Episode Summary:

In this engaging episode of Speak to Impact, Kelly Kaye Walker introduces today’s guest, Lawrence Stone. Lawrence is a coach, author, and public speaker with a passion for helping young adults and small business owners thrive. Lawrence shares his foundational speech on the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people to elevate your life and achieve your goals.

Kelly evaluates Lawrence’s speech, offering valuable insights on storytelling, audience connection, and delivering an impactful message. This episode is packed with tips for speakers looking to refine their craft and create memorable presentations.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

The three essential characteristics of the people you should surround yourself with: love, belief, and challenge.

How to use pauses effectively to enhance storytelling and audience connection.

The importance of incorporating personal stories into speeches to increase relatability and memorability.

Why Lawrence’s restaurant name story twist ending was a comedic highlight.

Actionable feedback for avoiding common speaking pitfalls, such as overusing filler words and lacking emotional range.

How to craft a speech that’s expandable into a full keynote or workshop.


Key Moments:

[00:02 ] Introduction to Lawrence Stone and his passion for coaching and personal development.
[03:10 ] Lawrence delivers his foundational speech on relationships and influence.
[12:45 ] Kelly begins her in-depth evaluation of Lawrence’s speech.
[20:30 ] The importance of tracking stories and leveraging them in speeches.
[28:50 ] Lawrence shares insights on his upcoming projects, including his book Boss Level Adulting and a deeply personal book co-written with his wife.
Resources Mentioned:

Lawrence’s Website: The Basic Trainer (with two S’s!) https://www.thebassictrainer.com

Book Recommendation: Storyworthy by Matthew Dicks

Contact Lawrence: Visit his website or connect with him for coaching and speaking engagements.


Next Steps for Listeners:

Reflect on your inner circle and consider how the people you spend the most time with influence your growth.

Start your own story file to identify impactful personal anecdotes for speeches and presentations.

Stay tuned for more episodes featuring live speech evaluations and expert advice on public speaking.

Call to Action: If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and leave a review! Share this podcast with fellow entrepreneurs, speakers, and anyone looking to elevate their communication skills.

If you'd like to get your speech evaluated on the podcast, send at email to SpeakingCoachKelly@gmail.com with the subject line "Evaluation"