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A is for ATTITUDE B is for BREAK PATTERNS C is for CONSISTENCY D is for DISCIPLINE E is for EVOLUTION F is for FRIENDLINESS G is for GOOD WITH NAMES H is for HAPPINESS I is for IDEAS J is for JOY K is for KNOWLEDGE Emerson once said, “Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I shall learn of him.” 80,000. That’s…

I’m pretty bummed out. NSA St. Louis was set to host its annual Speakers U this weekend, in which veteran speakers share their experiences and wisdom about the speaking industry to prospective members. Now, although I wouldn’t call myself a veteran, I was still excited about the opportunity to share what I’ve learned in my four short years in this business. Unfortunately, we had to cancel. Not enough people…

I just finished another great program with First Financial Resources in Irving, TX! We discussed several techniques on how to become that guy, namely, accessibility. I shared my (new) favorite example from last week’s post, So this is what happens when you’re not tainted by the corporate world. Then they took part in the traditional Nametag Job Title Exercise, from which we had some excellent participation. Favorites of the…

(Special thanks to Wicks for the beautiful painting.) I’m such a sucker for John Maxwell books. His stuff is the greatest. It seems like every time I have an extra half-hour at an airport, I buy a new one. Probably my favorite of his books is Success, One Day at a Time, in which he says, “Success is waiting for you to make the first move.” I first read…

The other day a client of mine had an odd request: “Scott, could you close your speech by discussing the future of marketing and product innovation?” Well, I’m no futurist. But I guess I’ll give it a shot… I answered her request with the following four words: more choices, less time. Let me throw a few numbers at ya: • In the August 2005 issue of FastCompany, their research…

The world will try to put you in a box. This includes people such as: •Your parents •Your friends •Your coworkers •Your bosses •Your competitors •The media •Organizations of which you are a member And the moment you realize that you don’t need their box is the moment you are set free. In National Speakers Association, there is a form I fill out which indicates the “topic” on which…

Over the years, I’ve accumulated a nice collection of hate mail. I know. Who sends hate mail to a guy trying to make the world friendlier? Anyway, all of the hate mail I’ve received over the years has taught me a valuable lesson: in the process of making a name for yourself, you will encounter people who will not want you to succeed. I say, screw those people. They…

I remember being stuck. I was stressed. I was frustrated. And my company wasn’t making any money for the third year in a row. Then I listened to Earl Nightingale’s The Strangest Secret before going to bed one night. In his program, he advises you to take the one thing you want more than anything in the world and focus all of you efforts on attaining it. For me,…

During my sophomore year of college, my roommate Ted decided to transfer mid-semester. Fortunately he was he was a total jerk and a drug addict who didn’t respect my personal space, so that worked out well. Anyway, when I returned from class one day, he was gone. His clothes, his posters, everything was gone. Even his TV. Oh no, not the TV! I thought. Initially, I was scared. No…

I guess every profession is different. For up ‘n coming bands, maybe it’s playing a sold out show two nights in a row. For new authors, maybe it’s topping the New York Time Bestseller List. For fashion designers, maybe it’s having their dress worn by Jessica Simpson on the red carpet. As a professional speaker, I’ve often wondered what the mark of a job well done was in my…