Kathy Hart is President of ClearVision Consulting, Inc., a global company that specializes in accelerating organizational excellence and improving human performance. Kathy is a highly sought after consultant, speaker and coach.

Kathy has worked in corporate environments for more than 28 years. She brings to ClearVision broad leadership experience in the non-profit, banking, manufacturing, insurance, and utility industries. In these leadership roles she successfully promoted and advanced business and industry emergency preparedness, employee safety and health, and implemented enterprise-wide change efforts. In 2012, she was honored by American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) Women in Safety Engineering (WISE) Common Interest Group for her twenty years of making a difference in the safety, health, and environmental (SH&E) field as part of the WISE ‘100 Women, Making a Difference in Safety’ project.

While Kathy continues to support the field of safety and health by educating and mentoring those in the profession, she now uses her extensive knowledge of individual and organizational change in the field of organization development and effectiveness. In 2005, Kathy founded ClearVision Consulting with the express purpose of promoting the potential of people within business environments. Her work focuses on the alignment of people, processes, and structures to accelerate organizational excellence and improve human performance.

Kathy’s clients know her as a collaborative partner and coach who brings positive energy and innovative ideas to each relationship. When tackling challenges, clients rely on her grace and courage to co-create with them innovative and sustainable solutions. She began honing these skills of “grace under fire” when she became the first woman to integrate an all-male water polo team in high school.

Kathy has been recognized by numerous organizations for her leadership and dedication, and is currently a member of the Organization Development Network (ODN), National Speakers Association (NSA), and the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC). She is a former Board Member of the Bay Area Organization Development Network (BAodn), Admissions Chair for American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), and Chair for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Crime Prevention and Safety Committee. The later she remembers fondly, as it led to her first formal invitation to a Mayoral Inaugural Ball.

Kathy’s highly interactive speaking engagements include topics on organizational change, leadership and team development. She is an adjunct professor, and has taught and presented at Lao American College, Laos, and the National Hispanic University, San Jose. Kathy holds an Ed.D. in Organization and Leadership from the University of San Francisco, a M.S. in Occupational Safety & Health from the University of Southern California, and a B.S. in Business Administration from California State University-Sacramento.

She can reached via her website.

Pro-Track Profile

Kathy was the first member of the 2012 Pro-Track class of the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association (now re-branded as the Speakers Academy) to achieve full professional membership in NSA. To more hear about her consulting business click on the podcast icon below.

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Liz Bowen is passionate about helping kids with one of the biggest problems of their young lives, bullying. Born with a severe birth defect, Liz experienced bullying at an early age. As a Christian practitioner and self-esteem coach, Liz brings answers from a Christian perspective. Speaking exclusively to Christian schools, she has developed knowledge-based tactics to decrease this problem. She inspires students to follow the Golden Rule:

“Do everything to others as you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.” Matthew 7:12

Advocate for the Bullied

Liz is aware that bullying has reached epidemic proportions in our nation’s schools.The frightening statistics is that one in four kids are bulled. Bullying behavior begins in preschool. Every day, 160,000 students miss school for fear of being bullied.

Topics

Liz speaks on Bully Busting Behavior, Promoting a Healthy Self-image and Character issues. She speaks in schools because she loves helping kids. It does not matter whether they are the bully or the bullied. As a Christian practitioner she holds no judgement. Both groups are suffering. Her heartfelt desire is to help everyone.

Liz can be contacted via email at bowenspeaks@gmail.com.

Pro-Track Profile

I recently talked with Liz about her background. To hear what she told me, and her passion for speaking out against bullying in schools, as well as her impressions of the National Speakers Association Pro-Track class that she is part of, click on the podcast icon below.

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Toastmaster Time is a long-running San Francisco Bay Area monthly television program, produced by members of Toastmasters International clubs in District 57.

Shows are broadcast on local television community access channels and a complete archive of the past eight years are available for viewing on the Toastmaster Time website. The show presents talks by Toastmasters, from Icebreakers to Advanced talks and features evaluations and interviews with speakers.

The purpose behind the show is to give Toastmaster members the opportunity to learn new skills and present educational and entertaining stories and speeches. For Toastmasters, it offers a unique opportunity to give a speech in front of cameras in a professional television studio. For most of us, this is a challenge quite different from speaking in front of a room of friendly faces at the local club meetings.

Toastmaster Time shows are recorded at the Media Center in Palo Alto.

Hosting a TV Show

Back in October 2011, I had the opportunity to present a talk on my youthful adventures in London and Paris. Earlier this year I evaluated other speakers. Then, just last month, I spent an evening in the studio as the host of an entire TV show.

It was a humbling experience to understand first-hand what sales leaders and company executives must accomplish these days when they host virtual meetings in the workplace. These are an increasingly common alternative to expensive in-person meetings. Toastmaster Time, and shows like it elsewhere, give anyone who aspires to a leadership role in a Fortune 500 company a great sandbox to hone your on-camera presentation skills.

Click photo to watch entire show

Monique Martineau’s mission is to share profound insights learned during her own pursuit of health and happiness. She’s had several painful “wake up calls” ranging from childhood crisis to having a baby at 19, giving him up for adoption, and meeting him as an adult. At 26, she lived the dark-year-of-the-soul, when doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. One time, sitting in ER again, she was so overcome with anxiety, she thought “I don’t care if I die, but I must find peace-of-mind!”

After coaching hundreds of corporate techies and their managers on wellness, Monique found most obstacles point back to stress. People essentially know how to improve nutrition and exercise. The problem is prioritizing and motivation. People are overloaded and exhausted at the end of a day. They want fast food and TV or a fancy dinner and a drink…too frequently, in which case, it’s neither a healthy nor a truly fulfilling life.

Whether speaking or consulting, one of Monique’s favorite questions is, “What’s the most important thing?” Many people have to stop and think for a while. Our culture is so caught up in achievement, progress and power; we forget why we’re doing it. We must keep what’s important to us in the forefront of our minds to guide decisions, such as, “It’s time to shut down the computer, go home, take a walk, and enjoy a healthy meal with loved ones.”

Easier said than done? Not when you learn what’s at the root of it all. Monique’s most profound insights have come from ancient wisdom traditions. When we shine the light on ego and its antics, it can’t run our lives anymore. The ego innocently tries to help, but mucks things up. Cultivating wisdom, on the other hand, allows us to embody our true nature. With wisdom, we enjoy mental clarity, physical vitality and emotional equanimity. The impact is as close to home as our relationships and as far reaching as world peace.

To find out more about Monique and her work as a speaker, consultant and coach, visit her website.

Pro-Track Profile

I recently talked with Monique about her background. To hear what she told me, and the ways she adds “juice” to the topic of stress plus her focus on meditation, as well as her impressions of the National Speakers Association Pro-Track class that she is part of, click on the podcast icon below.

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Authenticity is one the hallmarks of a successful presentation. Audiences can sense when a presenter is not delivering a message that is congruent with their beliefs. This is an emotional as much as an intellectual challenge, and one that many CEO’s are destined to fail. The reason, according to Anthony Goodman, writing in Monday’s Financial Times, is that many chief executives are prisoners of their environment. Quoting Professor Roger Martin who writes in Fixing The Game:

“Institutional investors, equity analysts, investment bankers, hedge funds and the financial press have emerged as central figures in the CEO’s community … a community rife with transactional relationships, exploitation and distrust.”

Martin believes that executives pander to these constituencies, leading them to make decisions that often do not deliver long-term value to the organizations they lead and deliver communications that lack authenticity.

When you hear a CEO present at a conference, you see one person. What you don’t see is the phalanx of communications staff, from the heads of Public Relations to the speechwriter, PowerPoint design team and event staff who had a hand in creating and revising the content that they deliver.

It’s a rare chief executive who has the time and attention on the speech to ensure that, as well as being an accurate communication about the institutional programs and objectives, it is also something that sounds totally authentic when they deliver it.

Audience’s remember those CEO’s who do take the time to embody their speeches as authentic communications of who they are. The rest, they forget.

“Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things” – Theodore Levitt

Jag Randhawa shares a deep passion for making a difference in the world, and enjoys sharing his life lessons through speaking. Creating a Culture of Innovation is one of Jag’s most requested talks, based on the Open Innovation program he developed in his company. His presentations are interactive, engaging, and appeal to the heart, creating a lasting impact.

Jag serves as the Vice President of Information Technology and eCommerce at CAMICO Mutual Insurance, where he manages the Technology portfolio and eCommerce channel. Jag has integrated his passion for neuroscience and behavior psychology to develop a very scientific approach to inspire employees to perform at their best. This approach also contributed to the development of an Open Innovation program where all employees contribute ideas to grow the business.

Jag is a frequent speaker at many CIO and executive networking events where he shares his experiences on Leadership, creating a Culture of Innovation, and Employee Engagement. Jag has more than 20 years of technology industry experience. He is an active contributor to the local CIO community and chairs the Silicon Valley CIO chapter of TechExecs. Prior to CAMICO, Jag worked as an IT consultant and engineer serving a broad range of industries where he developed many innovative and award-winning software systems. Jag has degrees in Electronics Engineering and Information Technology.

His website and blog is available at: http://jagrandhawa.com/

Culture of Innovation

Innovation is ranked as the top priority year after year by CEOs in annual surveys, but most struggle with how to get started. How do you take the resources you have and spark interest in creativity and innovation? Jag has created a simple program to help companies get started in creating a Culture of Innovation. The program engages employees to generate ideas that will increase the top line and create operational efficiencies. When companies involve employees, they are more engaged, and go above and beyond the call of duty to make the company more profitable.

Pro-Track Profile

I recently talked with Jag about his background. To hear what he told me, and the results he’s seen proven in his own organization as a result of embracing a culture of open innovation, as well as his impressions of the National Speakers Association Pro-Track class that he is part of, click on the podcast icon below.

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I’ve just come across a fabulous Channel on YouTube.

THNKR posts original videos in four sub-categories: on books, prodigies, thought leaders and public speaking. The public speaking channel (called PODIUM) is described as

Embracing oration & those with something to say. From historic political speeches, to contemporary commencement addresses, to wedding toasts, the series explores various genres of speechmaking and provides inspiring insightful analysis including “how-to” content. New episodes premiere ever other week, and run about seven minutes.

Here’s an example of the well-produced content – four tips on overcoming fear of public speaking.

I also enjoyed the analysis of Obama’s 2004 Convention speech which launched his career and features commentary by American University professor Robert Lehrman and other experts.

I help edit SPEAKER Magazine for the National Speakers Association (NSA). Each month I curate the Relevant Resources column – a list of time-saving tools and technologies.

The July / August 2012 edition listed web-based resources for professional speakers. This is the last column I will edit, as a new editorial team takes over in September.

Experienced speakers know that they need all the help they can get. It is a mistake to try and do everything yourself. However, most tasks that used to require a full-time person can now be completed with the help of web-based software or a virtual assistant. What’s more, today’s cloud-based apps give you access to projects and allow for easy collaboration with your staff from your desktop, laptop, or mobile device.

The Grass is Greener

The Grasshopper® Entrepreneur’s Phone System lets you run your business professionally using cell phones. With a local or toll free number, unlimited extensions, live call forwarding, on hold music, name directory, and more, your small business can function like a Fortune 500 company. With Grasshopper, you can be reached on your home, office, mobile or VoIP phone. Plans start at $24/ month.

Carbon Copy

Hard drives crash. Laptops get stolen. Files are accidentally deleted. Let’s face it; our lives are on our computers. Stay in the clear with Carbonite®, a software that backs up your files to the cloud automatically so you can access them any time. Carbonite also has a free mobile app, allowing users to access their files on the go. Free trial. Pricing starts at $59/year for unlimited backup space for one computer.

Happy Camper

Take the “work” out of teamwork with Basecamp, a web-based project management system that makes collaboration easy with integrated email and calendars. Basecamp lets you to organize all of your documents in one place and share them with colleagues and clients. It also integrates with third-party apps like Highrise® CRM, Backpack, and Campfire chat. Starts at $20/month for up to 10 projects.

Done and Done

Recently acquired by Salesforce.com, Do is a social productivity app that works with Google Apps, Dropbox, and Salesforce (of course) to sync tasks and help you manage projects with your team no matter where you are. Do also includes a Gmail gadget that allows users to assign tasks via email. Simply send a short email to task@do.com and the app will automatically detect your address and add an entry. Free.

It’s in the Box

Gain remote access to your files from any web browser or mobile device when you create an account with Dropbox. The app lets you store documents, photos, music files, and videos securely, and access them later from any location – your home, office, or on the road. Works with Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad, iPhone, Android and Blackberry. Free for 2GB of storage; up to $200/year for 200GB of storage.

Google Plus

You’re probably already familiar with Google’s Gmail, but have you utilized Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google Drive? Explore the full suite of cloud-based apps from Google that let you create and share documents, sync calendars, send event reminders and attachments, and store files that can be accessed from anywhere. Google Drive is free for 5GB storage. $4/month for 20GB. See them all at Google.com.

Make Contact

Known as a popular email marketing tool, Constant Contact® recently added event marketing to its laundry list of services. Use this web-based tool to create and customize email campaigns from more than 400 template designs, add images and video links, blog content, surveys, and more to help your clients interact with and benefit from your newsletters. Starting at $15/month for 500 contacts.

Get Smart

Like a spreadsheet, but smarter, Smartsheet is a real-time collaboration tool that lets you manage projects, tasks, sales, marketing, human resources, and more. Smartsheet spreadsheets integrate with Google so you can update on the go, and they can be linked to Salesforce accounts, contacts, and opportunities for collaboration on project statuses, files, and discussions. $15.95/ month for up to 10 projects.

Speaker Solutions

Organize, promote, and grow your business with simple, proven solutions that allow you to spend more time speaking and less time dealing with administrative chores. eSpeakers, founded by an NSA member, is the industry standard, offering user-friendly business development tools that make you look competent and polished behind the scenes, as well as on the stage. Starts at $39.95/month.

You can subscribe to SPEAKER magazine on the NSA website.

The annual National Speakers Association Convention was held July 14 – 17, 2012 at the JW Marriott Hotel, Indianapolis. I was not able to attend this year’s event, but took the opportunity to follow along on Twitter.

Over 1,000 professional speakers met for the four days and attended a series of main stage keynotes, break out sessions and informal workshops

893 attendees generated over 6,000 tweets (compared to 4,300 back in 2010) under the hashtag #NSA12.

Twitter is ephemeral. It only maintains 10-14 days of content, so this information will soon disappear. It’s with deep gratitude to all the attendees who posted their messages that this content has been made available worldwide on Twitter. Thanks!

Building on an idea of listing of “top tweets” I’ve experimented with at other conferences, I’ve curated a list of 200 tweets I found most content-rich, interesting or offbeat (who would’ve expected the shoe shine service at the hotel to tweet? See #64); adding links where appropriate for easy reference; consolidating others. Removing the re-tweets (RT’s) alone reduced the number of total tweets by 37%. The list below is in alphabetical order – no judgment is implied by being #1, #10 or #110.

Click to enlarge – Image by Wordle.

I feel that this summary listing demonstrates the power of social media to capture elements of an event that would otherwise have been missed. In fact, there were a number of us following the event ‘virtually’ on Twitter and Facebook from London, Scotland and California.

Please share your own experiences of the event in the blog comments (or on Twitter!). I apologize in advance if I omitted your favorite tweet – feel free to add it to the comments below.

1. @VerniceArmour: 12% decline in NSA membership over last year. Stay strong and stay in he network. We can grow together!
2. @LarryChiang: 200 of the fortune 500 won’t be Fortune 500 inside of 10 years. @loiscreamer
3. @thomsinger: 2012 National Speakers Association “Learning Lounge” Agenda… Still need some room host volunteers.
4. @allankarl: 3 ways SlideShare helped me grow as a speaker
5. @hduckworth: 3,000 books released into the market each day. How will yours compete? @clintgreenleaf
6. @dnewman: 47% of LinkedIn users are decision makers. Avg income $106k. @linkedinexpert
7. @allankarl: 5 x 1 principle for each tweet promoting yourself tweet and promote 5 others @jaybaer
8. @allankarl: 800 left turns at Indy 500 not a political statement from a red state Indianapolis.
9. @allankarl: 90% think they’re more intelligent yet only 39% think they’re fascinating-why? learn how to be un-boring @SallyHogshead
10. @allankarl: 9am best time to post to Facebook and photos get most views. People want to see pics @JeffreyHayzlett
11. @patrickleroux: A common dominator from the speakers on the million dollar group panel was that they are all niche with a particular industry.
12. @Toni_Newman: A metaphor creates a movie in the mind of your audience. Storytellers PEG.
13. @Toni_Newman: A pink towel on the table when you are recording a video will make you look better! @GinaCarr Who Knew???
14. @dougdevitre: A value proposition is something you do based on the other persons perspective. via @jillkonrath – Brilliant!
15. @impromptuguru: About to work on a Findability Action Plan focusing on business’ SEO “findability”.
16. @PatrickMaurer: @AllisonMassari is such a great storyteller. Youth are entranced. You can hear a pin drop [Picture]
17. @JeffreyHayzlett: All I have is a horse. RT @dnewman: #nsa12 Chad Hymas has a bus and Rory Vaden has a bus. Holy smokes – I need a bus!!
18. @CoachSeanC: All info ever known will be Online free in next decade. Still think you’re in the content biz? @workforcetrends
19. @alisonrbcm: Already been impacted by tweets from #nsa12 and have set up an Ah ha board on pinterest thanks @coachseanc
20. @ActivationCoach: Always sell the result, not the service, change or idea. #CraigValentine
21. @Price_Points: Am I through only one that wasn’t surprised that trust was the least common personality trait at #NSA12?
22. @mhills: Amen. RT @cheshirelad: @hduckworth Would love to see backchannel on screens. — It’s a 2-edged sword.
23. @WellConnectLead: Are you off balance on purpose – with a plan and stretching into uncertainty or getting knocked off balance? @DanThurman
24. @allankarl: Ask instead of tell: How to move from monologue to dialog. One of many messaging tips from @samhornintrigue
25. @ActivationCoach: Association speaking is the gateway to more corporate bookings. @PamLontos
26. @allankarl: Assume people are lazy-Give links, use attachments, put your address/phone numbers. Factor convenience in marketing @JeffreyHayzlett
27. @allankarl: Attitude is the one-percent degree of separation between those who get what they want, those who don’t @rory_vaden
28. @ActivationCoach: Attn span of ur audience is that of a goldfish, fascinate 2 keep them from swimming away. @sallyhogshead
29. @jeffllewellyn: Authors, write shorter chapters and tweetable titles to build attention. @jeffreyhayzlett
30. @WellConnectLead: Average attention span is 9 seconds’ says Sally Hogshead per study by the BBC. She studies fascination.
31. @allankarl: Average business book sells 7,000 copies. @JeffreyHayzlett
32. @TerryBrock: Be a speaker critiquer @ChadHymas
33. @ADreilingPhoto: Be driven by purpose, not process. Lesson learned, wisdom earned.-Steve Gilliland
34. @TerryBrock: Behave like you are an owner of their company when with the client. Act with urgency.@ChadHymas
35. @allankarl: Belief is not required to achieve your goal. You need: Clarity. CIP. Profound reason. A coach. Others belief in you @iamjeffbracey
36. @stevecohncsp: Best sessions and speakers for me at #NSA12: Jeanne Robertson, @TerryBrock, @SteveGilliland, @ToniNewman,@AlanBerg.
37. @WellConnectLead: Book is catalyst and front loaded project. It is messenger for our message – use to build visibility & find opptys. @SamHornIntrigue
38. @allankarl: “Brace Yourself” sounds like Irish foreplay, Dale Irvin tells us @iamkevinbracy
39. @dnewman: Calling all women speakers – please lose the funny hats. @pfripp owns that and all you do is remind me of her.
40. @WellConnectLead: Capitalize on what’s current – make it joyous and juicy – and that will be what makes you stand out. #nsa12 @SamHornIntrigue
41. @DonCooper: Cavett Award presented to Stephen Tweed!
42. @ButterflyHerder: CLEVER idea fr @JeffreyHayzlett – Chapter titles are no more than 140 characters. Why? They’re perfectly tweetable phrases! LOVE it!
43. @CareyLohrenz: Content is valuable, but it is NOT everything – @JeffJarvis
44. @WellConnectLead: Create a theater of the mind for your listeners – help them see, taste, experience what you are speaking about. Tim Gard
45. @dnewman: Day 1 nuggets: in marketing, email is never enough. Reach ppl via channels they prefer. Not what you prefer.
46. @dnewman: Day 1 nuggets: There is such a thing as too much prep, staging, mechanics in a speech. Let loose to go faster.
47. @GinaCarr: Demos cool tools for video: Sanyo xacti camera with external mic. @terrybrock [Picture]
48. @Price_Points: Did anyone get the license of that truck that hit me last night? oh wait. Nevermind. It was Cigar Peg.
49. @hduckworth: Did you know 42% of college grads never read a book after college. @clintgreenleaf
50. @WellConnectLead: Don’t speak every point at the same pitch & energy level. If every picture in a gallery was bright red we would leave in 90 seconds.
51. @hduckworth: Don’t think the work is done when you finish writing your book. You still have 90% of the work to do. @clintgreenleaf
52. @JezebelSinfell: Drinking with this group is what drinking with Don and Roger from Mad Men must be like.
53. @hduckworth: Ebook sales grew 330% last year @clintgreenleaf
54. @ActivationCoach: Eloquence is a way of living, not just speaking. @GlennaSalsbury
55. @WellConnectLead: Embrace who you are and sell that. Don’t change your message, change your audience. True for speakers and everyone in wrong job.
56. @ErinEWells: Every day you wake up you need to check your passion. It’s your fuel to make a difference. -Steve Gilliland
57. @PegineMotivateU: Exhausted exhilarated grateful joyous blessed happy honored humble feeling good.
58. @DonCooper: Expertise is the enemy of innovation. -Stephen Shapiro
59. @CookseyConnects: Expertise. Eloquence. Enterprise. Ethics. That about sums it up!
60. @donnacutting: @ExtremeMeetings just led whole audience in a flash mob. Cool.
61. @Toni_Newman: EyeJot great service for sending video by email. Helps gets video through when firewalls might block video attachments. @TerryBrock
62. @allankarl: Forget crowds. You don’t want to be ONE of MANY you want to be ONE of a KIND @samhornintrigue – YES!
63. @TerryBrock: Get your fee, do it for free or flee! @Connie_Podesta
64. @ShinolaShines: Get your shoes shined for tonight’s reception. 2nd flr. By Starbucks. Don’t be a Mr Bungle!!
65. @SergioABello: Getting ready for the closing of an amazing convention, I did learn so much I am Overwhelmed.
66. @WellConnectLead: Great books drive media and that gives you the credibility to get the C-Suite to take your calls to get speaking gigs. Dianna Booher
67. @patrickleroux: Great content on how to open a speech. @PFripp Don’t start with I, but with YOU instead. Engage the audience right away.
68. @neenjames: Great ideas for speakers who write: 25 Ways to Create Contagious Content [Infographic]
69. @dkittleson: Great message from Peter Sheahan. Narrow your focus to do more business
70. @bizauthor: Here are the slides on #marketing for authors for my presentation to the Writers/Publishers PEG
71. @cheshirelad: Here’s the full Agenda for #NSA12
72. @GinaCarr: Hot tips for effective skype presentations: use ethernet connections (not wifi) on both ends. ~ @TerryBrock
73. @1080Group: Humor, application, and varied pace/rhythm …three marks of expert storytelling (via @GlennaSalsbury)
74. @PRPRPublicity: Humor, it’s what’s for breakfast! [Picture]
75. @Miss_Dazey: I am writing a story about Jeanne Robertson, Twitter & #NSA12. Lots to cover, but fun stuff.
76. @Frontrowgirl: I couldn’t do athletics or academia, those trees have already been peed on! Loved @SallyHogshead
77. @Price_Points: I hope @houston_nsa doesn’t take my podcast with @ThomSinger on Networking at #NSA12 the wrong way.
78. @neenjames: I love it when a city is so cool with their social media presence! @lovesellingindy
79. @RobBogue: I see the tweets, where is the conversation?
80. @1080Group: “Idea donations” are for charity, not for cheapskates. It’s why I just turned down your invite to speak for free.
81. @PattiDeNucci: If you are a speaker and not in NSA by next year it will be futile to resist. That’s how awesome we will be. Chapter Leadership mtg
82. @TerryBrock: If you don’t know what you’re worth, no one else will. @Connie_Podesta
83. @TerryBrock: If you don’t understand social media–don’t tell people. You look stupid! @Connie_Podesta
84. @alisonrbcm: If you’re speaking, attending or organising a conference you may like my blog on how to get the most from twitter
85. @dnewman: Ignore the negative nellies, psychos and backstabbers. Most speakers need therapy. Amen. via @Connie_Podesta
86. @PatrickMaurer: I’m grateful for the people who book my dad” – great youth response from the youth program to @mikedrobbins
87. @jeffnisch: Instead of speakers being the content, speakers are accelerators for collaborative conversations creating new thinking. @jeffjarvis
88. @PegineMotivateU: It is 4am and I am working on my program. No handouts, no PowerPoint, just tellin it like it is. Loving this conference
89. @ActivationCoach: It is difficult to be creative in isolation. @pfripp
90. @allankarl: It’s not about spewing content – it’s about getting somewhere @jeffjarvis
91. @allankarl: It’s not called The New York Times BestWRITING list it’s the BestSELLING list – know how to sell your book! @rory_vaden
92. @ColorYourEvent: Jeanne Robertson hilarious. Check out her classic routine: Don’t send a man to the grocery store!
93. @Miss_Dazey: Jeanne Robertson received the NSA “Master of Influence Award” Here is a list of past winners
94. @allankarl: @JeffreyHayzlett got TUMI client by using twitter and saying nice things . Twitter works!
95. @MBucaro: Just another fabulous day, drinking from the firehose at #NSA12 Let’s do this!
96. @mpaynknoper: Just saw video of 1 year-old who sees a magazine as iPad that doesn’t work from Graeme Codrington. Wish every school admin saw it.
97. @DonnaCardilloRN: Learn as much (sometimes more) in the hallways talking to colleagues as from the presenters at #NSA12
98. @pamgilchrist: Learn how to capitalize on constant chaos and disruption. Those who bring clarity add the value.
99. @WellConnectLead: Learning about publishing at #nsa12 – did you know there are over 3000 books published every day? $21M in ebook sales, $336M in print a year
100. @allankarl: Lecturing is an artifact in the old age of education @jeffjarvis
101. @mpaynknoper: Life is not about balance, it’s about alignment. Well said, @DanThurmon. And quite amazed to see him do handstand pushups on podium.
102. @VerniceArmour: Life must be off balance to grow. Are u off balance on purpose? @DanThurmon
103. @impromptuguru: Like the clever play on words: brandstorming vs brainstorming. Personal Note: Probably best done with others (and with wine).
104. @EastMentor: LinkedIn is for people you know. Facebook is for people you used to know. Twitter is for people you’d like to know. @dnewman
105. @TerryBrock: Listening to Rob Friedman of Ely Lilly at Global Speakers Network. Very good speaker w/gr8 info!
106. @GinaCarr: Look for gr8 markets in search of gr8 speakers. Lots of vertical markets like construction. ~ @Winninger
107. @MyBizPresence: Loved being able to sit in from home on Ruby’s webinar about webinars. My dream is 1 day this conf will be live streamed.
108. @teresaduncan: Loved this blog post by @jeffkorhan Read it, loved it, living it! See you in Indy.
109. @jobsearchjungle: Make your twittermunication a two way dialogue with powerful questions. @jeffjarvis
110. @ActivationCoach: Movement must match your message-have a purpose. @pfripp
111. @Mark_Sanborn: Multi-tasking is a myth. @danthurmon
112. @allankarl: Name video clips after what the content is about – bureau advice to speakers.
113. @ActivationCoach: Never be the guru of your own story, it lets the audience down. @CraigValentine
114. @MeetingMaximize: NSA Goers – hotel closet situation [Video].
115. @missfitts: NSA is like IKEA. They supply the materials, you supply the tools and elbow grease. @SallyHogshead
116. @PatrickMaurer: NSA youth made over 11,200 meals in less than 3 hours! #service pls RT [Picture]
117. @DaveLieber: Obama: My Biggest Mistake Was Not ‘Telling a Story’ So come to my Monday storytelling talk at #NSA12 Mr. President.
118. @WellConnectLead: Overheard at #NSA12 – They suggested we find our book titles in nursery rhymes. How about “Mary Had a Little Breakdown”?
119. @1080Group: Overheard at the bar… “These NSA people… they have BALLS.”
120. @ActivationCoach: People are crazy busy, at best they look at your email 2.7 secs, subj line and first sentence. @jillkonrath
121. @hduckworth: Peter Sheahan wins prestigious CPAE from #NSA12 #ASAE Congrats and gratitude for all you share in the world thru the power of spoken word.
122. @ActivationCoach: @pfripp shares she rehearses on the treadmill to get energy thru her body.
123. @PatrickMaurer: Please join me in thanking @AllisonMassari @mikedrobbins @DateSafeProject for speaking at the youth event. Great messages!
124. @jobsearchjungle: Procastination is most expensive cost in corporate america today. @rory_vaden
125. @donnacutting: Put as much money into your video as you want to earn in a single keynote. @SallyHogshead
126. @ButterflyHerder: Quick! Read this before heading to the convention! – How to Live-tweet from an Event.
127. @allankarl: Re: quality of video for speakers (not production value) – you’ve got to hear it-audio quality and content matters most.
128. @kate_holgate: Really grateful for all the #nsa12 tweets- those of us who aren’t there this year really appreciate it; thanks for keeping us posted!
129. @GinaCarr: Recommended for video creation: imovie, final cut pro, sony vegas studio, adobe premier. @TerryBrock
130. @TerryBrock: Reference letter is more important than gold – @ChadHymas
131. @SpiritOfCavett: Remember there are no BIG SHOTS and NEWBIES. Every person at #NSA12 is brilliant and should be treated as such.
132. @cheshirelad: Rob Friedman of Eli Lilly rocked the Global Speakers Network. Read his motivational speaking tips.
133. @WellConnectLead: @Rory_Vaden took 5000 copies of galleys of his book @ $1.34, sent to media/clients etc. Made best seller before book published.
134. @ButterflyHerder: Sad to hear about Stephen Covey’s passing today. Sending big hugs to his ‘real’ family and also to his ‘speaking’ family here at #NSA12
135. @salesfoundry: Sally Hogshead tells Natl Speakers Assn Get your F-score
136. @TerryBrock: Sense of authenticity when using your SmartPhone for video that U don’t get with pro video @SteveSpangler
137. @ActivationCoach: Sharing your failures is the quickest way to build your speaking biz. @CraigValentine
138. @clintgreenleaf: Sheahan: This business isn’t about you, it’s about the people who write checks for what you do.
139. @RonCulberson: So honored to be installed as president if the National Speakers Association today.
140. @ButterflyHerder: Social media followers like to know you’re “human,” so it’s OK to have semi-personal posts. Give them an inside view of your world.
141. @GinaCarr: Speak to ONE but look to ALL. (Direct your presentation to a SINGLE person.) ~@CraigProSpeaker
142. @WellConnectLead: Speakers are not in the content biz, they are in the relationship biz. Speakers are the sparks of new conversation. @jeffjarvis
143. @dnewman: Speakers: come to grips with this new reality. 1-way show is over. Let the anarchy begin. @jeffjarvis rocks!
144. @MeetingMaximize: Speakers, test out your material at Speakers Corner. Monday, 3:45pm [Video].
145. @WellConnectLead: Start by connecting with your audience – take a moment before you jump in to your talk to look people in the eyes. – Max Dixon
146. @NSASpeaker: Starting in 15 minutes! Learning Lounge: TED-Style Talks, How-To Demos and Roundtable Chats [Agenda].
147. @martydickinson: Still recovering from Jeanne Robertson’s amazing keynote.
148. @impromptuguru: Stories are an asset; The most powerful sales tool. @BillWhitley
149. @VerniceArmour: Stories are your path to Success! @Connie_Podesta
150. @PowerTraining3: Story telling has 4 crucial elements: scene construction, dialogue, point of view, status details. Dave Lieber the Yankee cowboy!
151. @neenjames: Suggestion for meeting planners inc Twitter handles on PPT slides,handouts & name badges as requirements.
152. @yns1: Suzie in the 3rd row doesn’t care about your content or you. She cares about Suzie. Show her how your content is about Suzie.
153. @KMSchriver: Taking a couple days to work ON the business not IN the business. Great day!
154. @DonCooper: Technology causes efficiency, not necessarily growth. –Jeff Jarvis
155. @hduckworth: Thank You @petergsheahan only speaker so far to list his twitter handle from the screen.
156. @LiveYourBrand: The 7 triggers of fascination are Power, Passion, Mystique, Prestige, Alarm, Rebellion and Trust #SallyHogshead [Screenshot]
157. @ProSpeakCoach: The ability to systematize is the key to sustainable growth. @prospeakcoach
158. @CathyPaper: The average business book sells 7000 copies. Jeffrey Hayzlett author of Running the Gauntlet.
159. @CoachSeanC: The barrier to entry in being seen as an expert is lower than its ever been. @workforcetrends
160. @DonCooper: The Crowd wants entertainment. The Curious wants information. The Committed wants change. –@Steve Iwersen
161. @DonCooper: The form of the lecture is kind of ridiculous these days. –Jeff Jarvis
162. @alisonrbcm: The power of twitter – even from here in Scotland challenged, enlightened and fascinated by what you said at @SallyHogshead
163. @WellConnectLead: Think about the possible impact of your writing in advance – will it stand up to the test of time?
164. @AnomalyAtLaw: This year’s NSA convention in Indy was top-notch!! Thanks to all who planned, presented and participated! #NSA12
165. @WellConnectLead: Thoughtfully target cos you want to work with using salesforce.com, netprospex, Hoovers, LinkedIn @jillkonrath
166. @jobsearchjungle: Tie blogging and topics to current events to give your platform legs for years. ‘@SamHornIntrigue
167. @ActivationCoach: Time frame to get attention for your book?….two weeks. @JeffreyHayzlett
168. @DaveLieber: Time off from my newspaper job begins NOW. Ready for #NSA12 I’ll present “Your Story Blows Me Away.” Video preview.
169. @sharperlawyer: Tip for speakers “Tell your stories in the present tense.” Dave Lieber.
170. @donnacutting: To go from a speaker to CEO you must continually live in the 10 years from now. @PegineMotivateU
171. @teresaduncan: Told by meeting planner that my handling of audience?’s is what sealed my return invite. Most valuable feedback!
172. @GinaCarr: Too funny: Cavett Robert’s daughter Lee just told the Academy that NSA founder Cavett had extreme stage fright as a child.
173. @christieturley: Tough times will either make you bitter or better, weaker or stronger. – Steve Gilliland’s Mom
174. @GinaCarr: Use CamtasiaMac, screenflow, camtasiastudio (window) to record Skype presentations. ~@terrybrock
175. @ActivationCoach: Use hypnotic language, small tweaks make a big difference. Use you. @pamlontos
176. @WellConnectLead: Use metaphors and more visual storytelling – when you talk about 18 foot long canoe – show the length on the stage. Max Dixon
177. @NSAAccelerate: Use this tool to ensure you get a return on attending #nsa12, then join us for the ROA session Sun am w/ @ChrisChange
178. @TerryBrock: Watch local back channels(Twitter) to learn what audience is saying, even if it is painful @JeffJarvis
179. @TerryBrock: Watch this funny video -Global Speakers Network-10:00 scheduled meeting-apparently cancelled??
180. @PatrickMaurer: Watching @AllisonMassari use technology to allow #nsa12 #youth texts ?’s for a great Q&A. Don’t fear cell phones–utilize them!
181. @allankarl: We are in an age of magnificent disruption. @jeffjarvis
182. @jeffllewellyn: We spend more time dreading a decision than actually acting on that decision. Find focus for your organization.
183. @doug_brock: What a great concept: Happiness = Results – Expectations. Heard at #NSA12 applicable everywhere. via @BackFromRed
184. @WellConnectLead: What if professional speaking (one way) comm were about to be disintermediated (like book pub)? What would you do differently?
185. @WellConnectLead: What strength do you have that keeps you from developing the skill that you need? Max Dixon
186. @GinaCarr: When you are crafting your letters/emails/pitches, you need to hear the recipient/audience say “WHO CARES?!” ~ @PamLontos
187. @WellConnectLead: Who needs a runway – take off from where you are. @VerniceArmour
188. @MyBizPresence: Winter Conference is in SF?? Hooray!!!
189. @christinecashen: Wishing there was a Nap Peg @ #NSA12 #tiredpuppy
190. @hduckworth: Women buy 80% of all books out there. @clintgreenleaf
191. @DaveLieber: Wonderful Dale Irvin video on cliches.
192. @allankarl: Work double time part time for full-time free time @rory_vaden
193. @ActivationCoach: You are paid to deliver your core message you create value by customizing. @pfripp
194. @MyBizPresence: You don’t become successful without embracing a little scary along the way. — @TerryBrock
195. @allankarl: You have 3 elements of energy: Your face, your voice, and your body. Is one of them sabotaging your success? (via @ConnieDieken)
196. @VivianBlade: Your blog is the heart of your social media strategy. @bizauthor
197. @makingitallfit: Your brain is hard-wired to fascinate and to be fascinated @SallyHogshead
198. @allankarl: Your materials shouldn’t be five years ago, they should be where you want to be 5 years from now @SallyHogshead
199. @hduckworth: Your message must be in total alignment with who you are. Then you will fascinate. @SallyHogshead
200. @DonCooper: YouTube reports 3 billion hours of video streamed per day. –@TerryBrock

Lee Glickstein is the founder of Speaking Circles International. This article first appeared in his Relational Presence Newsletter. Lee will be talking about the Slow Speech Movement at a no-fee Masterful Public Speaking teleclass on Tuesday, July 10, noon-1 pm Pacific Time. If you are inspired to join him, click here to register.

The Slow Speech Movement: Holding Forth at the Pace of Listening, by Lee Glickstein

Time continues to speed up for so many of us and it shows up in how we communicate and I’m not here to suggest you slow down and take a pause between what should be shorter sentences because you’ve got so much to do and so do I and we don’t have control anyway of the accelerating demands of this quickening electronic pace of life that continually threatens to leave us behind if we try to catch our breath and take a moment to feel into what the next sentence wants to be, but…..

{Full breath}

If you happen to be talking to clarify, inform, or inspire, speaking at a typical pace as in the paragraph above actually wastes time and energy through miscommunication and missed communication.

When it is truly important to be heard, whether eye-to-eye or on the phone, we want to attune to the pace of actual listening. Short sentences, rather than those strung together with “and” or “so,” and without filler words such as “uh,” “um” and “you know,” are listener-friendly. A pause between sentences, within sentences, and a longer stop between spoken paragraphs are listener-heavenly.

But trying to follow these guidelines as a technique won’t do it. The Slow Speech Movement requires shifting where your voice itself is coming from. On the phone I put my hand on my belly or my heart and feel the vibration of the sound emanating from the center of my body. I feel the pleasure of my tones flowing from my being into my listener(s).

In front of a group, I often start with my hand on my heart, and go there and take a breath any time I sense I am beginning to speed.

For dramatic indication of how my own voice has transformed in the month since I started paying attention to where it is coming from, compare my voice in the video above this article with that in the current website video.

Filler Words

“Uhs” and “ums” signal you are speaking from your head. When you speak from your body you do not use filler words or string sentences together with “and” or “so.” It is not these words themselves that create disconnect with your listeners. Rather, it is where they are coming from that irritates the flow of comprehension.

Maintaining Relational Presence through your eyes with one person at a time supports the natural connection from the center of your being to theirs (or from the connection at the center of the earth if that image works for you). On the phone, without the visual support, Relational Voice requires extra attention to the body and earth connection.

The Slow Speech Movement gently asks us to practice slowing waaaaaay down with a supportive listener or group, on the phone or eye-to-eye. This may be quite uncomfortable at first and you may imagine that this pace is too boring and impractical for the “real world.” But when you finally lock into the pleasure of this way of holding forth when being heard is a priority, you will be able to pick up and vary your pace without going back into your head and losing presence.

And here is the best part. When organically arrived at, Slow Speech allows you to access more of your natural brilliance and essential clarity. The sound and feel of your voice generates pleasure within yourself, allowing your listeners to relax into their own deeper intelligence.

Watch Lee’s opening to last month’s Speak with Ease Relational Presence Training introduces and demonstrates Relational Voice. It also models the “Slow Speech Movement” discussed above.