Episode 48

Donald Robertson | What we can learn about public speaking and Stoic philosophy from the great Marcus Aurelius

What does stoic philosophy have to do with public speaking and presentations? More than you'd think.

I recently read 'How to think Like A Roman Emperor' by an expert in stoic philosophy Donald Robertson. It surprised me that he wrote a fair bit about orators and rhetoric of the sophists and how public speaking was an essential leadership tool in ancient Greece and Rome for those in positions of power, especially an emperor. It's not so different today. The ability to persuade and influence still lies largely with those who speak from some kind of stage.

I asked Donald if he'd be willing to be a guest on my show and to my surprise, he readily agreed. I learned a lot from our conversation, as will you, I'm sure. I know I will be referring back to this conversation for a long time to come, as we discussed so many areas, like decatastrophising our thinking, cognitive behavioural therapy, hyperbole in modern life and a number of other profound areas.

I highly recommend Donald's book 'How to think like a Roman Emperor' and have previously published a book review for it on my YouTube channel. On his own website, Donald has several courses and many materials you can check out to bring a little more capital S Stoicism into your life and philosophy. https://donaldrobertson.name/

I encourage you to check out Donald's Facebook group on Stoicism, which is where I first encountered him https://www.facebook.com/groups/Stoicism

I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. If you'd like to catch the video version on YouTube, here's the link https://youtu.be/YKNbD_TvZHQ and please like and subscribe the channel whilst you're there.

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Present Influence
The podcast that helps professional communicators learn the skills that increase influence, impact and authority.

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About your host

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John Ball

From former flight attendant to international coach and trainer, on to podcaster and persuasion expert, it's been quite the journey for John.
John has been a lead coach and trainer with the Harv Eker organisation for over 10 years and is currently focused on helping his clients develop their personal presentation skills for media and speaking stages through his coaching business brand Present Influence.
He's the author of the upcoming book Podfluence: How To Build Professional Authority With Podcasts, and host of the Podfluence podcast with over 150 episodes and over 15,000 downloads John is now focused on helping business coaches and speakers to build a following and grow your lead flow and charisma.
You can now also listen to John on The Coaching Clinic podcast with his good friend and colleague Angie Besignano where they are helping coaches create sustainable and successful businesses, and the Try To Stand Up podcast where John is on a personal and professional mission to become funnier on the stage and in his communication.

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