Over 45 years ago when I first began my career as a professional speaker I felt good when many of the members of my audiences laughed at my jokes and were moved by some of my stories. Then I learned about standing ovations and I was thrilled when I received my first one. Then I discovered some new techniques from top speakers at The National Speakers Association’s Conferences and became one of the first speakers that I knew of that used a musical background with strings as I recited a custom built closing about each audience and their profession, their work and how important it was. I’d done my homework beforehand and could say that I had cared and truly believed in my closing message. It was new and it was different and at one time I received a dozen standing ovations in a row.
Next I had my first book published and it nearly blew my mind when, if I had an audience of about 200, I might sell over a hundred books at a performance. Back then I paid around 50 cents for the printing of a book in quantity. At first I sold it for just $1. I’d always ask a buyer, “How many would you like? They are a great gift for parents or in-laws.” I felt I was really on the right track sometimes when I sold out a case or two of books at an engagement.
As the years passed I did a lot of speeches and discovered the secrets of having an impact on people’s attitude toward their jobs and about safety and I began having an influence on what people did after my presentation.
Often when I spoke to salespeople their sales would increase immediately. Some made new sales records. Then I really brought all of my experiences, my observations, my focus and my passion to the safety field and quite often the behavior of top management and most workers’ performance changed for the better, often immediately.
Most everyone at my meetings signed our Declaration of Inter-Dependence and agreed to keep a keen eye on their own safety performance and also on the performance of fellow workers. In time I added the element of permission. They gave each other permission and requested that others interact with them if they saw them doing something that might be unsafe. And when each attendee would personally sign this Declaration it was much like our founding fathers signed to create the United States of America.
At some locations they stopped having injuries immediately. Some went for months and some years without a single injury. Often I would allow corporations and Military Bases to record my presentations and then they would reach out to the thousands of their workers at other sites with remarkable instant improvement.
Of course a great deal more was happening at most sites. All kinds of other things were going on to make sites safer and to remind everyone of their new safety goals.
Still, I believe that I had possibly reached a whole new level of performance as a speaker and as an idea person.
And then suddenly I was seventy three years old, and in 2002 the National Safety Council invited me to San Diego, California to their Annual Safety Congress and along with a dozen others, received the National Safety Council’s Highest Award for our l work in the field of Safety,The Distinguished Service To Safety Award.
When I received that award I was sort of numb and couldn’t help thinking that I should share that award with all those safety people I had come in contact with.
Now at 89 I have about talked myself out at meetings. Now I visit with small groups of seniors at assisted living facilities. Sometimes I use a musical close. Sometimes they applaud. Sometimes some even stand up and applaud…those who can.
It has been a long time. I treasure some of those General’s Coins given to me for a job well done at their bases and the box of citations from Associations but most of all I treasure the memories of those audiences in all 50 of these United States and from most of the Canadian Provinces. I was so blessed. And to think, I was the guy who couldn’t lead a group in silent prayer when I first signed up for the public speaking course at Birmingham, Michigan in 1957. Life sure is wonderful when you are lucky enough to get into the right lane.
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