it doesn’t stop me going to my ‘trade association’ ( Professsional Speakers Association in this case)and listening to others. When you go with the right attitude and listen carefully you ALWAYS gain something. I learn lots about humour and story telling when presenting when I attended our national meeting in Leeds yesterday.
I am at the top of my career BUT the only way to stay there is to keep learning, learning and learning. There’s always more to learn, or sometimes be reminded of things you’d learnt in the past and had forgotten.
Not only do you learn from the stage, at the coffee breaks and lunch you network and learn even more from your peers. The PSA is made up of an organisation of “givers”.Everyone ( well, I suppose there are a few exceptions)wants to help and no-one sees the other person as competition. A great trade association to be in.