Shorts, Flip-Flops & a Pizza Box

A few years ago, I was invited to speak at a national sales conference. The format was simple: two practitioners, two different approaches to the same sales topic, one 45-minute workshop.

Neither speaker was being paid a speaking fee. That detail matters, but not for the reason you might think. There are absolutely times when professional speakers choose to waive the fee for speaking. There are a select number of engagements each year where waiving a speaking fee may be in alignment for me and the community hiring me.

A speaking fee waived does not mean a waived standard. Once you accept an engagement, you accept the responsibility that comes with it.

The Work Started Before the Event

A few weeks before the conference, the event organizer scheduled a 30-minute preparation call.

I was there on time. The other speaker joined about 20 minutes late.

That moment mattered. Not because being late automatically makes someone a bad presenter. It mattered because preparation is part of the commitment.

Before the prep call ended, the organizer quietly asked if I would be prepared to carry additional portions of the workshop if needed. Absolutely. I am prepared to be agile.

Event Day & the Pizza Box

Event day arrived. Speaker call time was 1:30pm to meet with the event organizer and AV Team. Stage time was 2pm.

As the first one in the room, I was professionally dressed & AV check completed. Microphone on. Room checked. Prepared to serve the people who were beginning to fill roughly 150 seats.

1:50pm. No second speaker.

The room was filling with attendees in the seats. The organizer and I exchanged the look every event professional understands:

You may be doing this one alone. Do you have this? I nod yes. Don't worry, I am ready and prepared to facilitate solo if needed.

1:55. Still no second speaker.

At exactly 2:00 PM, as the session was scheduled to begin, a door next to the stage opened. In walked the other speaker.

Cargo Shorts.

Flip-flops.

Pizza box in hand.

He entered the already-full room announcing to the room loud enough for the first few rows to hear, "Sorry I'm late. I just came from lunch." He placed the pizza box down, and stepped onto the stage.

I still take a deep breath to myself, when thinking about that visual. But the lesson has stayed with me.

When You Accept the Mic, You Accept the Responsibility

There is a difference between being knowledgeable enough to talk about a topic and understanding how to show up as a professional speaker. Professionalism begins long before someone introduces you.

It is the prep call. The call time. On time is late. The AV check. The preparation. The way you enter the room. The way you treat the organizer and support team.

And the awareness that the moment is not about you. It is about the humans in the seats.

One of the principles I carry as an Exactly What to Say® Licensed Guide is:

"The worst time to think about what you are going to say is in the moment you are saying it."

There is important work before work. A professional speaker does that work because being given a stage means being entrusted with someone else's community.

How Can Event Organizers Tell the Difference?

Sometimes the signs show up early. A transactional speaker tends to lead with themselves. I call it the "me me me show". Transactional speakers are often seeking another stage, where professional speakers are seeking to serve the moment.

A professional should lead with more questions. Before value can be delivered, a speaker needs to understand how the audience defines value.

That requires curiosity.

A professional is not there simply to perform. They are there to carry an important message in service of the people in the seats. The goal is not for the audience to leave saying, "That speaker was impressive."

The better outcome of a phenomenal speaker who understands the importance of the moment is when the humans in the room walk away saying:

• "I know what to do next."
• "I have a tool I am empowered to use."
• "I see the problem differently."
• "I am empowered to take action."

That is the work.

What is the Difference Between Someone Who Speaks vs. a Professional Speaker?

Many industries are filled with brilliant practitioners who have valuable knowledge to share. That does not automatically make someone a professional speaker.

For event organizers, that distinction matters.

Ask more than: Does this person know the topic?

Also ask:

• Do they understand the responsibility of the environment?
• Has the speaker spoken before, in this size room and this scale of a production?
• Will they prepare appropriately?
• Do they ask questions before offering answers?
• Can they adapt? Run of show can get off track, and speakers need flexibility and skill set to adjust timing.
• Will they respect the people producing the event?
• What is their understanding of the humans they are being asked to serve?
• Can I trust this person with my people, my event, my stage, and my reputation?

A speaking fee does not create professionalism. A waived speaking fee does not lower the standard. The standard someone chooses to bring to the opportunity does.

And sometimes you discover that standard before a single word is spoken.

P.S. If you ever find yourself walking into a speaking engagement carrying a pizza box, you have two choices: ditch the pizza box before you enter the room, or bring enough pizza for the entire room.