Hi,
Please let me explain what it was like to record the audio version of the book. I will briefly describe the preparation and the execution of the project. This was the most enjoyable part of the process for me.
I adhered to three strict rules.
• Plenty of sleep the night before the recording
• No dairy products to avoid mucus build-up in the throat
• Plenty of blueberry tea on standby
I arrived at the studio at 11am so I could start recording at 12pm. I met my producer Cain to run through the order of the book. His job was to make sure all the sound levels were correct. He also read a copy of the book while I recorded it to make sure I didn’t miss anything. The studio is exactly like a studio you see when Take That or Michael Buble record their music.
I recorded my piece in a room that was separate from the control room that Cain sat in, and we communicated via a talk back system. The recording took three hours. This included breaks and pauses to listen back to the audio. The final edit of the book was one hour and 44 minutes long.
When I finished the recording, I left the book alone for a week so that when I heard it again, it was with a fresh set of ears. If I listened to it immediately after the recording, I knew I would have been too close to it to hear it as a listener would hear it. Then I had the task of choosing the music for the intro and outro for the book. This was not an easy task. I listened to around 700 pieces of 30 seconds music to find the one that set the mood for the book. For this book, I wanted a piece of music that had some bounce and presence but wasn’t too loud or overbearing.
When the book was finalised, I left it alone for another week, and then I listened to it on my iPod, on the CD player in my car and on my stereo at home.
A day after my final listen to the book, I finally called my publisher and said the words that feel strange to every author. I told him "It's done."
Tomorrow, I will take you inside the mind of Obama’s speech writer Jon Favreau.
Take care,
Darren
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
Wednesday 30 November 2011
Tuesday 29 November 2011
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (Obama's regrets - I'll be brief)) by Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 8
Hi,
In the preface to the 2004 edition of Barack Obama’s book ‘Dreams From My Father’ he wrote about how he wished he had understood the art of brevity when he wrote the original version of the book. He admitted to poorly chosen words at times and badly created sentences. He also revealed that the book was 50 pages too long.
It’s refreshing to hear a legal expert admit to his mistakes in writing. I believe I have got the brevity bit right for the book, but I know that just like Obama, I will re-examine some sentences in years to come. I think it is only natural when you care about your work. Maybe I’m being too hard on myself just like Obama was!
Tomorrow, I will take you inside the studio and reveal what it's like to record the audio version of the book.
Take care,
Darren
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square,Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
In the preface to the 2004 edition of Barack Obama’s book ‘Dreams From My Father’ he wrote about how he wished he had understood the art of brevity when he wrote the original version of the book. He admitted to poorly chosen words at times and badly created sentences. He also revealed that the book was 50 pages too long.
It’s refreshing to hear a legal expert admit to his mistakes in writing. I believe I have got the brevity bit right for the book, but I know that just like Obama, I will re-examine some sentences in years to come. I think it is only natural when you care about your work. Maybe I’m being too hard on myself just like Obama was!
Tomorrow, I will take you inside the studio and reveal what it's like to record the audio version of the book.
Take care,
Darren
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square,Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
Monday 28 November 2011
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (Writing the Book - Joy and Pain) by Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 7
Hi,
I was asked recently about the hardest aspect of writing this book. The best way to explain it is by guiding you through the process of writing it. The Aha moment about Obama’s skills turned into an enjoyable series of recollections and discoveries. It was all very exciting until I finished writing the book.
The hardest part was the editing process, when I had to decide what to leave out. These are just some of the questions I asked myself.
• Does one speech make a point that another has already made?
• Have I given too many examples to make my point?
• Can I make my point with fewer words?
I think this way because I know that people lead busy lives, and my job is to fit my work into those lives. The world is full of books that are bought but never read or read but the information is never used. This is because the books are too long, or because they offer too much irrelevant information. That is why the editing process of all my books takes as long as the writing of them.
Tomorrow, I will reveal Obama’s thoughts on the subject I have just discussed.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square,Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
I was asked recently about the hardest aspect of writing this book. The best way to explain it is by guiding you through the process of writing it. The Aha moment about Obama’s skills turned into an enjoyable series of recollections and discoveries. It was all very exciting until I finished writing the book.
The hardest part was the editing process, when I had to decide what to leave out. These are just some of the questions I asked myself.
• Does one speech make a point that another has already made?
• Have I given too many examples to make my point?
• Can I make my point with fewer words?
I think this way because I know that people lead busy lives, and my job is to fit my work into those lives. The world is full of books that are bought but never read or read but the information is never used. This is because the books are too long, or because they offer too much irrelevant information. That is why the editing process of all my books takes as long as the writing of them.
Tomorrow, I will reveal Obama’s thoughts on the subject I have just discussed.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square,Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
Sunday 27 November 2011
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (Ronald Reagan) by Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 6
Hi,
On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger was launched with seven persons aboard.
The flight was launched at 11:38 a.m., but sadly, it exploded just 73 seconds later. The explosion killed all seven crew members.
President Ronald Reagan consoled the USA and the world with a remarkable speech from the Oval Office that evening. As Reagan prepared his speech, he realised that his words needed to provide condolence, gratitude, respect, comfort and strength. He recalled a time when the actor Tyrone Power recited a poem at a party he attended. The poem was called 'High Flight' and was written by a former pilot called John Magee. In his speech that evening, Reagan borrowed words from the poem including 'touch the face of God'.
I wrote about Reagan in the book for a few reasons, but please let me make one point here. Reagan's first thought was about what he needed to achieve in his speech. Once he knew that, he accessed every part of his memory to pull out the best words to support and comfort his audience. We all have moments in our lives that we can use as the perfect inspiration when we need it. Tyrone Power recited the poem to Reagan at the party because he loved it so much. Power was not just a hero on the big screen. He was a Marine pilot who served in the Pacific during World War 2. Reagan remembered Power's passion for the 'High Flight' poem, and he knew he had the perfect words when he spoke to the USA and the world in January, 1986.
In tomorrow's blog, I'd like to tell you the hardest thing I encountered when I wrote the book.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square,Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
On January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger was launched with seven persons aboard.
The flight was launched at 11:38 a.m., but sadly, it exploded just 73 seconds later. The explosion killed all seven crew members.
President Ronald Reagan consoled the USA and the world with a remarkable speech from the Oval Office that evening. As Reagan prepared his speech, he realised that his words needed to provide condolence, gratitude, respect, comfort and strength. He recalled a time when the actor Tyrone Power recited a poem at a party he attended. The poem was called 'High Flight' and was written by a former pilot called John Magee. In his speech that evening, Reagan borrowed words from the poem including 'touch the face of God'.
I wrote about Reagan in the book for a few reasons, but please let me make one point here. Reagan's first thought was about what he needed to achieve in his speech. Once he knew that, he accessed every part of his memory to pull out the best words to support and comfort his audience. We all have moments in our lives that we can use as the perfect inspiration when we need it. Tyrone Power recited the poem to Reagan at the party because he loved it so much. Power was not just a hero on the big screen. He was a Marine pilot who served in the Pacific during World War 2. Reagan remembered Power's passion for the 'High Flight' poem, and he knew he had the perfect words when he spoke to the USA and the world in January, 1986.
In tomorrow's blog, I'd like to tell you the hardest thing I encountered when I wrote the book.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange,Princes Square,Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
Saturday 26 November 2011
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (Dad's Secret) by Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 5
Hi,
It was March, 2006 when I discovered the secret my dad had hidden from me all my life. It was two weeks before he passed away from cancer, and he felt that the time had come for him to tell me about one of his struggles in life.
My dad's weight had dropped dramatically in the previous few weeks as his illness took a greater hold over him. Despite the pain and his physical transformation, his mind and spirit were as strong as ever. He put his teacup to rest on the kitchen table and he reached into the inside pocket of the jacket he was wearing. As my dad held a white envelope in my direction, I noticed a tear in each of his beautiful eyes. The tears were tears of pride.
My dad asked me to open the envelope immediately, and I obliged by tearing at the edges. The content of the letter completely startled me, but it also made me very proud. His words told me that when his own dad died, he developed a stammer that hurt his confidence to communicate. His words also told me about why he had to leave school before he was a teenager to earn money for his family. He admitted in the final paragraph that this was the first letter he had ever written because he had never learned to read and write until recently. It was only when he discovered that he had cancer that he decided to learn how to read and write. It was his final goal in life, and this private letter to me was his proof that he had succeeded.
My dad always seemed to be a very articulate person who was known to advise local politicians and business leaders in Dublin on how to communicate. He was a great people person and an amazing listener. He could take a difficult subject and simplify it. He could take a boring piece of information and make it interesting. He could take a tense situation and fill it with calmness. He could respond to injustice with reason. I looked into his eyes, and I asked him how he always knew so much. He said it was because he listened and asked questions all the time. He said it was because he listened to great minds and good people.
So why did my dad not ask for help with his reading and writing earlier? One answer is time and perhaps money, but maybe the real answer is the embarrassment he felt. Maybe he didn’t want to admit to those he loved that he had a problem, and it was easier to delegate all the paperwork he encountered.
There are many people with a similar problem to what my dad had. They may be able to read and write, but they suffer from a verbal communication problem. Their confidence and skill to communicate constantly hold them back. They lose out on promotions. They fail to promote their business, or they work ineffectively in teams because of their poor communication skills. They may have amazing business skills, but they fear presenting or speaking in public. They may have a valid point to make at a meeting but poor confidence glues them to their seat. They may be the best person for a promotion, but they slip and stumble in the heat of an interview. Not everybody is willing to admit they have a problem. 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' was written and recorded with these people in mind.
This is the fuel that drove my passion to write this book and the fuel that energised me during the rewriting stage. I see people suffer in a similar way to my dad, and I want to help them. That is why I devote my life to helping people in business all over the world to improve their speeches, presentations, customer service and sales skills. That is why my dad gets a special mention in the book.
Tomorrow, I promise to reveal a Ronald Reagan secret. It will help you develop a trait that Reagan used to gain the title, ‘The Great Communicator'.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
It was March, 2006 when I discovered the secret my dad had hidden from me all my life. It was two weeks before he passed away from cancer, and he felt that the time had come for him to tell me about one of his struggles in life.
My dad's weight had dropped dramatically in the previous few weeks as his illness took a greater hold over him. Despite the pain and his physical transformation, his mind and spirit were as strong as ever. He put his teacup to rest on the kitchen table and he reached into the inside pocket of the jacket he was wearing. As my dad held a white envelope in my direction, I noticed a tear in each of his beautiful eyes. The tears were tears of pride.
My dad asked me to open the envelope immediately, and I obliged by tearing at the edges. The content of the letter completely startled me, but it also made me very proud. His words told me that when his own dad died, he developed a stammer that hurt his confidence to communicate. His words also told me about why he had to leave school before he was a teenager to earn money for his family. He admitted in the final paragraph that this was the first letter he had ever written because he had never learned to read and write until recently. It was only when he discovered that he had cancer that he decided to learn how to read and write. It was his final goal in life, and this private letter to me was his proof that he had succeeded.
My dad always seemed to be a very articulate person who was known to advise local politicians and business leaders in Dublin on how to communicate. He was a great people person and an amazing listener. He could take a difficult subject and simplify it. He could take a boring piece of information and make it interesting. He could take a tense situation and fill it with calmness. He could respond to injustice with reason. I looked into his eyes, and I asked him how he always knew so much. He said it was because he listened and asked questions all the time. He said it was because he listened to great minds and good people.
So why did my dad not ask for help with his reading and writing earlier? One answer is time and perhaps money, but maybe the real answer is the embarrassment he felt. Maybe he didn’t want to admit to those he loved that he had a problem, and it was easier to delegate all the paperwork he encountered.
There are many people with a similar problem to what my dad had. They may be able to read and write, but they suffer from a verbal communication problem. Their confidence and skill to communicate constantly hold them back. They lose out on promotions. They fail to promote their business, or they work ineffectively in teams because of their poor communication skills. They may have amazing business skills, but they fear presenting or speaking in public. They may have a valid point to make at a meeting but poor confidence glues them to their seat. They may be the best person for a promotion, but they slip and stumble in the heat of an interview. Not everybody is willing to admit they have a problem. 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' was written and recorded with these people in mind.
This is the fuel that drove my passion to write this book and the fuel that energised me during the rewriting stage. I see people suffer in a similar way to my dad, and I want to help them. That is why I devote my life to helping people in business all over the world to improve their speeches, presentations, customer service and sales skills. That is why my dad gets a special mention in the book.
Tomorrow, I promise to reveal a Ronald Reagan secret. It will help you develop a trait that Reagan used to gain the title, ‘The Great Communicator'.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds,LS1 4HY, United Kingdom
Friday 25 November 2011
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (My favourite speaker apart from Dad) by Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 4
Hi,
At the very end of the book, I pay tribute to my favourite speaker of all time. I explain why I rate the person so highly, and I justify their talent. If I told you the person's name it may ruin the end of the book.
My second favourite speaker of all time gets a mention too. My Dad advised politicians and leaders on how to relate to the average person. He saw how bright they were as people but also how frustrated they felt when it came to connecting with people. My Dad would always say that the meaning of any communication is the genuine response it achieves. He would also say that it's not what you say that's important. It's what's understood, accepted and acted upon that is important? My Dad had a way of saying something in a few words that took other people a lot longer.
However, my Dad kept a communication secret from me and others that he did not reveal to anybody until two weeks before he passed away in 2006. I will blog again tomorrow and tell you the full story of his communication secret.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY
At the very end of the book, I pay tribute to my favourite speaker of all time. I explain why I rate the person so highly, and I justify their talent. If I told you the person's name it may ruin the end of the book.
My second favourite speaker of all time gets a mention too. My Dad advised politicians and leaders on how to relate to the average person. He saw how bright they were as people but also how frustrated they felt when it came to connecting with people. My Dad would always say that the meaning of any communication is the genuine response it achieves. He would also say that it's not what you say that's important. It's what's understood, accepted and acted upon that is important? My Dad had a way of saying something in a few words that took other people a lot longer.
However, my Dad kept a communication secret from me and others that he did not reveal to anybody until two weeks before he passed away in 2006. I will blog again tomorrow and tell you the full story of his communication secret.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY
Thursday 24 November 2011
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (Who could Obama learn from?) by Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 3
Hi,
This is how I planned to help you give a better speech than Obama.I decided to go beneath the skin and soul of Obama's skills to show you how he creates and delivers his great speeches. To take you past Obama, I decided to offer the same insight into the speakers whom even Obama could learn from. Those speakers are Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther King, Benazir Bhutto, JFK, Winston Churchill, Ireland's greatest speaker, Daniel O'Connell and more.
I also pay tribute to my two favourite speakers of all time. I will reveal one of those speakers tomorrow. I promise!
Take care,
Darren.
PS: PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY
This is how I planned to help you give a better speech than Obama.I decided to go beneath the skin and soul of Obama's skills to show you how he creates and delivers his great speeches. To take you past Obama, I decided to offer the same insight into the speakers whom even Obama could learn from. Those speakers are Ronald Reagan, Martin Luther King, Benazir Bhutto, JFK, Winston Churchill, Ireland's greatest speaker, Daniel O'Connell and more.
I also pay tribute to my two favourite speakers of all time. I will reveal one of those speakers tomorrow. I promise!
Take care,
Darren.
PS: PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY
Wednesday 23 November 2011
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (Why I wrote the book) by Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog - Day 2
Hi,
I was sitting in a cafe with two of my best friends when one of them asked me about my biggest fear. I found it hard to whittle my biggest fears down to one but my friend could easily identify his. He told me he was petrified at the thought of speaking in public. He knew it held him back in his job and strangled his confidence, but he just couldn't master it.
When I told him that anyone can do it, he disagreed. I decided to prove to my friends that great communicators are not born that way. I decided to show them a process of great speaking, as if they had one of the worlds greatest speakers beside them. They laughed when I mentioned Barack Obama but that just made me want to encourage them to learn even more.
So here is the books' layout. I have divided the letters of Obama to make it easy for them and you to remember.
O is for Organisation.
B is for Body Language.
A is for Accuracy of information.
M is for how to be Memorable.
A is for moving people to Action.
Are you thinking " But how can you make them better than Obama?" I promise to answer that question tomorrow.
Take care,
Darren
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY
I was sitting in a cafe with two of my best friends when one of them asked me about my biggest fear. I found it hard to whittle my biggest fears down to one but my friend could easily identify his. He told me he was petrified at the thought of speaking in public. He knew it held him back in his job and strangled his confidence, but he just couldn't master it.
When I told him that anyone can do it, he disagreed. I decided to prove to my friends that great communicators are not born that way. I decided to show them a process of great speaking, as if they had one of the worlds greatest speakers beside them. They laughed when I mentioned Barack Obama but that just made me want to encourage them to learn even more.
So here is the books' layout. I have divided the letters of Obama to make it easy for them and you to remember.
O is for Organisation.
B is for Body Language.
A is for Accuracy of information.
M is for how to be Memorable.
A is for moving people to Action.
Are you thinking " But how can you make them better than Obama?" I promise to answer that question tomorrow.
Take care,
Darren
PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY
Tuesday 22 November 2011
HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world - (Intro) by Darren Kelly, Kellcomm, Blog- Day 1
Hi,
My latest book 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' will be released in December. I plan to write a blog for the next thirty days to explain why and how I wrote the book.
I will also reveal why I decided to write some very personal things in the book and how I discovered the secrets of Obama's masterful way of communicating. I hope you like it. I will cover my reasons for writing the book tomorrow.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY
My latest book 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' will be released in December. I plan to write a blog for the next thirty days to explain why and how I wrote the book.
I will also reveal why I decided to write some very personal things in the book and how I discovered the secrets of Obama's masterful way of communicating. I hope you like it. I will cover my reasons for writing the book tomorrow.
Take care,
Darren.
PS: PS: 'HOW TO GIVE A BETTER SPEECH THAN OBAMA and change your world' - will be available on iTunes and Amazon in December.
Kellcomm, Princes Exchange, Princes Square, Leeds, LS1 4HY
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