National Association of Convenience Stores Success Story

Main stage presentation skills turn great communicators into sophisticated speakers

THE SITUATION

The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) is an international trade association representing thousands of members in convenience and fuel retailing. Its annual trade show and expo brings together more than 24,000 industry professionals and exhibitors for four days of learning, buying, selling, and networking.


THE OPPORTUNITY

As the premier industry event and one of the largest trade shows in the U.S., the NACS Show grows in visibility and prestige every year — attracting bigger audiences and high-end guest speakers such as George W. Bush and Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Stephanie Scotti of Professionally Speaking has been working with the association since 1998, coaching the NACS leaders who are also key speakers at the show. According to Jeff Lenard, Vice President of Strategic Industry Initiatives and the main spokesperson for NACS, working with a professional who does speech coaching and branding every day has proved to be invaluable:

“Stephanie brings structure, experience, and impartiality to our speechwriting and presentation process — helping us see the big picture and giving us new insight into developing the right message for our audience.”

With Stephanie’s guidance, Jeff and the NACS leadership team focus on two or three big ideas that are connected and reinforced throughout a speech. Together, they work on delivery skills — becoming more aware of important details like eye contact, posture, and gestures, and how they affect the message. They also tailor the speeches to each individual’s style by incorporating phrases that come naturally to the speaker and personal stories that will resonate with the audience. The results are impressive, according to Jeff:

“A dynamic speech from a NACS leader can capture the audience’s attention and convey the story we will tell throughout the event. Stephanie’s coaching helps our team be every bit as prepared and sophisticated as the professional speakers — honing their message, polishing their presentation skills, and building their confidence so they can go out and own the stage.”

THE RESULTS
The NACS Show offers the chance for the organization to talk to a wide audience about important issues that impact the entire industry — and with Stephanie’s help, the NACS leadership team grabs the opportunity and runs with it. In fact, Jeff commented that the leadership speeches are critical to the growing success of the NACS Show:

“Thanks in large part to Stephanie’s coaching, our leadership speeches are now as popular and powerful as those featuring big-name guests — allowing NACS to deliver a message that our audience often remembers long after the show is over, amplifying the value proposition that we provide to our members and the industry.”

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