Public speaking is one of my favorite pastimes – and it should be, considering all the speeches I give every year. I speak to huge corporations and highly-specialized groups and get paid well for the privilege. I’m often asked for advice on making effective and interesting presentations. Seems a lot of folks out there are … Read more
Everybody’s talking about AI. It’s the hot topic at conferences, the buzzword in boardrooms, and apparently the newest line item on speaker one-sheets across the country. The problem? Most of the content being delivered from the stage isn’t strategy—it’s a book report. Summaries of what ChatGPT can do, mixed with a few headlines from tech blogs, and … Read more
How are you, as a professional speaker/trainer/consultant growing your speaking business? Most have no real plan or strategy for what they need to do to have a successful, and profitable long-term speaking career. What does your plan look like…and what are you doing each week to advance this master speaking plan? What’s your plan to … Read more
Talk to any speaker long enough, and one dream is bound to surface: taking their message to a global stage. The allure is understandable: images of exotic destinations, selfie-filled reels beside iconic landmarks, late-night receptions under foreign skies, multilingual backstage crews managing headset switches, and spontaneous applause in languages you don’t even speak. And while … Read more
I’ve held a lot of microphones in my life. Town hall meetings. Hospital boardrooms. Government offices. Conference panels. I’ve briefed ministers, board members, nurses, and CEOs—often in the same week. At one point, I was in three countries a week, translating healthcare goals into policy and practice. One thing I didn’t realize…I was already a … Read more
In July of 2023, I sat in the back of the ballroom in Orlando, Florida, watching a parade of brilliant speakers walk across the stage to receive their CSP, CPAE, and respective awards. Moved to tears by the remarks from Dr. Willie Jolley, CSP, CPAE, Cavett Award Recipient, I scurried back to my room, pulled … Read more
The first NSA meeting I ever attended—22 years ago—featured a brilliant, well-known keynote speaker who emphatically proclaimed, “Do not EVER speak for free.” Oddly, I had just seen that same speaker a few days earlier… speaking for free at a charity event. That’s why I came to NSA in the first place. Here’s the truth: much … Read more
The Smart Speaker’s Advantage Sitting in a Tokyo McDonald’s, craving something familiar after weeks of home-cooked meals from my various Rotary host families, I bit into a “Big Mac.” It tasted exactly like the Big Mac back home in Columbus, Ohio. That was the moment I understood the power of systems. McDonald’s didn’t just make … Read more
I owe you an apology. As the person who introduced using “pineapples” in place of quoting actual numbers when I hosted the NSA podcast—I know you’re groaning—I think it’s time we have a candid discussion about speaker fees in 2025. First, I must share that I’m writing from the perspective of a full-time, paid keynote … Read more
One of the highest compliments a speaker can receive is being invited back to present for the same client. It validates that you weren’t just good, but good enough—or should I say amazing enough—to be invited back. Who doesn’t love that? But there’s another compliment that’s almost just as good, and it can come before … Read more