Roy Gluckman
Roy Gluckman is a 27 year old, qualified attorney of the High Court of South Africa and a lecturer of law who offers hard-hitting motivational and educational presentations combining research, real-world examples and an empathetic delivery to convey incredibly memorable presentations such as ‘I am a White Male and I Believe in Transformation’, ‘The Diversity Quotient: The Next Phase in Transformation’ and ‘Gen-Why from a Gen Y’.
He believes in conveying a message that is real and relevant to all South Africans. A country with diverse demographic and social-economic issues, our new Mzansi has begun to show the cracks of our divided past; a poor social education, the understanding of our fellow countrymen, given the history, being the main cause thereof.
In replacement of the fear, lack of communication and the misunderstanding of cultures, Roy offers a solutions-based program calling for empathy, inspiring others to better understand each other by engaging our differences as opposed to ignoring them.
“I have matured, along with my idea, concepts and my ability to deliver them in a memorable fashion. I have had to temper some of my ideas as I have grown as a South African, which has been a wonderful experience”
He began his speaking career in 2009 in Cape Town when he presented his programs to high schools as part of the students’ Life Orientation lessons. After moving back to Jozi to his corporate job, he adapted his program to appeal to and target young professionals, graduates and executives. From there, his program has developed into what it is today.
Rory was inspired by the subject matters of his presentations rather than a particular person which enabled him to pursue his dream of public speaking: “I am so motivated and compelled to disseminate this message that it becomes all the inspiration I need!”
For Roy, the ‘light-bulb’ or ‘ah-ha’ moment that Roy witnesses from his audiences, is what he enjoys the most about professional speaking, alongside the performance aspect of presenting but he still gets pre-presentation butterflies and he still feels nervous each time he speaks.
He pushes himself incredibly hard; “to the point where my mantra includes phrases of relaxation and ‘letting go’. I understand that things will only happen in my life if I assist in the actualization of those. Nothing will ever be handed to me” he says. “I’m often satisfied with my work but I always try (or request guidance on how) to improve”.
With this being said, Roy believes that he has succeeded in a field where so many others have failed; “I haven’t stopped, even though there were quiet times. Also, I strongly believe in my program and the importance of its message for all South Africans. As such, I have endeavoured to push my program wherever it will go in order to disseminate the message”.
If Roy had to give aspiring speakers advice on how to go about pursuing professional speaker, he believes that it’s important to find an angle which speaks not only to an individual problem, but a national or global issue: “pursue topics that you are passionate about and never forget that if something does not have a social impact, it might just be redundant”
