The business landscape certainly has changed since Successful Meetings last highlighted a group of great speakers in December of 1999. We thought it was high time to revisit the subject, so we put together a list of business leaders, best-selling authors, motivational athletes, and others who impressed us with their message, delivery, and ability to impact diverse groups.
Like the '99 group, there are a significant number of leadership- and business-oriented speakers, but gone are the tech folks who were so fashionable back then. There are also speakers on our list who have a global perspective to share with audiences that is more relevant than ever. The wide-ranging group that follows is well supported by bureaus and planners; we hope you find it a valuable resource as you book speakers for 2006 and beyond.
1. Kelly McDonald
Fee: $5,000
Dealing with diversity
Kelly McDonald has spent the last two decades in the marketing and advertising fields, with a specific concentration on reaching the Hispanic market. She specializes in teaching others how to market to Hispanics and other minority groups in creative and effective ways.
One of her most requested topics is "How to Market to People Who are Not Like You"; other talks address general di-versity in the workplace, how to effectively translate campaigns into Spanish, and diversity as a business opportunity.
"Like a lot of financial services companies we are interested in reaching out to diverse markets," explains Jim Simon, senior vice president of corporate communications for Nationwide Mutual Insurance, headquartered in Columbus, OH. Simon enlisted McDonald to "educate people about the big picture" at an annual conference.
"She was informative and irreverent to a degree, which was refreshing; it's an unusual blend, especially for someone who's a mile deep on content," says Simon. He credits McDonald with working extensively to customize the presentation to his specifications. "She took a holistic approach to educating us," he says. "We felt like she gave us all of herself in her talents and her energy."
During the course of conversations with other planners for this article, McDonald was also recommended out of the blue by two other planners. Each made comments along the lines of, "If you're looking for hot speakers, I'd have to recommend Kelly McDonald." Gold Stars Speakers Bureau
2. Cary Mullen
Fee: starts at $6,000
Motivational skier
He is the fastest man on skis and a two-time Olympian, but ski lessons on the bunny slope aren't all Cary Mullen can offer groups.
With a funny and lighthearted tone, Mullen recounts his personal experiences, including three near-fatal crashes, and his "Process of Success"—a process which he credits for his accomplishments as a skier and as a businessman.
Mullen's keynote topics cover leadership, innovation, adversity, and change. A series of seminars, training, and "champion consulting," during which he teaches people to maximize their potential, is also available. Every presentation is fully customized, and Mullen eagerly works with organizations to weave information about the group into his speech.
As a former sales and general manager for Dale Carnegie Training and now president of a real estate investment company, Mullen's background proves he understands the dynamics of a business environment. The combination of world-class athlete and successful businessman drives his popularity as a speaker and is a main reason why groups have called him "a speaker with a strong message," "refreshing," "motivating," and "tactfully explicit with a touch of humor and good grace." Leading Authorities Speakers Bureau
3. David Goldsmith
Fee: $6,500
Strategic business management
"People were captivated and spellbound by his presentation—not in the sense of awe but in the sense that it changed their perspective," says Jeff Hunt when describing David Goldsmith. Hunt, manager of education and certification for the Promotional Products Association International, headquartered in Irving, TX, enlisted Goldsmith to speak at an event in September and has since rebooked him for several other engagements.
Goldsmith focuses on strategic business management strategies, and specializes in details that audience members can actually implement after the talk. His attention to detail is by no means solely relegated to the speech itself; Goldsmith has an extensive survey to be filled out prior to an engagement that gives him details about the group and its expectations. He also interviews individuals who will be in the audience to understand their goals for the session.
"I would say he customizes to a fault, because he creates so much work for himself! He did so much research about our industry and had about 10 calls with members of our board," says Hunt.
"He passed out action plans so people could implement the process he talked about," Hunt says, and Goldsmith's points were "extremely practical and easy to apply quickly." Gold Stars Speakers Bureau
4. Mike Rayburn
Fee: $7,500
Guitar whiz/inspirational comic
Mike Rayburn, who calls himself "classically trained, comically derailed," is like a one-man cover band on acid. Mixing and matching music styles from rock to country to reggae, this zany performer might impersonate Jimi Hendrix singing "Green Acres" one minute, then launch into a pitch-perfect rendition of Dan Fogelberg doing an AC/DC number the next. "He's a phenomenal guitar player—he plays everything," says Kevin St. John, national account manager for Ameriprise Financial in Minneapolis, who hired Rayburn as a speaker for two meetings this fall. "He was engaging and the audience was very entertained."
Rayburn's melange of melody and comedy is not only unique, it's also motivating. Building on his experience as a performer fielding random song requests, Rayburn teaches groups not to be afraid to move beyond their comfort zone. "His message is that you've got to take chances," says St. John. "If you think about the worst possible consequences, you'll limit yourself."
Rayburn certainly hasn't limited himself. He's been booked by everyone from IBM to ARAMARK to the American Bankers Association. Eagles Talent Connection, Inc., and Gold Stars Speakers Bureau
5. Robert Stevenson
Fee: $7,500
Change agent
Looking for a talking head? Don't book Robert Stevenson. As befits a onetime All-American football player, Stev-enson doesn't stand still onstage. He runs, he jumps, he waves his arms. It's all about getting the audience energized—and getting them to giggle. In fact, of the four essential elements of any speech, Stevenson considers humor the most important, beyond content, conviction, and experience: "You gotta make 'em laugh!"
Not that he skimps on the other elements. As an entrepreneur who's held every job from salesman to CEO, Stevenson can relate to any business audience. "He was able to throw in specifics related to our company that our clients could pick up on," says Robin Reicosky, marketing coordinator for SVA Consulting, an IT consulting firm in Madison, WI, who booked Stevenson for a client conference in October. Most attendee surveys specifically praised Stevenson, she adds, with comments like, "Bring back the keynote speaker!"
Besides being a great speaker, Stevenson is a joy to work with, says Cynthia Mullaly, director of education at an association management firm in Columbia, MD: "He's kind, approachable, humble, funny, and his attitude is just great." Mullaly was so impressed, in fact, that she booked him twice, most recently for the Pedorthic Footwear Association's October symposium in Indianapolis. Gold Stars Speakers Bureau, and Speak, Inc.
6. Anthony Galie
Fee: $8,500
Motivational hypnotist and psychotherapist
We know what you're thinking, but there's no mystical mumbo jumbo or psychobabble here. Anthony Galie, who has spoken to Prudential, Federal Express, and Crain Communications, among others, focuses on setting lofty goals and encouraging people to strengthen their belief in their own abilities.
Kimberly Kissel, education and convention coordinator for the Roller Skating Association International, worked with Galie for the 2005 RSA Convention and Trade Show in Tampa in May. Because the content of the RSA Convention is unique, decision-makers wanted to feel comfortable that Galie understood what would be important to the group. Galie had numerous phone interviews with RSA prior to the session and Kissel describes him as "very accommodating and personable."
One of Galie's topics is how to sustain motivation; he believes that while it is fairly easy to create motivation, it is difficult to make it last longer than a couple of days. Galie also discusses everyday forms of hypnosis, which he says include exercises such as meditation or visualizing goals as well as zoning out in front of the television.
Galie's talk included "a lot of entertainment and yet there's a real message," says Kissel. He brought handouts and provided the group with action points to take information from the session and apply it. "His message was mostly about the power of the mind and how to focus it in your personal and business life." Nationwide Speakers Bureau
7. Ross Shafer
Fee: $8,500
Humorist
Ross Shafer figured out when he was a young, struggling small-town pet-shop owner that if he was going to be successful, it was going to be, as he says, his own fault. The theme of taking responsibility—not only for one's failures but also for one's successes—is a common one in Shafer's work. He's even written a book about it, Nobody Moved Your Cheese, which constitutes his response to Dr. Spencer Johnson's 1998 best-seller Who Moved My Cheese?
Shafer encourages people to stop relying on outside sources—be they psychiatrists, life coaches, or pharmaceuticals—for easy answers and instead look within themselves: "The only expert on you is you." Planners who've worked with Shafer praise his relevant content—he discusses not only taking control of one's own life but also the secrets to good customer service—as well as his Emmy Award-winning sense of humor.
"He did a wonderful job in understanding who our audience was and in shaping his content into a very good fit for the curriculum we present, and he's got an excellent delivery," says Jeff Munks, who twice hired Shafer to participate in the annual program for new U.S. Navy admirals. Gold Stars Speakers Bureau
8. Mark Zupan
Fee: $10,000
Athlete and documentary film star
Inspirational sports stories are a dime a dozen on the speaking circuit, but Mark Zupan has broken the mold and become a sports star, documentary film star, television guest—oh, and speaker—virtually overnight. And all that's in addition to his day job as a civil engineer.
Zupan became paralyzed at 18, as the result of a car accident. Now 30, Zupan speaks to groups about his experiences and has garnered fame as one of the stars of the hit documentary Murderball, which profiles the U.S. quad (quadriplegic) rugby team on its journey to the 2004 Paralympics in Athens—where Zupan and his team won the bronze medal. (Team members have some impairment to all extremities, not necessarily total loss of mobility.)
"We heard he was on the verge of being huge," says Corey Lansing, coordinator for campus programs at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, where Zupan had his first professional speaking engagement. The audience was primarily community members, as well as members of the Milwaukee quad rugby team and students.
Zupan's inspirational story covers his accident and recovery, and how ultimately the accident became what Zupan has described as "the best thing that's ever happened to me."
"The emotions from that story and talking about how his resiliency paid off" result in a powerful message, says Lansing. With his laid-back style and ability to joke with the crowd while imparting a serious lesson, Zupan was a hit. "People were enthralled throughout." Keppler Speakers