Jackie Kallen Of Bruce Merrin’s Celebrity Speakers Bureau On The 5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker

An Interview With Fotis Georgiadis

Share Your Personality. No matter how much of an expert you are on any subject, without an engaging personality, you cannot hold an audience for an hour. You have to mix in some humor and be relatable. If you seem too much above your audience, they will tune you out.

At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a talk to a large group of people. What does it take to be a highly effective public speaker? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome a fear of speaking in public? What does it take to give a very interesting and engaging public talk? In this interview series called “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker” we are talking to successful and effective public speakers to share insights and stories from their experience. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Jackie Kallen.

Jackie Kallen, known as the First Lady of Boxing, made her mark in the late ’70s as a sports writer with a focus on boxing and worked her way up to become the most successful female manager in the sport’s history. Following a successful career as a journalist — she interviewed everyone from Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra to the Beatles and Michael Jackson — Kallen went on to guide the careers of more than a half a dozen champions, was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame and has written two successful books. An accomplished public speaker, Kallen has crossed the United States and Canada countless times, presenting her inspirational and motivational speech, “Roll with the Punches,” and in late 2021 Kallen signed on with Bruce Merrin’s Celebrity Speakers Bureau, one of the longest-operating organizations providing bookings to an elite clientele of event planners and corporate meetings since 1973.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I grew up in a typical middle-class neighborhood in Detroit. I had a wide variety of friends from various backgrounds, and I enjoyed the company of the boys as well as the girls. I guess you’d say I was a combination of a girly-girl and a tomboy. I was adventurous and never followed the crowd, choosing my own paths and making my own decisions. My parents split up when I hit the teenage years, so that was a tough time. But I learned to weather the storm.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

When I was 13, I won a “date” with teen idol Ricky Nelson. He was a big star, and I was a typical teenager. It was obvious that he didn’t find me romantically interesting, but I proceeded to ask him question after question about his life. By the end of the evening, he told me that I was the most outgoing, fearless young girl he’d ever met. He encouraged me to use my interviewing skills and ability to communicate in my future endeavors. I decided then and there to become a journalist.

I have always been the person that others go to for advice and direction. I have been blessed with street smarts and a lot of common sense. I am a good listener, and I try to motivate and inspire people. Plus, I have had a pretty interesting life journey that people seem to be interested in hearing about — it makes for a lively hour!

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

There have been many interesting stories since each appearance has been different and unique. But I especially enjoyed a recent speech at a Native American reservation in North Dakota. I met some fascinating people who shared their culture and customs with me while I was there. After telling my story, one woman was so moved that she presented me with a beautiful pair of ivory earrings. She explained that when one shares a part of themselves, the recipient must also give back something. Another woman gave me a beautiful woolen blanket. They also drove me around the reservation and explained their way of life to me. We are still in touch.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

In my case, I think it was my mother who inspired me and guided me to my destiny. She loved everyone, was comfortable in any situation and always stood up for what she believed in and what was right. She taught me to be comfortable in my own skin and never feel apologetic about who I am. She encouraged me and taught me that anything was possible. She said, “If you believe it — you can achieve it.” I still follow that rule.

You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging and intimidating. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

Failure is a natural part of life. No one wins all the time. But it’s how you accept defeat that separates the winners from the losers. Every failure is a lesson. Every defeat is a step toward future greatness. The only obstacles that really stop us are the ones we put up ourselves. I choose to sidestep bumps in the road as much as possible. But if I hit one, I fix it and keep going.

What drives you to get up every day and give your talks? What is the main empowering message that you aim to share with the world?

Life is a gift. Every day is a fresh canvas to be painted in whatever colors and shades you chose. I welcome each day with a smile and the optimism of knowing that it will be as good a day as I decide it will be. I expect the best, but I am prepared for the worst if it presents itself. I want people to know that you — and you alone — control your destiny. It’s not about what happens to you. It’s how you handle what happens to you.

You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?

I love everything I do — or I wouldn’t do it! I recently produced an independent film, and I loved the process and the people I met along the way. Tom Sizemore is in the lead, and from the cast to the crew, everyone was fantastic and interesting. Each person was a brick in the building. Take one person out of the mix, and it wouldn’t have turned out the same. I plan on producing more films, as it’s such a creative process. I am also launching a podcast called “Between the Ropes,” which is a natural fit because I love interviewing people. And my longtime love of boxing is not something I’ve given up — I also hope to develop another world boxing champion.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

One of my favorites is “Never let them see you sweat.” I have learned to keep all my fleeting feelings of insecurity or nerves to myself. People only see what you project, so I always present my best self. People believe what they see.

Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Public Speaker?” Please share a story or example for each.

1. Motivate. I try to show examples of how I self-motivate and how others can do the same to get themselves up to performing at their highest potential.
2. Inspire. I use examples of how I broke the glass ceiling in the all-male world of boxing to show that you can achieve whatever you set out to do.
3. Entertain. I like my presentations to make people smile, relate to them and leave them somewhat dazzled, which is why I include a slide presentation of the many amazing people I’ve met along the way.
4. Be Creative. I feel you have to find new and creative ways to captivate an audience. Most people are somewhat jaded and you can’t hit them with the same old things they’re used to hearing.
5. Share Your Personality. No matter how much of an expert you are on any subject, without an engaging personality, you cannot hold an audience for an hour. You have to mix in some humor and be relatable. If you seem too much above your audience, they will tune you out.

As you know, many people are terrified of speaking in public. Can you give some of your advice about how to overcome this fear?

I think you’re either born to be a speaker or you’re not. I love it. I take no notes with me and simply speak from the heart. I thrive on the energy of the crowd. Some speakers fixate on one person and speak to that one person. Others block out the crowd entirely and speak as if they were alone. I make eye contact with as many people as possible and sometimes even walk down into the audience. To me it’s like hanging out and speaking to a group of friends.

You are a person of huge influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

To simply love and accept one another for who we are, regardless of what separates us. Find something good in everyone and realize that we are in this together.

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!

Great question. I would have to say there’s a couple … I’ve met Oprah but didn’t have lunch with her. And I’d love to sit down with Lady Gaga.

Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?

Facebook: Jackie Kaplan Kallen

Instagram: Jackie.Kallen

LinkedIn: Jackie Kallen

This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!