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Having spent 30-plus years in organizational communications in Fortune 500 companies, consulting firms, and as an independent consultant since 1996, Shel Holtz, ABC, brings a depth of experience to his engagements. Shel has worked with online communications since the mid-1980s; he currently focuses on the application of social media to strategic business communication. Shel also provides counsel and guidance on traditional online communication and conventional media. Shel is the author of five books, including Public Relations on the Net, Corporate Conversations, Blogging for Business and the recently released How to Do Everything with Podcasting. (Along with co-author John C. Havens, Shel is currently writing "Web 2.Open," addressing the role communications play in organization efforts to attain transparency.) He has also written countless articles for magazines and journals. He is in demand as a speaker at conferences and workshops around the world. Shel keynoted at the Ragan Corporate Communicators Confe

Roberta Guise, MBA, advises small business owners, consultants and non-profits on how to make best use of their marketing dollars and resources. She shows them how to build a profitable stable of customers, and through precision planning, promotions, branding, and placements in the media, be visible and get known. Roberta also advises and develops deeply knowledgeable, ambitious experts, especially women, who want be known as a go-to thought leader or authority in their field of expertise. She swims in the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay, which she says is an apt metaphor for how she helps clients navigate extreme business issues and cross currents that can swirl around them at any time. An award-winning marketer and PR consultant, Roberta writes and speaks on how to get a distinctive marketing edge and be extraordinarily visible. Her consulting practice, Guise Marketing & PR, is headquartered in San Francisco. Get a piece of Roberta's mind at her website and blog. Check out her podcast profiles of i

David Mariant is an author, speaker, life coach, and founder of The Bipolar Coach and Surviving Bipolar. David reaches thousands by radio in over 30 countries worldwide. He is a sought after speaker who is recognized by mental health professionals and bipolar sufferers alike as a top expert on overcoming Bipolar Disorder. Having overcome his own struggle with bipolar, he fully understands, with great compassion, the struggles of others. David is available for motivational and informative speaking engagements, keynotes, workshops and bipolar life coaching for individuals with bipolar and their families. He is a member of the Santa Clara County Mental Health Board of California, working to insure quality mental health care for people who suffer with mental illnesses of all types. David's Story "Since first being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and after my own brush with death, I have become a passionate student of bipolar disorder. If you are interested in the truth about bipolar disorder and how to live wi

Vickie Sullivan is internationally recognized as a top market strategist for experts. Specializing in branding for high-fee professional speaker markets, she has launched thousands of thought leaders since 1987. Vickie’s groundbreaking work has earned her an appointment on the Women’s Leadership Board for the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. In that capacity, she presented three times to the Harvard student body on personal branding and prominence. On Saturday she presented to a somewhat less august institution than Harvard. She rocked the house at the meeting of the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association. Her presentation, Brand It And They Will Come: Build a High-Fee Brand When You Are Not Famous, was short on fluff and long on street-wise detail to help the average $1,000 - $5,000 speaker in the audience stand out from the crowd. An era of practicality With meeting expenditure down, even as the number of meetings are trending higher, clients are doing more with less. Un

Jack Sramek is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a former Marine Corps Fighter Pilot. He flew 125 combat missions in Vietnam as a member of the famous "Blacksheep Squadron" and served as the personal aide to Lt. General Lewis W. Walt, commander of all Marines in Vietnam. Upon leaving the Marine Corps, he continued flying as a pilot with Trans World Airlines, completing a 30 year career. In parallel with his position at TWA, he obtained a California Real Estate Broker’s license in 1974. Remembering his parents’ experience as owners of a 50 acre farm near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which they sold at retirement for 100 times more than they had initially paid for it, he began a career in Land Banking. He watched Orange County and the San Jose area go from agricultural land to what they are today, as urban growth multiplied land values. Bob Hope, Gene Autrey, Roy Rogers and others built huge fortunes by buying and holding land in the path of growth. Strategic land banking has been the best k

In order to gain a competitive edge it is essential for professionals to strive for both professional and personal excellence. Frauke Schorr's work focuses on professionals who struggle and need outside expertise to bring their careers, businesses, and teams to the next level. As part of her PhD in Organizational Psychology Frauke interviewed highly accomplished entrepreneurs and leaders on their experience of becoming successful. She found that the most successful leaders hold the mindset of a Centered Leader™ - They had a continuous curiosity to learn something new, challenge themselves, and stretch their boundaries while being grounded in a frame that was uniquely build on their personal values, beliefs, and passions. They also had the distinct ability to translate this frame into a company culture. They were, as Frauke describes it, leading from the inside-out.

"We must always remember that the act of speaking professionally is only a part of our individual journeys. It is not a destination." - Phillip Van Hooser The Evolution of a Professional Speaking Career Since 1988, NSA President Phillip Van Hooser, CSP, CPAE, has spoken, written, coached and consulted on leadership and service professionalism issues with groups and organizations around the globe. On Saturday January 9, 2009, he presented at the NSA Northern California Chapter meeting. His talk, Uncommon Business Practices That Will Help You Re-Think, Re-Position and Re-Tool Your Way to Speaking Success, reviewed the evolution of his own speaking career and the lessons this holds for other professional speakers. Van Hooser stated that there are five distinct stages in a typical speaking career: 1. The dream is born Some fall into a speaking career by chance. But Phil has dreamed of being a professional speaker since he was very young. His grandmother was an early influence who told the eight-year-old he

Janet Hebert has been a ranch hand (her parents raised prunes on over 100 acres in the Coyote Valley), an elementary school teacher, a full time single mom for her two children Katie and Jeff, and a caregiver for her own mother. Janet has been speaking for the past 15 years. She has been a frequent competitor in Toastmasters District 4 – progressing to the Division and District contests several times, and all the way to the Regional level in the International Speech Contest in 2000. It was in the process of attending the Toastmasters contests that she met her husband Paul, also a winner at the District level. Janet is a 16-year breast cancer survivor. For the past 15 years she has been speaking to audiences large and small on behalf of the American Cancer Society, helping raise awareness and inspire action for individuals and groups. While listening to Janet, audiences learn about cancer in general, how to detect it early, and what help is available when cancer is discovered. Listeners learn not only t

I met with Krim Stephenson who presented at the December lunch of the Silicon Valley Chapter of the IABC on the topic of social media - beyond the hype. Krim is a principal in the Arlington Mill Group. A former journalist with Bloomberg News and communications leader at Microsoft, he focuses on helping clients find the best expression of their brand and message for success online. He has led strategy, outreach and brand initiatives at companies including Visa, Oracle and Chase. I asked Krim about how social media has affected branding by large companies. He shared his thoughts on how branding has changed since the era of the MadMen when ad agencies and marketing departments exercised control over all branding elements. Krim explains why social media is opening up new forms of communication to enliven brands. To hear his thoughts, click on the podcast icon below.

Speaker, Author, Positive Psychologist and Life Coach Dr. Delizonna is an expert in sustainable happiness. She coaches individual clients, conducts workshops at companies and nonprofits, and presents keynote speeches. She also teaches popular happiness and emotional intelligence courses at Stanford University. Recognized as an authority in happiness, Dr. Delizonna trains mental health professionals and serves as a board member of nonprofit organizations including The American Happiness Association and Project Happiness. For as long as she can remember, Laura has wanted to do something that has a big impact on society. She has found her niche helping people build happier, more fulfilling lives. She sees it as part of the world peace movement. When people become happier, they not only infect others with their positivity, but they treat others more kindly, have stronger relationships, and are more altruistic generous, and compassionate toward others. Two decades ago, she began her quest to find the keys to

During my University of Hertfordshire presentation on Social Networking I interviewed local guitar teacher Bob Houlston. He offers relaxed, informal, supportive but professional one-to-one guitar tuition at his home in St. Albans. Bob's mission is to promote Community Development via free internet distribution of guitar playing musicianship and craft skills information. He caters for every level, from beginners to gigging guitarists. His website offers free guitar tips + tabs with no strings attached! To hear what Bob told me about his plans to use Social Media to advertise his business, click the podcast icon below.

The afternoon session of Saturday's Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association (NSA/NC) meeting featured a conversation between Craig Harrison and journalist and author Jason Kersten. An author and journalist since 1998, Jason has written features for numerous national magazines, including Rolling Stone, Men’s Journal, and Maxim. His first book, Journal of the Dead: A Story of Friendship and Murder in the New Mexico Desert, was selected as a New York Times Notable Book of 2003. He has appeared as a guest and commentator on CNN, Fox News, TruTv, NPR, and numerous regional TV and radio shows. His works have been optioned for both film and television. A native Californian, Kersten was raised in Marin County and the Santa Ynez Valley. In 1996, he earned a masters of science from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. He lives in New York City. In his conversation with Craig, Jason shared a number of his interviewing tips and read from his latest book, The Art of Making Mo

Susan Thaxton has learned the meaning of resiliency and the power of transformation. Susan has had two full careers and is moving into a third. After completing an internship at UCSF, she worked as a Registered Dietitian in long term care and as a Clinical Nutrition Manager in acute care hospitals. In the mid-nineties she took advantage of a massive layoff, changing careers to become a successful sales representative in commercial printing. Combining her sales background and her experience as a consulting dietitian, Susan is embarking on a new career as a consultant in the world of senior housing. As a speaker, Susan plans to spread the message to Baby Boomers and beyond that where you live tomorrow depends on what you plan for today. Her new book on "Living where I want to live: A guide to helping aging parents" is in the works. Pro-Track Profile Susan has been a cyclist for almost 30 years. She joined the National Speakers Association Northern California Chapter's Pro-Track program with the intention

Here’s an edited audio track from the final one of the five webinars on Practical Social Networking that Jim Carrillo and I hosted in September. This webinar was first broadcast on Wednesday, September 30, 2009. Audio will not give the full webinar experience - we often refer to information shown onscreen, such as website pages from LinkedIn, Facebook and so on. However, the recorded audio contains useful information. A full set of webinar recordings which include all the information shown onscreen is available from the Practical Social Networking website. You can hear the audio by clicking on the podcast icon below, or, since the recording takes over 50 minutes, choose the download option and store it on your PC or sync to your iPod.

Here’s an edited audio track from the fourth of the five webinars on Practical Social Networking that Jim Carrillo and I hosted in September. This webinar was first broadcast on Wednesday, September 23, 2009. Audio will not give the full webinar experience - we often refer to information shown onscreen, such as website pages from LinkedIn, Facebook and so on. However, the recorded audio contains useful information. A full set of webinar recordings which include all the information shown onscreen is available from the Practical Social Networking website. You can hear the audio by clicking on the podcast icon below, or, since the recording takes over 50 minutes, choose the download option and store it on your PC or sync to your iPod.

Here’s an edited audio track from the third of the five webinars on Practical Social Networking that Jim Carrillo and I hosted in September. This webinar was first broadcast on Wednesday, September 16, 2009. Audio will not give the full webinar experience - we often refer to information shown onscreen, such as website pages from LinkedIn, Facebook and so on. However, the recorded audio contains useful information. A full set of webinar recordings which include all the information shown onscreen is available from the Practical Social Networking website. You can hear the audio by clicking on the podcast icon below, or, since the recording takes over 50 minutes, choose the download option and store it on your PC or sync to your iPod.

Here’s an edited audio track from the second of the five webinars on Practical Social Networking that Jim Carrillo and I hosted in September. This webinar was first broadcast on Wednesday, September 9, 2009. Audio will not give the full webinar experience - we often refer to information shown onscreen, such as website pages from LinkedIn, Facebook and so on. However, the recorded audio contains useful information. A full set of webinar recordings which include all the information shown onscreen is available from the Practical Social Networking website. You can hear the audio by clicking on the podcast icon below, or, since the recording takes over 50 minutes, choose the download option and store it on your PC or sync to your iPod.

Here's an edited audio track from the first of the five webinars on Practical Social Networking that Jim Carrillo and I hosted in September. This webinar was first broadcast on Wednesday, September 2, 2009. Audio will not give the full webinar experience - we often refer to information shown onscreen, such as website pages from LinkedIn, Facebook and so on. However, the recorded audio contains useful information. A full set of webinar recordings which include all the information shown onscreen is available from the Practical Social Networking website. You can hear the audio by clicking on the podcast icon below, or, since the recording takes over 50 minutes, choose the download option and store it on your PC or sync to your iPod.

NSA/NC September Meeting September marks the start a new year of meetings for the Northern California Chapter of the National Speakers Association (NSA/NC). It kicked off with a "Wealthy Speaker Seminar" conducted by Jane Atkinson, who promised to share a "Proven Formula for Catapulting You To The Top 3%" of the speaking business. Jane reported that top speakers earn over $1 million annually. Jane has been helping speakers grow their businesses for more than 18 years. As an agent for speakers, she has represented speaking super stars Vince Poscente, Joe Calloway and Peter Legge as well as best-selling authors and celebrities. A former vice president of International Speakers Bureau, Jane has seen the industry from many angles. The Wealthy Speaker Jane’s new book, The Wealthy Speaker: The Proven Formula for Building Your Successful Speaking Business details many of the tools she shared in the morning seminar. These include: Ready, Aim, Fire: first, get crystal-clear about what your expertise is; then

Keynote Speaker, Author, and Singer Diedra has made the incredible journey from orphan and "lost cause" to an honor-roll student and college graduate. Her journey of survival --through the adversity of growing up in an addiction-driven household, to the loss of her parents during high school -- has enabled her to be a living example that no young person has to be a victim of their circumstances. Diedra has been speaking professionally since the age of 15. She has been recognized as a Global Young Leader by the Congressional Youth Leadership Council, and served as Miss Yuba-Sutter as well as Miss California-State. Diedra is well known for her presentations to youth regarding "The Power of Choice" but also speaks for educators on a broad range of topics including a powerful collaborative keynote with award winning educator Dr. Arlene Kaiser. Kaiser and Wallis’ keynote gives an informative and meaningful look at the classroom from both a student and teacher’s perspective. Diedra also shares her personal journe