Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa

Sorry, that’s my Catholic background coming through.

I have just finished another interview in the forthcoming audio series and ebook, Insider Secrets for Getting Hired by the Top Conference Organizers. This one was with Dan Barmettler, of the Institute for Integral Development, now part of the US Journal Training group (http://www.usjt.com).

Dan, like every other of the conference organizers to whom I have spoken, mentioned that his ideal speaker is one who gets his or her materials for marketing the conference and getting continuing education approval, to the organizer in a timely manner. All of them have mentioned that one of the traits of a “nightmare speaker” is that he or she is not very responsive.

Here’s where my mea culpa comes in: I have been one of those people that organizers have had to chase down or bug to get materials from in the past. Mostly I’m not now since I set up a website at which they can go and download most of what they need. But sometimes they need something that isn’t on the site or they need something more personalized and I haven’t gotten it to them without being bugged several times.

After these conversations, I feel thoroughly chastened. These people are paying me lots of money to speak; they are giving me an opportunity to do what  love and what gives me meaning. And I am not acting congruently with my sense of gratitude at that privilege and trust.

I vow to be better about this.

But for you who are reading this. Take a lesson. Get your act together. Get stuff to sponsors before all the other speakers. Be easy to work with.

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