The Bill Gove Speech Workshop/Public Speaking Coaching Welcome! You've just found gold. If you're into networking, speaking, network marketing or public speaking.

	Don Hutson's careers in speaking, management and sales have brought him many honors. He successfully worked his way through the University of Memphis, graduating with a degree in Sales. After becoming the #1 salesperson in a national training organization, he established his own training firm and shortly thereafter was in demand as a professional speaker. Don has addressed over two-thirds of the Fortune 500 Companies and is featured in over 80 training films. Today he is Chairman & CEO of U. S. Learning and makes over 120 speaking appearances per year. Perhaps you have seen him on national television where he is regularly featured on both the Public Broadcasting Station and the TPN Satellite Network. He is also the author of "The Sale" and is the co-author of three other books. Don was elected by his peers to the presidency of the National Speakers Association, and he has received its prestigious "Cavett Award," as member of the year. He was also honored as the 1991 recipient of the International Speakers Hall of Fame Award, and Don was recently named the 1998 Consummate Speaker of the Year.
GS:	How did you get started in your current line of work?
DH:	Right out of college I went to work as a salesman for a sales training firm, selling enrollments in seminars. We had to give speeches to small groups to do that. So my first 1500 speeches were little 30-minute freebies to 6-10 people. I realized early on that I was going to have to develop some talent or starve to death! So my first 6 years out of college I was getting a combination of sales experience and speaking experience. I reached the point where I got pretty good, and people started asking me to speak for a fee. I liked that program a lot, so I said "Hey, that's what I'm going to put on a push to do." So I studied the marketing aspects of it and figured out a way to make a go of it. The rest, as they say, is history.
GS:	What were the 3 biggest obstacles you had to overcome?
DH:	Early on it was my youth, because I made my first paid speech when I was 25. Early on I had to overcome questions like, "Have you ever sold anything?" when in fact I had worked my way through college selling, and I'd been selling everyday since I'd been out of college. I've made over 20,000 sales calls, and I learned from the school of hard knocks and from the people who trained me. Midrange through my career, the biggest obstacle was maintaining good balance in my life, because I was enjoying some good career momentum, and I probably worked too hard for too long. I was gone from my family too much, so I probably didn't handle the life balance issue as well as I could have. Today I am right where I want to be.
GS:	The famous book As a Man Thinketh by James Allen tells us when we "Conquer doubt and fear.we conquer failure." Let me ask you.What is the biggest thing you do to help you conquer doubt and fear?
DH:	Focus, persistence and determination. I like the term can-do spirit. I like to have that spirit, and I like the people around me to have it. I like to teach others how to cultivate it. I think that once people have the can-do spirit, they can make just about anything happen, within reason.
GS:	What 2 books have influenced you the most? Why?
DH:	I would say Uncommon Friends, by Jim Newton, because of his portrayal of the great work ethic and integrity that he observed through his personal association with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, Charles Lindberg and others. The second book is The Victorious Personality by Orison Swett Marden. It teaches the importance of resilience, staying on track and overcoming obstacles.
GS:	What is your greatest Bill Gove story you could share with our readers?
DH:	I've always had such a profound respect for Bill. When my father passed away, I said to him, "Bill, if you don't mind, I'm just going to make you my new Pop." And he smiled and said, "I'd be honored." Now, no one can replace your dad, but I was compelled to say that to him, and he was compelled to respond in that manner. The fun that we've had with that through the years has been very meaningful. It's been so great. We have a marvelous friendship.
GS:	You have already made your first million. What advice can you give the rest of us who may still be looking to make our first million?
DH:	One thing that can keep us on the track to building wealth is to remember that it's not one big, magnanimous slam-dunk that does it. It's making high quality decisions over time - good financial decisions. Don't live beyond your means. Always vow to pay yourself first by investing 10-25% of your income in something that represents wealth for you - whether it's stocks or whatever. I think the biggest mistake people make is that they're looking for one big grand slam home run, and very few people make it that way. Most people get rich one day at a time. Net worth is not a function of income; it's a function of planning. A lot of people who are making pretty good money are thinking: "I'm going to be rich someday," when in fact, they may not if they're not doing some good planning - and if they're not stashing some away.
GS:	How importantly would you rank mental toughness and the ability to communicate as it relates to your success and why?
DH:	Mental toughness is vitally important. You have to have it, especially today, because nobody's life is perfect. Everybody has obstacles that they have to deal with, and you have to have a balance of mental toughness and compassion to succeed.
GS:	If you had to start over again.what would you NOT do again?
DH:	There's no way to overstate the importance of communication. In today's world we have to talk the language of the person we're talking towe have to understand their world, their agenda and their needs. If we take the time to understand what those elements are, we will be far better communicators. And that's not just vocabulary, or intelligence, that's caring about the agenda of others.
GS:	What is the reason most people don't achieve their major goals and dreams?
DH:	Lack of resolve. They give up too early. In some cases people end up focusing on the wrong thing for them. They don't give enough thought to exactly what it really is that fits best in terms of goals and objectives. Just because we want something doesn't mean we are the individuals worthy of getting it, or who understand how to go about getting it. We need to make well thought out decisions that fit us.
GS:	Who were your role models/mentors, and what was it that you saw in them?
DH:	One was Dr. Kenneth McFarland, for his spine tingling eloquence. Another was Bill Gove, who taught me that speaking expertise is vitally important, but few things are more important than having fun on the platform and seeing that your audience members do as well.

		Contact Info.: U.S. Learning, Inc. 1045 Oakhaven Memphis, TN 38119 Phone: 901-767-0000 Fax: 901-767-5959 E-mail: DLHutson@aol.com