Staying Fresh

As I get close to celebrating 25 years in the youth speaking industry I am thinking a lot about staying fresh, relevant, and meaningful. Some things that have come to me recently and have added some energy and excitement to my life as a speaker are:

Grow - in more ways than as a speaker. In June Laurie and I took the motorcycle safety class and I bought a BMW 1150RT and have been riding with buddies, alone, and am looking for a bike for Laurie so she can join me. There is nothing like learning an entirely new skill to sharpen your senses. A couple years ago it was golf, and before that it was horse riding. In all those areas I was with a variety of teachers who have different speaking styles, stories, and illustrations. Each of them taught me something I now use as I present. Even the day I went skydiving with my daughter to celebrate her graduation I was so aware of the teacher who was talking about safety in the sky. He was brilliant and I was focused - that combination we all want - a great speaker and a focused audience :)

Open your mind both ways -to those younger than you as well as those older than you. A few months ago a young speaker visited my home and we chatted for a few hours. He was there to gain what he could from my experience - I think I learned more from him than he from I. Something he shared that I will remember - he explained that a lot of speakers his age are so focused on marketing and yet he has found a great deal of success because he is 90% focused on making his presentation better. He said he knows the better his speech is the more times he will be asked back and recommended to others. In two weeks I will attend a one day workshop hosted by two veteran NSA speakers. I am intrigued - I am so curious what these two very successful speakers will share that I will be able to use to grow. They are older than I am and have been around for a long time and are still excited about what they are doing and are having a very meaningful impact. Learning from both directions is priceless.

Seek to help - one of the greatest tips I got as a speaker came at an NSA workshop fifteen years ago. The presenter said "put a piece of paper next to your phone on your desk and create two boxes. Every time a call comes in to hire you to speak put a mark in one box. Every time a call comes in with a client asking a question or for help put a mark in the other box. When you get as many calls for help as you do for speeches - you have created a successful business." I used that advice and started seeking ways to bring value to people - regardless if they would/could ever hire me. When the second box equaled the box for speeches I had a very successful business. This strategy has helped keep me fresh - I read constantly, attend workshops, watch speakers, - all to bring value to my clients and as a result I am growing my own business as well. I believe Zig has been credited with the old saying "If you help enough other people get what they need, you will have everything you need as well".

We are a lucky bunch - those who live our dreams while encouraging others to live theirs.

Be well