Q&A with Keith Eck, CLU®, ChFC, ® Founder/Owner, Keith Eck Financial.
Former Treasurer and now Sergeant-At-Arms, Encinitas Toastmasters, PM3, MS3
This interview was conducted virtually by Pat Rarus, DTM, also of Encinitas Toastmasters.
Q. Keith, You have a compelling life story to tell because major health issues derailed your promising football career while still in your 20s. Could you elaborate, please?
A. When I was a 24-year-old NFL (National Football League) football player, I suddenly felt ill on the flight taking me back to play for my second year with the New York Giants. At 6’4” and 280 pounds, and ready to become starting center, I looked like the picture of good health. Still, I felt terrible. The stewardess and the pilot asked if I wanted them to land the plane, and I said no. When I finally reached the hospital, I learned that I had suffered a major heart attack, losing one-third of my heart. The doctor said, “You will never play football again!”
Q. Keith, why, specifically, did you pivot to financial services after you had to quit the NFL?
A. My father suggested that financial services would be a great industry to join. He had been working in it for his whole life. After my first year in the NFL, I took the money I saved from my first year’s salary ( which was very small compared to what first-year players make now), and I bought a duplex in 1978 with a college friend. Because I now had a mortgage to pay, I needed to get a job ASAP. I was in a different financial services specialty than my father. Still, I had a 43-year career, and I enjoyed the thrill of helping clients reach their financial goals.
Q. How has joining Toastmasters helped your public speaking career?
A. Joining Toastmasters was a great decision, and I have to credit my wife because it was her idea. I was thinking about hiring a speaking coach to tell my story. But, my wife felt that speaking in front of a roomful of people each week would accelerate my speaking skills. She was right! As a Toastmaster, not only do I have the opportunity to give speeches, but I also can volunteer for different meeting roles, which helps me polish my speaking skills in other ways. Toastmasters meetings are run with excellent time management and organization, which are invaluable for everyone’s discipline. Toastmasters International, or TI for short, is also the best bargain for the dues you pay and the rewards that you reap. You could not ask for a more supportive environment to overcome your fear of public speaking. If you are already a good speaker, Toastmasters provides a great atmosphere to polish your skills.
Q. Keith, you have served as our club treasurer a few times. What have you learned from serving in this office? Why is it important for club members to serve as officers? After all, they are not getting paid for this responsibility!
A. Serving on the board as treasurer has been a great opportunity to assist our club, and it gives me a sense of involvement beyond attending the meetings. Our club has grown so much over the four years that I have been a member! Serving as Treasurer and now Sergeant-at-Arms helps me feel that I have had a role in that growth. I think it’s important for members to volunteer for board positions for their own personal growth and to bring a new perspective to our meetings.
Q. Keith, you recently gave a TEDx Talk. Please elaborate on this high-profile experience. Please tell us if you hired a speaking coach, how you controlled any nervousness, and anything else that may inspire other Encinitas Toastmasters to do this. (Editor’s Note: A TEDx Talk is a showcase for speakers presenting great, well-formed ideas in less than 18 minutes. These talks are available online and often lead to lucrative, high-profile speaking opportunities).
A. Being on stage and giving a TEDx Talk has been one of my main goals since deciding I was going to become a professional speaker four years ago. My mentor and our former president, Robert Perry, gave me fantastic advice: Robert suggested that I speak at other local clubs, giving my TED talk outside our club to obtain more feedback from new sources. Giving my TEDx Talk at other clubs helped me to develop a greater comfort level with my speaking. For example, I felt more relaxed at the third club than at the first club, where I gave my speech. Before this, I had never practiced a speech at an outside Toastmasters club. Now, I belong to other TM clubs in addition to Encinitas Toastmasters.
Regarding the talk itself, I was nervous, but the first way that I controlled my stage fright was to dedicate hours and hours into practicing, including listening to my talk in my car while I was driving. As I prepared the day before, I kept reminding myself that everyone here [at the actual event] wanted the speakers to succeed and come to hear us. I was also confident that my story is unbelievable and fascinating. Most of all, I believe I can help change people’s lives by inspiring them to trust that they have the strength to overcome their adversity. I have now started enjoying all the career growth that I have seen with other TEDx speakers.
I’m still waiting for my talk to be published by TED, which should be any time now. Once my talk goes onto the TED website, I believe my marketing opportunities will be plentiful because of my NFL and financial services background.
Q. Do you recommend that other Toastmasters give TEDx Talks?
A. Definitely, if a member feels they have an “Idea worth spreading,” which is the mission of TED.