I recently spoke with several professional speakers about the state of our industry. As you can imagine, every in-person conference and meeting of consequence has been canceled. And the outlook for our industry in the coming months is bleak. At the beginning of May 2020, industry expert Mark Schaefer surveyed business executives who routinely travel […]
Category Archives: Speaking
Preparing for the Worst
I attended the American Bankers Association’s Annual Conference in October in New York City. One of the sessions on the opening night was a vendor showcase, where seven presenters were each given five minutes to present their solution. There was an open bar and the session was standing room only. Now, as a professional speaker, […]
The Importance of Speaking Well
As the emcee of the Community Bankers Association of Georgia Annual Conference, I get to introduce speakers and listen to their presentations. One of the highlights of this year’s conference was a talk by the newly minted ICBA CEO Rebecca Romero Rainey. Rebecca comes from a line of community bankers and was previously CEO of […]
Making a List, Checking it Twice
As a speaking coach, I consistently remind my students that their performance from the platform is only a small part of what it takes to be a great professional speaker. One of the elements I stress is a checklist of details they must carefully address right before their talk. These include checking in with the […]