Napoleon Hill was born in Wise County, which is in South West Virginia. When he was about ten years old, his mother died, after which his father remarried. By his own admission, he came from a background of poverty and ignorance, thus he could easily have led a life of mediocrity. However, he overcame all the limitations in his life to become one of the most illustrious motivational authors that ever lived.

Napoleon Hill began his writing career as a reporter for small-town newspapers in Wise County. Using his earnings as a reporter, he entered law school, but later had to withdraw due to lack of finances. This however did not deter him and he continued to write as a reporter. According to him, his life’s turning point came when he met Andrew Carnegie, a wealthy industrialist. This happened when he was on a writing assignment about successful and famous men. During the meeting, Carnegie told him that he believed that there was a simple formula for success, which anyone could understand and be successful. Carnegie told Hill to interview the most successful people of the time in order to find the success formula, which he did.

This led Hill to write the philosophy of achievement as the formula of success, which he and Carnegie published in 1925 in a book called The Law of Success. This was the beginning of his writing career, and he went on to write many other books such as Think and Grow Rich. This book remains one of his most famous to date, which had sold more than twenty million copies by the time he died in 1970. In addition to books, Napoleon Hill was also known for his speeches, which were based on his books. As you listen to his speeches, you cannot help but be impressed by his compelling speaking style, leaving no doubt that he is well versed in his subject. He also speaks with passion and enthusiasm, using simple language to express himself.

Napoleon Hill’s influence on the motivational speaking world continues to be felt to date. His principles have been adopted by other motivational authors, as the impact of personal beliefs on success has increasingly gained prominence. Hill strongly believed that people without firm beliefs cannot be successful in anything, a principle that is as relevant today as it was then. Hill’s philosophy of achievement is still being used by teachers to educate their students on personal development. Further, his books and tapes on success have remained best sellers long after his death, a feat that few authors have managed. Napoleon Hill’s life is proof that people’s beliefs determine their success, as he rose against all odds to lead a successful life.

Coming from a humble start in Idaho, Rohn’s rags-to-riches story has influenced millions of people worldwide, and his impact continues today, even after his death.

Jim Rohn was born in Yakima, Washington, to an Idaho family of farmers on September 17th, 1930. He grew up in Idaho with his parents, Clara and Emanuel Rohn. His upbringing left him with a strong, devoted work ethic that followed him through adulthood. When Rohn was 25 years old, he met the man who would become his mentor, Earl Shoaff, after he attended a lecture given by Shoaff. Between the time he was 25 and 31, Rohn made a fortune, becoming a millionaire by the time he was 31. It wasn’t until Rohn moved to Beverly Hills, California, that he started to speak at seminars. His first speech was given to a Rotary Club, by the request of a friend, and was entitled “Idaho Farm Boy Makes it to Beverly Hills.” Rohn then began speaking regularly at schools, service clubs and eventually seminars. Rohn passed away on December 5th, 2009 after working in the personal development business for more than 40 years.

Jim Rohn held several seminars during the 1970′s for the Marketing Department of Standard Oil in California. Today, the company operates under the name Chevron. While holding these seminars, Rohn also ran a personal development business that was entitled “Adventures in Achievement.” This venture taught personal development skills in workshops and seminars.

Rohn is the author of several books, audio programs and video programs. His best-selling publications and audio programs include the 4-CD set Challenge to Succeed, How to Use a Journal, The Art of Exceptional Living, A Day That Turns Your life Around, and Building Your Network Marketing Business. One of Rohn’s most famous books was Five Major Pieces to the Life Puzzle, which was published in 1991. This book discusses Rohn’s five secrets to success: philosophy, attitude, action, results and lifestyle. Rohn believed that a person’s lifestyle is a culmination of the previous pieces.

When Jim Rohn speaks, he seems to communicate common sense in a very profound way. Short, straightforward sentences communicated with poetic elegance convey his information clearly but in an entertaining style.

Over time, Jim Rohn has helped personal development trainers to hone their craft. He’s also trained the executives of the largest corporations in the United States. Rohn mentored the motivational speaking legend Tony Robbins when Robbins worked for him in the late 1970s. Rohn has received several industry rewards, including the National Speakers CPAE Award in 1985 as well as the Master of Influence Reward.

If so, this article is going to show you how to choose the right conference speaker for you… someone who will not only be entertaining and fun to listen to, but someone who can give real value to your attendees.

There are many pitfalls to putting on a conference; every event organizer should understand that not all speakers are suitable for a particular conference event. Every event has its own distinct characteristic and speakers must match the event’s features. Because of this, the most viable solution for planners is to choose a conference speaker that is both entertaining and knowledgeable about the field to be talked about.

The best place an event planner or organizer can start is by asking for recommendations. If the sources are reliable, a speaker who will be the ‘best bang for your buck’ will likely be found.

So, here are some specific tips for finding your next conference speaker:

First, always choose the speaker who is the guru or authority on your subject. If you start from that criteria, it will be the foundation of a successful event. This, however, isn’t always what’s going to create a lot of buzz around your event or even positive feedback. The positive feedback always comes from an entertaining and engaging speech. If you run several events, you can develop an ‘A-List’ of speakers by asking for feedbacks attendees. You can keep track of the highest-rated speakers.

Conference speaking is a high-paying engagement, so you deserve to get a great bang-for-your-buck. There are many to pock from, however, it is not necessary to hire an expensive speaker with a shiny name (although it helps). If you are on a tight budget, a less known speaker but with a credible and exciting performance is more than enough to attain a successful conference event.

Choosing speakers can be a “hit and miss” affair. Therefore, following the above guidelines above should help you increase the chances of getting “hits”!

Here is a foolproof way to choose the best keynote speaker for teenagers who will ‘wow’ your audience and make you look like a hero for booking them.

Youth speakers should be entertaining, informative, and, of course, inspiring. A speaker is the often the most essential element of teen conferences. No matter how good your facilities or how great your sound system and food offered, the event could fail if your speaker is not able to deliver. This is why choosing a youth speaker is BIG chore and a BIG responsibility. Fear not, however, as this article contains all the best tricks, tips, and techniques to reliably choose a great presenter.

Rather than going for the dangerous ‘trial and error’ method that so many meeting planners utilize when selecting teen speakers, here is an effective and proven method:

Youth Speaker Selection Tip #1: Ask for recommendations from trusted sources

The wonderful thing about student councils and CTSOs is that it’s a small world. That means that somebody has probably already hired the speaker you’re considering bringing in. If you have nobody in mind, you can get solid recommendations from people in similar positions as you from other states and organizations. So ask! Email, call, text… whatever you have to do to get in touch, do it! You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to network and grow your resource base by making a few quick connections by asking this question.

Youth Speaker Selection Tip #2: Know your event’s purpose

You wouldn’t bring in Pavarati to an auditorium full of metal heads, would you? Even though he’s a great musician, he’s not the right fit for the audience. The same principle applies for choosing a speaker; you’ve got to find the right match for your audience and what you want them to take from the event.

When you’re confident about who your audience is and what you want them to learn, you can use this as a ‘filter’ for the speakers who you’re considering. If they don’t match your purpose, they’re not right for your event!

Youth Speaker Selection Tip #3: Determine your budget and stick with it

The purpose of a speaker is not to stress you out about your finances. Yes, speakers can be expensive, and generally, the more you pay for a speaker, the better they are. However, you should set your budget before you start the research process. Consider the money already invested, and use this number to help you weed out the speakers who are too expensive for you.

Like cars, however, most speakers don’t ‘sell’ for their sticker price. Meaning, if they’re listed at $5,000 dollars, for example, they will likely be willing to negotiate for a lower price, so don’t count out your speakers until you’ve been in touch.

Youth Speaker Selection Tip #4: See their presentation

Seeing a speaker’s actual presentation is clearly the best way to see what they’re going to be like at your event. You can do this either by seeing them speak at another event or by watching a video of them.

To find their speaking schedule, look on their websites or contact them directly to see if they have any speeches near you anytime soon. Usually, this isn’t an option, however, so you’ll have to settle for a video. In this case, do everything you can to watch an UN-edited video of their speech. Anybody can take the best 10 second clips filmed across 20 events and make a hi-lights reel. In fact, poor speakers will usually hide behind these types of videos! This is why you should watch the whole speech.

Youth Speaker Selection Tip #5: Don’t let them annoy you!

Trust your gut. If there’s anything about a speaker’s promotional materials, marketing approach, presentation, or videos that bugs you… don’t hire them! It’s really that simple. Life is short and there’s no reason to put up with a speaker, or anybody for that matter, who makes your skin crawl. Find speakers who are fun, friendly, and easy to work with.

Using these techniques, you can easily find an amazing youth motivational speaker to present at your next event.