What a guy! Guy Kawasaki, that is!

Over the years, I’ve spoken at more conferences than I can remember. Oft times, if there is a lot to do, or people to network with, I’ll completely miss out on seeing someone who I’ve heard is a terrific speaker. Guy Kawasaki is one of these speakers. I can’t tell you how often we were in the same place, speaking to the same group, but I missed out on seeing him.

That all changed last Friday, when I had the absolute pleasure of seeing him speak at the Boomer Summit in San Francisco.

Guy was promoting his new book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Action. And he had the whole room in the palm of his hand for the whole time he spoke.

On one hand, I can say that the subject alone — that is, tackling the tricky art of influence and persuasion, was enough to keep most of us intrigued.

But on the other hand, Guy himself is impossible to ignore. And I learned a lot about being an engaging speaker, too, just from watching him up there on the stage. Kawasaki gives you the feeling he’s unwrapping the world’s coolest gift, EVER…  just for you. Those of us who are tired of hearing direct marketing speakers drone on and on about database and list hygiene and even boring us to tears about marketing itself are simply… i can’t help but say it … enchanted by his “kid in a candy store” excitement about this business.

Never once did i get a feeling that we were being ‘sold’ a book… Guy is enormously funny and charming, candid, and smart without making the rest of the room seem dumb. Now, that’s a real talent – I mean, how many of us have gone to presentations where the speaker was so busy showing the rest of us how uninformed we were, that we just kind of disliked the guy at the end? Well, Guy Kawasaki is a fellow you just know would be your best friend, your favorite colleague, and the Godfather to your children!

If you ever have a chance to see him speak, don’t miss it. And meanwhile we can all get our hands on his latest book and enjoy how he helps us transition from simple engagement, and into moving our customers through enchantment. It will surely be a fun and exciting ride with Kawasaki at the wheel.