Patrick Lencioni’s newest book, Getting Naked: A Business Fable About the Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty, lands on shelves this week. From Amazon.com:

Written in the same dynamic style as his previous bestsellers including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Lencioni illustrates the principles of inspiring client loyalty through a fascinating business fable. He explains the theory of vulnerability in depth and presents concrete steps for putting it to work in any organization. The story follows a small consulting firm, Lighthouse Partners, which often beats out big-name competitors for top clients. One such competitor buys out Lighthouse and learns important lessons about what it means to provide value to its clients.

Click through to read Amazon.com’s exclusive Q&A with Pat, where he answers questions such as “Why do you use the term naked and where does it come from?” (Hint: It’s not just to be catchy. Pat — through his speaking and consulting — helps CEOs and their teams build healthy organizations, and they found that by being completely transparent and vulnerable — “naked” — with clients, they could build amazing levels of trust and loyalty.)

Pat is one of our favorite speakers here at The Speakers Group, and we’re not alone — the Wall Street Journal has named him one of the most in-demand business speakers. If you’d like to learn more about bringing Pat to your next event, we’d be happy to speak with you. Just submit this form to tell us about your event, or click here to read more about Pat first.

Posted under Book Review, Leadership Development, Motivational Speakers, Organizational Excellence, Speaker News, Speaker Recommendations

Here we are at the end of another year! If your year hasn’t gone according to plan, you’re not alone. Be it the economic meltdown, the meetings industry crisis, or other circumstances, 2009 has been “interesting.” There’s always much to be thankful for, though, and we’re very grateful here at The Speakers Group. Thank you for reading our blog; thank you for allowing us to be of service as you seek out the best speakers for your meetings. From all of us at TSG, we wish you a wonderful 2010! May it be your best year yet! Please let us know how we can help you toward that goal.

Now, since this is a blog after all, what better way to close out the year than to revisit our nine most-viewed blog posts of 2009:

1. Social Media Speakers: 10 to Know
   Social Media / Social Networking has been on most everyone’s mind this year. Corporations, associations, hospitals, and even government entities have sought out social media expert speakers to help their attendees better understand the relevance of the social web in their endeavors. To help event planners in their search for a social media speaker, we published this starter list of “10 to know.” Our roster of social media speakers has grown since then, so you may want to check out our more extensive listing at http://SocMedSpkrs.com as you plan for 2010.
2. Twitter for Meeting Planners: How to Make It Work for You
   You may remember 2009 as the “year of the recession” or “year of the meetings industry crisis,” but it was also the year of Twitter. We all had to figure out where Twitter fit into our business, including meeting planners. Twitter offers some great opportunities in managing events and connecting with attendees, and we offered a few tips in this post.
3. 9 Business Speakers You Need to Know in 2009
   To kick off the year, we highlighted nine business speakers who were either well established and as relevant as ever, or who were on the way up with some fresh insights. If you’re planning events in 2010, these are still some great speakers for your consideration, addressing topics such as sales, leadership, employee morale and marketing.
4. Janine Driver on Body Language and Successful Selling
   We first came to know Janine Driver after an appearance on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch. She’s a dynamic, engaging speaker, and a leading expert on reading body language who helps business professionals make this skill a powerful tool in their repertoire.
5. TSG Keynotes Magazine
   Seth Godin wrote in his blog this week that “The scalable, profitable strategy [of differentiation] is to change the game, not to become the most average.” In the speakers bureau world, everyone says “we have the best service” or “we have the best speakers.” The truth is, most of us have really good service, and most of us have the same great speakers. We’re trying to change the game here at The Speakers Group, though, thinking of ourselves as Speakers Bureau 2.0. It’s a work in progress, but TSG Keynotes came as a result of this mentality. Instead of publishing another speakers bureau catalog — which is no different than what you can find online — we published, for the first time, a mini-magazine packed with helpful meeting planning/speaker booking insights rather than speaker profiles. Our aim: to be a meeting planner’s or business leader’s most valuable partner for booking speakers. How can we be better for you? Let us know.
6. Top Motivational Speakers on Video
   When you’re ready to book a speaker, what is your #1 evaluation tool? Usually, it’s a speaker preview video. In this blog post, we put together a few videos from top motivational speakers. Want to see our full – and growing – library of online speaker videos? Visit our online speaker video viewing room here.
7. Social Media and Your Meeting: No Longer An Optional Topic
   The social media topic is back! Three of our top nine blog posts of 2009 relate to social media – another testament to the relevance of this topic this year? In this blog post, we highlighted how far-reaching social media is, affecting various industries and meeting types. Have you included social media in your meetings this year? We’d love to hear your story in the comments section below. Any advice to share with your fellow planners?
8. Peter Guber Interview – The MAGIC is Story
   I had the pleasure of sitting down with Peter just a few blocks from his office in Hollywood last year – wow, what a guy! Peter is a business genius – just look at his resume – and one of the most charismatic speakers I’ve seen. As one of the most successful entertainment executives of all time, Peter knows what makes a good story, and he brings those insights to business audiences nationwide. He’s a pretty fresh face on the speaking circuit, so if you’re looking for a dynamic addition to your meeting agenda in 2010, give us a call and we’d love to help you consider Peter.
9. The Cat’s Pajamas Video – A Cappella Corporate Event Entertainment
   At #9, it’s The Cat’s Pajamas! Never heard of them? I hadn’t either until I happened upon this quartet singing in a lounge on a cruise a couple of years ago. There are many great a capella groups to choose from, but you won’t find a foursome more talented and entertaining than these guys — and they’re budget friendly! Watch this highlight video if you’re looking to add some “wow!” and fun to your event in 2010.

And with that, 2009 is in the books. Thanks again for stopping by, and I hope we’ll have the chance to work together in the year ahead. Happy New Year!

Posted under Corporate Entertainment, Event Management, Motivational Speakers, Planner Tips, Social Media Speakers, Speaker News

Find Your Strongest Life: What the Happiest & Most Successful Women Do Differently-Marcus Buckingham

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Interested in bringing Marcus Buckingham to your next event to speak? Contact The Speakers Group today!

Posted under Book Review, Leadership Development, Motivational Speakers, Speaker News

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 17, 2009 — Meeting and conference organizers planning to feature the hot topic of social media at upcoming events can be easily overwhelmed when they begin their search for possible speakers. Case in point, a Google query for social media speakers yields over 22 million results, for social media experts, more than 68 million. (Compare that to about 1.5 million results when searching for motivational speaker on Google.) As an alternative, The Speakers Group offers meeting planners a selection of pre-screened social media speakers capable of addressing the subject on as basic or as complex a level as an audience requires, with a range of fees to fit a variety of budgets.

Recognizing the widespread relevance of social media for their clients across multiple industries, The Speakers Group began establishing a niche of social media speakers on their roster earlier this year. In particular, they have sought out speakers who bring diverse perspectives to the social media discussion and who can address audiences outside the fields of technology and social media just as easily as they can address those within – an important distinction.

“Just because someone has spoken at a bloggers conference, a social media event or SxSW does not mean that speaker is the right fit for traditional audiences,” points out Jeff Hurt, a conference planner who has scheduled more than 2,500 speakers over the past 10 years. “Just because someone is a great writer, blogger or author does not automatically qualify them as a great speaker.”

Beyond offering a directory of proven social media speakers, The Speakers Group offers additional value to meeting organizers by being able to discuss their specific needs and objectives related to social media to ensure they secure the appropriate authority for their unique situation.

“There’s no shortage of businesses and more specifically, the individuals who represent them, seeking insight, answers and direction to simplify, organize, and elucidate the intimidating and confusing social media landscape,” said Brian Solis, respected authority on social media and author of Putting the Public Back in Public Relations. “Likewise, social media experts are seemingly ubiquitous. Working with an organization that can effectively connect precise expertise to the forums where they can be fully assimilated, appreciated, and effectively practiced is invaluable to all parties involved.”

By being actively engaged in social media in their own business operations – with a blog that began in 2005 and with profiles on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter – and understanding what meeting organizers and audiences expect of their speakers, The Speakers Group is uniquely equipped to help planners seeking to add value to their events by featuring this important topic.

For more information, read The Speakers Group’s recent blog post titled “Social Media and Your Meeting: No Longer an Optional Topic” and monitor their growing roster of social media speakers at http://SocMedSpkrs.com, or call (615) 526-6600 to discuss social media options for your program.

Posted under Event Management, Social Media Speakers, Speaker News

The Speakers Group congratulates Diane Sieg, Denver-based professional speaker and author of STOP Living Life Like an EMERGENCY!, for achieving the National Speakers Association’s Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation. Sieg is one of 30 in the international class of new CSPs honored  on July 19th at the 2009 NSA Convention in Phoenix, Ariz.

“I was first introduced to Diane almost 10 years ago,” said Shawn Ellis, founder and president of The Speakers Group, “and she has become a great friend and one my most-booked speakers in my career. This is a much-deserved honor for her!”

The CSP is the speaking profession’s international measure of speaking experience and skill. Fewer than 10 percent of professional speakers worldwide hold the designation, which is awarded only to accomplished professional speakers with a proven track record of continuing speaking experience and expertise as well as a commitment to ongoing education, outstanding client service and ethical behavior.

“A Certified Speaking Professional is an insurance policy for the meeting planner’s success,” says NSA’s CSP Council Chair, Patrick Donadio. “Hiring a CSP will make a meeting planner’s job easier as speakers who earn the CSP designation give their audiences a proven track record of continuing speaking experience and topic expertise and know how to deliver client satisfaction. A CSP provides a solid place from which to begin your search.”

From the chaos of the emergency room to the calm of her yoga mat, professional speaker, published author, life coach, and certified yoga teacher Diane Sieg shares lifesaving strategies with audiences nationwide. With high energy and life lessons learned from over 20 years working in the ER, Sieg demonstrates how to take care, take charge, and take action in every area of your life!

For additional information or to inquire about booking Diane for your next event, visit her profile page on The Speakers Group’s web site.

Posted under Speaker News, inspirational speakers