great business speakers

Women and Success When it comes to women at work – what matters more, confidence or competence? 
 
The answer is surprising because the latest research shows why confidence is important at work - even more important than actual skills.

Basketball superstar BILL WALTON is known by thousands for his achievements on the basketball court and behind the microphone. By all accounts, he’s led a charmed life. But few people know the back story of Bill’s life – his lifelong stuttering affliction and health problems that resulted in 37 surgeries including one that ended his playing career and one for catastrophic spine failure in 2008. What’s astounding is just how positive and upbeat Bill Walton is given all he has been through. He is one of the most positive people I know – and the nicest. When I’ve been with Bill at his speaking engagements, he didn’t leave the room until the last person waiting to shake his hand, get an autograph, or take a photo got what they so patiently waited for. Here’s the typical feedback I receive from people who’ve engaged Bill to speak: “Bill went out of his way to make EVERY person in the room feel like they mattered -- and he personally spent time talking to each of them. Simply unbelievable, which an email cannot describe.” – Irving Place Capital So much of Bill’s success is rooted in lessons he learned from his great college basketball coach, John Wooden. I asked Bill to share three pieces of advice on the path to success. Here’s what he wrote – in his own words. Much of it has to do with confronting reality, something most of us struggle with in a world that’s changing at warp speed. His advice here is truly inspirational – and I hope you enjoy Bill’s personal anecdotes.

Perhaps in no arena is leading and managing change more challenging than in healthcare. Policy uncertainty (like the U.S.), market pressure, and technological change create an environment that demands resilience, constant adaptation, and a boost of positive encouragement. Six DN experts have proven to be great speakers for healthcare events. My goal here is to mention a bit about each to make the point.

The 2017 list of Fortune’s “World’s Greatest Leaders” has just been announced. As usual, it's a list that's full of surprises. The list celebrates an inspiring group of achievers who have been especially effective in 2017. It’s hard not to be moved by the passion, commitment, and ingenuity of the individuals honored here, and perhaps take away lessons to apply to your own efforts – be it your business, your charity, your community, or just your own block in your neighborhood. It was four years ago that GEOFF COLVIN, senior editor-at-large at Fortune led the effort to create the magazine’s first-ever “World’s Greatest Leaders” issue. I'm proud to say that Geoff is a D’Amelio Network speaker -- click here to get a free chapter from his bestselling book Talent is Overrated. Leadership is a subject he's covered extensively for Fortune, so Geoff was the perfect choice to come up with the unique approach that has characterized this list.

It’s only fitting that BILL WALTON, one of the most colorful figures in all of sports, gets some extra attention during March Madness. Back From the Dead, Bill’s autobiography, was released in paperback this week – smack in the middle of the NCAA college basketball tournament.

The Stress-Free Event Photo Opp A photo with your celebrity entertainer or big name speaker is a lasting treasure for your event guests. Of course, like much of everything else in the live events business, there's only one chance to get it right. Earlier in my career, I was on the road with many high-stakes principals. I would run as many as five event photo opps a week for anywhere from 20 to 200 people. Feedback from the event planners on site was always so positive - they appreciated the process I used which made the whole experience much more manageable for everyone concerned. It’s in that spirit that I thought I would share the details of this photo opportunity plan, which incorporates the best aspects I’ve seen used by the high-stakes figures whose staffs had honed this to a fine art. I hope this event planner advice is a useful addition to your event planning checklist.

This is an event planner’s worst nightmare story. It’s a good example of why booking speakers is so angst-ridden for people who plan meetings and conferences. Speakers can be the great unknown; a black box where you haven’t a clue what’s inside until you open it up and the speaker steps on stage. In this tale, in spite of the best efforts to prepare, things can go horribly, horribly wrong and embarrass everyone in the organization, let alone make the audience very uncomfortable. This story took place during my agenting days and stars a very prominent U.S. Senator who, upon retiring, started to speak. I actually booked him for one of his very first appearances - to be keynote speaker for a conference in San Francisco.

Today is International Women's Day, a day set aside to celebrate globally women and their economic, political, and social achievements around the world. It is also a time to focus on places and situations where women's rights, equality, health, and safety still have a long way to go. The work of BBC World News’ KATTY KAY is a perfect fit for the mission of International Women’s Day. Katty has had the privilege of speaking at many IWD events over the years. Interest was first driven by her bestselling book Womenomics and most recently by the groundbreaking work on confidence she and co-author Claire Shipman did for their bestselling book, The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance – What Women Should Know. Katty and Claire's latest book, The Confidence Code for Girls: Taking Risks, Messing Up, and Becoming Your Amazingly Imperfect, Totally Powerful Self is coming out on April 3, 2018. International Women's Day provides a great opportunity to focus a bit on confidence, since it’s such a vital ingredient for the issues that are the focus of this day.

THE WAY PEOPLE BUY HAS CHANGED DAVID MEERMAN SCOTT is author of the bestselling book The New Rules of Marketing and PR and a top content marketing expert. He provides a roadmap with tips for organizations looking to win the attention wars for their products, services, and ideas. The way people buy has changed. Just think about your own buying habits as an example. When was the last time you bought something because you received a piece of direct mail? Or a cold phone call to your home or business? Most times, when we research a potential purchase, we are searching online or asking friends and others via email and social media. These days, if you’re trying to influence people but can’t be found when people are looking online, you don’t exist. People need to find content about your products or services that will educate and inform them – they don’t want to be sold. So the new rules of marketing and PR require a commitment to content that will help buyers and decision-makers find you at the very moment they’re looking online.

A SIMPLE CHANGE MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE It’s not every day you can make a simple change that has an enormous impact on the way you feel and the way you work. At the end of 2016 I did just that. I bought a stand-up desk. Of all the healthy workplace ideas I've tried, this has made the greatest difference. Like so many people, I spend my days sitting in front of a computer. In my case I’m booking speakers for events -- communicating all day with event planners, agents from bureaus, and my speaking clients. I'm a morning person – I start around 5:00 AM with a computer in my lap – sitting on my office couch with a coffee. I move to my desk around 7:30 and stay there pretty much all day – winding up my day at around 6:00 PM. That's a lot of sitting - and I've been working like that a long time.