Speaker- Nov 2009

THE ART AND BUSINESS OF SPEAKING

NOVEMBER 2009

Create a Winning Image Check out these makeovers!

Use Humor for Fun and Profit Time Out! Schedule an off-season for professional growth

Make MONEY in your PJs PA G E 10

think

BIG Develop your “inner bigness” for happiness and success

Peggy O’Neill, CHt speaker, author and coach

T H E O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E O F T H E N AT I O N A L S P E A K E R S A S S O C I AT I O N • W W W. N S A S P E A K E R . O R G

THE ART AND BUSINESS OF SPEAKING

Big 16 Think Motivational speaker and author Peggy O’Neill explains how to develop your inner bigness for happiness and success.

By Tim Hyland

N O V E M B E R 2009

FEATURES A Power Tool for 20 Humor: Business Building Use humor as a platform tool to connect with your audience and build trust.

By Kathryn Hammer

Out! 24 Time Schedule an off-season to retool, regroup and refocus on your speaking business.

By Walter Bond, CSP

You Playing Wardrobe 28 Are Roulette?

24 CO LU M N S 6 Reality Check

D EPARTM EN TS 12 Relevant Resources

Putting a fine point on the speaking industry

Time-saving tools and technologies

8 Welcome to My World

14 What Would You Do?

A snapshot into the lives of the people who hire us

10 It’s Your Business Advice for enterprising speakers

Upgrade your look and attire to get your business on the fast track.

By Sandy DuMont

Casting a reality check on real-world conundrums

33 Turning Point A career-changing moment or experience

38 Humor Me

4 News from Headquarters 34 Calendar of Events 36 Index of Advertisers

Quips, tips and parting shots

32 Beyond Borders Exploring culture, countries and comfort zones November 2009 | SPEAKER | 3

news From headQuarters

NATIONAL SPEAKERS ASSOCIATION OFFICERS Phillip Van Hooser, CSP, CPAE, President Kristin Arnold, MBA, CPF, CMC, CSP, President Elect Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, Vice President Ronald P. Culberson, MSW, CSP, Secretary Ron Karr, CSP, Treasurer Sam Silverstein, CSP, Immediate Past President Stacy Tetschner, CAE, Executive Vice President/CEO

Reported by Stacy Tetschner, CAE NSA Executive Vice President/CEO

FOUNDER Cavett Robert, CSP, CPAE

New Member Directory Member profiles on NSASpeaker.org are now powered by our friends at eSpeakers. com. Enjoy improved searchability, unlimited space for your bio, and an option to upgrade your profile to include streaming video, audio, articles and more. For more information, contact us at (480) 968-2552 or information@nsaspeaker.org.

Web 2.0 Webinar Series Don’t miss NSA’s free Webinar on building a Facebook presence with Michelle Cullison on Thursday, November 12. For registration and information, visit MyNSA.org/Webinars.aspx.

Speaker Tweets Follow Speaker magazine on Twitter for links to articles, sneak peeks at upcoming issues, instant updates on NSA happenings and more! Find us at Twitter.com/ SpeakerMagazine.

Spirit of NSA Day Celebrate the third annual Spirit of NSA Day, Nov. 14, 2008, by giving back to the

speaking community. Introduce a colleague to a potential client, make a business referral or mentor an emerging speaker. Share your experience on the Spirit of NSA Day blog at SpiritofNSA.wordpress.com.

Save the Date Are you interested in attending a unique, interactive learning experience that is specially designed and facilitated by leading industry experts to help you hone your platform skills, book more engagements and make more money? Take your business to the next level by signing up for the 2009 NSA Fall Conference in Phoenix, Ariz., November 20-22. Visit NSAFallConference.org.

Meetings Matter Meetings Matter is an international campaign between NSA and the Global Speakers Federation (GSF) to reinforce the message that “meetings matter,” contrary to media and political backlash. Meetings are vital to the education of workforces worldwide, and generate over 1 million jobs in the United States alone. For information on the campaign and how you can help, visit WhyMeetingsMatter.org.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Marjorie Brody, PCC, CMC, CSP, CPAE Kirstin Carey, CSP Jarik Conrad, EdD, MBA, MILR, SPHR Ed Gerety, CSP Scott Halford, CSP Ron Karr, CSP Linda Keith, CPA, CSP Scott McKain, CSP, CPAE John B. Molidor, PhD Ford Saeks Jean Houston Shore, CPA, MBA, CSP Laura Stack, MBA, CSP Francine Ward, JD NSA FOUNDATION The Foundation serves NSA members and the public through: • Financial help for NSA members and their families who are facing health or natural disaster emergencies; • Grants to NSA members who need help with their dues or meeting registration fees; • Scholarships for speech/communications students and professors; • Oversight and funding for speaking-related research; and • Grants to help charitable organizations communicate through technology Founder and Chairman Emeritus Nido R. Qubein, CSP, CPAE Chair Stephen Tweed, CSP NSA Foundation Board of Trustees Lenora Billings-Harris, CSP Terry Paulson, PhD, CSP, CPAE Jane Jenkins Herlong, CSP Sam Silverstein, CSP Don Hutson, CSP, CPAE Laura Stack, MBA, CSP Ron Karr, CSP Phillip Van Hooser, CSP, CPAE John B. Molidor, PhD Al Walker, CSP, CPAE

SPEAKER EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Molly Cox, Chair Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE Jill Konrath Gina Schreck, CSP Terri Langhans, CSP Dennis Stauffer Managing Editor Barbara Parus

Design switchstudio.com

Publications Assistant Lauren Aiken

This Month on V O I C E S O F E X P E R I E N C E ® NSA’s monthly audio magazine

• Back Stage: Gerard Braud with Steve Spangler, CSP • Category of One: Joe Calloway, CSP, CPAE, with Lisa Ford, CSP, CPAE

• If You Could Do Just One Thing This Month: Bill Cates, CSP, Chris Clark-Epstein, CSP, Ford Saeks, Mike Rayburn, CSP • Starfish Humor: Molly Cox

• Ones to Watch: Jane Atkinson with Scott Klososky

• Dissecting Starfish: Ron Culberson, MSW, CSP, and David Glickman

• Off Stage: Rene Godefroy with Leann Thieman, CSP, CPAE

• President’s Message: Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP, CPAE

4 | SPEAKER | November 2009

Editorial Office and Subscriptions: National Speakers Association 1500 S. Priest Drive • Tempe, AZ 85281 Tel: (480) 968-2552 • Fax: (480) 968-0911 Web site: www.nsaspeaker.org.

Advertising Sales Mandy Schulze, CMP Sponsorships, Advertising & Exhibits Manager Tel: (480) 264-4297 • Cell: (480) 600-3512 Fax: (480) 264-4298 Email: mandy@NSAspeaker.org SPEAKER (ISSN 1934-9076) (USPS 012-886). Volume 4, Number 3.

Published monthly except February and August by the National Speakers Association, 1500 S. Priest Drive, Tempe, AZ 85281.

Periodicals postage paid at Tempe, Arizona, and at additional mailing offices. Contents Copyright 2009 National Speakers Association, all rights reserved. Subscription rate for NSA members is $35 of $425 annual dues allocated to SPEAKER; non-member subscription rate is $49 for 10 issues. Add $10 for Canadian or international postage.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SPEAKER, National Speakers Association, 1500 S. Priest Drive, Tempe, AZ 85281.

realit y check Putting a fine point on the speaking industry

These Are the Good Ol’ Days

L

ike many of you, I plan and strategize throughout the year. I always set aside time in October, however, to reflect on NSA’s history and how we can best serve our members in the future. I am proud to note the progress of NSA and the speaking profession, but I’m even more excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.

In October 1991, the executive vice president handed me a one-foot thick binder and said, “You are in charge of printing the NSA membership directory this year. Make sure our members’ names and photos match because nothing makes them angrier than errors in their listings. Here are the changes since last year.”

Fast-forward to 2009. We no longer print the directory because technology has enabled us to create an electronic version, with unlimited space for biographical information and expertise.

Members can update their profiles in real time and even add video clips. It has evolved from a membership directory to a valuable source of information and self promotion. This area of the Web site receives 12,000 visitors per month on average. And to think that we

6 | SPEAKER | November 2009

only printed a total of 8,000 directories 18 years ago.

In my first year at NSA, I received a slew of handwritten notes from members who lauded the benefits they gained from a SpeakOut magazine article or on the Voices of Experience® cassette that month. Today, I still receive an occasional handwritten note, but the bulk of communication is via e-mail, Facebook and LinkedIn, or after someone has downloaded the latest issue of VOE from iTunes or perused current or past digital issues of Speaker magazine with our online search tools. NSA continues to implement the latest technology to put resources at your fingertips.

Even though much has changed, our greatest opportunity to connect with other speakers has not.

NSA meetings are still the best kept secret within our association. Here, competitors become colleagues and share trade secrets, successes and failures, and help other members transform speaking careers into speaking businesses.

NSA meetings are the single highest rated benefit in building your speaking business and getting a return on your membership investment.

Meetings Mean Business In these unprecedented times for the speaking profession, NSA and its worldwide partner, the Global Speakers Federation (GSF), are committed to promoting face-to-face meetings and the use of professional speakers at these meetings. To actively participate in this effort and incorporate this message into your presentations, visit www. whymeetingsmatter.org.

This was never more evident to me than when 60 people attended a recent reception for members who have belonged to NSA for 20 or more years.

Clearly, the business relationships were rich, and the friendships deep. I was proud to witness first-hand the value that NSA has provided in their careers.

NSA continues its dedication to provide members with the necessary tools to weather today’s economic storm. I encourage you to reflect on the future of the speaking profession and commit to becoming more involved.

Help us create the new “good ol’ days” for NSA and its members.

Stacy Tetschner, CAE Executive Vice President and CEO National Speakers Association

welcome to my world A snapshot into the lives of the people who hire us

Who’s Getting Booked?

Has there been a shift in the demand for celebrity speakers compared to content experts?

There’s still a demand for name speakers. A name with a message is even more important. People still turn to a name to drive attendance to their meeting. The demand for celebrities has not waned as much as you might think.

Who have you been booking lately?

Jeff Skyles, the co-pilot of the plane in the “miracle on the Hudson,” is one of our most popular and easily booked speakers. There’s always demand for compelling stories and life experiences.

How should speakers approach you?

T

he strained economy has affected industries and businesses across the board, including the professional speaking arena. Speaker editorial board committee member Dennis Stauffer asked Matthew Jones, senior vice president at Washington, D.C.based Leading Authorities, Inc. (LAI), how the current marketplace has impacted the demand for speakers.

Jones is LAI’s point person for all speaker contacts, including Donald Trump, Lance Armstrong and Anderson Cooper, along with senators, presidential candidates, business gurus and cabinet members.

Dennis Stauffer: How did you land your current position?

Matthew Jones: I joined Leading Authorities about 14 years ago, after spending time on a couple of presidential campaigns. In the early days, I did a little of everything, including fixing the fax machine. I’m now the point person for all speaker relationships, and I’m also involved in the strategic direction of the business.

8 | SPEAKER | November 2009

What is the profile of the typical speaker who you represent?

They are accomplished in their field, whether it’s politics or business or contemporary life in some way. These speakers have led extraordinary lives, and can teach lessons that people want to hear.

We are inundated with calls and correspondence every day from people who want to work with us. You want me to be the one who is contacting you. Focus your energy on becoming an expert, not convincing a speakers’ bureau to book you. Write a book. Get published. Study. Build a reputation as an expert in your particular field. We learned about many of the speakers we work with today from our clients. If we haven’t heard of a particular speaker and we hear his or her name a few times, we’re going to seek that person out and learn more.

How would a speaker know if he or she is a good fit for you?

I need to know: Who are you? What have you done? How good are you at telling that? In other words, why should people listen to you?

How has the current economic situation changed your clients’ needs?

The state of the economy has impacted the topics that are in demand. It’s a good year to be an economist, or someone who’s talking about changes in regulatory reform or the new intersection between government and business. In the past six months, every speech that we’ve booked has centered on current events in business, thriving in challenging times, overcoming adversity and related topics.

Matthew Jones is senior vice president at Leading Authorities, Inc., where he recruits and manages new talent. He has been cited as an expert on the lecture circuit and in the events industry by The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Fortune, The New Yorker and Time magazine.

Dennis Stauffer is an internationally recognized thought leader on the attitudes and behaviors that drive innovation, adaptability and personal effectiveness. His work includes psychometric research into the mindset of successful innovators. He can be reached at dstauffer@ insightfusion.com.

it’s your business Advice for enterprising speakers

Make Money in Your Pajamas

F

or several years, NSA has hosted great break-out sessions on how to make money in your pajamas.

After listening to many experts give advice on selling information products, I discovered that they all left out two critical elements to achieving success: What do you sell, and how do you sell it?

Selling product while you are speaking is always important, but it isn’t a hot topic now. Today it’s all about selling when you’re not speaking or, simply put, making money in your pajamas. The idea of making money this way has been a topic of interest since I joined NSA in 1992, though back then people wanted to make money while they were asleep, which I guess does not necessarily require pajamas. For all of us, the Internet made this a reality.

The key to selling is potential customers and, without a big list, you won’t see the results the experts tout. Getting 200 people who love your content to spend $500 is not that tough if you have a list of 100,000 names, but you might only sell to 10 people if your list has only 5,000 names.

Supply and Demand

Build Your Prospects

The Internet is the 21st Century Gold Rush. In the Gold Rush of 1849, the wealthiest people were not gold miners, but rather the people who sold supplies to the gold miners. Today, there are lots of people making money telling us how to make money on the Internet. While I have no doubt that much of what they advise is valid, it is incomplete in one critical area.

You must have valuable information and a way to share it. You must write quality copy for your Web site. Most important, you must have prospects.

Success requires building your list, and here are some great ways to do it: • speak. Even if it’s for free, it’s the only way you are going to get people to give you their name and contact information to add to your list.

• give. Get affiliates to work with you by offering your “stuff ’ to their audiences.

• improve. Work to improve your search-ability, and consider pay-perclick advertising.

• target. Consider taking out small classified or display ads in publications that target your audience.

10 | SPEAKER | November 2009

Lesson Learned If I could do one thing differently over the last 17 years as a professional speaker, I would have given more free speeches to target audiences to build my list. If you want to make money while you are sleeping (in your pajamas or not), build a list and become an information entrepreneur. Everything else the experts teach depends on it.

Mitchell Goozé, CSP, is the president and founder of Customer Manufacturing Group, Inc. A recognized expert in marketing, strategic planning and customer relationships, Goozé has helped thousands of senior executives gain a competitive edge in their market. For more information, visit www. customermfg.com.

What’s YOUR Story?

The nation’s premier agency providing educational speakers, interactive workshops, and live webinars to America’s colleges & universities.

Discover our story at www.campuspeak.com

Learn about the college speakers market: www.campuspeak.com/academy

Now accepting applications for speakers Deadline: February 1, 2010

www.campuspeak.com/join

Interested in helping to form a P.E.G. for college speakers in NSA? E-mail T.J. Sullivan at

P. O. Box 440560 Aurora, Colorado 80044-0560

sullivan@campuspeak.com

(303) 745-5545

relevant resources Time-saving tools and technologies

Travel Companions Six goodies for speakers on the move Smart Scribble

1

LiveScribe’s Pulse™ Smart Pen is far from your ordinary pen. Using an application called Paper Replay™, it records and syncs audio with whatever you write, so you never miss a word. Tap directly on words or drawings to recall audio clips, transfer notes to your PC and share them with your friends as interactive Flash movies. Pulse is available in 1GB or 2GB and comes with accessories, including a carrying case and 3-D recording headset. Starting at $149.00 – www.livescribe.com

2

Bye-Bye Blankie

With all the traveling speakers do, it’s time we ditched those scratchy airplane blankets and invested in our own. The CoolMax® Travel Blanket is the ideal companion on planes, in the car and at home. This highly breathable blanket is small, fast-drying and lightweight enough that you’ll want to take it wherever you go. Choose from mid-weight CoolMax® knit ($30) or polyester thermo-fleece ($40). 70 x 56 inches – www.designsalt.com

Auto Mate

3

The next time you flee the country, pack the Autoverter Self-Switching Converter from Voltage Valet. The Autoverter senses your device and automatically changes between a 50-watt transformer and a 2,000-watt solid-state converter, and can be used safely with motorized and electronic appliances. The converter contains four of the most common plug adaptors and is great for travelers who take multiple appliances on the road. $40.95 – www.travelessentials.com 12 | SPEAKER | November 2009

4

Under Armor

Keep your map close and your money closer. The PacSafe CoverSafe Waist Wallet is a must-have for keeping your cash, cards, passport and other important travel documents at your side at all times. Features include dual-zippered compartments, a convenient top-zippered compartment with a removable water-resistant liner, and an adjustable belt to fit waist sizes 28-46 inches. It’s also wire reinforced and made of ripstop nylon with a soft backing for comfort concealed beneath your clothes. 11.25 x 5.25 inches, $18.95 – www.rei.com

Compact Care

5

mysmartpac™ is an innovative collection of disposable personal care products designed and packaged for people on the go. These “his” and “hers” travel goodies are carry-on ready, conveniently packaged and contain high-quality ingredients like green tea, aloe vera and grape seed oil. Each mysmartpac™ comes with shaving supplies, face cleanser, body lotion, a toothbrush, toothpaste and deodorant in basic ($10) or regular ($20) size, and lasts for up to six uses. – www.mysmartpac.com

6

Lighten Up

Reading on airplanes just got easier. The LightWedge® Original LED Book Light uses patented technology to deliver just the right amount of light on the page you are reading without disturbing your neighbor. Ideal for hard cover books and paperbacks, LightWedge® ($34.95) provides 40 hours of light and is the perfect accessory for frequent fliers. Need to shed some light on your keyboard, too? Try the Mr. Brightside USB Light ($8.99), a curved LED light that plugs into your laptop’s USB port. Various colors available – www.biggerandbrighter.com November 2009 | SPEAKER | 13

what would you do?

Casting a reality check on real-world conundrums

Making the Cut Always go deeper than their request to discount. Find out as much as you can. I don’t mind changing my fees to meet their altered situation, but they have to be willing to have an honest and open conversation about it. They need to be willing to explore solutions rather than just ask me to bear the burden.

Maybe they can cut costs by delivering content over the phone or Internet, or the cost could be shared with others. If they are not willing to explore a wide range of solutions, then I’ll politely decline their request for a deep discount.

—Kevin Stirtz Burnsville, Minn.

The event planner’s role is to save the organization money. The process of requesting a discount is part of this role. Don’t take it personally. You need to remind the client of the high-value benefits you provide. If it is not going to happen, a great question to ask is, “What part of me would you like less of?”

—Stuart Gray Jordan, Minn.

14 | SPEAKER | November 2009

We need to appreciate past engagements with our clients, and help accommodate them when the going gets tough. This does not mean that we should give away content. Discuss and agree upon a price that satisfies their budget and makes your effort, time and travel worthwhile.

—Bob Cohen Minneapolis, Minn.

a long-time client who is accustomed to paying your normal fee asks you for a deep discount because of drastic training budget cuts. How do you handle the request?

Given our current economy, if a long-term client (and the emphasis here is “long-term”) asked me for a deep discount, I may even go so far as to do the event for free. I’m a firm believer in “What goes around comes around.” Long-term clients offer far more benefits than our actual fee, including referrals, book purchases and media opportunities.

—Christine Clifford Beckwith, CSP, CPAE Minneapolis, Minn.

What Would You Do? is a regular column that presents a real-life dilemma faced by professional speakers. NSA members are encouraged to submit a dilemma for possible discussion in this column. Please submit dilemmas to ethics@nsaspeaker.org. NSA reserves the right to edit submissions for length and style. All dilemmas will be anonymously attributed. Opinions expressed are those of the individual respondents, not NSA.

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entrepreneurhouseauthors.com.

Think

Big. Tap into your

“inner bigness” to achieve personal happiness and professional success.

Peggy O’Neill, CHt, motivational speaker, author and coach

16 | SPEAKER | November 2009

BY T I M H Y L A N D

Peggy O’Neill remembers the conversation like it was yesterday.

About 10 years ago, O’Neill was still a relative newbie to the speaking circuit and trying to figure out the nuances of the business—how to find jobs, market herself and connect with her audiences. She thought she was doing a pretty good job of it, too. She was scheduling bookings and everyone seemed to enjoy her appearances, during which she conveyed the message that “inside every challenge lies a gift.”

I

t was a message rooted in the unique challenges O’Neill had faced as a “little person” standing just 3 feet, 8 inches tall: the cruel stares from strangers, the ongoing battle to be taken seriously as a professional, the daily grind of simply getting things done in a world that wasn’t built for her.

O’Neill thought her message was poignant, touching and universal.

Then she got a wake-up call.

“I was talking a lot about my own life back then,” O’Neill says. “But after I had just finished a speech one day, my marketing assistant asked, ‘Frankly, who cares? Who cares that you can’t drive a rental car? Who cares that you can’t look everyone in the eye? I mean, really, who cares?’”

It wasn’t exactly the response O’Neill was hoping for, but she knew her assistant had a point. She was focusing too much on herself, and not enough on her audience. So she went back to the drawing board to find a more

compelling and effective message for her keynotes.

Today, O’Neill is one of the most popular speakers in the business, and her message of “inner bigness”—the idea that each of us has greatness inside, and living with “big character” can deliver big success— has inspired audiences nationwide. She has spoken for Chase, British Petroleum, Boeing and Washington Mutual, federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and numerous nonprofits and school groups.

She’s authored two books (including an award-winning children’s book, Little Squarehead) and was among the speakers featured in the self-help film, The Opus Movie. In 2008, she was named winner of the Connie Contest for speaker excellence by the Greater Los Angeles Chapter of the National Speakers Association.

November 2009 | SPEAKER | 17

O’Neill shares her message with students.

By all measures, O’Neill’s speaking business today is a smashing success.

But the success didn’t come easily, and wouldn’t have been possible unless O’Neill overcame two major challenges. First, in the wake of that awkward post-speech conversation— “Who cares?”— O’Neill needed to communicate her unique challenges in a way that was universally relevant and helpful to others. Second, and more important, after battling feelings of self-doubt and unworthiness for years, she had to finally confront—and accept— who she is.

The discovery of her own “inner bigness” was the pivotal moment in her personal and professional life. When she speaks to her audiences today, she tells them the same kind of personal enlightenment is possible for them, too.

After all, she’s living proof that even the smallest of us can “walk tall.”

18 | SPEAKER | November 2009

“The thesis of my keynote is that size matters—but that the size of what’s inside matters most,” says O’Neill, who lives in Woodland Hills, Calif. “My whole emphasis is on helping people realize their innate greatness, and that inner size is a choice. There are many things in life we can’t control, like the stock market, who’s in our family, the weather, or our height. But one paramount factor in life that we can control is our inner size. We get to choose to embody ‘inner smallness’ or ‘inner bigness.’”

Diamond in the Rough Of course, making that choice is easier said than done. If anyone knows that, it’s O’Neill.

Her story of overcoming challenges holds valuable life lessons for everyone, including emerging speakers who are struggling to achieve success.

“Believe me, it’s been a phenomenal amount of inner work for me to overcome everything,” O’Neill admits. “I

had to deal with a lot from my own critical voice. I had to turn a lot of challenges into gifts.”

For most of her life, O’Neill struggled with her short stature and the way she was treated because of it. She faced prejudice and ignorance, and even downright nastiness. All of that negativity eventually took a heavy toll.

The curtain lifted when O’Neill experienced a turning point after doing some cathartic work. As she lay back on her pillows and closed her eyes, she saw a brilliant diamond. In this transformative moment, she realized that she is a precious gem that had been hidden by anger, frustration and disappointment.

“This understanding of my true self was more real that my everyday identity,” O’Neill says.

“I decided that from that moment on, no matter what challenges were thrown in front of me, my job in life is to live as a diamond in a place of real value.

That meditation has been the focus of my work for the past several years.”

O’Neill says her success would never have been possible without discovering her “diamond” self, the name she’s given to the beautiful, confident, empowered self that was always inside her, locked away by doubt and fear.

When she speaks to her audiences today, she assures them that there is a “diamond” inside them as well. They just need to discover it and live from that place of inner magnificence.

That’s her request of audience members, her call to action.

A Leadership Quality Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa are among the most respected, accomplished, beloved and admired figures in history—and they all share one common trait, O’Neill says. It’s not physical size or brute strength. After all, Mother Teresa stood less than 5 feet, and FDR was crippled by polio.

Great leaders have inner bigness in common, according to O’Neill, who aspires to achieve it and asks her audiences to do the same. In the speaking industry, for example, NSA members continue to uphold the legacy of founder Cavett Robert, CSP, CPAE. “Those people exhibit behaviors and qualities of greatness,” O’Neill says. “They have integrity and fortitude—the ability to work through challenges and also be formed by them. They have honesty, sincerity, generosity compassion and wisdom. When I talk about inner bigness, I am talking about the idea that every person has the capacity to unveil these qualities within themselves.”

She gets her audiences to believe it, too, through her unique speaking style—and by leveraging her short stature.

When O’Neill speaks, there’s some humor. Some tears, too.

O’Neill cannot hide who she is. But while her coming-of-age stories ultimately revolve around her stature, the lessons derived from those experiences can apply to anyone.

“When I take the stage, the first thing I say is, ‘Size matters,’” O’Neill says. “And you know what? The audience immediately

laughs. They know I have a sense of humor about my size, and it brings some lightheartedness to a situation that maybe is weighing heavily on them. Next, I try to emphasize the congruency between how I am on the inside and what I’m saying on the outside. If I’m talking about ‘inner bigness’ but feel afraid, people would pick up on that.

They wouldn’t respond to me.”

In a sense, O’Neill uses herself as a metaphor for her message about overcoming challenges, defeating self-doubt, increasing self-esteem and discovering and accepting one’s inherent beauty.

The formula hits home with school children and CEOs alike because her audiences know she really lives her message. She may be a successful speaker but, at the end of the day, she’s still a little person. The same challenges she’s faced her whole life are the same challenges she’ll face for the rest of her life.

“My biggest challenge is my biggest perk. I try to get people to re-think the way they view little people. Many wonder what a little person can teach them.

Overcoming that condescension has been an ongoing challenge for me.”

Walk Tall in Tough Times The faltering economy hasn’t been good for anyone. Not the folks on Wall Street, nor the folks on Main Street—and certainly not for speakers.

While O’Neill understands that speakers would prefer to be working, downtime provides opportunities to work on their inner bigness. You can start by asking: How is this downturn helping me learn and grow?

What quality can I develop by working through this challenge?

Can I hone my speaking and marketing skills?

Do I have compassion for others who are also struggling?

Speakers can achieve inner bigness by answering these questions and accepting challenges, even when times are tough.

“People are inspired by people with big character,” O’Neill says. “They want to be like them and be around them.

Inner bigness increases your power of attraction.”

Tim Hyland has been a professional writer for more than a decade. His work has appeared in numerous publications, including Fast Company, Philadelphia City Paper and Philadelphia Life. Hyland lives in Flourtown, Pa., and can be reached at timothyhyland@gmail.com.

Peggy and husband, Brad Laise.

November 2009 | SPEAKER | 19

HUMOR: bY kathrYn hammer

r

emember that scene in the Nicholas Cage movie, National Treasure, where they needed special glasses to see the map’s hidden features?

To the naked eye, the clues were invisible. You needed a special tool to see them—custom lenses that revealed the key to finding the treasure.

Now imagine that you have glasses like that—a tool that enables

20 | SPEAKER | November 2009

you to see what others cannot.

Glasses that give you the power to see amusement where others see only aggravation, and opportunities where others see only road blocks.

What fun you could have! What treasures you could discover. And what a great advantage you’d have in building your business. You wouldn’t even mind looking like a dork in those weird-looking glasses. But those glasses don’t exist outside of

Hollywood, so you’re stuck seeing things the way everyone else does, right?

Wrong. Such a tool does exist.

And you already have it.

It’s your sense of humor.

At its heart, humor is the ability to see the world in fresh and unexpected ways from the not-soobvious perspective—sideways, crooked or even upside down.

There are only two catches: You

A power tool FOR BUSINESS BUILDING have to share your glasses, and you have to use them every day or they will go bad.

This takes practice. At first, things look screwy like fun-house mirrors, or the dressing room mirrors in T.J. Maxx, which recent visits confirm do not reflect reality in any way.

You already know how valuable humor is as a platform tool. It helps you connect on an emotional level by breaking down resistance,

building trust and helping make people more receptive to your message. It makes your points effectively and memorably. It creates energy. People feel good about themselves and you.

Hmm. Sounds a lot like the same things used to build business relationships. With such a valuable tool, why would you save it only for show time? Employ humor’s power to get the business, too.

It’s No Joke We’re not talking “nyuk-nyuk” here.

Humor glasses do not have Groucho Marx noses attached to them.

The canned and formulaic joke is the antithesis of what I’m talking about. This is about authenticity, honesty and warmth. It’s that sense of delight and discovery as we happen upon that quirky bit of understanding, stumbling onto a patch of mutual silly ground.

November 2009 | SPEAKER | 21

A Word About Turkey Basters If it has to be inserted or injected, it isn’t there naturally.

While artificial insemination can produce reasonable facsimiles in a cattle barn, it definitely takes the fun out of it for the cow. So if you’re injecting humor into your presentations, stop it. And don’t plan on shoving that turkey baster into your e-mails and conversations either.

The key is to let humor arise naturally in the context of the moment.

Humor is not an invasive procedure; it’s discovery. Use your glasses to see the thread to pull on. Draw out the humor that’s already in there. If you don’t see it, don’t do it.

It’s just that simple.

Warning: Death or Injury May Occur Many will caution against the use of humor because there’s potential for getting it wrong. This is in line with what the operators of other power tools tell you after they’ve gotten it wrong or when want to sell you their services. (“Step aside before you hurt yourself,” he says, as he revs up the chain saw with his three remaining fingers.)

Like any power tool, humor requires common sense. If you really must read the instructions to know not to use the belt sander on your face, then, yeah, maybe power tools aren’t such a good plan.

Funny Business-Building Now you have your tools and your safety glasses, which fit right over the humor glasses. The process of

22 | SPEAKER | November 2009

You already know how valuable humor is as a platform tool.

It helps you connect on an emotional level by breaking down resistance, building trust and helping make people more receptive to your message. building your business is really no different than building a speech. It takes organization, expertise, creativity, energy and confidence. But underlying it all must be a solid foundation, which is an appreciation for and understanding of the human element: people.

With rare exception—notably, the IRS—people simply do not shed their humanity at the office door. The same things that build and nurture bonds in personal lives are the ones that build businesses.

People do business with people they like and make them feel good.

Forget the idea that it’s unprofessional. Professionalism is simply being an ace at what you do while making people glad that you’re around.

If I need a fireman—which I often do, generally around Christmas when I’ve lit candles on

the mantel and suddenly remember other pressing tasks in another part of the house—I really don’t care about the responder’s diction or manicure. I do, however, care deeply about his grasp of countercombustion techniques. But even firefighters don’t leave their humor behind. (“Mind if take a picture of this, ma’am? I’m having trouble getting my wife to switch to batteryoperated candles.”)

It’s never a breach of professionalism to make someone feel at ease, or just plain great. It’s a form of intellectual hospitality, and an excellent way to handle life’s little disasters.

Real-Time Evidence In showing your humor, you give clients valuable information—reasons to do business with you and refer you to others. At the same time, you’re learning what makes them tick.

Humor is not just a pleasant diversion; it’s hard information. It speaks volumes about your following qualities: • Resilience and flexibility. Your ability to roll with the punches.

Few projects and events go flawlessly. Knowing that your reactions aren’t going to add to the problems is a big plus. Your sense of humor says that you are low-maintenance and will contribute to an upbeat climate of can-do cooperation.

• Perspective. A sense of humor reveals your understanding of relative importance during shifting

humor makes your points effectively and memorably.

It creates energy.

People feel good about themselves and you. circumstances and your ability to think. You simply cannot have a sense of humor and a rigid, by-the-rulebook, this-is-the-waythings-are mentality at the same time. People learn to trust your judgment. They know that when you suggest things outside their comfort zone, it’s likely to be a good call.

• Genuineness. With your sense of humor on display, you’re demonstrating that you’re the real deal—everything your marketing materials say you are: fresh, original, creative, inspiring, entertaining and memorable.

It’s not just about the client.

Wearing humor glasses interrupts your own predictable patterns that might be keeping you from breaking new ground and making new discoveries.

Wear Your Humor Glasses Everywhere Make lives easier simply by being a joy to be around. Your phone calls will be returned and your e-mails will be opened and read.

Yes, clients expect you to be professional. Effective and capable?

Definitely. The takeaway is discovering it can all be achieved with a sense of fun. And on bad days, you can lighten their load even if you can’t fix their problem. Your sense of humor makes life more manageable and conveys, “I get it.”

• Blogs and social media sites.

Write your posts with a sense of humor. People will like you without really even knowing why. They’ll return to your site because it’s a bright spot in their day. They’ll start to feel like they know you. And people love to do business with friends.

• E-mails. Instead of the standard “It was a pleasure meeting you,” personalize your message. Focus on something very specific about your encounter. Did your client just dash in from a sudden rainstorm, wearing a Hefty bag as makeshift rain gear? Title your e-mail, “Loved the meeting, loved your hat.”

(Be careful with those just-forgrins, bulk e-mails. A little goes a long way. If your subject lines say Re: FW: FW: FW: ROFL!! more than once every two years, you might not be grasping the concept here.)

• Marketing materials. Jazz up your materials with some fun and unexpected twists. Loosen your tie. Use friendly, accessible language and find surprising ways to say the same old thing.

Swap out the standard FAQ page on your Web site for a tonguein-cheek Q&A a la “Dear Abby” or “Ask Miss Manners.” Choose videos that show you and your audiences enjoying each other.

Update and mix up your photos

with casual, candid shots along with your formal headshot.

• Gifts. Step up the sincerity and effectiveness of customer appreciation gifts by giving them a light-hearted, personal touch. Notice a pet phrase or favorite song or guilty indulgence. Is your client a chocolate junkie? Send him a chocolate bar the size of a Buick.

Customize a standard bouquet with trinkets that reference an inside joke.

• Etcetera. Infuse humor into all of your communications, including your conversations, proposals, snail mail and phone calls. If you can find the funny, people will find you.

What new opportunities might you see through your humor power glasses? Who knows what grand and unexpected treasures you’ll discover while wearing them? (Personally, I’m holding out for Nicholas Cage.)

Let me know what you find.

Kathryn Hammer is an author, speech writer, ghost writer and executive communications consultant. She’s also a trusted adviser to nationally known speakers, writers and leaders in business and government. And she knows her way around power tools. Visit her at www. keynotecafe.com.

November 2009 | SPEAKER | 23

Time Out! Schedule your own off-season to get on top of your speaking game.

By Walter Bond, CSP

P

rofessional sports is a multi-billion dollar industry that is embraced worldwide. Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi, Wayne Gretzky and others have become household names to even non-sports buffs. They are considered heroes—or sometimes even villains—whom we admire or ridicule. We all respect them, however, for their tremendous talent, skill and productivity.

When I made it to the NBA, it represented that I was among the best in the world in my field. For me, this was a tremendous accomplishment. It was the fulfillment of my dream, which began in early childhood, and continued until I turned 30 years old and I stopped playing. In the moment, I was a celebrated member of the fraternity of professional athletes. It had been a long journey to get there, but I finally had the chance to share the stage with NBA greats such as Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Kevin McHale, Mark Eaton, John Stockton and Karl Malone.

It was an amazing experience to play in the NBA—but the most important takeaway is what I learned from that experience. It has had a profound impact on my speaking business.

In professional sports, we compete for seven months and get five months off, which is called our “off-season.” My off-season became the most important part of my year. I made it to the NBA because of how hard I worked in my off-season.

24 | SPEAKER | November 2009

That is when I got bigger, stronger and faster. That is when I made my move on the competition.

From Court to Platform When I first retired from sports and began my career in corporate America, I let the business community lead and influence me. I had no arrogance or condescending attitudes toward business. I was a blank canvas waiting for someone to paint on me. I needed to make the transition from sports to business and enjoy the rest of my life. I also desperately needed to replace some serious income. There was no transition money available when the ball stopped bouncing, and my checks would be next if I didn’t do something quickly.

In 2001, my wife, Antoinette, and I started our speaking business. After three years, our business was steady, but I started feeling lethargic, unmotivated and stale. I needed several cups of coffee just to make it through the day. I wondered what was happening to the competitive athlete in me who was a warrior on game day.

I recoiled, realizing that I was becoming a “corporate” person. As panic set in, I shared my feelings with Antoinette. I told her that something just wasn’t right, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Then, it hit me. I needed an off-season!

“That is not how the real world works,” she said.

“I am not talking about five months off, honey,” I replied. “I need a break so I can evaluate my year and make plans for improving my performance next year.

an off-season is an annual break dedicated to retool, regroup, refresh and refocus for optimal performance improvement.

Motivational speaker Walter Bond, CSP, also known as “Mr. Accountability�

November 2009 | SPEAKER | 25

You know—just like I did in sports.”

I didn’t know if I needed a three-day weekend, 10 days or longer to get back to my roots of excellence. But I knew the key to my athletic success was my off-seasons.

An “off-season” is designed to give you an edge in your career and in your personal life by isolating areas for continuous improvement. It is not a vacation, nor a sabbatical. It is an annual break dedicated to retool, regroup, refresh and refocus for optimal performance improvement.

Plan of Action My speaking calendar between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day was light because most of my clients were in holiday mode and didn’t hold many meetings. I determined that this would be the ideal time to schedule my first offseason. During this period, we evaluated every aspect of our speaking business, including content, products, Web site, bureau relationships, opening, closing, fee(s), branding, office processes, holds, releases, follow-ups, keynotes, workshops and PowerPoint presentations. We also sifted through a few NSA convention bags full of information that we collected at the annual event. We took our business apart from top to bottom and put it back together with new ideas and strategies for the New Year.

In my basketball career, I would evaluate what I did well during the season, and then determine what I needed to work on to be the team’s most improved player the next year.

I couldn’t wait for a new season to begin, because I worked hard during the off-season. I expected success and always achieved it.

Now, I was excited about the new year in our speaking business. A new season represented unlimited possibilities, and I knew that I could reach the next level based on how I managed my off-season.

26 | SPEAKER | November 2009

Positives changes followed. I got my swagger back, and I felt that competitive edge just as I did in sports. I was refreshed, refocused, regrouped and retooled. If it worked in sports, it has to work in business, I reasoned.

Now, our business is as strong as ever, despite a recession. Recently, a financial services organization booked us for 15 events. How is that for a productive off-season?

Schedule Your Off-Season What would happen to your speaking career, training company, consulting business, personal life and/or professional career if you incorporated what professional athletes have practiced for decades? They bag tons of cash and do not even compete for the entire year.

What if professional speakers adopted their own off-season to ramp up their speaking? If you have been looking for something that can take your overall life to the next level, schedule your first off-season now.

Save the Dates!

Start your off-season by attending the 2009 Fall Conference in Phoenix, November 20-22, or the 2010 Winter Conference in Nashville, Tenn., February 12-14, where Bond will present at the opening session. Register today at NSAFallConference.org or NSAWinterConference.org.

Walter Bond, CSP, grew up in Chicago’s inner city and always dreamed of playing in the NBA. Bond’s eight-year professional career landed him as a player with the Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons. Bond also was a broadcast analyst for the Minnesota Timberwolves. For more information, visit http://walterbondseminars.com.

How Walter Got His Groove Back Schedule your off-season.

(10-14 days recommended) Evaluate and grade every aspect of your business.

Be hard on yourself Work on your keynote, open, close, content and PowerPoint® presentations.

Improve your products, and discontinue products that no longer reflect you.

Evaluate and create better office systems for marketing, sales and follow ups.

Create accountability/ round table groups with other NSA speakers.

Improve your Web site by adding a new feature, or overhaul it entirely.

Evaluate your brand. Do you need a makeover?

Evaluate your business partners and make appropriate changes.

Set financial goals for next year.

Quantify your success.

Assess your personal life.

Creating balance off the platform is important, too.

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Are You Playing

wardrobe

roulette?

You have a great speech. Your delivery is dynamite. People need what you’ve got, but you’re still not earning what you’re worth. You’re wondering what you’re doing wrong. It may be your image isn’t quite right. Are you guilty of the following offenses?

Do you assume that wearing a suit is enough?

Have you dressed the same way for many years?

Are you satisfied with looking good when you should look great?

28 | SPEAKER | November 2009

I

f you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you are playing Wardrobe Roulette™ and gambling with your image and your success.

Looks matter. In the speaking business, you are your brand, and people make choices based on brand.

They buy from brands they trust and associate with quality and reliability, and assure them they are choosing the best their money can buy.

When you don’t look your best, you’re not going to feel or perform at your best. And today, being anything less than your best keeps you out of the running. You’ve heard that celebrities hire image consultants. Why not invest in yourself and do some rebranding? An image upgrade with a professional may be just the boost you need to stop gambling with your image and start getting your career on the fast track.

A good image consultant has expertise in every element of image from head to toe, including body language, color, line and color psychology. Image consultants see what others cannot see. Business-savvy speaker Roxanne Emmerich, CMC, CSP, CPAE, agrees: “An image consultant is an important investment for any speaker or executive who wants to be taken seriously.”

Secrets for Success My years as a high-fashion model taught me that a dynamic image doesn’t just happen. It takes education to gain awareness of color and “line” or style. I’ve worked with designers from all over the world, who shared their “secrets” with their models.

When it comes to menswear, you simply can’t beat the original rules set by the British centuries ago. When I lived in London, I scoured Savile Row

and Jermyn Street, where royalty and titans of industry shop, to learn everything I could about menswear. Every color, pattern and design is there for a purpose. Over the months, I became aware of the rich cultural and socio-economic influences that were incorporated into menswear.

Women’s garments, on the other hand, do not have such deeply engrained influences. Over the centuries, women’s styles became subject to frivolities in fabric and style. The wrong color can make you appear passive and demure, as well as drab, older or less attractive.

Here are some tips that I used in the makeovers that follow: • The darker the color, the higher the perceived authority.

November 2009 | SPEAKER | 29

• Dated garments, hair or accessories suggest that your skills are also dated.

• Trendy or “fashion” attire may not get the reaction you desire. For men, “fashion” attire diminishes credibility, while “boardroom” attire announces that you are a highly credible expert. Women, however, look more professional

Fashion Look

Boardroom Look

and credible in high-fashion styles that are distinctive and well tailored. (Sexy attire is unacceptable in a boardroom.)

• Professional attire has the subtle “old money” look” that most speakers desire. Strive for classy, not flashy.

Robert (after)

Being “in style” is not the same as being stylish. If you speak to professionals, your credibility diminishes dramatically if you look trendy. (See “Fashion Look” at left.) Dark shirts are for sportswear and should not be worn with a tie. The “Boardroom” attire is far more polished and professional.

Men gravitate to earthy tones like brown, tan, camel and beige. These colors are non-threatening and make Ron (below) appear down to earth, as you can see from his photo on the right. Earth tones are ideal for counselors, psychotherapists and academics. If you speak to these audiences, earth tones are appropriate.

Before

30 | SPEAKER | November 2009

Ron (after)

Before

If your audience is high powered, navy blue and gray exude authority on the platform. Your credibility, confidence and business are all likely to increase, which is what Ron experienced after making the recommended wardrobe changes.

A color-coordinated shirt and tie is a popular fashion look. In my corporate workshops, Robert (shown left) is judged to be a McDonald’s manager.

When he switched to more powerful colors and styles, his business increased dramatically.

Jay (after) Before

Jay’s patterned tie (above) draws attention away from his face. Bold colors are fine, but tie patterns must be discreet. If you are a humorist or have an unusual topic, however, you can wear something out of the ordinary.

Female speakers look more credible in well-tailored, high-fashion garments and accessories. Most often, men wear dark power colors, while women are drawn to pastels, which can make them appear demure. If a woman has fair skin, she may blend into her clothing and look invisible on the platform like Lynn (below), a Boston attorney and author.

Lynn selected a baby pink jacket to achieve an understated, professional

Lynn (after)

Before

look. In her makeover workshop session, she quickly learned that it made her look washed out and reduced her impact level to zero. She agreed that her jacket didn’t make her look powerful or convincing, even though she has a law degree. After experimenting with bolder colors, she found a new look that reflects her position of authority.

Maintain a Professional Look If you dress for comfort instead of a professional appearance, others will take note. Even if your client has a business casual policy, you should not diminish your brand by wearing casual attire. Maintain your professional image even when the audience is dressed down for a weekend retreat or similar event. You are hired because you are an expert from outside the company or industry. You will own the room if your image announces “serious professional and recognized expert.”

Which speaker (below) would impress you as having more knowledge and experience? Casual attire suggests a casual attitude, even if you have glowing credentials. Your audience could dismiss you before you open your mouth.

Dress to Impress When you dress “up” for your audience or prospective clients, they will take notice. It reflects your respect for them. In these difficult financial times, your clients want to know that you will go the extra mile. If it isn’t obvious to them at a single glance, they may put you in the “no” category.

Phil, shown at right, didn’t own a tie, because he always presented workshops to IT people who wore khakis and sport shirts. After working with an image consultant, he dressed more professionally and noticed a big difference. “People listen to what I have to say, and I’m now I’m treated with profound respect,” he reported. “Best of all, business is up!”

Before

Phil (after)

Sandy Dumont is an image consultant and speaker with 30 years of experience advising

Don’t Send Mixed Signals

Fortune 500 companies. Her

Your message and your appearance must be consistent. Successful companies have consistent colors, slogans and logos, and they must maintain consistent quality with their products, services and staff.

Recently, a client told me that he hired a speaker who had a great Web site. He wore a suit in all of his photos and literature, but showed up for the weekend retreat in khakis and a polo shirt emblazoned with his company logo. “We felt very let down,” my client admitted.

background in fashion, art and

Protect Your Brand

Colleen (after)

Before

When speakers attend conferences and conventions, they sometimes forget that there are other guests and conferences at the venue. Speakers must protect their brands with as much dedication as corporations do. You never know who you will meet.

Get serious about enhancing your image and investing in branding yourself as a true professional. Or take a gamble and assume that “good” is good enough and hope for the best. The choice is yours.

color psychology and speaking gives her the unique ability to assist speakers to create a powerful, unique brand. For more information, visit http://theimagearchitect.com.

An image consultant is an important investment for any speaker or executive who wants to be taken seriously.

November 2009 | SPEAKER | 31

beyond borders Exploring cultures, countries and comfort zones

Smooth Sailing

W

hether you’re traveling abroad for business or pleasure, use this handy checklist to ensure a trouble-free trip.

Map Quest. Print out maps for the cities you will be visiting and include directions to your engagement, hotel, nearby restaurants and any attractions on your itinerary.

Packing list. Make a list of items to bring and stick to it. That old suitcase from 1983 just isn’t cutting it?

Invest in quality luggage with a lifetime guarantee. Check out Tumi at www.tumi.com.

Storm watch. Check the forecast before you leave, and pack a poncho because you never know when you might need it. Forget your umbrella? Pick one up at the airport.

Upgrade. Fly first class when you can. It’s more comfortable and there are more potential clients. To determine your best seat option, check out the plane’s configuration on www.SeatGuru.com.

Be productive. Upload your email to your laptop so you can read it on the plane and get as much done as possible before you land. Need a break? Rent DVDs at the airport or get a Netflix account so you can download movies.

32 | SPEAKER | November 2009

Talk Much?

Meet your neighbor. Read Speaker magazine to start a conversation on the plane. Not feeling too chatty? Bring a headset so your neighbor will be less likely to start a conversation.

Play it safe. Find out where the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate is located and jot down the contact information. Visit www.usembassy. gov for a complete list.

Bonus points. Join frequent flyer and frequent stay programs so you can earn points, and purchase airport club memberships for a relaxing respite between flights.

As a Customer Satisfaction Expert specializing in the sports and entertainment industry, Ruby Newell-Legner, CSP, turns customers into loyal fans. Her clients include the only 7-star hotel located in Dubai, NFL, NHL and NBA venues, Super Bowl XLI, 2008 U.S. Open, and the 2010 Olympics. Visit www.

GuestRelationsTraining.com.

It doesn’t take much talk time or data usage to run up a staggering phone bill.

Before leaving the country, contact your long-distance provider to sign up for special international rates or look into these options:

More For Your Minutes If it’s a short trip or you’re doing a lot of hopping around, your best bet might be a rental. You can buy a phone from a company like Mobal (www.mobal.com) for a long trip, or rent it from a company like Travelcell (www.travelcell.com) for a short one. Either way, you pay only for the minutes you use. Incoming calls are free in some locations, and outgoing ones are generally the same or cheaper than what your own carrier charges.

Skype (www.skype.com) offers a great alternative! Many Internet cafes have the service installed and headsets plugged in.

If you are traveling with a laptop, you can use Skype at any wireless hotspot, including your own hotel room. You’ll pay pennies per minute to make phone calls to anyone from your preloaded account, and Skypeto-Skype calls are always free.

Turning point A career-changing moment or experience

My Main Squeeze

I

never intended to create products, let alone create science toys for mass-market retailers like Target and Walmart. Twenty years ago, I started speaking to elementary and middle school students about ways to make learning fun. I believed that a full day of speaking consisted of five school assemblies and an hour-long training session for teachers. Multiply that schedule by approximately a hundred school visits each year.

By my fourth year, I was on my way to becoming a good speaker. But, I was really tired.

One day, I spoke in a teachers’ lounge using plastic soda bottles, buckets of water, eye-droppers, nuts and bolts. I shared a new twist on a classic science activity called a Cartesian Diver, which demonstrates that an eyedropper in a bottle of water can float and sink by simply squeezing the bottle.

I secretly hid the workings of the eyedropper with a rubber tube (a fishing lure) in the shape of a squid. Presto! The science activity called SQUIDY™ was born, and I had hundreds of teachers conducting cool air-pressure demonstrations for their students.

Then, a teacher asked, “Where can you buy these?” I told the group to go to Walmart and purchase a bag of fishing lures. “Why don’t you just sell them yourself?” the teacher asked.

Hmmm. Could someone custom make these fishing lures, I wondered?

I contacted a fish lure manufacturer to inquire about ordering a special batch of rubber squid-lures for a science toy. After many confusing telephone conversations, one agreed on a price for the mold and the price per rubber squid. I was told, however, that I had to buy them in “quantity.”

How hard could it be to sell a few hundred SQUIDY Cartesian diver toys?

There seemed to be a communication breakdown on one small detail. I assumed “quantity” meant about 500 or so. Weeks later, there was a surprise waiting for me on my driveway.

Actually, it was all over the driveway. A delivery truck the size of Kentucky had unloaded 80,000 rubber squids with a $20,000 price tag.

This scenario posed many challenges, including raising money to pay the bill, finding storage for 80,000 rubber squids and, of course, selling them.

My wife and I stood outside speechless viewing the massive order. In tears, she held the invoice in her hand—net 30 days. In contrast, I couldn’t wait to bust open a box to see if this “custom” fishing lure actually worked.

The huge invoice served as a catalyst for motivation and divine inspiration. My wife and I took a crash course in marketing and distribution.

Then, we found a national toy distributor who liked the idea and started selling SQUIDY. Today, SQUIDY is available in over 1,000 stores and nearly 2,000 educational catalogs worldwide. This incident

was the beginning of our science toy business at www.SteveSpanglerScience. com. I also learned a lesson from this experience: Whenever someone says “quantity,” always ask for clarification.

Steve Spangler, CSP, offers both teaching training programs nationwide and a huge selection of science toys available at www.

SteveSpanglerScience.com. You might even want one of those floating and sinking squids.

November 2009 | SPEAKER | 33

calendar PSA UK & Ireland Nov. 13-15, 2009 Marlow, England

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PSA Middle East Dec. 11-13, 2009 Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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A/3)'(,!)*,!!"#$%%&'((!$7!)*,!B3,/12#:!C#='6)(& !!! "#$%!&$'(!%$()*!+$(,!-')!./#0)!-(,/1!2#)$! )*,!'33,(!4,5,46!$7!63,/1,(!2#.$+,8 !!! 9/#)!+$(,!-$$12#:68 !!! ;$$+!7$(!2+3($5,+,#)!2#!7,,!#,:$)2/)2$#8 !!! <,)!&$'(!5$2.,!/#=!,+/246!(,)'(#,=> !!! ?26.$5,(!*$%!)$!-'24=!.42,#)!(,4/)2$#6*236! )*/)!=,425,(!632#@$77!-'62#,66> !""#$%&$"'($()*'+&*,,,,, “Expose Yourself has had a MASSIVE impact on my income!

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www.nsaspeaker-magazine.org November 2009 | SPEAKER | 37

humor me Quips, tips and parting shots

It Can’t Get Any Worse

E

very speaker has a bulging mental file labeled “It can’t get any worse.” It contains hidden memories of our speaking nightmares, which we refer to when we need to wallow in self pity. Well, maybe we don’t do this, but I do, and I’d like to share some of them with you.

I remember when I was booked for an airplane manufacturer located near Seattle, Wash. My speech was, to my surprise, scheduled on the day when management laid off several hundred employees. The audience was curiously unresponsive to my program, which was titled “Humor in the Workplace.”

I also recall my trip to Mt. Rainier to speak to a group of conservationists and lumbermen about using humor to relieve stress. I had a face-off between a room full of environmentalists who were passionate about saving the Spotted Owl, and lumberjacks who wished to stuff them. The owls, not the environmentalists. (Although several would not have been opposed to stuffing the environmentalists.)

I thought my file was impressive until last month when I was asked to deliver a speech for the 70th class reunion of a high school in Tacoma, Wash. Yes, it was the 70th anniversary. As a rule, speakers don’t possess great math acumen, but even those of us with a fear of addition can visualize this audience. When these folks went to their senior prom in 1939, Kay Kaiser’s version of “Three Little Fishies” topped the charts, Twinkies had just been invented, the first night game in organized baseball was played 38 | SPEAKER | November 2009

in Independence, Kan., and the world was on the verge of war.

I’m guessing that a few of my audience members were sporting Depends under their party attire.

The good news: It was a benefit for the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation in honor of long-time NSA member Joe Jenkins, who recently succumbed to that disease.

Fifty members of the class of ‘39 turned up between the ages of 88 and 90. My host, the class president, made a last-minute decision. Every member of the class should speak.

I groaned and braced myself.

Surprise! They were entertaining, energetic, full of fabulous stories and had plans for the future! There was no need for another speaker after that.

The Yell King from the class of ’59 gave a tribute and led an impressively agile rendition of “Two Bits, Four Bits,” which was a real crowd pleaser.

I was prepared to bow out gracefully, feeling a little under age. But no, President Herm stood to introduce me.

I rose slowly. What do you say when 50 people unexpectedly keynote before you do? When it’s 3 p.m. and naptime?

It was the first time I’d ever spoken to an audience that was asleep and actively drooling.

As I sat down, President Herm thanked me with the caveat, “Of course, Dorothy was not our first choice.” This caused a few guests to stir in their sleep, but no one actually awakened. “We really wanted Tom Brokaw, but he wouldn’t come.” He paused to reflect, “We did get a lovely note from his wife, though.”

Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did. Needless to say, my file is still active.

Dorothy Wilhelm is a professional humorist, speaker, radio and TV personality. She brings energy, good humor and fun to her presentations on using creativity to solve the problems of daily living and welcoming life change with enthusiasm. Visit http://itsnevertoolate.com.

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