National Speakers Association, Northern California, January Chapter Meeting

People try to put us d-down (talkin’ ’bout my generation)
Just because we get around (talkin’ ’bout my generation)
Things they do look awful c-c-cold (talkin’ ’bout my generation)
I hope I die before I get old (talkin’ ’bout my generation)

The Who, 1965

Over 50 members and guests of the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association gathered in Lafayette on Saturday to hear NSA National President Anna Liotta, CSP, deliver a program titled What’s Stopping Millennials/GenXers/Boomers from Hiring You, And What to Do About It.

She previewed her talk with a custom video addressed to the chapter:

Talkin’ ’bout my generation

For those Baby Boomers who didn’t die before they got old–and learned the value of trusting anyone over 30 a few decades back–Anna’s talk had particular poignancy. She explained how the recent OK Boomer meme is the equivalent of the advice not to trust anyone over 30. What goes around comes around. Here’s why…

Generational Codes

Anna Liotta has studied generational dynamics for over 25 years. Indeed, she wrote the book on generational CODES™.

What’s more, she’s lived the research. As one of 19 (!) children, her entire life has been a Ph.D. in generational dynamics. Her presentation addressed the question: What makes this age-old conflict of generational collisions and biases so important to us in business today?

Her concept of generational codes helps explain:

  • What defines each generation, including pivotal events and experiences that shaped it.
  • The truths and lies behind generational stereotypes.
  • How various generations define their work ethic.
  • How technology can bridge or break down generational communication.
  • The secrets of selling products and services to different generations.
  • What you need to know as a manager to find and retain new talent.

Anna demonstrated how, as speakers, we should develop savvy messages that appeal to the different generations.

This task is often confusing, as each generation has unique needs and motivators. Each brings its own set of attitudes, values, and beliefs to the workplace, and the way they do business. They make choices of who to buy from and who to work for, based on these values and beliefs. Understanding what shapes and forms each generation is vital.

Interestingly, each generation is sure that their values, attitudes, and beliefs are the right ones.

Her insight is that each generation is significantly influenced by what was happening in the world around them during their formative years. The ages of eight to 18 are when each generation is making decisions about how the world works and what’s possible. The events, icons, and leaders they see, experience, adore, and dislike are shaping their world. These influences set the paradigm for decision making, purchasing choices, and job selection for years to come.

Anyone doubting this can see the trajectory of individual lives play out in director Michael Apted’s films about a cohort of British Boomer children, the most recent of which–63 Up–opened in the US last month.

OK, Boomer!

My own rather self-satisfied response to the generational divide was to tweak the noses of the younger members of the audience who were strangely absent from the social media channel the chapter had promoted.

In her own words

I caught up with Anna after the event, and she shared her message with me, as well as an update on the changes that are occurring at the NSA. To hear what she said, click on the podcast below.

Secrets to Building a Successful Speaking Business

“The job is not doing the speech. It is getting the speech” – Shep Hyken

Shep Hyken The National President of the NSA, Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE spoke to members of the NSA Northern California Chapter on Saturday. Shep is a customer service expert, professional speaker and author who works with companies who want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees.

His talk to the 80+ Chapter members and guests was a compendium of best practices he’s gathered over the 32 years he’s been a professional speaker. He shared the tips and techniques that he has used to build his own successful speaking business. His ideas ranged from the value of writing articles that will establish you as an expert in your field to how blogging, books, a website and social media are all part of a coordinated program to build momentum in the market.

Among the points I noted:

  • Consider using college interns for marketing tasks. Post openings at the business school. Ask candidates to review your website, suggest what they can do to help, how many hours they can work and what they need to be paid. Shep has been amazed by the creativity students bring to his office and the value they’ve added.
  • Re-purpose the content of your articles, blog postings and newsletters into a book. Start by listing titles onto index cards, shuffling them and seeing if there’s a structure for a book in there.
  • Transform articles into videos. Drop the text into telepromt+ so it scrolls by on the screen as you record the video on your webcam. Works best if you write as you speak.
  • Take this formula for green screen paint to Home Depot and have a gallon mixed up. Paint the wall of a spare room and put in a Sony videocam with external mic jack, some studio lights and you are set to record. Use an older version of the Sony Vegas software to edit, or the built-in software on a Mac.
  • Shep’s talk covered many more topics including the secrets of low-cost book publishing in hard cover; scripting your calls to prospective clients when using the phone to build your business; generating passive income from products, and more.

    To hear Shep in action, click on the podcast icon below. These two brief extracts of the his talk cover the ways he cultivates the ideal client and as his incredible 5-day social media publishing schedule that is a key part of his active marketing.

    Tip: The value of blogging

    Here’s a brief video from National Speakers Association member Gerard Braud, CSP, who explains why frequent blogging is key for any professional speaker or subject expert. It’s an invaluable form of content marketing and SEO, so clients find you online.

    The proof for Gerard is that a Google search on his area of expertise “crisis communications expert” lists him at the top of the organic results (immediately following the paid ads)
    Gerard Braud Google Search Result

    This has also been my own experience with searches on “high tech speechwriter”, “technology speechwriter” or “Silicon Valley speechwriter”.

    Magnifying the Impact of a Speech with Social Media

    Manchester
    Last week I was in the UK visiting family and took the opportunity to present to the Northwest Region of the Professional Speaking Association.

    Over 20 people attended at the conference center in Manchester. Thanks to Patricia Fripp for the introduction to the group, and to Eilidh Milnes and Steve Houghton-Burnett for arranging the visit.

    I was struck by the energy and enthusiasm of everyone I met, who exhibit many of the characteristics that make professional speakers some of the most interesting people on the planet to hang out with. Surprisingly, there were members in the UK who spoke on similar topics to those in the Northern California Chapter of the NSA.

    In the afternoon I conducted a master class on video and audio. I discussed:

    • Simple techniques to record, edit and publish audio podcasts
    • Sources of audio available to speakers
    • Which of the three types of podcasts is right for you
    • Why to embrace video as a face-to-face alternative
    • How to master video: from the television studio to your iPhone
    • Making a six-figure income from video training materials
    • Lights! Camera! Action! Create simple compelling videos that audiences will watch.

    In the evening I gave a presentation on magnifying the impact of a speech with social media. I reviewed how to augment the power of a speech before, during and after the presentation using social media tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Twitter and blogs. All offer exciting and effective ways to boost mindshare — when used correctly. The online audience for a talk can be many times the size of, and as important as, the audience in the room. Many speakers take advantage of social media to promote their programs — I shared ways to use social media as a research tool before the talk, poll and interact with the audience during the talk, and re-purpose content via audio and video afterwards.

    Take a look at these edited highlights:

    The resource page for the event has links to example videos, slides, reference material and more.

    Book Review: The Circle by Dave Eggers

    The Circle CoverThe Circle is a dystopian view of Silicon Valley set in a future time that could be, oh, sometime the day after tomorrow. Dave Eggers has crafted a story set in the corporate campus environment of a fictional social media company that will seem all too familiar to anyone who has spent time in the headquarters of a Facebook, Apple or Google.

    While the plot, as many reviewers have noted, can be a little creaky, the main thesis of the book is that the world of social media that many of us have rushed headlong into has threatening potential. By trading privacy (you have none, get over it, a tech titan once remarked) for ease of communication with our circle of friends we have entered a Faustian bargain with the bright young sparks who have created the social media sites we love to love.

    The book’s main character is a young woman at the start her career. She starts work at the company named “The Circle” that provides the kind of college-dorm on steroids environment the Google and Facebook’s of the world are famous for: free food, parties, famous musicians, fire-eaters & jugglers at company events. With a workplace like this, why leave? The on campus crash pads have refrigerators stocked with goodies, it’s summertime and the living is easy.

    However, it isn’t long before the summer sun turns into a winter of discontent.

    Our twenty-something heroine slowly realizes that the success on her work position is associated with activities that are anything but voluntary, like attending events and sharing everything with the Circle community, about each and every minute of her life, as a company motto states: “Sharing is Caring”.

    To outline any more of the plot would be to spoil the shock of recognition that those of us who spend time in and around Silicon Valley must feel when reading about the All Hands Meetings, customer service centers, managerial shenanigans and office romances on the shores of the San Francisco Bay.

    Future Perfect

    The weirdest part of the reading The Circle, for me, what what I started noticing in the news after I put the book down. The headlines suddenly seemed to be taken from later chapters. Literally, in the last two weeks, I’ve seen news reports about a mysterious barge Google is building on the Bay; Palo Alto police might start wearing body-mounted cameras (hopefully, as in the novel, they’ll automatically switch off for three minutes while the user in the toilet); and, just in time for this blog posting, The Economist reports that “life-loggers” are embracing the potential of Google Glass to create a people’s panopticon.

    The Circle is an entertaining read. Recommended.

    How to book more business and own your niche

    NSA/NC Meeting Report: Saturday March 2, 2013

    The Saturday meeting of the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association featured two savvy businesswomen who shared ways professional speakers and information entrepreneurs can book more business and own their niche markets. Stephanie Chandler is a Silicon Valley refugee who left a stressful job on the Peninsula for the life of a successful information entrepreneur. Lois Creamer knows the speaking business. She has worked with the superstars of speaking as both a cheerleader and strategist. She is endorsed by none other than Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE.

    Stephanie Chandler: Living the good life after corporate America

    Stephanie ChandlerStephanie was inspired by the film Sleepless in Seattle to move to Sacramento, open a bookstore and write novels. Neither worked out for her. She quickly moved on to Plan B, launching herself as a speaker and non-fiction author on the urging of superstar literary agent Mike Larsen.

    She launched BusinessInfoGuide.com, her first website, in 2004. Now, six books and a series of websites later, she is in demand as an author, speaker, Forbes blogger, and expert on content marketing, internet marketing, small business growth strategies, and publishing.

    8 keys to owning your niche

    Own Your NicheThe importance of speakers owning a niche has been a core lesson taught in NSA/NC Speakers Academy classes for many years. Stephanie walks the walk when it comes to knowing how to do this in the digital age. Heck, she’s even written a book on the topic.

    She shared eight simple strategies to increase website traffic and own a niche:

    1. Define your target audience. Decide who you want to reach and what challenges you can solve for them.
    2. Tap into the power of community. Figure out where your audience spends their time and engaged them there.
    3. Optimize your website. Incorporate keywords and phrases that your audience would use to find you. Update your site frequently, generate incoming links, and continually add new content.
    4. Implement a blog. This will help build your audience, increase website traffic, generate new clients, create consulting opportunities, and attract media interviews and speaking engagements. It’s also the heart of your social media strategy. Stephanie recommends updating it at least twice a week.
    5. Develop a content marketing strategy. Create ebooks, white papers, and special reports that you give away. Distribute articles to websites to reach your target audience or write articles for print publications.
    6. Expand with video and podcasts. Even speakers who hate writing can record their presentations to communicate their message.
    7. Embrace social media. There are great reasons why executives are signing on with social media. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest each have their own unique advantages. You can automate much of the distribution of the content between these different sites.
    8. Commit a little time each day. just as you need to spend time weeding and planting seeds to enjoy a luxuriant garden, so you need to set aside time each day to develop content, engage in social media, and cultivate community. Stephanie advises that a little effort goes a long way in expanding your brand.

    More details are available in her slides:

    Lois Creamer: Business Strategies for Professional Speakers

    Lois CreamerLois’s advice starts with the way we say hello. As professional communicators, the worst way to introduce ourselves is by NAME and TOPIC. We need to learn to introduce ourselves in a compelling and interesting way. Much better is an introduction by CONCEPT and OUTCOME. This captures your unique differentiation. She calls this a positioning statement and uses these words whenever she meets someone:

    “I work with professional speakers who want to book more business, make more money and avoid costly mistakes.”

    This is far more effective than using an elevator speech, which is typically too long and boring. An effective positioning statement should go on your website, one-sheet, email signature, and be part of any voice mail message you leave when calling prospects.

    Effective voice mail messages

    If Lois can’t reach a decision maker she’ll leave four voice mail messages over a period of a couple of weeks. Each will use the positioning statement and end with a qualifying question to encourage them to take action:

    “Mr. Prospect, I’m sorry I missed you. This is Lois Creamer, I’m a consultant, I work with speakers just like you who want to book more business, make more money and avoid costly mistakes. I’m calling to see if I might be a fit to be helpful to you in your business in any way. And I’d love to send you something about what I do. I want to make sure it would be welcome. Could you call me and let me do that.”

    If four messages bring no results, she’ll leave a 5th indicating she’s been trying to reach them, but this will be the last call she’ll make and she’d love to hear from them. This is often the message that gets a return call from a busy executive.

    Negotiating fees

    Many speakers have a hard time negotiating fees.

    Lois advises to speak for full fee where possible, or be willing to waive your fee, but never give a “free speech”. If you are willing to waive your fee or speak for a reduced fee, ask the event organizer what else, if you are willing to do that, they are willing to provide you of value. Her blog lists suggestions on items of value speakers can negotiate.

    If you need to raise your fees, do so with a few months advance notice and give clients the chance to book you at the existing fees before then. look on raising fees as promoting your success in the marketplace.

    Interview: Lois Creamer on the future of the speaking business

    To hear Lois’s thoughts on changes in the speaking business and what she sees coming over the next 5-10 years, click on the podcast icon below …

    How Executives Can Keep Their Organization Informed via an Online Platform

    INXPO LogoIn two weeks time I’ll be hosting an free webinar on How Executives Can Keep Their Organization Informed via an Online Platform on the INXPO Social Business TV network. I’ll be sharing tips on how executives can effectively inform and engage with their extended teams.

    Based on my experience with Silicon Valley technology companies, I’ll suggest ways executives and executive communications managers can use video for everything from virtual Town Hall meetings to recorded customer testimonials. I’ll also review how to use the important Backchannel to engage with employees before, during and after an event.

    The webinar happens on Tuesday February 12 from 9:00am – 10:00am (Pacific). Registration for the event is free. Click here to sign up.

    Meanwhile, if you have any issues you’d like me to raise or questions you’d like answered during the event please leave a comment below.

    Hope to see you online on the 12th!

    Book Review: The Art of Immersion, by Frank Rose

    A decade ago, the tools of communications belonged to a chosen few. Editorial control over newspapers, television and radio was in the hands of those professionals tasked with selecting content deemed worthy of the front page, the headline, the news bulletin. National newspapers and mass media channels were scarce resources. The stories they carried were linear and sequential. The 10 o’clock news was broadcast for an hour each evening at the same time. Important news was on the front page, above the fold.

    That was then, this is now.

    Immersive storytelling

    The Art of Immersion Today’s world is nonlinear, filled with always-on devices giving anywhere, any time access to media generated by those of us with a WordPress blog and a point of view. Storytelling has come full circle from the logical inevitability of the printed page to the random, emotionally binding, infinitely looping immersive stories of this fragmented age where anyone can create and re-purpose content, as did the bards of pre-literate eras.

    The implications of the transition from top-down to user-generated content is explored in detail by Frank Rose in his book The Art of Immersion.

    Rose identifies the roots of non-linear storytelling in the popular serials Charles Dickens published in the 1830’s. But it was the creation of the hyper-links of the World Wide Web that blew the lid off linear narrative:

    Links change our relationship to information. They empower individuals and destroy hierarchies.

    Cinema directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Jean-Luc Goddard and David Lynch create immersive, non-linear forms of film.

    The unexpected juxtapositions, the startling elisions, the scenes out of sequence–asleep or awake, this is how we think, in a fast-dissipating vapor.

    The implication is that we live in a multiverse, where events occur simultaneously. As the Western-born Spiritual Adept Adi Da Samraj has written about photography:

    The human individual in the midst of Reality is like a camera in a room—perceiving everything from a fixed “point of view”. But what does the room Really look like? The room can be viewed from every possible “point of view” in space-time—not merely from any particular “point of view”, or even a finite collection of “points of view”. Therefore, no “point of view” can reveal the room, or Reality Itself, because every “point of view” is limited and essentially self-referring.

    Frank Rose explores the art of immersive storytelling and the emerging transmedia methods that the best practitioners are developing in video games, advertising, movies, social media, television and more.

    Frank Rose Interview

    In August 2012 I met Frank at a Churchill Club event in Silicon Valley and took the opportunity to ask him about the implications of immersive storytelling for professional speakers and corporate communications professionals. To hear what he told me, click on the podcast icon below.

    Interview: Paul M. Wood – Transmedia Storyteller

    Transmedia storytelling is a hot topic. It’s a form of storytelling where multiple platforms tie together to tell a common story. It has been heralded as “a new storytelling form that is native to networked digital content and communication channels.”

    UCS professor Henry Jenkins coined the term transmedia storytelling, and defines it as representing:

    “…a process where integral elements of a fiction get dispersed systematically across multiple delivery channels for the purpose of creating a unified and coordinated entertainment experience…”

    There’s many examples of transmedia, with projects around novels, TV shows, videogames, music and movies as well as a few examples in the corporate and executive communications space.

    The more elaborate of these can involve the expense of year-long “teaser” campaigns for movies, or mass-participation alternate reality games.

    However, transmedia storytelling can be a low-cost re-purposing existing video and audio digital content for multiple distribution channels. This might put your video used at trade show presentation on a massive screen into a format suitable for a laptop or smart phone. But it’s not just changing the aspect ratio and being done. It’s thinking of savvy ways to fracture a coherent story into pieces while keeping a core theme alive in different media. It’s weaving the storytellers magic in the digital age.

    I’m just starting to learn about transmedia storytelling, but the impression I’ve got is that it is evolving rapidly and, if it delivers on even a part of the promise, will be a VERY BIG DEAL.

    Paul M. Wood: Transmedia Storyteller

    AE35 MediaI recently met with one of the more savvy transmedia storytellers in Silicon Valley. Paul M. Wood is a principal in the boutique communications firm AE35 Media.

    Paul is a commercial and independent film director who grew up in a creative family. His father was an artist and his mother a musician. He studied at NYU Film School and has knocked around the tech industry.

    After a decade making niche-busting films for Fortune 500 companies such as Cisco Systems, Paul is now calling upon his diverse background as both visual artist and technologist to bring storytelling into the twenty-first century by producing tales which cross not only genres but platforms and delivery systems as well.

    AE35 Media believe that the days of executive communications managers creating a message and pushing out to the world as a scripted speech for a corporate big-wig to deliver once with the hope that it was clever or engaging enough to be noticed are over.

    Things have changed.

    We’ve gone from being a world where information is pushed out to the masses, to become one where the information is now pulled in by individuals. The tech industry knows this applies to their products, not too many yet realize it might equally apply to their corporate spokespeople. While information itself is shared, the act of acquiring it is now solitary and intimate.

    Appealing to ONE large mass of people is one thing. It’s an auditorium filled will people listening to your CEO deliver a keynote. It’s an event, managed by the event production team. However, appealing to MILLIONS of individuals and having them own your brand or message as much as you do? Well that’s no longer a mere event. That’s a universe and within it the possibilities are limitless — this is the promise of transmedia storytelling.

    To hear Paul discuss the potential of transmedia storytelling and how he sees it as a natural extension of his video production skills, click on the podcast icon below.

    200 Top Tweets from #NSA12

    NSA Convention
    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.

    NSA12_Tweets
    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