there! It was a bit cloudy/foggy but the view was still breathtaking! Thank you Cecelia for an amazing evening and day around Hong Kong!

We now have so many amazing memories to take back with us and also so many amazing gifts. After each speech they gave us a gift that was either edible, usable or artistic! We have already enjoyed the treats and hung up the art! A huge thank you to Derek for getting us a suitcase to bring back home and to Yang for the wifi hotspot that saved us so many times!

Oh the shopping! We shopped probably too much while we were there. You can get suits perfectly tailored to your body for $250 USD. You can get iPhone cases, scarfs, hats, bowls, art and anything you want on the streets of Hong Kong!

We saw a lot of funny English translations while we were there but this one had to be the funniest! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I may or many not have freaked out when I saw my name in Mandarin on this sign and a lot of people looked at me like I was crazy. This photo made me so happy even though I had no idea what it said, I felt like I was a real international speaker!

I know I said I liked Chinese food, and I really do! But this pizza literally made me salivate when I opened the box! Derek asked me what I wanted to eat before I taught one of my last workshops and jokingly I said pizza. Well, he knew just the right spot and got me the best pizza I have ever tasted! It was amazing!

China and Hong Kong were a blast! Thank you again D85 and D89 for an unforgettable experience. During our time there I hope we inspired hundreds of Toastmasters to continue their journey in our wonderful organization and your fantastics Districts. I hope we inspired many more to use their voice to make a difference in the world. I hope we get to come back in the future and please know that you and your teams gave Chelsea and me memories that will last a lifetime!

As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Nov 12

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What would you do without social media?

By Ryan Avery Motivation 2 Comments

(DISCLAIMER: This post was written without my editor’s approval and I have been traveling for more than 24 hours! Edited posts will resume next week).

I just landed back in the United States after 17 days in China and Hong Kong! The trip was fantastic and I will be sharing stories and speaking strategies on the blog all next week.

I am five minutes away from bed because I have been up for almost 32 hours but before I do I wanted pose a question to you:

What would you do without social media?

In China, without a VPN, you cannot access social media. I have not had Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram for three weeks and truthfully it has been a bit freeing. What did I do without social media?

1) Focused: My mind was clear to not think about “What did he post?” or, “I wonder what she did this weekend?” on all my accounts. Instead I thought about my goals, dreams and what I wanted to accomplish in 2015.

2) Engaged: I didn’t have a need to bring my phone with me or set it on the table when I went out to eat. So instead of checking my texts, Facebook posts and Twitter updates I engaged in quality conversation and felt connected to everyone I was talking to at the table.

3) Enjoyed: I looked at scenery, skyscrapers and food without the intention of posting it online or looking at it through a screen but rather looking at it with my eyes.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time away from social media and I think this is something I am going to look into doing more of on a regular basis. So the question is, what would you do without social media? What are the pros and cons to using social media in your world?

As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Jul 30

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6 Reasons Real Leaders Are Really Speakers

By Ryan Avery Leadership, Motivation 2 Comments

No one will follow you if you don’t know how to use your voice.

Amazing Speaker = Amazing Leader
Average Speaker = Average Leader

When you become a better speaker, you become a stronger leader!

6 Reasons Real Leaders Are Really Speakers

They Know Their Audience: Speakers, before they go on stage, learn as much as they can about their audience. Speakers know who they are talking to, what problem they have and how to fix it. They know where their audience is at in life and can provide solutions to help them go from point A to point B. Know your audience = Stronger leader!

They Stand with Confidence: Great speakers know their message and believe in their words! You can truly only stand with confidence when you know your message fully and fully believe in what you are saying. When you stand with confidence you present yourself as competent. Stand with confidence = Stronger leader!

They Share Their Failures: Speakers talk about their failures, not just their success. They share what mistakes they have made and how they fixed them. They are real people who make real mistakes and share these stories with their audience. They get a following because they are open, honest and are not afraid to talk about their past. Share your failures = Stronger leader!

They Offer Solutions: Speakers offer solutions to their audience. They fix a problem, offer inspiration, share stories and do it in a way that in engaging, entertaining and educational. Offer Solutions = Stronger leader!

They Speak Up: They speak when no one else wants to. They have the hard conversations. They don’t tell you want you want to hear, speakers tell you what you need to hear. They can stand their ground and feel proud to use their voice to make a difference! Speak up = Stronger leader!

They Know When To Speak: They know the right time and place to deliver their message for maximum impact. They know it’s not just about what and how you say it but most importantly, when! Know when to speak = Stronger leader!

Without developing your speaking skills, you’ll have limited leadership abilities. Take time to work on being a better speaker so you can become a stronger leader. We need more leaders in this world so that means we need more speakers! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

* Share this article with your friends who are interested in leadership and speaking!

Jun 26

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How to write powerful headlines (BONUS: Easy to use formulas)

By Ryan Avery Leadership, Motivation 7 Comments

This article comes to you with request from Matt Maggio in Miami, FL.Matt reached out last week and gave insight in how to provide bloggers with information on how to write headlines so engaging anyone who sees it, will click to read it! He’s been studying copywriting and how the words you choose in your headlines makes all the difference!

He said consider three things when writing powerful headlines:

1) Focus on creating a “how-to” or “why” or “number (#) series” while adding value and/or providing entertainment elements. He says, “The how-to is very powerful because it engages the prospect on a deeper psychological level. It’s self-centered and most of us pay more attention when we hear how-to and whatever follows after it.”

2) Write for your audience in mind – Do you know who your audience is? Identify who your ideal reader is and ask them what they want to learn more about. I do this through my social media accounts all the time; last week I received 20 article ideas! My audience gives me direction for what they want to hear and who is paying attention to my articles.

3) Base it off your experience – Why are you the one to write this? For example, it might be strange if I wrote an article called “How to win a basketball game if you are under six feet tall.” Not only do I know nothing about basketball, my audience knows I don’t play the game and I can’t speak for those under six feet! Write about what you know with those in mind you want to reach!

Moving forward when you are writing an article for your blog or a chapter in your book, think of these formulas to catch your readers attention and get them to click on what you just wrote!

Powerful Headline Formulas include:

“How to (eliminate pain) (without more pain)”

“How to get (specific result) (in short amount of time) (with very little risk)”

“Why (common-sense approach) doesn’t work… and what to do about it).”

I can say first hand these have worked for me. Starting out blogging I would spend hours on one article and find very little engagement after I hit publish. Other articles I would spend five minutes writing and boom my stats soar for the day! Why? When I look back at the articles, the content nor my writing was better, what the main problem seemed to be was the title in which I used to grab the readers attention. People will not click to read your article if it does not click with what interests or grabs their attention!

What sounds more powerful and more intriguing to read?
How to get more clients without sounding to pushy? – OR – Lessons I learned from an encounter with a recent client!

If I used the same content for the body of the article and used those different titles I guarantee I would have a larger open rate on the “how-to” compared to the “lessons learned.” I mean which one would you most likely open? Plus, in the first one I have considered my focus, my audience and my experience!

Take Matt’s advice and start writing powerful headlines so your writing gets into the hands of more people. Your stories, message and insight matter and if you are taking the time to add value to people’s life, take the time to write engaging headlines! Keep using your voice to make a difference and remember to always…

Dream BIG,

Ryan

Question for comments below: Who is your favorite blogger? Why?

P.S. Have an idea for an article you would like me to write? Send me an email to ryan@averytoday.com! Thanks and if you enjoyed this article remember to share it with those you know on Facebook, Twitter or email by pressing one of the buttons below!

Jun 23

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Do You Want a Handwritten Letter?

By Ryan Avery Communication No Comments

During the World Record attempt a couple months ago I asked to write you handwritten letters so I could train to sign 5,000 signatures in one sitting.

You came to my aid and sent in your addresses and messages to request a handwritten letter all over the world. I sent more letters in two weeks than I can count! Over the past several weeks since then, the letters have arrived and you have shared with me when you got them and how much they meant by posting on Facebook, emailing me photos of you at your mailbox and even showing them to me in person when I see you. That really means a lot to me and I thought of continuing to write them!

I really enjoy writing those letters so much and hearing from each of you I thought I would do a project where I write one handwritten letter everyday in 2014. I might get more request than one a day, or might not, but I will write at least one letter a day, starting today, in 2014 and am asking for your help.

Do you want a handwritten letter? All you have to do is email me your mailing address at letters@ryanavery.com with a subject that says “I want a letter.” The first 30 people to send me an email at letters@ryanavery.com will be guaranteed to get a letter!

I think there is something special about going to your mailbox and seeing an envelop that has your name printed on it in human handwriting! This will be fun for me and hopefully it is a way I can give back in another way to say thank you for all you do for me!

I hope you are enjoying the start to your week and I look forward to receiving your emails. Remember to sign up for my blog in the top right hand corner of this page via email and continue receiving content focused on leadership, speaking and productivity every Monday and Thursday! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Question: Know someone who could use a letter? Share this article on your social media or via email and let the hand writing begin!