Speaking in Austin

I’ll be Speaking In Austin, Texas

On Thursday of this week I will be speaking in Austin, Texas at the Speakers Showcase Meeting Professionals International Texas Hill Country Chapter. The title of my speech is Live Beyond Fear, Energize Your Career.

This should be a fun event. The Meeting Professionals International group is made up of individuals who dedicate their days to make sure that others enjoy their days. Their web site says that they are the largest and most vibrant global meeting and event industry. They were founded in 1972. The organization provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI membership is comprised of approximately 18,500 members belonging to more than 80 chapters and clubs in 22 countries.

Last year I was a guest speaker at an conference that was held in St. Louis and met many of the local and regional members from the organization. I was on the program with Lethia Owens who is a well recognized expert in branding. She has been a keynote speaker for some time.

I will be speaking in Austin to the MPI about the subjects of fear and confidence. These two emotions are on the opposite ends of what is called the spectrum of your potential for success. As your fear increases your confidence shrinks. Just as the converse is true. Building esteem and confidence makes your fear level go down. Often people get so focused on the fears that they perceive that they are unable to focus on their goals. When I am speaking in Austin I am going to educate my audience about the connections between fear and confidence.

If you are educated about fear you can recognize when it is impacting your performance. If you are able to do this quickly you can save yourself a lot of grief. Think about the time you spend worrying about a future event. All you are doling is projecting fear onto an outcome that probably is not going to happen anyway.

That type of behavior and thinking ruins your sense of confidence before you even begin. I see speakers do this all the time. They get so nervous before they go on the podium that they end up giving a performance that is not their best. Instead of viewing the audience as a group of friends they look at them as adversaries. When I am speaking in Austin this week to the MPITHCC I know that we are all there to learn and have a good time. I have confidence in that. What is there to fear?