The personal development/self-help industry is once again being accosted by the national press in the United States. The catalyst seem to be the Sweat Lodge tragedy that occurred at the James Arthur Ray event in Arizona earlier this month. (more comments on that at www.mentaltoughnessblog.com) My question for speakers is; are you delivering a message you really believe in? Are you giving your audiences all of you? Are you writing and speaking at the pinnacle of your ability? Are your books, CD’s, DVD’s and other speaker products world class, or just 2nd rate knock off’s of Think and Grow Rich? The great correction of 2008-2009 has taken it’s toll on many speaking careers, but the fact is the best of breed have survived, and in some cases, grown even bigger. The truth is the speaking business is better than ever, but only for the speakers who are writing and delivering a unique message at a high level. Once again, this business has seen another extreme example of survival of the fittest, and among the traits of the fittest is 100% belief in their message. I’ll look forward to your commentson this 7-minute audio post. Steve Siebold, CSP
Do you REALLY BELIEVE what you speak about?
Published By steve
Steve Siebold, CSP My name is Steve Siebold. I’m an author with 1.4 million books in print, and a professional speaker and consultant to Fortune 500 sales teams on how to increase sales and retention rates through mental toughness training. My corporate clients include Johnson & Johnson, Toyota, Harrah’s Entertainment, Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Ingersoll Rand, etc.
Steve,
I like your question.
My experience of professional speaker cred is that even the “best” in terms of visibility and financial success are littered with Machiavellian bait and switchers. To use the Darwinian metaphor, we’re moving from survival of the fittest to survival of the inconvenient truth tellers. There is nothing more deeply disturbing to realize that I have been ‘worked’ by a speaker..sometimes long after the fact.
Show me a program that brings out humility and a holistic approach to getting at authenticity and genuineness and I’m all eyes and ears. We’ve all got something important to say that we deeply believe in.
Herby
Mr. Siebold,
Just had the oppurtunity of listening to your auido post and i must say that i totally agree 100%. I have seen start-up speakers who pump out the same regurgitated info on success and there is no originality. Thank you for your insight.
-Charles