Frank Beard

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • 30 Days of Gas Station Food

How I overcame a speech impediment to become a public speaker

June 26, 2017 By Frank Beard 1 Comment

I haven’t shared this with many people, but I’ve decided to put it out there.

I grew up with a speech impediment.

Despite creating a speaking business and having spoken on the same stage as Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama, expressing myself has been a struggle for most of my life.

In kindergarten, I was bullied on the bus because of my stutter. “F-f-f-f-frank,” I’d say, telling others my name. The sixth graders pounced on it immediately, and it was a bit of a shocking introduction to school. I still remember their names to this day.

I was sent to speech therapy during elementary school, and I became so frustrated a few years later that I just stopped talking. Great solution, right? I don’t remember this of course, but my mother claims it’s what happened.

Did I just outgrow it? I wish it was that simple, but it’s not.

During the difficult period of time that was my early twenties, I once took a job as an insurance salesman. I needed something after turning down law school, and it was the only option after hundreds of applications and more than six months out of work. It was entirely commission-based, of course, and that meant I had to do a lot of cold-calling.

I sat down with a list one day and dialed the number of someone I hadn’t spoken to in years. When they answered the phone, the words I’d intended to say wouldn’t even come out of my mouth.

It’s hard to explain exactly how this works, but imagine your words as the flow of a river. Now place an enormous dam in the middle of that river. A small amount of water flows through, but the rest of it backs up. For me, I always felt like my thoughts moved a million miles a second and were completely clear, but they didn’t directly translate to speech. In this situation, I couldn’t even say the first word.

I tried to say “hello”, but only the first consonant leaked through. The rest just…stopped. Once that happened, a shot of anxiety coursed through my system and wrecked my ability to go further.

Shit, I thought. Why the hell is this happening?!

I hung up.

Even today, I struggle sometimes with sentences if the first word begins with certain letters and combinations of sounds. Not always. Just sometimes. If I’m nervous–and especially if I’ve eaten a lot of sugar–I have to be extra careful to avoid issues. Oddly enough, caffeine is a tremendous help. (thank you, sugar-free Rockstar!) Exercise makes it better too.

The best solution I’ve found? Practice, practice, and practice. If you see me at a stoplight or intersection, I’m probably not singing along to music. I’m talking aloud to myself. Saying something I plan to talk about over, and over, and over again.

“Did you memorize that entire speech?” asked someone I know, at the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Summit. She remarked that it sounded great–so great that it might’ve been memorized.

I nodded my head.

“Every word.”

I can talk freely and on-the-fly, of course. I enjoy doing radio shows perhaps more than anything else. But memorization and internalization are some of the best tools at my disposal for formal presentations. It allows me to focus my attention on the finer details. Pitch, flow, humor, the way I present things, and how I connect with the audience. Do I stick to the script? Not always. Good speakers know when to veer off course and inject humor, anecdotes, and do what it takes to better connect with the audience. I usually do this. But no matter what happens, I’m prepared with a speech that works.

The point of mentioning this? Life’s funny, and sometimes it takes a direction you never imagined.

I was nervous as I prepared to give a speech in Anaheim at the beginning of this year; but the moment I began speaking, I became calm, collected, and entirely relaxed.

This is exactly what I need to be doing with my life, I remember thinking. I love everything about speaking. 

Don’t sell yourself short. I’m one of least-likely people to get paid to speak.

And yet, here I am.

***

Want to listen to an interview? Here’s a radio interview I did recently with WHO Radio about GasBuddy, the “30 Days of Gas Station Food” experiment, the Partnership for a Healthier America, and how to stay healthy during summer road trips. (it starts at the 3:45 mark)

 

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: GasBuddy, obstacles, overcoming, Partnership for a Healthier America, practice, public speaking, speaking, speech impediment, struggle, stuttering

NACS Daily – Three ways to share your healthful products with customers

June 16, 2017 By Frank Beard Leave a Comment

I’ve visited more than 1,000 convenience stores in 24 states, and I frequently encounter stations that sell healthful food and make little mention of it. This is concerning, because it’s vital to promote the full range of your products if you want to broaden your customer base.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Check out my NACS Daily column for three easy (and inexpensive) ways to tell customers that you have healthful options inside the store.

Filed Under: Convenience Stores Tagged With: convenience stores, forecourt, gas stations, healthy food, nacs daily

GasBuddy Blog – Why convenience stores dominated the conversation at a healthy living conference

June 1, 2017 By Frank Beard Leave a Comment

Well folks, my speech at the Partnership for a Healthier America’s Summit was a success! I didn’t get to meet Bill Clinton or Michelle Obama, but I did get to speak on the same stage.

I also introduced the Chairman of the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) immediately following my speech. NACS then announced that they’re signing a partnership agreement—becoming the first retail trade association to do so.

The real story, however, is the way that convenience stores absolutely dominated the discussion at the Summit.

Click here for my recap on the GasBuddy blog.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BT9z0wTlL4s/

Filed Under: Convenience Stores Tagged With: bill clinton, building a healthier future summit, GasBuddy, healthy living, michelle obama, nacs, Partnership for a Healthier America, speaking

NACS Daily – Why quality restrooms matter for business

May 24, 2017 By Frank Beard Leave a Comment

Good restrooms are good for business. End of story.

I discuss this in my new NACS Daily column, and I connect the dots between industry research and my experiences traveling to stores across the United States. Check it out.

Filed Under: Convenience Stores Tagged With: convenience stores, gas stations, nacs daily, restroom quality, restrooms

GasBuddy Blog – Convenience stores and the Partnership for a Healthier America form an unlikely dream team

May 5, 2017 By Frank Beard Leave a Comment

I’m speaking this month at the Partnership for a Healthier America’s 2017 Summit in Washington, DC—on the same stage as Bill Clinton and Michelle Obama. Many leading convenience stores have partnered with PHA in recent years and worked hard to improve the country’s health.

But much of this has happened behind the scenes. In order to get the inside story, I reached out to PHA’s Director of Partnerships for an interview.

Check it out on GasBuddy’s blog!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BTu0aI2lfmL/

Filed Under: Convenience Stores Tagged With: bill clinton, building a healthier future summit, GasBuddy, healthy living, michelle obama, Partnership for a Healthier America, speaking, washington dc

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 9
  • Next Page »

About Frank

Speaker. Writer. Retail Analyst. Healthful Living Advocate.

I help the general public understand the $600 billion fuel and convenience retailing industry.

I'm a frequent speaker at key industry events and corporate gatherings, and I contribute to leading trade publications and podcasts. At GasBuddy, I serve as the Analyst/Evangelist for Convenience Store Trends.

I also work to dispel the myth that eating on-the-go is bad for our health. I once spent 30 days eating exclusively at gas stations to prove it.

Click here to learn more.

Find Me on Social Media

  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

What People Are Saying

Frank ‘gets it’ when looking at opportunities for convenience stores to enhance their offers."

Jeff Lenard
VP, Strategic Industry Initiatives
National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS)

2017-05-22T11:44:03+00:00

Jeff Lenard
VP, Strategic Industry Initiatives
National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS)

Frank ‘gets it’ when looking at opportunities for convenience stores to enhance their offers."
http://frankbeard.org/testimonials/1564/

“Frank Beard’s “30 Days of Gas Station Food” experiment and Instagram account have raised a lot of awareness to the fact that most, if not all, convenience stores have quite a few healthy options.”

Erin Butler
Owned Products Category Manager
Kum & Go

2017-05-22T11:52:00+00:00

Erin Butler
Owned Products Category Manager
Kum & Go

“Frank Beard’s “30 Days of Gas Station Food” experiment and Instagram account have raised a lot of awareness to the fact that most, if not all, convenience stores have quite a few healthy options.”
http://frankbeard.org/testimonials/1567/

“Frank brings a unique perspective to the industry, and his enthusiasm is contagious. Great speaker!”

Doug Marley
Category Manager
Hy-Vee, Inc.

2017-05-22T11:53:11+00:00

Doug Marley
Category Manager
Hy-Vee, Inc.

“Frank brings a unique perspective to the industry, and his enthusiasm is contagious. Great speaker!”
http://frankbeard.org/testimonials/1568/

“Frank Beard was terrific…Beard’s story should have been heard by more retailers examining healthy offerings.”

Anonymous Audience Feedback
2016 NACS Show

2017-05-22T11:54:28+00:00

Anonymous Audience Feedback
2016 NACS Show

“Frank Beard was terrific…Beard’s story should have been heard by more retailers examining healthy offerings.”
http://frankbeard.org/testimonials/1569/

Copyright © 2019 Frank Beard · Log in