New book by Elon alum hits USA Today bestsellers list | Today at Elon

“Speak Goodr: Confessions of a Professional Speaker on Mastering Public Speaking and Getting Paid to Speak,” a new book by Elon alum Ryan Vet ’13, has made the USA Today Bestsellers List. Vet says the book, his fifth, is different than any of his other works as he challenged himself to tap into humor rather than writing a simple step-by-step guidebook.

“I tried an almost ‘Three Stooges’ slapstick style or ‘The Office’ sarcasm,” he said. “If you read the book out loud, it presents in a way that I would speak. It was to help me be a better speaker and writer.”

Vet’s love for public speaking started as a student at Elon University, speaking about leadership to high school groups and professional associations. A year after graduating in 2013, Vet and a partner opened The Oak House in downtown Elon. Since then, he has risen to executive leadership roles at multiple companies as well as held advisory board roles in several companies and non-profits and shares his experiences as an international speaker. He also serves on the Elon University Alumni Advisory Board and the Doherty Center Advisory Board.

“Speak Goodr” includes a variety of humorous stories and some of the “wildest things” that have happened during Vet’s speaking career, including a recent chaotic incident during a conference presentation.

“I was speaking in an exhibit hall and every person was given a pair of headphones. I had to talk into a microphone that just went to their headphones, which was a very unreal and surreal experience,” he said. “While, all the while, the stage had a massive divot in it that was imploding. The monitors and slides were strobing. An AV guy comes on stage and starts talking to me, blocking me and totally interrupts the presentation. Meanwhile, the meeting planner was still trying to keep the event on schedule.”

But Vet says while public speaking can have some mishaps and be intimidating to many people, it’s important to remember why you’re speaking in the first place.

“The reason you end up on stage, whether it’s a board room, corporate stage or a conference is because someone thought you had a message to share,” he said. “What I tell people is you have to take that message that you have and you have to share it, even if it’s just for one person, you’ve done your job.”

“Speak Goodr” is available at major retailers and online.