Have you been to any conferences this year?
The National Speakers Association holds a fantastic in-person conference every summer. Each year I attend, I am able to gain valuable insights on developing myself and my speaking career. This year was no different. I traveled to Austin, TX last week for the NSA 2026 Conference and here are just a few of my takeaways from the fantastic event and incredible speakers. Which one of these nuggets speaks to you the most?
- Sam Horn.
- Craft a phrase-that-pays. Sam illustrated the importance of alliteration and rhyming when it comes to personal branding.
- To go more in depth with someone, you can ask them: 1) What do you do when you are not working? 2) What is your favorite childhood memory? And 3) What is your favorite part of your job?
- There are three key pieces to a good sales presentation: 1) “Did you know… (powerful statistic)?”, 2) “Imagine that (your solution)…”, and 3) “You don’t have to imagine, because we’ve created it.”
- Don Yaeger.
- Four truths of storytelling: 1) Always be human, 2) The story behind the story is the story, 3) Storytelling is a hard skill that can be learned, and 4) There is no storytelling formula.
- Storytelling tips: 1) Know your audience, 2) Strike multiple emotional chords, 3) Say “You” more than “I”, 4) Use powerful pauses, 5) Nail the opener and close, 6) Get the audience to commit to something at the end.
- Brian Biro.
- What makes a great team? Questions to ask others:
- What is the greatest team you’ve ever been a part of?
- What made them great?
- How did you feel on the team?
- What did you contribute?
- What did you receive?
- What was the team mindset?
- Where did the mindset come from?
- Become a master asker and take advantage of WOOs (Windows of Opportunities).
- What makes a great team? Questions to ask others:
- Fotini Iconomopoulos. Command your value. An expert in negotiations.
- Three P’s of Negotiation: Power, people, and process.
- Two important words: “Based on…”
- Process questions: 1) What is valuable to them?, 2) What can they afford to do?, 3) How am I making them feel?
- “If you…” “Then I…”
Did You Know? Coach had the honor of kicking off the Global Leadership Summit in Rochester this week at Nazareth University in Rochester, NY with a talk on leadership.
Life Tip #17: Attend seminars and conferences to improve your skills in your field.
