In yesterday’s post I admitted that I wasn’t perfect (and it disturbs me to no end that no one tried to contradict me 😉 ). The nice thing is, others can learn from my blundering.
I’m only doing this as a community service. Really.
So, today’s lesson is on the importance of doing your homework. If you are going to an event with a speaker, please, please, please, at the very minimum, do a quick Google search so you know a little bit about that person. Trust me on this one.
On Thursday I attended an event called “The Abundance Forum” put on each month by my sales coaches, Joe Marr and Mike Wynn. They always have a speaker at these events. This time it was Shawne Duperon, a coach who helps people develop relationships with media professionals and, further, present themselves in the best light in the media.
I hadn’t done my homework.
When Joe introduced Shawne and me, I completely betrayed my ignorance. Despite the fact that she had a table of her video presentations behind her, I asked her what brought her to the Forum. When I finally realized my gaffe, I blurted out, “Oh, you’re the speaker today!”
Yes, truly my finest hour.
Unless you really want to relive my discomfort, the next time you are attending an event with a speaker, take five minutes to get ready.
- Do a Google search on them. If they aren’t very famous, you might have to limit by geographical region.
- If they have a blog, read the most recent few posts.
- If they are on Twitter, read their most recent tweets.
- If you can find a picture of them glance at it so you will know them on sight.