Friday, August 8, 2008

United Nations Speech by Jim Cathcart



From: Cathcart Institute, Inc. 

The Global Speakers Network is a part of the International Federation For Professional Speakers. Their 2008 Annual Meeting was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on August 5, 2008 and the keynote speaker was Jim Cathcart, past president of the National Speakers Association (USA) and member of the Speaker Hall of Fame

The members who attended this event were the Presidents and key officers in their respective countries around the world. IFFPS president Joe Sherren addressed the 2,000 assembled members of the United States' National Speakers Association and then passed the gavel to incoming International President, W. Mitchell from the USA. 



After a tour of the UN facilities including the General Assembly, and a one hour breifing by one of the UN staff executives the group enjoyed a cocktail reception on the 4th floor deck overlooking the East River, followed by a dinner at which Jim Cathcart was the keynote speaker.




The essence of Mr. Cathcart's speech was: 
The Power, Privilege and Responsibilities of the Platform.
Some of his key points were:
  • Others are watching your example and depending on your performance.
  • Asking others to help is a sign of strength.
  • You are only using all your strength when you reach out to others.
  • Organizations are organisms not machines. They are living systems.
  • The essence of the organization is the interactions among the participants.
  • Developing yourself is essential so that you have more to give.
  • To get others involved remember: People go where they get value and where their friends are.
  • Find out what they consider to be valuable and how they decide who are their friends.
  • Your decisions and actions will determine the future of your country's speakers association.
  • What you do matters, a lot, and others are looking to you for leadership.

Incoming president Mitchell provided closing comments and inspiration to all attendees.
For more information on the International Federation go to: http://www.iffps.org. 
To schedule Jim Cathcart for your events contact: http://www.cathcart.com