I listen to presenters and speakers every week and often times many times a week. Almost no one is asking questions but most are telling facts. Facts tell, stories sell. But the key to a great story is to ask the audience (receiver) questions to keep them interested. People asking the questions control the conversation, am I right? So, are you focused on telling or are you focused on asking? Let's start with your elevator talk. Share yours?

One of the things I love the most about my Speaking Business is the ups and downs, how one season is insane and another quieter. January 1 to March 31st is insane for me. Summer is quieter (and that so works for me). And within those seasons it can go from crazy to calm as well. This week, for example, I was supposed to be travelling to a remote fly-in First Nation (Indian Reservation) to do a 1.5 day event. But because of a tragedy in the community, it had to be rescheduled. Result - BONUS WEEK! I got so much "stuff" done behind the scenes - admin stuff and planning stuff. It was amazing. But now that is done, and I begin prep for insanity lol Next week includes: - Tuesday virtual Lunch and Learn session with one of my consulting clients - Wednesday/Thursday emceeing gig for one of the First Nation local agencies I support. - Then an early morning flight Friday to southern Ontario to grab a rental car to drive 3 hours to Leamington to deliver a keynote. I fly back on Saturday. I love my life. And yep, I love me a little bit of insanity. But that's next week. Right now ... a little more planning and admin stuff. Love you all! Enjoy the ride, the highs and the lows. Think of it as the world's BEST rollercoaster! lol Sandi

I know many on here are just starting out but MY convos of late have been in the realm of succession planning and I gotta admit, the idea that I can continue to help people long after I am gone (like my Mom before me) tickles me to no end! I will keep you posted! After all this work, my network agrees, my contributions CANNOT die. Exciting!!

"What is measured improves." - Peter Drucker When I set out to make 2026 "The Year of the Keynote" I knew that I had to be able to measure my success. If I came up with FOUR in the calendar year, I felt I could be happy with that. Then the work began ... Now, I am happy to report that in this SECOND month of the year, I have launched my SECOND keynote, promoting out to my followers and email list. And I giggle as I acknowledge that this second one is SO ME! Cheeky Funny Powerful Game-changing. So the question, what goes do YOU have for 2026 and how are you measuring your success? The journey continues!

The best part (imho) about being in business is the growth. Looking back you see what you spent time on that wasn't ever going to work and what you should have started sooner. I should have started an email list sooner. Then, I should have figured out what to do with that email list sooner. To explain, for the first 5 years or so, I didn't have an email list at all. People could reach me on social media, but I had no way to individually reach them. A loving colleague FREAKED when I told her so, I started a list. First sporadically, then once a month, then once a week. I would tell them of my new offers. And even though the emails were incredibly subpar, I could count on 1-3 bookings from each one. (Nice ROI!) Then I learned about adding value. So now, every Tuesday my list gets my weekly video sent directly to their inbox. And every Thursday they get a "sales" email, highlighting what new offerings I have (like my cheeky new keynote, the 2nd of 2026). And guess what, the first builds relationship and loyalty, the second generates bookings. And they know what they are getting, so they always only open what they need. Win/Win. They may not respond. They may not always read them. Some may unsubscribe. Keep going. Because you never know when one will respond with a booking. The journey (and the learning) continues ... What do YOU wish you had done sooner?