It’s important to invest in personal and professional development and for me this comes in many different forms.

I was fortunate enough to attend the bi-annual conference of the Professional Speaking Association (PSA)  in Reading last October. This PSA convention is part of my development and one that I find useful, rewarding and engaging. So, let me explain why:

Seeing some of the best speakers in the UK and the world, gives me a great opportunity to learn from those who have reached a high point, developed and honed their speech-making to a fine point.

Learning stage craft and language skills by observing and noting the things that great speakers do (and the things they don’t). It’s amazing how powerful the things are that are unsaid or left out really are.

Networking with my peers to find out what they do, helps me grow my professional speaking network. It also helps me help my customers by being able to recommend other speakers who deliver different subjects to me.

Sharing ideas, concerns and questions with others who do the same thing as me (these conversations usually come later in the evening and usually in the bar).

My contacts and friends will have heard me use my favourite expression time and time again, “every day is a school day”.  Now, I absolutely believe that every single day there is a raft of new things to learn. However, some days are like super school days.  You’ll know the type; days where your head gets stuffed full of brilliant ideas and you come away motivated, enthused and fired up. The three days at the PSA conference are just such days.

It made me think, where does everyone else go for their own “super school days” to really ramp up their own CPD.

You can find more about my speaking HERE . You can also see videos of Mike and I helping others fill their heads; giving them brilliant ideas, motivating and enthusing them to achieve their own personal sales goals.