What Happens When a Speaker- me- Loses Her Voice Among 150 of the World’s Best Speakers

What Happens When a Speaker- me- Loses Her Voice Among 150 of the World’s Best Speakers

by | Dec 20, 2025 | Business

I just spent the weekend at the CSP Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, surrounded by 150 Certified Speaking Professionals, some of the best speakers in the world…. And I couldn’t speak. Not a whisper. Not a croak. Nothing. I arrived with a perfectly normal voice the night before the Summit. Woke up the first morning with acute laryngitis, and by breakfast had officially been rebranded as a Certified Silent Professional. Which, as you can imagine, is not a designation the National Speakers Association currently offers. Yet.

For a group of people whose professional identity revolves around ideas, delivery, nuance, timing, and the ability to land a point with precision, being silent turns out to be a fascinating social experiment. (And for my colleagues who know me well… especially for me!) For the entire time I had fully formed responses running through my head,  insightful, well-timed, hilarious (IMHO) with absolutely no way to express them. It was like participating in an important Zoom meeting in my head with my mic on mute. I nodded. I smiled. I gestured. I typed notes into my laptop and according to some of my group members, communicated like a less intelligent Stephen Hawking. At one point, I seriously considered making cue cards using my television background resources.

During lunch on day 2, I sat next to a speaker I’d never met before. He didn’t know me, my work, or my background. And he talked. He talked about his business. What was working. What wasn’t. What he was wrestling with. And I listened. Fully. Intentionally. Without interruption, not by choice, but by medical necessity. When the conversation wound down, he paused, looked at me, and said: “I just love you.” Which was a surprise, especially since I didn’t say a word.

My dad used to say, “Keep your mouth shut and smile and people will wonder what you’re up to.” This weekend, I realized he wasn’t being funny. He was being strategic. I went to the CSP Summit expecting ideas, connection, and professional elevation. I didn’t expect laryngitis to be the teacher. But it reminded me that communication isn’t just about speaking,  it’s about impact. And impact doesn’t always require sound. That said, I am very much looking forward to getting my voice back. Because at least for me, the world is slightly more entertaining when I can talk.

 

The Pursuit of Better

The Pursuit of Better

by | Jul 15, 2022 | Business, How to, Life

What if competition was all in your head? What if it was only about you? Instead of comparing yourself against someone else’s current state of being, what if you only looked at yourself and where you are in comparison to where YOU’VE been. That is the Pursuit of Better.

I just spent a week in my professional association (NSAspeaker.org) learning from, and networking with some of the people who are the best professional speakers, consultants, thought leaders and influencers in the country.
Here are a few of the prime take-aways, that apply to any business.
1. There is nothing more important than staying relevant. One of the best ways to stay relevant is to continue in the pursuit of better. We can all get better. We can update our knowledge, our training and learn what is applicable NOW, in 2022. We can see how the past informs the present, but learn from others as to how the present will inform the future.
2. Your personal and professional image need an update as everything has changed over the past few years. Is your image, personal and corporate as up to date as it could be? While at the convention in Nashville, TN, my friend, Dr. Mary Kelly and I hired a professional photographer to update our headshots and generate some brand new images to use on social media and correspondence with our clients. What are you doing to update your image and to stay relevant? (See the above image as an example of updated as of this week!)
3. Set goals for the future.  Are there people in your industry with distinctions, accolades and credentials that you admire? Is it time to aspire to achieving those for yourself? My dad always said, if you are going to do something, do it to the best of your ability. That’s all you can do. Is there somewhere you would like to be by this time next year? Take care of yourself, and for your own well being, work into the pursuit of better. – Carolyn