3 year old became the world’s youngest motivational speaker | Image:
Guinness World Records
Caleb, the youngest motivational speaker — male — gave his first speech on ‘Self-belief’ at the tender age of 3 years and 307 days old. While most children struggle to utter full sentences at three years old, now 11 years old, Caleb from Tallahassee, Florida was speaking and conveying his message flawlessly.
Reminiscing his first speech at the ALARM International Church in Tallahassee, the young master said, “Everyone stood up for me and I felt proud of myself. “It felt perfect to see how I made an impact and inspired everyone.” This was just the first step in Caleb’s journey.
Then he embarked on the formidable voyage to talk to schools, churches, and community leaders about topics ranging from dreaming big and believing in yourself to the importance of literacy and reading fluency.
His second speech was as a keynote speaker at a teacher training event at Raa Middle School. He stood at a table and delivered his speech on the benefits of reading and having big dreams. The video of this confident approach went viral.
His mission during this entire journey has remained constant and that is, to encourage kids to read, have confidence in their abilities, and work on their goals.
“Find something you are good at and work hard at it,” he said in his speech to fellow young people. His key recommendations to fellow aspiring speakers for a great speech are, “Be confident, be calm, and if you mess up, keep going. Speak loud and clear.”
Amusingly, Caleb also writes his speeches himself. From choosing a topic to breaking it into segments and putting his thoughts on paper, all the aspects of the entire procedure are carefully handled by him.
An elder at his church called him “Master of Reading,” since the prodigy mastered reading at two years old, hence the name – Master Caleb. “Just like a Master Gardener or a Master Chef, I am a Master Reader,” said Master Caleb.
Realising the lack of reading proficiency amongst today’s children, Caleb decided to set up the Master Caleb’s Discovery Library, a pop-up non-profit library through which he donates books from his personal collection, along with other learning materials, to kids in his community.
Caleb draws his passion for motivational speaking from his family, who not only supported him but also inspired him. His favourite speaker to listen to his uncle Bishop Alvin Stewart while his grandmother, Valerie inspires and assists him the most.
Caleb draws his passion for motivational speaking from his family, who not only supported him but also inspired him. He shares his favourite speaker, his uncle, Bishop Alvin Stewart, while his grandmother, Valerie, inspires and assists him the most.
He also hopes to start his school to help other kids and someday speak at a big sports stadium during a halftime show!
But don’t worry, he is not an overworked kid losing the golden years of childhood. When the famous prodigy is not working on his speeches, he enjoys his years like any other kid. He plays baseball and video games with his sisters and cousins and spends quality time with his family.
His family describes the little sweetheart as someone who is affectionate and really cares about others.