At Worldwide Speakers Group, we pride ourselves in the services we provide to our clients and speakers. These services span a wide range to both and we rely on our ability to successfully navigate these differing relationships. One relationship that predominately differs from the others is with our college and university clients.

Caris Beckman, VP of Sales at WWSG, focuses on colleges and universities, answers some questions related to the differing sales environment and practices that come with working with these clients.

Inspiration is all around us - in newspapers, magazines, on our smartphones and tablets. Rarely a moment goes by without someone trying to persuade us to do something, usually in the form of an idealized image, lifestyle or career path that we’re encouraged to imitate. 

While we Americans watched a human tragedy of epic proportions unfold in Texas after Hurricane Harvey made landfall, we also bore witness to that which is stellar and exceptional about Americans: our willingness to serve and help each other in tragic times.

“Is the world slouching toward a grave systemic crisis?” asked historian Philip Zelikow at the annual gathering of the Aspen Strategy Group earlier this month. Now that’s what I call a question!

Zelikow, who teaches at the University of Virginia, is more than just a history professor. He has also served Republican as well as Democratic presidents in the White House, State Department, and Pentagon. His pessimism is that of a practitioner as well as a scholar.

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

Emotions are high following the violent protests in Charlottesville. An innocent life was lost when an individual affiliated with the neo-Nazi movement killed Heather Heyer.

Neo-Nazis and white supremacists are deceitfully pretending to be the voice for white America. But these fringe extremists are in reality a symbol of weakness and hatred.

When life gets tough or the need to succeed is overwhelming, many people turn to motivational quotes for a bit of inspiration. Even the most successful people have had days where they needed to glance at an inspiring quote to remind them of their goals and ability to succeed. This need is why motivational quotes are some of the most-searched phrases every day. There is a plethora of motivational quotes accessible on the internet or in books that resonate with those searching for them. With so many quotes out there for people to choose from, what makes certain ones stand out? What has made some sayings become celebrated parts of society’s vocabulary and mantras for generations?

The Democratic Party is a mess. It has no effective national leader. It has no serious agenda. And Democrats have no idea how to win back the Rust Belt voters who propelled the ultimate political outsider, Donald J. Trump, to the presidency.

During President Obama’s eight years in office the Democrats became primarily a coastal party that caters to out-of-touch wealthy elitists in liberal enclaves like Manhattan and Hollywood, while ignoring the hardworking Americans who are the backbone of our country.

Here at Worldwide Speakers Group, we pride ourselves in the service we provide to both our speakers and our clients. Part of this includes our end-to-end event planning, which incorporates event strategy, travel logistics, itineraries, and so much more. We all know that in life, things don't always go according to plan. The same holds true for planning speaker events. 

The root word of inspire is inspirare; it is Latin for "blow into, breathe upon". Inspiration is a powerful tool for the ambitious and time-constrained educator. A study published in The Official Journal of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences (ISSID) found that college students that are more inspired tend to set inspired goals. The relationship is reciprocal which amplifies the effect. "This suggests", said the researchers, "that goal progress and goal inspiration build on each other to form a cycle of greater goal inspiration and greater goal pursuit.”

There are joyous liberations. Of Paris in 1944, for example—a liberation insurrectionary and exultant. And then there are leaden liberations: Warsaw’s in 1944; Berlin’s in 1945; and, more recently, Sarajevo’s.

The liberation of Mosul obviously falls into the second category.

There is a sense of relief, of course. There is, too, the elation of victory—and, for someone who experienced some of the most terrible phases of the battle from the inside, there is intense emotion.