This first appeared in NSA/North Texas’ chapter newsletter, The Speaker’s Voice. Newspaper columnist Dave Lieber scribbles the monthly “you, the speaker” feature.
Don’t worry if you, the speaker, missed the wonderful 2012 NSA Convention in Indy. Here are some of the best lines I heard:
“We humorists are not high-content thought leaders.” – Jeanne Robertson, CSP, CPAE
“Give us time to think about it in terms of your pacing.” – Scott McKain, CSP, CPAE, on speakers who talk too fast.
“People [here] give thorough answers. That’s what we have access to when we’re here…. It’s very much a do-it-yourself proposition. It’s kind of like IKEA. NSA will bring all the [materials]. You have to bring the screwdriver and the elbow grease. And you have to put your career together.” – Sally Hogshead, CPAE
“This business is not about you. It’s about the people who write the checks for what you do, unless, of course, you have no interest in getting paid.” – Peter Sheahan, CSP, CPAE
“If you can’t be engaging and entertaining in front of a brick wall, wait until you sit in front of 300 engineers saying, ‘Just try and teach me something Kangaroo Boy.’” – Sheahan quoting his mentor who forced him to train by speaking to a brick wall.
“The best way to corner a niche is to create your own niche.” – Sam Horn
“Humor is saying what nobody else will say, but you know they are thinking it.”
“For those of you who are married or have partners in life, we do travel so much, you need to know the three rules for married travelers. The first is very simple. Always have a book with you to take advantage of that inevitable down time. The second rule is never do anything out of town that you would not do at home. That’s a great rule. That covers a lot, right, in terms of who you hang out with and where you go. And the third rule is probably the most important rule: never whistle while you pack.” – Dan Thurmon, CSP, CPAE
“What’s interesting about this group is that somewhere in all of your resumes it says your name is ‘one of the most sought-after speakers in the world.’ Yet we’re all available here tonight.” – Ross Shafer, accepting his CPAE.
“This person told our giant room that when you make a sale, you experience the same physiological effects as when you have sex. And it answered a lot of questions for me because it helped me realize that often, as I’ve gotten older, when I make a sale, that’s why I’m unable to make another sale.” – Tim Gard, CSP, CPAE, introducing CPAE winner Terri Sjodin, CSP.
“There are a lot of Cavett Roberts sitting around this room tonight. Some of them are women. Some of them are men. Perhaps at your table are one or two people who give, people who care, people who are willing to help others without reward. Around this room this spirit of Cavett lives as long as you keep it alive.” – W Mitchell, presenting the Cavett Award.
“I truly am a product of Cavett, the spirit of Cavett.” – Stephen Tweed, CSP and Cavett Award winner.
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These speakers display the spirit of Cavett. NSA Founder Cavett Robert
Author Dave Lieber, a presenter at #NSA12, is The Watchdog columnist at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a humorist and storytelling expert who helps others build business through storytelling to gain a competitive edge.
