ABCs of Public Speaking
It’s been said there are two times in life when you are truly alone: just before you die and just before you deliver a five-minute speech. Stage fright can be terrifying, but it needn’t be paralyzing. Delivering over a thousand speeches teaches a person a thing or two about getting through to the audience. Because…
Should I Get Involved?
Should you get involved in service to your local NSA chapter? The short answer is Yes. However, the truth is you will have to identify your personal reasons that motivate you to make this commitment. When I am asked what the reasons are to get involved with your local NSA chapter, my response is simply…
NSA: “It’s the People”
Ask a bunch of NSA members why they join and attend events, and I bet the most common response you will receive is some version of, “It’s the people.” But this short phrase really doesn’t convey the powerful meaning behind it. Admittedly, my first few NSA events were intimidating, and it did take a while…
Welcome to the Marketing Business
Once you identify yourself by a category—speaker, trainer, facilitator, coach, consultant, and so forth—you become a commodity, and subject to price comparisons. I tell everyone who approaches me for advice that they need to: Understand this is the marketing business. Build their brand so that they are unique. Focus NOT on what you do (i.e.,…
Running a Successful Speaking Business Abroad
In late October of 2021, I received a text from a friend from college. She simply asked if my wife and I would like to join them in Mexico in five weeks. They owned a place in Playa Del Carmen, so all we’d need to do is get there. We jumped on the opportunity. After…
Aviate, Navigate, Communicate: How I Built a Six-Figure Speaking Brand While Keeping My Full-Time Career
If you’ve ever spent any time around aviation, you know there’s one rule pilots repeat so often it becomes muscle memory: Aviate. Navigate. Communicate. It’s the principle we fall back on when things get bumpy or when the fit hits the shan at 3 a.m. over the Atlantic Ocean. It’s what keeps us alive when…
From Certified Speaking Professional™ to Certified Silent Professional (What Happens When a Speaker Loses Her Voice Among 150 of the World’s Best Speakers)
I just spent the weekend at the CSP® Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, surrounded by 150 Certified Speaking Professionals™, some of the best speakers in the world…. And I couldn’t speak. Not a whisper. Not a croak. Nothing. I arrived with a perfectly normal voice the night before the Summit. Woke up the first morning with…
RECODED: Use AI to Improve Your Speaking Business DNA
For a long time, the three things that made someone a successful professional speaker were talent, determination, and travel. You could make a living if you could get people to pay attention, keep booking gigs, and earn enough frequent-flyer miles. But the business of talking has changed. Your voice alone isn’t enough anymore. You need…
From Good to Unforgettable: 5 Self-Leadership Habits That Define the National Speakers Association Professional
I joined the National Speakers Association in 2018 and later served as President of NSA Colorado. In those years, I have watched our profession grow in both reach and noise. Open LinkedIn on any given day, and it seems everyone is a keynote speaker. I celebrate the enthusiasm, but I also know there is a…