Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
One of the kingdom’s pre-eminent public speaking coaches is celebrating worldwide success after his latest book soared onto global best-seller lists.
Mohamed Isa’s latest work, The Success Blueprint, which was co-written with expert Brian Tracy and features contributions from other ‘thought leaders’ such as JW Dicks and Nick Nanton, reached as high as No 6 in the ‘Direct Marketing’ category and No 57 in the ‘Sales and Selling’ bracket, compiled by online retail giant Amazon.
This book aims to provide the reader with strategies to find success in their health, wealth and lifestyle. Mohamed contributed a chapter titled Public Speaking: What You Need to Succeed! which offered tips on how to best deliver a message to an audience.
Mohamed said: “I am very proud of being a Bahraini bestselling author! This is my second time hitting the Amazon Bestselling list after 2014’s World Class Speaking in Action. With all of this going on, I always tell myself: ‘Have your ego in check. Others have achieved more than you, it is just the beginning!’
“Teaming up with a celebrity like Brian Tracy was a great blessing. I admire this gentleman who achieved a lot across many areas including his sales career and business ventures. He is a true living legend, in my opinion.”
Mohamed, who was born in Muharraq, completed his Bachelors Degree in Accounting at the University of Bahrain and secured a position with multinational company Unilever three months in advance of his graduation.
“I’m not afraid to admit, I followed the money,” Mohamed explained. “I remember flipping through a career guide that I found in my grandfather’s house. I looked for the job with the highest salary and it was accountancy.”
Mohammed reached the pinnacle of the profession when he became a chief financial officer of an investment company in Bahrain and Kuwait when he was 27.
His move into public speaking began during his time at university. After hating it at school, he eventually read up on the subject to develop the skill, becoming his friends’ ‘go-to’ option for preparing class presentations. He then began coaching students and peers on delivery and execution.
He eventually considered a full career change in 2010 when he became the first Certified World Class Speaking Coach in the Middle East, before adopting it full time in December 2015.
Mohamed explained: “Public speaking is challenging in the Middle East as the profession is underdeveloped and people are not aware of the positive impact of speech coaching on the progression of their careers. In essence, they are yet to appreciate this profession but, hopefully, this will change as more coaches in different fields emerge in Bahrain.”
Now as a recognised author as well as a speaker, Mohamed believes that blending both is possible through patience and practice.
He explained: “Can a good writer become a good speaker? The two are certainly different, but I am confident that with dedication and discipline, a good writer can become a good speaker and vice-versa. In fact, I believe that to be a great speaker, you must become a wordsmith.
“Writing a speech is not like writing an article. When I write my speeches, I write them in verses rather than full paragraphs. I mirror my writing to my speech pattern. I will consider pauses, stresses, repetitions and the speed of delivery. As rule of thumb, always consider your audience. If you are speaking to them, write for their ears. If you are publishing an article, write for their eyes and better yet, in a conversational style.”
As for the future, Mohamed refuses to make a pit stop and is keeping the bandwagon rolling. His next book, Chai Karak: A Customer Service Story will be released in December and advanced copies have already received rave reviews from experts in the field.
On an annual basis, he is aiming to publish at least two books either as the sole author or as part of compilation projects.
