Supercompetent Speaking: Dealing With Interruptions and Questions by @laurastack

10 tips to smoothly handle presentation questions—and hecklers.

As a professional speaker, you’ll inevitably face interruptions during your presentations. They won’t happen every time, but they will happen.

Occasionally, for example, someone will accidentally leave his or her cell phone on, and it’ll ring in the middle of your talk. Most people will duck, act embarrassed, and hang up on the caller…but a few bizarre people will answer the call on the spot, providing an undesired and distracting intermission. Worse, every once in a while you’ll encounter a heckler—someone who deliberately tries to undermine your argument or divert your message. Most interruptions, however, will come from those who have genuine questions, spurred by nothing more than curiosity.

Whatever the case, you must know how to handle interruptions on the fly when they occur—without letting anything stop you in your tracks. Keep these tips in mind:

1. Know your vulnerabilities and prepare for them. Anticipate the five or six most difficult questions you may face, and know how to counter them concisely. If you have to, write them down on index cards, and have someone drill you on them.
2. If possible, meet several audience members before the presentation to establish a human connection. This makes them less likely to interrupt later, especially with hostile questions.
3. At the beginning of your presentation, ask your host to ask the audience to please turn off their cell phones and explain how questions will be handled (during, periodically, or at the end).
4. If a phone rings during your talk, pause, smile while looking at the offender, and say something humorous, such as, “Is that for me?” and move on. People will get the hint.
5. If someone interrupts you with a question, let the person finish the thought before answering. Don’t cut him off, because the audience may interpret that as rudeness.
6. Maintain eye contact with the questioner, during both the question and your answer, nod slightly, and keep your body language and expression either neutral or as interested as possible. Even if you feel frustrated or annoyed, don’t let it show.
7. Answer questions as briefly as possible, then continue with your presentation. Avoid the temptation to talk too long, even if the tangent seems like an interesting one. Some participants will be frustrated you’re not following your outline and covering the ground you promised.
8. If you don’t know the answer to a question, don’t make anything up. It’s perfectly acceptable to reply, “I don’t know,” or tell them you’ll look it up and send an answer later.
9. If someone repeatedly interrupts with sincere questions, calmly explain you have a lot of ground to cover in a short time, and you’ll happily speak with them at length after your presentation.
10. If someone keeps whispering or having distracting side conversations, either come off the stage and move toward that person, still talking; or stop speaking, look at the person pointedly, and ask if there’s a question or something they’d like to share.

Hecklers represent a special case. In addition to the above, remember these points when dealing with people deliberately trying to cause trouble:

• Try to use humor to defuse the situation. A lighthearted, witty retort works better than losing your temper or refusing to answer.
• If presented with a confrontational question, try to restate it in a neutral fashion before responding. Begin by saying something such as, “What I hear you asking is…”
• Demonstrate by your measured response that you refuse to let the heckler intimidate you.
• Stick to your guns. Don’t let anyone divert you, make you look uncertain or clueless, or steal the show.

No matter what happens, maintain your composure; always remain calm, pleasant, and polite. Neither sarcasm nor disdain should ever color your response to any interruption. Don’t let a questioner or interrupter get your goat, and never lose your temper or try to humiliate your opponent; by doing so, you risk alienating the audience and destroying your credibility. Without credibility, you have nothing—and the audience won’t remember your message for long.

On the other hand, try not to seem too detached or lacking in conviction; no one takes a wishy-washy message seriously. Obviously, you must to walk a careful emotional tightrope here, taking everyone’s emotions into account (including your own) while keeping the facts on your side.

All this said, remember: The audience expects you to maintain control of the presentation. So make your best effort to do so—gently and politely, but firmly.

Laura Stack has consulted with Fortune 500 corporations for nearly 20 years in the field of personal productivity and is the best-selling author of several books, including “Supercompetent.” She is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and the 2011-2012 president of the National Speakers Association (NSA). Stack’s productivity-improvement programs have been used worldwide at companies such as Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Cisco Systems, and Bank of America. She is the creator of The Productivity Pro planner by Day-Timer. For more information, visit www.TheProductivityPro.comor www.NSAspeaker.org.

Note: This article originally appeared on Training magazine’s website. You can read the original version at http://trainingmag.com/content/supercompetent-speaking-dealing-interruptions-and-questions

Congratulations VOE and SPEAKER Magazine from @laurastack

BIG KUDOS to Brian Walter, CSP, our Voices of Experience (VOE) chair! Barbara Parus at NSA entered the October 2011 edition of VOE in the 2012 Association Media & Publishing’s Annual EXCEL Awards competition under the category of “Media Innovations: Podcasts.”  It won a GOLD award! More than 1,000 entries were submitted in an array of categories in this

EXCEL Awards Statues

very competitive and highly anticipated nationwide competition.  My thanks go to Brian, our VOE committee and guests, and our NSA staff for all their hard work…you added a new feather to our NSA cap!

Also Speaker magazine won a SILVER award for 2012 Association Media & Publishing’s Annual EXCEL Awards competition under the category of “Best Single-Topic Issue.” It was for the April 2011 ”Brain” issue during Pamela Jett‘s term. It featured Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor on the cover holding a brain, and all of the feature stories focused on the human brain. (The 2012 awards are for entries in 2011, so I’m sure next year Speaker will see more awards for this year!)  Thanks again to Barbara Parus at NSA, Pamela, and our editorial advisory committee for their great work!

Thank You to Everyone Who Made the ChaCHING Lab a Success from @laurastack

A BIG thank you to the co-chairs of the NSA CHA-CHING Business Development lab, Mike Staver and Suzanne Bates! Also to our opening keynoter, Alan Weiss, and our presenters Jill Konrath, Kendra Lee, Mark Hunter, Connie Dieken, and Doug Devitre. We also appreciate the support of our awesome NSA staff and NSA President-Elect Ron Culberson. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews from everyone with whom I spoke.  Another fantastic learning experience!

NSA President @laurastack’s Global Travels

As NSA president, I’ve been privileged to travel to four international speaking conferences so far, in Germany, Great Britain, Canada, and France. I am still amazed by the potential that exists for an explosion of professional speaking in parts of the globe currently underexposed or completely unexposed to date.

NSA has had, is having, and will continue to have a huge impact in supporting the proliferation of professional speaking around the world. When I was in France I attended a great

Laura Stack at the FPSA Board Dinner

conference orchestrated by French Professional Speakers Association President Pascale Pailhe. I also spent time at the home of Christine Morlet, who will be the first French representative to receive her CSP this summer at the NSA convention. Compared to the U.S., speaking isn’t nearly as mature in the French market, where “keynotes” are largely the domain of professors and politicians. I initiated a dialogue with our French colleagues and helped them discover that professional speakers aren’t just keynoters. They were surprised with the statistic that only 25% of our NSA/US members identify themselves as “keynoters.” We spent time reframing professional speaking as keynoting, training, facilitating, coaching, emceeing, and even consulting – anything that uses the spoken word to present content to an audience for a fee.

In my travels to our sister associations within the Global Speakers Federation, or GSF, I’ve seen first-hand the enthusiasm of our international colleagues. They are excited to grow the profession. Many are hearing for the first time the story of our founder Cavett Robert and his message about creating a bigger pie, instead of fighting over the pieces. It’s this giving, sharing Spirit of NSA that distinguishes it from other professional associations. As a reminder, if you are a member of NSA you are automatically a member of the Global Speakers Federation and are part of this global community of speakers. You have an opportunity to participate in the GSF events and website. Make sure you’re listed at globalspeakers.net. The GSF provides great support for strong ethics around the world.

I’d like to close with an invitation to all our international friends to attend the National Speakers Association convention this summer in Indianapolis. Come and discover everything you need to know to create a bigger global pie and spread the influence of professional speakers around the globe!

Supercompetent Speaking: Tips for Visuals by @LauraStack

Keep in mind that too much visual information presented too quickly can be confusing.

By Laura Stack, MBA, CSP

While the information we gather with all our senses can be vitally important, we human beings prefer the visual medium over all others. Our brains just work that way: We possess the ability to differentiate and process subtle differences in light intensity, color, and movement almost instantly, even though images tend to contain much more information than other sensory inputs.

As a result, we often can grasp something presented in visual form much more easily than something explained to us verbally. A picture, then, really is worth a thousand words. Therefore, when it comes to professional presentations, good visuals not only help personalize your talk, they save time and more easily transmit your ideas. They also can help the audience remember and integrate your message better.

That said, too much visual information presented too quickly can be confusing. So keep these points in mind as you prepare your presentation visuals:

Keep them simple and uncluttered. Make your visuals easy for anyone to read. Overly complicated visuals may distract or overwhelm the audience, detracting from your message. Concentrate your information in the upper two-thirds of the image, because people look there first, and sometimes people sitting in front of them cut off the bottom of the screen. Limit the number of colors on the screen and the number of images per slide. Use animation and sound effects sparingly.

Streamline charts and tables as much as possible. Never include more than four lines on a line graph, for example, and make the lines and colors easy to distinguish from one another.

Use text sparingly. For textual slides, think 6 x 6: six lines or bullets of about six words each, max. Avoid hyphenation. Use only as much text as you need to explain the point or to label a table or chart, and limit the number of individual labels.

Don’t overdo the bullets. Some information works well as bullets; some does not. Vivid images and compelling, memorable prose may prove more suitable in some instances. When you do use bullets, play close attention to their size and placement.

Spread information over multiple visuals. Aim for one main point per visual. Include only as much information as necessary to get the point across in a single, easily grasped form. This helps maintain audience attention, if only because it allows you to present at a slightly faster rate that keeps people on their toes. Some authorities suggest slimming down to as few as one bullet expressing a single thought per slide.

Separate the slides. In Webinars, to hold your audience’s attention, use more slides. Instead of a slide with six bullets, create six slides with one point each.

Strive for consistency. Use the same types of fonts, colors, terminology, images, and backgrounds throughout the presentation. This way, you don’t throw off your audience with a jumble of styles; they’ll know what to expect and look for as soon as a visual appears. Save unexpected graphic elements for making an impact and don’t overdo their use.

Use the right images. Include only those images appropriate to the topic. Try to make them fresh, too; don’t use boring clip art. If possible, create your own graphics or purchase them from an image service such as iStockPhotos.com.

Make all text easily readable at a distance. Use at least 24-point text throughout, with slightly larger text for labels, and avoid italics or complicated fonts. Use all capital letters only in titles. Sans serif fonts such as Arial are easier to read quickly than serif fonts such as Times New Roman.

Test everything. Once you’ve created a visual, project it on your monitor/screen and step back to a reasonable distance to review it (this works better in a larger venue, such as the one where you’re actually speaking). You may find the font is difficult to read or the colors clash. It’s better to fix this now than to have to apologize to the audience for it later. On a related note, proofread your visuals carefully! Don’t embarrass yourself with misspellings and other typos.

Whatever forms they may take, make your presentation visuals easy to read, simple to understand, and consistent throughout the presentation. If your audience finds your visuals difficult to grasp, you could lose them early on. And remember: Ultimately, your visuals should enhance, rather than replace, your verbal presentation—so don’t fall into the trap of just reading from your slides.

Laura Stack has consulted with Fortune 500 corporations for nearly 20 years in the field of personal productivity and is the best-selling author of several books, including “Supercompetent.” She is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and the 2011-2012 president of the National Speakers Association (NSA). Stack’s productivity-improvement programs have been used worldwide at companies such as Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Cisco Systems, and Bank of America. She is the creator of The Productivity Pro planner by Day-Timer. For more information, visit www.TheProductivityPro.comor www.NSAspeaker.org.

Note: This article originally appeared on Training magazine’s website. You can read the original version at http://trainingmag.com/article/supercompetent-speaking-tips-visuals

Supercompetent Speaking: Top 10 Dress-for-Speaking-Success Tips by @laurastack

If you make a clothing misstep, you may find yourself swimming upstream during the course of your presentation.

By Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, 2011-12 NSA President

Nature has programmed human beings to assess strangers almost instantly for threat or value. While this capacity is less important today than it was a few thousand years ago, our biology hasn’t yet caught up to our culture. In a very real sense, then, style often trumps substance—especially in environments where people only have a few minutes to get to know you.

Hence your need, when you step onto a stage or behind a podium, to immediately make a positive first impression based on your appearance alone. Like it or not, how you dress communicates your image, personality, and even your identity to your listeners. If you make a clothing misstep, you may find yourself swimming upstream during the course of your presentation—and you might not make the kind of impact you intended.

So don’t take chances. Keep these pointers in mind:

1. Prepare your presentation outfit well in advance, so you won’t have to scramble at the last minute trying to get out the door. Examine your clothes for tears, stains, odors, and missing buttons. Stash away a few safety pins, too, to help you deal with last-minute wardrobe malfunctions. Ladies, carry extra stockings in case of a run in your first pair.
2. Be ready for disaster! I very, very rarely check my bag, so my presentation clothes aren’t lost with my luggage. When I must check luggage, I don’t travel in the clothes I plan to speak in, so I don’t end up looking rumpled and disheveled; however, I do wear nice clothes I could wear on the platform if needed.
3. Pay close attention to your grooming, and keep your hair out of your eyes and face. Guys, trim your facial hair neatly. Ladies, if you use makeup, leave it understated, minimal, and neutral, except for your eyes, which should pop from the stage. Guys, powder any bald spots and your forehead and nose.
4. If you wear glasses, avoid unusual, distracting frames. Get non-glare glass. If possible, consider wearing contact lenses for the presentation instead.
5. Dress smartly; high-quality fabrics tailored in ways that flatter your body work best. Invest in an expensive suit each year and spend more than you think you can afford on high quality. Try not to come across as colorless or dull, but avoid excessively loud colors or distracting styles. Don’t wear overly tight clothing, because it can inhibit your movements and it’s distracting. Ladies, avoid low necklines, so the audience pays attention to what you say, not your figure. In general, your clothes just need to look nice and presentable, and you should feel comfortable, confident, and well to do in what you wear.
6. Find out what the attire will be for the audience, and then dress one level above that. If the attendees are wearing business casual, wear business. If they are casual, go business casual. While you shouldn’t overdo it, you can’t go wrong if you overdress somewhat. Never dress down, because it either makes you look sloppy and unprofessional, or suggests you don’t care enough about your audience to dress up for them. They expect you to be dressed nicer than they are.
7. Make sure your shoes are polished and in good repair, especially when speaking from a stage—because your shoes will end up at or near your audience’s eye level, and many of them willnotice. Leave your noisy shoes in the closet. Ladies, don’t wear heels that make you wobble; guys, forget the cowboy boots and moccasins.
8. Avoid noisy, flashy jewelry, especially earrings and bracelets. I’ve watched disasters unfold with necklaces that repeatedly hit a lavaliere mic and dangling earrings that click against an over-the-ear headset during the entire presentation. Wedding rings are fine, plus a watch if you use one for timing.
9. Remove everything from your pockets before your presentation, especially coins, so you’re not tempted to jingle. Remember to turn off your cell phone (I’ve had mine ring from my purse stashed behind the lectern).
10. Remove your conference nametag or badge with the ribbons!

Ultimately, you’rethe show—not your clothing or accessories. So do everything you can to dress in a presentable but non-distracting way. Unless how you dress informs and contributes to your talk, your clothing should fade into the background. You want the audience to remember your message, not those outlandish shoes or that obnoxious tie.

Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, has consulted with Fortune 500 corporations for nearly 20 years in the field of personal productivity and is the bestselling author of several books, including “What to Do When There’s Too Much to Do: Reduce Tasks, Increase Results, and Save 90 Minutes a Day” (Berrett-Koehler, 2012). Stack is the 2011-2012 president of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and has been awarded the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP). Since 1992, Stack has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces. Her productivity improvement programs have been used worldwide at companies such as Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Cisco Systems, and Bank of America. For more information, visit www.TheProductivityPro.comand www.NSAspeaker.org.

Note: This article originally appeared on Training magazine’s website. You can read the original version at http://trainingmag.com/article/supercompetent-speaking-top-10-dress-speaking-success-tips

@laurastack’s 2012 NSA Winter Conference Re-Cap

By Laura Stack, CSP, MBA, 2011-12 NSA President

The Winter Conference in Dallas, Texas was a smashing success! A huge THANK YOU to co-chairs Ruby Newell-Legner and Bill Stainton for all their hard work pulling this incredible event together! We had nearly 400 attendees–our highest in four years–and nearly 100 First Time Attendees! We attribute this to the fabulous content and presenters Ruby and Bill assembled with their “Monetize Your Message” theme. Our gratitude goes to our presenters, who donated their time to provide the education for our members, and our volunteer team and staff, without whom it wouldn’t come together. Our appreciation also goes to our sponsors Infusionsoft and High Point University as well as all our awesome exhibitors, who educated our members on the products and services available to support our speaking businesses. Your NSA board also flew in a couple of days early to strategize the future of our association and hold its board meeting, so I’m always grateful for their donated time and extra expense for hotel nights. My thanks also goes to NSA/North Texas (coordinated by Linda Swindling), who provided a Texas welcome (everything is big in Texas!) to our board members by picking them up from the airport and driving them to the hotel; they also hosted a welcome reception and sponsored a relaxation station! And Randy Gage not only presented a 3-hour mega session on keynoting but ALSO presented a breakfast session and ALSO presented a social media session to benefit the Foundation. He purchased 200+ boxed lunches for attendees, and attendees donated $$ to the Foundation in appreciation of Randy’s teaching. As you can see, “it takes a village” to pull together an incredible learning event like this one. Here are some memories to enjoy from photos posted to the NSA FB page.

Winter Conference Co-Chairs, Bill Stainton and Ruby Newell-Legner, CSP

Vinny Verelli & Bill Stainton

Randy Gage Keynote

Jolene Jang, Patrick Donadio, Bill Stainton and Vinny Verelli, Bill Stainton & Ruby Newell-Legner, Winter Conference Co-Chairs

January was Quadruple NSA Chapter Month! by @laurastack

By Laura Stack, NSA President

NSA/Northern CA with President Jim Carrillo 2

Starting on January 7, right after the New Year was in full swing, I took my 10-year-old son, James, and visited NSA/Northern California in San Francisco. This was his first time there, so we took the obligatory Fisherman’s Wharf tour and saw the sea lions and ate whole Dungeness crab.  Then we went on the night tour to Alcatraz!  James was absolutely fascinated. At the meeting the next day, I was delighted to see Susan Roane there, whom I haven’t seen in years, and even Fripp turned out to support the chapter. I presented my program on “How Speakers Can Use Video to Get Booked and Stay Booked,” and Fripp told me it was “incredible,” so I guess I did fairly well. Although I will never say “a bunch of” after her on-the-spot coaching!  J

NSA/CO Road Warrior Panel

January 14 brought me to my own home chapter of NSA/Colorado (whoooooo!), where Mark LeBlanc was be the featured speaker.  Buddies Scott Halford, Ruby Newell-Legner, and I kicked off the meeting with a moderated “Road Warrior” panel and took questions from the audience. It was interesting how different our responses were, and even veteran speakers reported they gleaned valuable information. It really drove home the point that there are many different ways to do this business, and they can all work really well.  There were 90-100 people in attendance, which is the highest I’ve seen at any chapter.  I was delighted to see old and new friends and love coming back to my chapter where I was president ten years ago!

Next I visited NSA/Mountain West on January 18. They did a wonderful joint evening program with MPI/UT.  The MPI chapter paid for a reception to kick off the evening, complete with wine and a mashed potato bar (what a blast!). One of their national board members also attended.  Congrats to president Jeri Mae Rowley for putting the evening together and garnering such a great turnout!  I kicked off the formal program with my session on with a program on “Cool Productivity Tools.”  Then we broke for dinner, which was sponsored by the NSA chapter for both groups. We came back and saw a panel with speakers (including Chad Hymas and Brad Barton) and two meeting planners, fielding questions from the audience on speaker/client relationships.

NSA/ Mountain West with Tyler Herd and Chad Hymas

NSA NYC with Rande Gedaliah

Then I flew from SLC to NYC and the Marriott Marquis in Time Square, which was also the site of the infamous 2008 NSA convention with chair Eric Chester! My room looked out on to the hustle and bustle of Time Square.  Rochelle Rice, NSA/NYC president, Ron Karr, NSA Vice President, and several other board members, took me to a lovely dinner at a steakhouse that evening. The next day, I once again presented my video program.  The chapter boasted a record turnout for the program and overflowed into the next room of the venue. They are experiencing great success moving their candidate members to national members!

The thing that struck me the most on all this month’s chapter visits was the HOPE I felt among our colleagues.  There was a general sense that the speaking business was turning back around again, leveling out, and starting to improve.  Some speakers’ businesses had significantly improved over the last few months, and not a single person told me business was down. I saw smiling faces and a level of excitement I haven’t seen in years (literally).  As I said when I became president in July 2011, this is a great time to be a professional speaker!

Thank you for driving me around, taking me to dinner, rolling out the red carpet, and welcoming me to your chapters and hearts. I’m so privileged to spend this special time with all of you and am sad about ½ of my term is over.

For pictures of my chapter visits, click here.  

Supercompetent Speaking: Reading Your Audience by @LauraStack

To be relevant as a speaker, watch your audience carefully, and listen closely—so you can help them do so.

By Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, NSA President

A good speech adapts to meet an audience’s needs. Good speakers maintain awareness of the audience throughout the entire presentation and make adjustments as necessary. How do you know if your audience is “with” you? What is your audience thinking and feeling? How do you read them? This doesn’t require telepathy, just a type of sensory intelligence derived from careful attention and experience.

Your audience members will send you plenty of clues (both subtle and obvious) when their attention starts to wander, so listen and observe their behavior carefully. Take their collective pulse every few minutes; at the very least, survey the room after every major point. Stay attuned to body language, facial expression, extraneous sounds—and too much silence. The better you can read their cues and prompt them to stay engaged, the greater the likelihood you’ll accomplish your mission.

People in tune with your message tend to:

• Nod
• Smile
• Lean toward you
• Take notes
• Make eye contact
• Look serious or intent
• Laugh at your jokes and stories
• Ask relevant questions

Disengaged listeners often:

• Close their eyes
• Nod off
• Yawn
• Zone out
• Lean away
• Fidget
• Avoid eye contact
• Look around
• Play with smartphones or handhelds
• Doodle
• Have side conversations
• Shuffle papers
• Check watches
• Cross their arms
• Show no expression
• Ask hostile questions
• Leave the room

Now, some of these clues (e.g., arm-crossing, doodling, or lack of expression) don’t necessarily indicate disengagement; some people just act that way when focusing. Similarly, watch checking may simply mean you’re nearing the end of your allotted time. However, if you see more than a few of these cues expressed, take them seriously and adjust your presentation accordingly.

To re-engage your listeners and command their attention, shake things up a bit! Depending on the circumstances, you may need to:

• Move a little closer to them
• Talk a bit louder
• Be more engaging and passionate
• Ask for questions
• Push harder on your points
• Ease off a little
• Get them involved in a group activity
• Tell a relevant personal story or anecdote
• Inject some humor into your presentation
• Ask for input or best practices on a particular point
• Ask the audience if what you’re saying resonates with them

To be relevant as a speaker, watch your audience carefully, and listen closely—so you can help themdo so. Prepare carefully for the event; make sure you’ve done your homework and understand who your listeners are and what they want. Then present a dynamic speech, always prepared to adjust your presentation on a moment’s notice based on their cues.

Laura Stack has consulted with Fortune 500 corporations for nearly 20 years in the field of personal productivity and is the best-selling author of several books, including “Supercompetent.” She is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) and the 2011-2012 president of the National Speakers Association (NSA). Stack’s productivity-improvement programs have been used worldwide at companies such as Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Cisco Systems, and Bank of America. She is the creator of The Productivity Pro planner by Day-Timer. For more information, visit www.TheProductivityPro.comor www.NSAspeaker.org.

Note: This article originally appeared on Training magazine’s website. You can read the original version at http://trainingmag.com/article/supercompetent-speaking-reading-your-audience

CAPS Convention Nov. 27-29, 2011

From Laura Stack, NSA President

Our Canadian colleagues sure know how to put on a great convention—even though the timing was difficult on Thanksgiving weekend!  Congratulations to convention chair Sunjay Nath and president (now past-president) Ravi Tangri for an incredible event. I just have to say the food was some of the best I’ve had at an NSA event.  The opening reception featured a carving station, and the final gala had steak and lobster!  (Of course, registration fees are higher than in the U.S.)  But more impressive than the food was the quality of the speakers.  I loved seeing so many of our NSA colleagues from the U.S. on the main stage: Alan Weiss, Mark Sanborn, Mike Domitrz, and Scott Ginsberg. Canadian speakers included Cheryl Cran plus Warren Evans facilitating a panel.  CAPS asked me to do a 2-hour workshop on creating a killer brand, so I was privileged to provide that session.  The opening flag ceremony was especially meaningful for me, as I carried the U.S. flag proudly—#2 in line behind the Canadian flag.  Other NSA VIP attendees included past president Kristin Arnold, president-elect Ron Culberson, and GSF representative Lenora Billings-Harris.  I

Laura Stack, NSA President, bearing the US flag at the 2011 CAPS Convention in Toronto, Ontario.

brought my husband, John, and teen daughter, Meagan, with me, and we had fun visiting the CN Tower and shopping at the huge Eaton Center.  The closing reception was lovely, with a special room for CSP/CPAE/HoF members.  I was privileged to sit at the right hand of Ravi, to experience his closing banquet and accolades (see photo of Ravi surrounded by adoring fans).  Bob Hooey was awarded the CAPS equivalent of the Cavett award, so it was special being there to see his joy and acknowledgment of all he does for CAPS, and NSA as well, actually.  There was plenty of wine and dancing, and a merry time was had by all.  If you’ve never been to a CAPS convention, I highly recommend NSA members make the short trek north and give it a try in 2012!