Rookies and ego-driven seasoned speakers often make this mistake, and I get it. It’s an easy trap to fall into. In the early days of my speaking career, I wanted the audience to listen to me so desperately that I tried to impress them with my success. It always backfired. Audiences don’t care about your...
Preparing yourself for the world’s biggest stages and highest potential speaking fees requires hard work and sacrifice. It’s much like preparing to become a professional athlete, minus the physical torture. The good news for speakers is that a couple of years of solid preperation can lead to a lifelong career that may carry you into...
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Most speakers select 1 of 3 markets to target: Corporate, Public or Association. Some topics only lend themselves to certain markets, others span the spectrum, which is the case for me as a speaker on mental toughness. In professional speaking, we define the market by who pays the fee. Since most associations demand a steep...
Toastmasters International ranks among the oldest, largest and most powerful organizations in the world, boasting over 350,000 members and 13,000 clubs that meet in a 150 countries. Matt Kinsey served as the 2022-2023 International President, and recently completed his term on the board of directors. I’ve known Matt for 25 years, and he’s one of...
In my first audition for Bill Gove, the father of professional speaking, he suggested that I become a college professor. Since that was the last thing I wanted to do, I asked Bill to teach me how to make the transition from teacher to speaker. This video, shot at the Bill Gove Speech Workshop, tells...
Larry Wilson (1930-2013) ranks among the highest grossing corporate speakers of all-time. After his 5-year mentorship with Bill Gove, (1912-2001) the father of professional speaking, Larry founded Wilson Learning, which became the 2nd largest training company in the world. Bob Proctor called Larry Wilson, “The smartest guy in the history of personal development”. In this...
Bob Proctor was a dear friend and mentor for 25 years. We did our first program together in 1998 at Roe Bartel Hall in downtown Kansas City for 7,000 people. It was magic. Over the years we spoke on dozens of conventions together, recorded an album together at Nightingale-Conant in Chicago, and did a joint...
The late Zig Ziglar (1926-2012) one of the most successful professional speakers of all-time, talking about his speaking mentor, Bill Gove, (1912-2001) the father of professional speaking. This was taped at the National Speakers Association Convention in Orlando, Florida in July 2002. Though Zig and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye, he was a great speaker...
Since 1947, the Bill Gove Speech Workshop has trained more 6 and 7 figure professional speakers than any program in history. Graduates include platform legends like Bob Proctor, Jeanne Robertson, National Speakers Association Founder Cavett Robert, Wilson Learning Founder Larry Wilson, Vernice “Flygirl” Armour, Chicken Soup for the Souls’ Mark Victor Hansen, Don Hutson, Jim...