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On June 7, 2014 Houston pastor Joel Osteen took the stage at a sold-out Yankee Stadium to deliver a sermon in front of 50,000 people. Many of those in attendance that Saturday night were no doubt part of Osteen’s global television audience, which now extends to millions of viewers in more than 100 countries. The Yankee Stadium appearance was unthinkable just 15 years earlier because Osteen himself never dreamed it would be possible.
Fifteen years ago Osteen took over as pastor of Lakewood Church after his father passed away. John Osteen had started Lakewood in an abandoned Houston feed store and had grown the church to about 6,000 members when his son took over. Joel Osteen had no intention of preaching. For seventeen years he was perfectly content behind the scenes, producing his father’s television broadcast. In fact he “dreaded” speaking to an audience. In the most remarkable part of Osteen’s journey, he had only preached once in his life—the week before his dad unexpectedly passed away. And he was a nervous wreck.
Joel Osteen’s 15-year journey to become the face of the largest church in America and one of the most influential Christian leaders in the world is an inspiring story of personal transformation. I caught up with Osteen during a busy week as he was preparing for the publication of his new book, You Can You Will, and the launch of “Joel Osteen Radio” on SiriusXM. In the conversation that follows we talked about Osteen’s journey from being a “preacher’s kid” who was afraid to speak in public to a global thought leader who inspires millions through his words, social networks, and public speeches. We also talked about how Osteen practices his speeches and what he says to himself before he takes the stage.
Joel Osteen never dreamed he’d be speaking at Yankee Stadium when he first took over his dad’s... [+]
Carmine: “I've had a keen interest in leadership, inspiration, and communication for 25 years. Over that time I've realized that our internal dialogue sets us up for success or failure. Joel, take me back to the week in 1999 before you preached your first sermon. How did you feel about public speaking and why were you insecure about your ability to move people?”
Joel: “My personality is quiet and reserved. My dad was always the person on the stage. I just didn’t think it was in me. When I told my dad I would minister I wasn’t looking forward to it. I just did it to make him proud. I was nervous. I spoke too fast. All I remember was how nervous I was and how much I dreaded doing it. It was THE worst week of my life!”
Carmine: “Now take me backstage at Yankee Stadium this summer where 50,000 people turned out to hear you speak. As you’re walking up the steps to the field, what’s your internal dialogue?”
Joel: “It was night and day from my first sermon. I now have 15 years of experience. A year or two after I started preaching I began to hit my stride. I started to say, ‘Okay, maybe I was meant to do this.’ When I walk on stage today I feel humbled and rewarded that so many people came out. I tell myself that I’ll give it my best and hopefully move some people in a positive direction.”
Carmine: “Most people would have a severe panic attack in the moments before speaking to a sold-out stadium. But today your thought process is different. It’s an attitude of ‘I can’t wait to share this message.’”
Joel: “Exactly. You have to talk to yourself the right way and believe you are the person for the job. When you’re prepared in your material and in your mindset, that’s important. I walk up to the stage telling myself, ‘Everyone here wants to hear me. Nobody made them come.’ I’m talking to myself the right way. You cannot get on stage with self-defeating thoughts like ‘I’m boring, nobody wants to listen to me, I’m going to forget my script. ’ That’s preparing yourself to fail.”
Carmine: "This reinforces one of the chapters in your new book, You Can You Will, where you reveal the eight ‘undeniable qualities of a winner.’ You say that having a positive mindset is one of those undeniable qualities."
Joel: “That’s exactly right. Some people are just raised negative. They don’t think they’re being negative, but they go through life almost expecting not to do well. They’ll show up for a job interview not expecting to get it. I think you have to turn it around. When you get up in front of people, believe that they want to hear you. Act like they like you.”
Carmine: "You include a lot of stories in each sermon and each sermon seems polished and effortless. I know 'effortless' takes work. Please tell me how you choose your stories and how many times you practice?"
Joel: “I like to bring in stories of practical, everyday people and examples that the audience can relate to. I think it can get boring to have too much information without a lot of examples and stories. I have a list of stories and I write down what people tell me. I choose the story that fits the message. Getting back to my pastor side, Jesus used examples, and parables, and stories because they are more impactful.”
Carmine: "Now tell me about how you practice and how your rehearsal gives you confidence to be in the moment."
Joel: “I spend Thursday and Friday writing and going over my 28-minute message. I write it out word for word. I’ll take three hours on Friday and three hours on Saturday and review it page by page. I deliver it Saturday night and twice on Sunday. The one people see on television is my third delivery.
Carmine: "Ah, so by the last sermon, which is the one people see on TV and YouTube, you’ve had hours and hours of refining the stories, the pacing, the delivery. Most people don’t practice once!"
Joel: “When I first started I just made some notes and thought, I’ll just get up there and do it. I learned that, for me at least, if I haven’t rehearsed the sermon, it doesn’t come out the way I think it should.”
Carmine: "Finally, Joel, what’s the secret to inspiring people to make radical changes in their life?"
Joel: “Be real. Be personable. Make it simple so people don’t walk away asking, ‘What’s the point?’”
Joel’s last observation speaks to the heart of inspiration. It’s very hard to inspire others if you’re not true to who you are. Even Osteen tried to mimic someone else—his dad’s preaching style. Osteen only came into his own when he freed himself from what others thought he should be and stayed true to who he was meant to be. “My calling was to plant a seed of hope,” he said. I believe all of us have ideas that are meant to be shared; stories that are meant to be told. Too many people keep their ideas locked up because they have a fear of public speaking or a fear of being harshly judged for their ideas. The fear of speaking – the fear of speaking up – is one of the most common fears most of us share. The good news is you can overcome it and, as Joel Osteen has proven, do it in a big, big way.
Carmine Gallo is the communication coach for the world’s most admired brands, a popular keynote speaker, and author of several bestselling books including the Wall Street Journal hits The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and his latest Talk Like TED: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets Of The World’s Top Minds.
