Episode 32- Interview with Performance Expert Deborah Gardner

25 Jun

Written By Jane Anderson

Podcast is also available on the versions below:

Get Notified Of Future Episodes on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

In this episode, Deborah and I talk about her journey, the work that she does and what led her to where she is today.

As a swimming champion turned author & competitive performance expert, Deborah Gardner helps organisations and their professionals advance to new levels of success with a unique competitive mentality - streamline your goals for maximum winning results.

As 1 of only 5 Certified Meeting Professionals and one of Successful Meetings’ Convention Industry Council’s Top 30 CMP Influential Meeting Professionals, she gives us a peek into the Meetings Industry.

Key Takeaways from Today’s Episode:

In this segment, Jane Anderson introduces her podcast, the "Jane Anderson Brand New Show," aimed at experts seeking to enhance their impact, influence, and income. She emphasizes the importance of personal branding in business success. Jane shares updates about the launch of the Jane Anderson app, designed to consolidate her content for easy access. She also announces the upcoming release of her Influencer book, targeting thought leaders and advisors. Jane previews the content of the interview with special guest Deborah Gardner, highlighting her impressive background and expertise in the meetings industry.
Deborah Gardner joins the conversation, sharing insights into her journey from a college swimmer to becoming a seasoned professional in the hospitality and meetings industry. She recounts her early experience as a public address announcer and her eventual transition into the hospitality sector. Deborah discusses her passion for the meetings industry and her commitment to bridging the gap between decision-makers and speakers. Jane and Deborah reflect on the challenges and opportunities within the speaking and meetings industries.
Deborah delves into the intricacies of the meetings industry, emphasizing the importance of understanding meeting professionals' perspectives and challenges. She highlights the need for speakers to adapt their approach and branding to align with the expectations and preferences of meeting professionals. Deborah underscores the significance of providing comprehensive and updated information to meeting professionals, who conduct thorough research before selecting speakers. Jane and Deborah discuss the evolving role of technology in speaker selection and the importance of creating a strong online presence.
Building on Deborah's insights, Jane explores the impact of external factors, such as droughts, on event planning and budgeting. Deborah emphasizes the need for speakers to recognize and address the broader challenges faced by meeting professionals, including economic and environmental factors. They discuss the importance of creating chemistry and rapport with meeting professionals through proactive communication and thorough preparation. Jane and Deborah conclude the segment by highlighting the significance of staying updated and adaptable in the dynamic speaking and meetings industry landscape.
Continuing the discussion, Deborah Gardner delves into industry trends and the importance of understanding external factors affecting event planning, such as droughts and competition for space. She emphasizes the need for speakers to adapt their offerings to align with meeting professionals' challenges, such as rising food costs due to droughts. Deborah highlights the significance of adding value beyond speaking engagements, citing examples like providing additional videos or blog content for event marketing campaigns. She cautions against blindly adopting new technologies without considering their relevance to speakers' business models and the overall success of events. Deborah stresses the importance of understanding industry trends, economic impacts, and the value of services to stand out among competitors and provide tailored solutions to meeting professionals' needs.

[53:53 - 1:03:25] Enhancing Professional Relationships and Celebrating Industry Milestones:
Deborah shares insights on building strong professional relationships with meeting professionals by demonstrating responsiveness, flexibility, and proactive communication. She emphasizes the need for speakers to relieve meeting professionals' stress and improve working relationships to secure future opportunities. Jane and Deborah discuss the impact of the Global Meetings Industry Day and the significance of celebrating industry milestones to foster client connections and promote face-to-face business interactions. Deborah encourages listeners to engage with industry organizations and resources to stay informed about industry developments and leverage opportunities for professional growth.
In this segment, Jane explores the importance of productivity habits and routines with Deborah, drawing on her experiences as a professional athlete, certified meeting professional, and professional speaker. Deborah shares insights into the discipline required in professional sports and translates it into effective habits for speakers and their support teams. She underscores the value of establishing routines to optimize performance and maintain consistency in delivering high-quality services to clients. Deborah encourages speakers to leverage their athletic mindset to cultivate resilience, discipline, and adaptability in their professional endeavors, ultimately enhancing their productivity and success in the industry.
Jane and Deborah discuss the importance of teamwork in the speaking industry, particularly in the Australian culture where collaboration is valued. Deborah emphasizes effective communication, organization, and asking productive questions within a team to enhance performance and client satisfaction. She highlights the role of enthusiasm, willingness to learn, and respect in building trust with meeting professionals, who prefer working with cohesive and reliable teams. Deborah underscores the need for speakers to involve their support teams in industry education and networking to ensure alignment with client expectations and industry standards. Trust and respect are identified as critical factors in navigating industry disruptions and maintaining a competitive edge.
Jane explores Deborah's approach to managing multiple projects and maintaining focus in her professional endeavors. Deborah shares her preference for prioritizing one project at a time to ensure quality and timely completion. She reflects on her upcoming book project, "Inexperience and Damage," aiming for publication in 2017 to capitalize on her current insights and avoid delaying the project. Deborah emphasizes the importance of practicality and relevance in her content, aiming to inspire and motivate her audience while offering actionable insights. Jane expresses appreciation for Deborah's multifaceted approach and looks forward to future collaborations and engagements.
As the conversation concludes, Jane invites listeners to connect with Deborah Gardner through her website and social media channels for further insights and engagement. Deborah encourages individuals interested in her work or booking speaking engagements to visit her website, DeborahGardner.com, or reach out via email. Jane expresses gratitude for Deborah's generosity and contributions to the discussion, promising to share relevant links and information on the podcast's website for easy access to Deborah's resources. The episode concludes with mutual appreciation and anticipation for future interactions and collaborations.

Full Show Transcript:

[Speaker 1] (0:00 - 43:42)
My name's Jane Anderson and this is the Jane Anderson Brand New Show. It's the podcast for experts who want to have greater impact, influence and income for their businesses and careers. As experts, we know that people buy from people and work with people who they know, who they like and who they trust.

So I'm so glad you're here because it's that time again now to really amplify how you show up in the world. So welcome to the Jane Anderson Brand New Show where we talk everything about people who have personally branded businesses because people buy from people and they buy from people who they know, who they like and who they trust. So welcome back.

I'm so excited to have you back on the show. If you're listening in for the first time, my sincerest and warmest welcome to you. It's been a few weeks since we put the podcast out because we've been busy doing some work in the background to be able to bring some new and exciting things for the new year.

So I don't know about you, but you're starting to wind down to the end of the year a little bit and starting to really think about 2017. And I think what's happening is when I'm out speaking with people, they're really starting to become mindful of next year. I've spoken to people who've had a tough year and my challenge to them has been really think about what is it that's your intention for 2017 and what you would like to create.

And so with that in mind, to share with you a couple of updates that have been happening. In the background, what has just been launched this week is the Jane Anderson app. So you'll find it on Android and iTunes.

And the app, its real intention is to be able to put some of this content all in one spot. So if you want to download the app, you'll find it has all the videos, all the podcasts and all the blog posts all in one area. And it has a search function as well.

So if you're wanting to go back through previous shows or you want a more condensed version through videos and things like that, make sure you jump on iTunes. Or if you've got Android, you can jump on Google Play and you can download the app today. Some exciting things coming for the new year.

So we have the new Influencer book coming. So I've been working on that in the background. And the Influencer book is really about the 12 secrets to explode your list, skyrocket your leads and supercharge your visibility.

And it's a really ideal guide. It's a real step-by-step guide for thought leaders and trusted advisors. I found this year that I was having this conversation a lot.

And I was having conversations with people who had LinkedIn profiles or needed help with LinkedIn. But when I got talking to them, they actually had more of a bigger issue on their hands or they had other really low-lying fruit that they could work on as part of their lead generation strategy. So keep an eye out for the Influencer book.

We'll be talking more about that in the coming months. It should be out probably the end of February 2017. So that's coming soon.

And we'll also have an online questionnaire where you'll be able to assess your own business. So that's coming in the very near future as well. But the intention for today.

I am so excited about today because we have a very, very special guest. Now, the guest that I have on today, as you know, we always tend to interview people who have made that transition from having a differently branded business, like a standard type brand, have made that move over to being personally branded. But today I've made an exception to the rule.

Our guest today, I saw her speak in Phoenix, Arizona, where she lives, and I attended the National Speakers' Convention in July this year, 2016. And this person spoke. They actually delivered one of the very first sessions of what was a five-day conference.

And this first session was presented today. When I sat in this session, I was literally blown away. It was exactly just so practical, so useful, and so insightful.

And in that first session, I could have easily gone on a plane and come back home, quite happy that what I got was really useful and really helpful, and I didn't even need to attend the rest of the conference. I would have been quite happy just walking away with what I heard. I'm very lucky to be able to convince her to join us today, because I think what she had to say was just so valuable for all of us, and I've convinced her to come on the show today.

So our very special guest today is a lady called Deborah Gardner. So Deborah speaks from a lifetime of experience. She's a Marine brat and an Olympic trial swimmer to one of the first, from being an Olympic trial swimmer to one of the first female broadcasters with CBS Sports in the U.S. So today, Deborah's specialty and platform is Don't Quit, Do It, which clearly applies to what she's very well known for in the meetings industry, as the naked negotiator. Her longtime experience comes from being a hotel sales veteran, a 25-year Meeting Professionals International member and chapter president. She has also presented to hundreds of hospitality industry organisations throughout North America, along with being recognised as one of only five speakers worldwide that has received the Certified Meeting Professional designation. So recently, Deborah was honoured as the Convention Industry Council's top 30 most influential meeting professionals, and Meeting and Conventions magazine conducted a favourite speaker poll, and they asked who is the single best speaker that they have heard in the last two years.

Now, among that short list of winners are people that we know here in Australia, like Colin Powell, Bill Clinton, Les Brown, Barbara Cochran, Magic Johnson. Would you believe their response was this lady, Deborah Gardner. Now thriving on the speaking side of the fence, Deborah's goal is to help improve the gap when decision makers and speakers work together.

So here with us today, all the way from Phoenix, Arizona in the U.S., Deborah Gardner, CMP.
Thank you so much for joining us, Deborah. I'm so grateful to have you on the show.

You are an extraordinary wealth of knowledge. It's hard to know even where to start with you. But as I said, I heard you speak at convention, and I just knew I had to get what you had to say and get you to share your expertise and what you had to say with us today.

So can you give us a little bit of context of your journey into the speaking world? A lot of our listeners are speakers because they're all experts in their field. And can you tell us a bit about your journey and what's led you to where you are now?

Oh, absolutely. And I'm so delighted to be here, Jane. I am just thrilled that you and I had an opportunity to meet last summer.

And to even be asked on your show, it's just a delight to me because the more I'm able to spread the information that I've learned over a 25-year period in a very short period of time, it's a gift from me to you and vice versa. And I just want to say thank you so much. And the journey to even get here was actually very interesting.

It's been a long yet rewarding career that I've had in the hospitality industry, but it actually started way back when I was in college, especially for the speaking industry side of things. As a swimmer in college, I wasn't really allowed to work, but yet on campus I was given an opportunity to be a PA announcer, a public address announcer for the activities that were happening on campus. And I look at it as my first speaking engagement in front of 14,000 people.

Yes, but unfortunately I announced the wrong mascot and got booed by 14,000 people. And the ironic thing was the time that this happened, I actually realized that they actually were broadcasting this on CBS, which I ironically ended up working for down the road. So it's been kind of an interesting road for me to get where I am today because what it did was it led me to the hospitality industry where my love of that industry has been.

And gosh, that's just been a wonderful, wonderful industry, very exciting, and I'm so happy to get back to that industry. It has been so good to me. And that's kind of how I feel about NSA and the speaking world.

I feel like this type of niche information can be very, very helpful for what we do. Yeah, you've had your journey from the professional athlete into the meetings industry itself, like the insight that you have and then you speak on performance. I don't think you could get somebody who would know the industry inside out and back the front as much as you would.

And, you know, I think when you spoke, you know, you gave just a truckload of some of the things that are really happening in meeting professionals world at the moment. What do you see, you know, I think for speakers, you know, the meeting professionals world or here in Australia if we call them event planners or professional conference organisers, sometimes we call them PCOs, you know, that can sometimes sort of feel like if someone's new in the speaking industry that there's like this veil of I don't know what goes on in the world and how do they decide and who they would work with and all those types of things.

What do you think is going on for meeting professionals right now in their world? What are some of the challenges that they're facing that you're seeing? Well, you're absolutely right on the quality above.

The industry is a very challenging one. It's a frustrating one. It's a changing one.

With new speakers coming in to experienced speakers, there's so much to embrace in the meetings industry. But what I'm finding is that the speaking industry really hasn't been able to tap in to what meeting professionals do. And I want to say thank you.

I'm very proud of you. You've been calling them meeting professionals, which is what the meetings industry wants to be known for. Because think about this.

We want to be called, you know, professional speakers, professional coaches or professional trainers or even, you know, best-selling authors. But then we forget that meeting planners and event planners want to be respected, too. So I'm proud that you picked that up.

That was a very important point. It was. Yeah, after the session, which, by the way, I want to say thank you to the speakers for allowing me to be in their time slot in that area.

But we have to really look at the meetings industry and really look at it more in depth. We're so focused on our own business that we forget sometimes who our customers are really all about. And I believe that, you know, just starting with saying, hey, you know, they are meeting professionals.

There's so many different people that can hire you today. I even look on many, many speaker sites, websites, and I'll see that they have a little page or an application bar that says meeting planner, which really is interesting because meeting planners don't want to be designated away from the rest of their website. They want as much resources as possible.

So if speakers can look at their website as anybody that goes to their website, they are considered a meeting professional. If they're an admin or you're a lawyer or you might, you know, just be happy to look at your website, those are decision makers of some sort or influencers. So having a separate meeting planning page is too limiting for them.

And it's not a burden to have that type of page. At least change the name to meeting professional because, again, we want to make sure that they're very well respected. And that's one of the failings that speaking industries just has not been able to tap into yet.

Right. That's interesting because I think sometimes we try to be customer oriented and have something like that for them. But you're saying it's a bit restrictive for them.

Absolutely. Right. Because the thing is the way I look at it is there's a brand that you manage and then there's a brand they manage.

Yes. And meeting professionals are very resourceful. They've got this brand called Google.

So a one sheet or an e-blast, they don't work anymore. They're going to dig deeper and dig deeper to find out more about you than ever before. Because they are like a digging service.

They're there to match up their attendees, match up their attendees to thousands and thousands of experts and try to make a right fit. So they're doing a lot more resource digging than ever before. So for them to spend 15 minutes online looking and digging for information on you is like better than two hours of playing Truth or Dare.

Because they're going to find out. So it's best for speakers, coaches, trainers, authors to really have their information updated. Right.

Because that's where they're going. They're going above and beyond just for the information you give them. Right.

Looking at not just do you find they look not just at showreels because sometimes the showreel can be the polished version of what you're putting in front of them. But are they looking at YouTube videos? They're looking at blog videos?

Like all those types of things as well? Or mostly just showreel? Yeah.

Okay. Oh, yes, absolutely. I guess you could say that you have to create a chemistry with them before you even get to talk to them.

Yeah. A chemistry has to happen and the only way to do that is to be proactive and make sure that you have everything well organized, all your nuts and bolts together, everything up to date because that's what they're looking at. Right.

And Deborah, can you tell us a bit about, you know, when I saw you speak, one of the most insightful things that I think, I mean, it was like drinking from a fire hydrant. You had so much amazing information and I couldn't write fast enough. But one of the things that I thought was really insightful that you said was the impact of things like the drought and how that affects the budget that meeting professionals have when they're putting together events because that affects food prices, that affects, you know, catering.

And essentially a speaker is really competing with all those costs, not just, you know, the choice of speaker but being mindful of the value that they have to bring. Can you give us a, I've probably not said that in the right way that you said it, but could you share a little bit more on, you know, some of those types of things that you've perhaps seen that speakers aren't necessarily mindful of? Absolutely, absolutely.

What I covered, and again, I'm glad you picked that up because that's a very important part of knowing more about their business. I attended a conference called the Hunter Hotel Conference where there were some economists there talking about the, pretty much the world economy, but in particular the hospitality industry. And they called it the waves of disruption.

There's a lot of things that are actually coming up that are going to disrupt our business. And we need to stay on top of it and understand it more related to the meeting planners and what they do and how they do it to help our own business. And you're absolutely right.

One of them was the drought, the droughts that do go on. And what effects us here in the United States could affect anywhere else as well, including Australia. So I think understanding what the meeting planners are dealing with, what they're going through, is going to be key.

So what you were referring to was one of the three most critical factors that meeting professionals deal with, other than location and room rate, is food and beverage. And for us, 74.97% of our food in the United States comes from California area where there's a drought. We're talking about where there's nuts, plums, celery, carrots, spinach, artichokes, cauliflower, all these ingredients that are used for the food and beverage portions of their menus, of their banquet menus, are going to probably affect our feeds.

So if you can get a particular feed from a particular client, ask them why, and you might even find out, does it have anything to do with the location, the room rate, or the food and beverage? Understanding what they're faced with will bring you to a more bonding relationship situation with them, and they will respect you more. If you notice, turn around and find that feed for you.

Other than that, all you can do is pray for rain. So if Australia is going through some drought areas, it's just an example of looking deeper into things that they have to deal with. Another idea is a new competition for space.

Space is changing quite a bit. One of the examples I used for the session you saw last summer was in particular talking about e-sports. E-sports is a new game.

It's video games. It's our ESPN. We're talking about a $600 million industry.

There's about 140 million active fans, and these are being taken place in stadiums, in very large venues. What is that doing? It's actually bringing the businesses from the stadiums to smaller arenas and venues, and the smaller arena business is being pushed to the hotel level, and the hotel level is being pushed to museums, bowling alleys, other types of venues.

So in reference to the new space, the new competition for space, we as speakers or trainers can end up pretty much giving our speeches anywhere. You might be at a bowling alley. You might be at a museum or a zoo.

There's all kinds of different areas that are coming up for us, and we have to be very cognizant of that and flexible to that as well. Now, with Australia, Australia is coming up with, actually, in the next 10 years, a lot of growth, especially in the hotel industry. It's about $58 billion worth of new, flexible, extended facilities that will be built in Australia.

So Australia is going to have a lot more venues for movies to take place in the next 10 years, and that's a really good growth sign for Australia. It really is. And that even then, I guess, highlights the challenge.

You know, I don't know if you find this, but I find when I'm working with speakers is, you know, they're not very mindful that the problem that an event manager has is they've got to fill that room, you know, so they've got to be able to sell tickets. They have to be able to be confident that if they put you on a registration page on a website or if they list the speakers, that you have enough pull to help them make that event happen. So do you find that?

Yes, absolutely. As a matter of fact, the way we look at it is both Forbes and Federal Intelligence released a study of the top 10 most stressful jobs for 2016. The top five look like this, military personnel, firefighters, airline pilots, police officers, and number five are maybe professionals.

No wonder they act the way they do, right? But we as speakers, we know them as control freaks that suck the value out of you. You know, they want to check your slides.

They want you to tweet 20 times. You know, they tell you you're just a time slot position, and they make you wait until you see a deposit, and it would be over a two-week deadline. So what me, you know, what speakers are missing is the truth here.

The truth is speakers are only one small piece of a very fascinating puzzle, and they are dealing with so much that is going on behind the scenes, the back of the house, the logistics that would blow our minds. Yes. So the truth is you're only a small piece of a very fascinating puzzle, and we have to respect all the things that they have to do behind the scenes.

Yeah, so you don't recommend coming in and saying, I'll be in the green room backstage. I'd like all the blue M&Ms. Right, yeah. Those things are gone.

The green coats, colored waters, and bag of blue M&Ms, those are gone. As a matter of fact, the media industry still struggles with the speaking industry when it comes to conduct, attitude, and behavior. The ego still keeps flying by, and it's still right in front of them, and I think that if you want to be easily hired, you have to be visible.

You have to be available. Here's a very big hint. If you're a good speaker that returns phone calls faster than great speakers, you will get the job.

Wow, okay. Definitely do what it takes to respond, and then be proactive, understand that the logistics are endless. There's no reason to go on site and hide.

As a matter of fact, when I go, when I land in somebody's city, right there where I land, I send them a text to let them know I am there, and I'll say something like, Eagle has landed, and we'll get a chuckle out of that. But you're on the clock is the way I look at it. You have to tell them you're on the clock once you land, and once you sign the contract, they are your customer.

If you're speaking after a program, you have to ask the question, What's going on? They know speakers as a fly-in, fly-out topic, and we need to do more in order to help them, because one of the questions we need to ask ourselves is, How do you relieve their stress while improving a better working relationship so that you can be hired for the job? And if you already know that concern, the next question is, Are you going to get into practice?

So we need to do more in order to stand out among other thousands and thousands of experts out there that they can choose from. And Deborah, have you found that, I think when you spoke, or you mentioned a little bit about, I think when the GFC came, the speakers were really forced to add more value because people weren't spending as much, and so that sort of created a new standard, I suppose, of value for speakers to bring. So things like extra videos or blogs that event managers can use as part of their marketing campaigns, you know, all those types of things.

And do you think that that experience, having gone through that, that that's kind of now set the new bar? And for those people who are doing that, they, like you said, are the ones that are going that extra mile and making the meeting professionals' life easier, that are the ones that will get the work? I do, absolutely.

You're right on target with that. And yet you want to make sure that it's the right fit for your materials, your right fit for whatever you're presenting to that particular group. I know that we talk about technology, and sometimes meeting professionals will ask, you know, do you mind doing the tally up on the screen so we can get people engaged?

Well, here's the thing. You can't just do that because the meeting professional is asking that. You have to make sure that that fits within your business model or your program, because technology, as an example, has increased, but not what speakers do.

Because we know there's a lot of cool jet gadgets out there, but there's no concrete proof that there's been, you know, revenue increases, attendee increases, or success increases when it comes to technology at programs. Unless you're a technology expert, that's a totally different ballgame. But if you're just going to throw in that you're doing, you know, some technology cool gadget works with them, just know that it's not a strategy within what you do, and you don't want to do it.

It really has to fit with what you do. When it comes to technology, you know, the conference apps are being used quite a bit. In fact, they're used 83% and it's increasing.

So if you feel that you need to add another technology piece to it, it might be overdone. So stick with your business model, and if there's something that goes with your training, your programs, you know, your consulting, whatever your work is, by all means cover that with the lead professional to make sure that that's going to be, you know, pliable for success for everybody. Oh, that's fantastic advice.

I think it's easy to get caught up in shiny new objects, isn't it? Oh, it certainly is, and we want to do it all. But you can't just do it all.

It's the only way to stand out. It's almost like that thing called, you know, less is more. But understanding the business trends and the forecast and the economic impacts and the value of things while understanding their language will help quite a bit.

Because here's the thing. In the U.S., there is 11 million meetings happening per day. That means it's 55 per day.

It's 52 per week, and that's 220 million a year. By next year, they said they won't beat 20 million. And Australia is just behind, not far behind.

So there's a lot of meetings going on. There's a lot of business out there for everyone. So to try to wrap it up and say yes to everything when you're not the right fit is only going to be, you know, devastating in the end.
So you definitely want to stick with your business plan and your model. Wow, that's fantastic advice, Deborah. Is there anything else that you think that would be really valuable that perhaps I haven't thought of or even to ask you?

You know, we could sit here and listen to you for a week. I know I could. But is there anything in particular that you think is even more valuable that we should know that would be helpful?

Absolutely. Some of your listeners will be thinking, well, what should I do next with all this kind of information? I believe that you really need to get involved.

There's chapters all around the country of Australia. There's HSMAI. There's HFTP.

There's Chambers. There's other resources that can help you become more educated. In the news industry, like the CIM Magazine, the International News Review.

There's Meetingsnet, LNC, meetchi.com. I mean, if you just Google meetings and events type of online magazines, there's all kinds of wealth of information there. And here's the biggest thing.

The campaign for meetings hasn't actually designated a day. It's actually a $1 trillion package that led to Global Meetings Industry Day. And that day happens to be Sunday, April 16, 2017.

Anything that you're hearing now, I would love your listeners to actually mark their calendar, April 16, 2017, because it's recognized worldwide. And if you want to connect with your clients or your potential clients, pick up the phone, email them, whatever best way of communication, and celebrate that day with them. It's called Meetings in Business.

It's Global Meetings Industry Day. It's a designated day for the meetings industry to celebrate being in business. And that's what we try to do is continue the face-to-face business as much as possible.

And there's a lot of events that happen that day, too. You want to connect with your clients or your potential clients. And that is one celebratory day.

And a lot of it comes from the news industry, so take advantage of that. Yeah, wow, that's great advice. I don't think that's been on probably any of our radars.

So that's very helpful. Absolutely, absolutely. Now, Deborah, while I've got your ear, I'm curious.

One of the things that I do with some of my clients and when I'm working with experts in their space is try to help them set up some habits and routines to help them, particularly with working with meeting professionals or their clients just in general, but even for themselves. Now you've got not only a certified meeting professional, you're a professional speaker, and you've been a professional athlete. You've got it all happening.

I'm really curious, just as an aside, because I've got a bit of a productivity obsession, I was curious as to, you know, being a professional athlete and you're disciplined to be able to do that means you've got good habits and routines. Are there any particular habits and routines that you see for whether it's for speakers or even speakers' support teams, like their executive assistants or their relationship managers? Do you see anything like that or that you have personally that a speaker could implement that you find works well?

Oh, what a very good question. Absolutely, absolutely. There's multiple ways of doing this.

But being seen as a good team I know is extremely important and an extremely important part of the Australian culture. And you can't do it alone. Going solo is almost obsolete.

So I think as a team it has to do with communication, communication among each other, even if it's just double checking and really making sure that everything is understood and organized. Being very well organized as a team can really go a long way with gathering as much business as possible. And asking the right questions, creative and productive questions, are very important.

If you're on the phone or if you're trying to do your homework on a company, you know, one of the last questions you want to ask is, you know, what is the meeting time's name? You should know that. You have to know these things before going into, you know, into some kind of negotiations or into some kind of contract.

These things are very, very important to know. Always keep the customer end of mind, you know, how you can make things easier for them, as we've been talking about throughout this whole interview, just keeping that in mind. What is it that we can do as a team to make it easier on the customer and it's amazing how creative you can be.

One thing that the meetings industry really looks for in a team is how enthusiastic, how excited, and are they willing to learn along the way, especially from each other. They can see that. They can see that actually from a mile away, the team is working together, cohesively or not, because they have to work with teams, too, and they're only going to work with good teams.

So if a speaker's on the road and they have an admin to do backup work, that just moves the business faster to get you higher. So I guess it's best, you know, just have a team that can really actually do your job is the best way to do it. But I believe that the team needs to be involved as much as possible.

They are the ones that need to read up and be educated in the industry as well. They need to know the players. They should be tagging along as well.

They're meeting them face-to-face for lunch. Everybody has to be part of a team. There's no boss.

There's no staff. It all has to be there. And, again, I know that's an Australian culture and it's very important, and so you're way ahead of the game than most countries.

Right. That's interesting because we do talk a bit about trust and some of my content is around trust. So it sounds like it's one of those things that builds trust with meeting professionals that they say, you know, it's okay, this person's got, you know, people around them or they're working cohesively so they're going to create a great result for our event.

So it creates that peace of mind for a meeting professional. Right. Trust and even respect.

Respect. It goes a long way. It goes a long way.

Things are changing. Things are being disrupted. You have to decide are you going to disrupt or are you going to be disrupted?

Yes. So you're going to do that as a team or not at all? So it's a big part of getting hired.

Right. Deborah, you've got such a wealth of knowledge and even, you know what I can't believe? I can't believe I think that you've been doing this where I think we mentioned in your bio that you've been I think you've been doing this, a 25-year meeting professional international member.

You must have started this when you were like three. I wish I could claim that. I wish I could claim that.

Well, I've been very fortunate to come from an industry that has really helped my business, and there's been a lot of students that will approach me and say, you know, Deborah, I have your contacts, but you know what? The bottom line is a very relationship-based industry. 96% of the time they will not pick up the phone to talk to you unless you have all your ducks in a row.

Right. You need to find out what it means to them to hire you. And the ultimate, one piece of advice that I'd love to give is that meeting professionals don't hire speakers to hear what they have to say as much as you need their goals and objectives.

Right. If you know their goals and objectives and ask them directly what that is, it will tell them that you're speaking a language. Yes.

And it's about the goal for the event, not how awesome you are. Exactly. Because the world doesn't revolve around us.

Yes. We have to make that happen. We have to make the event happen for them.

Make them a hero. Terrific. Thank you, Deb.

Deb, you must have so much going on for you. You're in such demand. What are you working on next?

Oh, you're so sweet. Actually, it's time for me to, as they say, slow down and speed up. Yes.

I am. I'm actually going to take a couple months off and move into the new year. It's been tough to say no, but it's been fun to recommend my speaker piece.

Because I've been self-published with four books now, but now I would like to publish my very first book called Inexperience and Damage, and how inexperience fits within others you work with, live with, and also from within. I've had a great opportunity to really look within the inexperience and experience world, and I'd like to really focus on that book at this time. That's what I'm doing.

Yeah. Wow. We can't wait to hear about that.

I'll be one of the first to be purchasing it. Deborah, when do you think – would that be published later in 2017, do you anticipate, or is that a 2018 type project? Oh, yeah.

No, I actually want it done in 2017 and move on. I'm a big believer. I've tried to learn to multitask in the hospitality industry, which is what we do.

Yes. But I'm finding, as I get older, that one project at a time. Yes.

And so I really want to make sure that I spend as much time on that to get it done while it's fresh in my head and not put it off. So I'd like to get it done as quickly as possible. I'll let you know.

Yes, most definitely. We'd love to hear about it and might even get you back on after the excitement of when you're launching, because I'm sure there'd be lots in there that would be really useful. I love your practical approach and just your insights and how relevant you make your information.

But at the same time, it's motivating, inspiring. You've really got such a three dimension to your content and your mindset and the way that you communicate. So I think that it'll be great.

And, Jane, I want to say thank you to you, because I don't have as much time available to do interviews like this. But after meeting you and understanding that Australia, the country of Australia, can really utilize this type of information, I would be excited to come back on your show one day. Terrific.

And, Deborah, when the book comes out or if people want to follow you or download your blog or if people want to go and find out more about all the amazing stuff that you have to say, or equally they may be meeting professionals here who are listening to this and looking at getting you out to Australia, which would be awesome. So, you know, where are they best to go to find out more? Oh, thank you.

I'm delighted to stay in touch with anyone that would like to know more or even expand on some of this information that I've only been able to touch on and keep changing as the media industry does. But I'm a little on all social media links. And if anybody would like to go to my website, Deborah at DeborahGardner.com, or my email is attached there, Deborah at DeborahGardner.com, please let me know. The website is DeborahGardner.com and the email is Deborah at DeborahGardner.com. Other than that, I'm always up for lunch or cocktails in Australia. We'll definitely be treating you if you can make it over here.

Yeah, we've got plenty of water here, Deborah, so we'll always throw a swim in for you as well. We might not be as fast as you. I would be delighted to go there.

So I actually will go there and I'll let you know. Yes, great. All right, thank you so much for your time today, Deborah.

Good luck with the book. I think it will be such a game changer for people and for those who read it and how much it will impact your readers. And we are so grateful for your generosity and your information and insights today.

And we look forward to keeping in touch and following your journey. So we'll have this on iTunes and we'll have it on the website. And on the website I'll have all Deborah's details and links to her website and all that sort of thing.

So if you want more information, you can easily find Deborah. So thank you so much. It was a pleasure.

I'm your number one fan, just so you know. Thank you. I think it's the Mutual Information Society.

It was a pleasure. Thanks, Deborah. Bye for now.