...As for how successful a pitchman or entertainer Michael Phelps can be, "the jury is still out," says Matt Eventoff, a partner with PPS Associates, which trains business people, politicians and entertainers for public appearances.
"If he puts his heart into his message and his speaking style the way he did in his swimming, the sky is the limit." ...There's no question it's Phelps' moment to use or lose. The talent experts say how long that moment lasts is up to him.
"Michael is a very 'in' commodity right now, and that 'in-ness' tends to leave fairly quickly," Eventoff says, adding that Phelps, very soon, must find a message. In blunter terms: He needs to find something to say.
All the charisma in the world - which he thinks Phelps has in spades - isn't in itself the foundation for a long-term career.
"The platform that athletes are given is a tremendous blessing, as well as responsibility," Eventoff says. "Not having a central message, or even worse, having nothing to say, is the quickest way to oblivion."
Having a message, Eventoff says, means that someone should be able to express who he is, what he cares about, what matters to him and why anyone should care.
...As for how successful a pitchman or entertainer Michael Phelps can be, "the jury is still out," says Matt Eventoff, a partner with PPS Associates, which trains business people, politicians and entertainers for public appearances.
"If he puts his heart into his message and his speaking style the way he did in his swimming, the sky is the limit." ...There's no question it's Phelps' moment to use or lose. The talent experts say how long that moment lasts is up to him.
"Michael is a very 'in' commodity right now, and that 'in-ness' tends to leave fairly quickly," Eventoff says, adding that Phelps, very soon, must find a message. In blunter terms: He needs to find something to say.
All the charisma in the world - which he thinks Phelps has in spades - isn't in itself the foundation for a long-term career.
"The platform that athletes are given is a tremendous blessing, as well as responsibility," Eventoff says. "Not having a central message, or even worse, having nothing to say, is the quickest way to oblivion."
Having a message, Eventoff says, means that someone should be able to express who he is, what he cares about, what matters to him and why anyone should care.
