A disclaimer: Below are the definitions I use to keep all this stuff straight in my mind.
Amateur: Someone who does something for the love, joy, excitement of doing it. It’s fun. That’s the big reward. They are not the opposite of professional — they are a whole different animal.
Non-professional: These people are kind of the flip side of the professional coin, but they are either not there yet or they are satisfied to be where they are. The big point is, again my opinion, they are not fully committed to their art, craft or calling.
Professional: These people are committed. When they are doing the thing, they are determined to be the best they can be and to getting better. I think they can be described as fully committed to their chosen profession or craft. The definition on the street is that they are the ones that make money doing the thing. I beg to differ. I think there are a lot of people who make money doing something who, in my mind, fall far short of professional.
OK.
I saw a brilliant example of professionalism this past Saturday at the National Speakers Association Georgia chapter meeting. It was something my friend David Greenberg did.
Everyone who knows or who has met David knows he is the complete committed professional, perhaps the best presentation coach there is. That is not in doubt. But what he did, this little, maybe unnoticed, switch, showed how devoted he is to his profession and his audience.
He gave the main talk. The piece everyone comes to hear. And he did it brilliantly. A hundred take-away techniques and ideas. He told stories. He had examples. He brought people on stage for coaching. He gave formulas and step-by-step blueprints. All the stories, jokes and examples.
But he also did this…
He made it all about the audience. Everything he said was in their terms, for their use and their benefit. Right from the start. Right to the close.
That is what a professional does. Those of us who speak, love to be on stage. We love to get the attention. We love the applause. We love to sign the books. But when we make it all about what we can do to ultimately help the audience reach their goals, I think, we have stepped into the world of the true professional.
There is a challenge in there somewhere for anyone who wants to take it.
Speak on friends…
Tom
