But I’m An Accountant Who Talks To Fat Ladies!

This is the article referred to in my newsletter of January 20, 2009. Yes, I know it is a bit of a long post. It'll keep you from surfing for porn.

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But I’m An Accountant Who Talks To Fat Ladies!
It was October 1984 and I was selecting classes for my final college semester. Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties. Looks interesting; fits into my schedule; I can blow out of campus by noon (my criteria for class selection). How difficult can that class be? After all I’m an accounting major.

Hah! Seems that Constitutional Law and Civil Liberties is the last class taken by Government Majors to earn their degree. As a quick aside, let’s just say this was not an easy semester and the hardest I ever worked for an “A” grade.

Midway through the semester, spring 1985, we were given an assignment. Students were paired up to deliver a five minute presentation of a case previously decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. One student was given the majority opinion; the other the dissenting opinion. Now to be honest I do not remember the case I was assigned, the partner I was assigned, or which side of the decision I needed to defend. That information is irrelevant and probably forever blocked from my mind for a reason.

I read the case. I wrote up my presentation. I practiced it in front of the mirror. I practiced it in front of my family. I stood in the cafeteria in front of my business major friends and practiced. I was psyched. I was prepared. I was motivated. I was ready. This was going to be fun. This accounting major was about to declare a victory.

8:00 AM that day. Sitting in my seat the stomach is turning at warp speed. I’m nauseous. I am hoping Professor Grant – I remember her name! – was abducted or hit by a bus on the way to class. Nope, the smiling, perky, prematurely gray professor walked into the room. #%*$

Just pick me and get this over with I thought. Nope. She chose another pair to be first. Is this what death row feels like?

Finally after what seemed longer than waiting for Santa to arrive on Christmas Eve, it was my turn. I step to the front of the room. I look out at what seemed like 23,000 pairs of eyes staring at me. I open my mouth. Words start coming out. The looks of horror, shock, and hysterics on the faces of my professor and my classmates were something I can still vividly see.

Now if you’re old enough you may remember a commercial for FEDEX with the world’s fasting talking man. If you’re not old enough, I hate you. Just kidding – but go to YouTube or Google and use search terms FEDEX, fast talking man and watch the video. But I digress.

Yes, a five minute presentation, perfectly crafted and timed, was just delivered in about forty seconds. I vowed never to speak in public again.

Spring 1988, yes just three years later, I was sent to Winnipeg Canada to teach financial statements and budgeting to Seed People. Seed People? I called them Seed People. I was working for a large Agri-company at the time. I had P&L responsibility (that’s profit and loss for the non-business reader) for North American operations. I was sent on a mission to teach seed salesman (corn, sunflower, etc), researchers, executives and office staff how to read, understand and prepare annual budgets, forecasts and financial statements. This will be a breeze; after all I’m talking my language. Debits. Credits. Profit. Loss. Income. Expense. Bottom Line. No need to even prep!

The presentation started off without a hitch. Things were going smoothly – except for the water stains in my armpit. It was apparent they had neither a clue nor interest in what I was talking about. The water had made its way down into my tight fitting suit pants. Then out of nowhere came their words. Hybrid. Biotech. Harvest. Grain Elevator. And could I explain how to account for these things. Ugh!

Now I will take some of the responsibility here; but I was young and green. Do you think my boss could have prepared me just a bit better for this one? I once again vowed never to speak in front of an audience.

Both of these tragedies taught me two things:

1. When you know more than your audience you are considered an expert and people look to you for answers, guidance, ideas and motivation.
2. When you know less than your audience you are not comfortable with the material you are presenting and your audience will question your right to be at the front of that room – and they will show no mercy or tolerance.

1989, I lose a whole bunch of weight at Weight Watchers. In 1993, after having my weight off for four years I join their team as a part-time meeting room Leader. Sharing my success and ideas was easy. Facilitating a group learning experience was a breeze. Why? Look above, I just told you why.

But there was another reason this worked for me. I broke the Weight Watchers script. I did it my way; not their way. You see, their way broke my #1 rule above. I had to be me and share my experiences, ideas and thoughts in a manner that made sense to me, not by delivering some silly theatrics that their training department thought was cookie cutter for everyone. And while at times I left management’s stomachs churning from my antics, they loved the loyal following I had. The company loved how I rang up their cash register. They gave me awards for highest attendance and best member weight loss results for years – awards that meant nothing to me. Nothing. My awards and rewards were when people came up to me and thanked me for helping them figure out their weight issues and stay motivated.

But then something strange started to happen. In addition to their thanks these people were also giving me nudges. These people saw a gift in me to motivate and inspire people to change. They saw a gift in me to take traditional routes to dieting and better health and come up with innovative, fun and creative ways to be successful and experience long-term results. These people started telling me I needed to get out of accounting and go become a motivational speaker. One woman came up to me and told me about an organization called the National Speakers Association (NSA). I chuckled and said thanks. I went home and looked up NSA online; could not figure what they were really all about and closed out the browser page.

1993, I get a call from a colleague. Would I like to teach a CPA review course with him? Teaching the whole class was just too much for him. I was a full-time recruiter at the time – placing accounting professionals in new positions. I also had the Weight Watchers gig going on. I had “tons” of time on my hands. But it sounded like fun.

Ray and I met. I looked over the materials and learned what was expected of me. I’ve been down the path of this exam. I know the material. What I need to refresh myself on is given to me by the organization. I decided to do it.

I made the class fun. Again, I didn’t exactly follow the rules that were given to me; nor will I write here what my success was; I only share that with my speaking audiences. (Never put certain things in writing) The students started telling me I should go become a Motivational Speaker. Now I’ve got two groups of people telling me the same thing.

I taught this class for several years. I had command of the room. I had command of the material. Students were learning, laughing and passing the exam. I continued to hear them tell me I should go become a motivational speaker. I continued to chuckle.

Winter 1999, I had started an online retail business several years earlier which was providing me no satisfaction and was doing the Weight Watchers thing. The review course had been swallowed up by another review course. I was not on the same page with how the new organization ran their classes so I had decided to jump ship. At the same time I jumped the review course ship I was asked to speak on a cruise ship by someone I met online through a Weight Watchers staff networking group. On that cruise I met two other speakers who were part of that NSA thing. I did my speech – which went okay, just okay - and went home. I wasn’t really sure what the next stop-along-the-way-in-my-life was going to look like.

Then one day while sitting in my cold mud-room-converted-to-an-office, my phone rings.

On the other end of the line was someone from the State of CT telling me how she got my name from someone and heard that I could "light a fire under the asses of a stereotypical group of state workers.” Those were her words, not mine. I held the phone in disbelief. Why is this person calling me…………….I’m an accountant who talks to fat ladies?

But I kept hearing those voices inside telling me to go be a Motivational Speaker.

Voices: “You should be a motivational speaker!”
Me: “I’m an accountant who talks to fat ladies?”

Voices: “You should be a motivational speaker!”
Me: “I’m an accountant who talks to fat ladies?”

Voices: “You should be a motivational speaker!”
Me: “I’m an accountant who talks to fat ladies?”

I paused and then some words just came out of my mouth……………………

“Let me come down, meet with you and see what you have in mind.”

And those words were clear, commanding, confident, and not above the speed limit.

I did that speech. I joined that NSA thing. A new career began.

Today you can find me at http://richdigirolamo.com/. But more importantly, thanks to Professor Grant, the Class of 1985 Government Majors at Manhattan College, my friends at Continental Grain Company, Mikki Williams, Scott “Q” Marcus, Christie Ward, NSA and all the “Skinnies” at Weight Watchers; you helped lead me to a path and into a career that has me jumping up out of bed in the morning!

And if you want to get more comfortable speaking in public visit my friend Jacki Rose.