Speaker - June 2017

REALITY CHECK
putting a fine point on the speaking industry

Ihave never been good with roller coasters. From the minute it leaves the boarding area, I am never sure what will happen next and I hate not knowing. The unexpected twists and turns accompanied by an occasional drop, not to mention the possibility of screaming, nausea and, heaven forbid, a malfunction!

Looking back over the last 25 years, it has been like a roller coaster ride . . . and it has been one of the greatest thrills of my life. When Michelle and I first relocated from Sacramento so I could work with NSA, I had no idea where this was going and absolutely no idea how long it would last; I just knew I needed a seat on this ride called NSA.

The twists and turns started on day 2 (they really let me have an easy day 1), and included a new membership structure, a doubling of dues, and Chapter members were now required to join the national organization. And I was hired to be the guy everyone was told to call to share their thoughts and opinions— that part of the ride was a crash course in the passion of this community.

leaving NSa...

As the ride continued a few months later, NSA bought its very first headquarters building. Then, as we finished the office design work, NSA Board member Dan Burrus, CSP, CPAE, came in to explain that we would also get a technology upgrade, and introduced us to PCs, networking and email. This learning made the ride a lot more interesting.

It meant those thoughts and opinions could come to me in written form as well as telephone. I could not wait!

Fast forward a few years and Thom Winninger, CSP, CPAE, convinced the Board of Directors to embrace a vision for the International Center for Professional Speaking, which would house a conference center and library that featured live and recorded NSA training programs. This vision took NSA to new levels of being the premier provider of education for professional speakers.

But wait, then Winninger selected me to go on this part of the ride with him and bring this vision to reality. Wow . . . this section of the ride had ups, downs and turns I had never experienced before—what a rush!

If you have been on a roller coaster,
you know there is always one dreaded
drop. You’re never sure exactly where it
is, because it just sneaks up, grabs you
and takes your breath away. NSA’s
dreaded drop occurred when we went
through some turbulent times that
resulted in a change in executive leader-
ship. As with most roller coasters, it
certainly brought about anxiety. How-
ever, in the roller coaster world, what
goes down also comes back up and,
as NSA came up out of this turbulent
time, I was provided the opportunity
to move into the position of Executive
Vice President/CEO.

This has been my favorite part of the ride. Working with NSA’s board and members, we climbed to new heights in membership, revenues, quality of education, promotion/value of the speaking profession and strengthening our NSA community. There were many more ups than downs along this part of the ride, and they were simply incredible. I appreciate everyone who joined in along the way.

Who knew it would be a 25-year roller coaster ride—not bad for someone who admits to not liking roller coasters.

I am so grateful to have been invited for this period of NSA’s history and development, and I am excited to see where NSA goes next as this community welcomes and supports its next chief staff executive. I am so appreciative to each and every one of you for what we have created, and I can only end this ride by gratefully saying “thank you.”