Public Speaking Humiliation
Filed under: Become a Speaker, Public Speaking, public speaking jobs
In my public speaking job I must confess, with a slight blush of embarrassment, I feel compelled to share with you a story of showmanship and a cautionary tale. I call this story “I’m On Fire.” It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life and the worst ever in my public speaking career.
It happened in Tampa, Florida, in the mid-90’s. I’d recently taken a job with Kaset as a motivational speaker and trainer. I was asked to do a special presentation for the Customer Service Training Department of the parking company for Chicago O’Hare Airport. The O’Hare representatives told me that one of their biggest customer relations problems involved car batteries. Occasionally, in the winter, people’s batteries would go dead, and they would need a jump. This particular parking company had a service to provide that assistance. The problem was that their people would sometimes get the cable wires crossed up and blow up the battery, creating an obviously bad situation. The company wanted to know what customer service should then do. They could always replace the battery, but how could the situation be handled right on the spot? This was the help they needed from me. Read more