Bart Berkey is a professional motivational speaker with a unique message: Do things that most people don’t. Be of service to others. Lead with things that are interesting, and present anecdotally instead of replying on data and statistics. Berkey spoke at the Professionals for Association Revenue’s annual RevUP Summit in Annapolis, Maryland, earlier this month. We were fortunate to be in attendance, and naturally, wanted to follow up with him. Here’s our conversation.
Fox Tales: What was the catalyst that led you to this new career as a speaker?
Bart Berkey.
Bart Berkey: After 16 years with Ritz-Carlton and suffering a massive heart attack during routine nose surgery, my desire to help more people outside of the hospitality world truly started. This occurred right before the pandemic. I believe my body was telling me to slow down before I “stopped” (literally).
For years in the hotel world, my teams and I would live “service to others.” I realized that the world could benefit by using the approach of doing what Most People Don’t (the name of my company). It didn’t need to be reserved for service, it could be embraced for life and how we treat each other (with kindness). I also realized that I was very good at “erasing me” when presenting to groups, meaning my entire focus, heart, and awareness was always directed toward the audience. Where others were talking heads, my messages began to be conversation starters.
Fox Tales: Tell us your most memorable presentation based on audience reaction.
Berkey: One message that I often share is the story of Ben, a high school student who heard me speak in Colorado. As part of my message, I reminded the group that they indeed are doing great. It’s not easy being a student, a kid, a person in today’s world. Our exercise in that instance consisted of turning to the person next to them, looking them in their eyes, and simply state YOU’RE DOING GREAT. The embrace of this message shocked me, as the students not only shared this positive message with those immediately around them, but continued to cross the auditorium to tell others from different school districts. They were even calling me off the stage to tell me, “Mr. Bart, YOU’RE DOING GREAT.”
The last line that I shared was “if you need to hear it again tomorrow, let me know.” I shared my mobile and email address. After the event, on my drive to the airport I almost immediately received an email with the subject line “Will you tell me one more time?” This hit me in my core as it was from a student, Ben. I don’t even know if I had met him in person. I pulled to the side of the highway and gave a heartfelt response, thanking him for his vulnerability, and letting him know that I was indeed proud of him. After I sent it, I received almost an immediate response, “Thank you Mr. Berkey, I don’t ever hear this at home.”
For the next six months on my travels, I’d take a photo of something and send it to him with a quick note. “In Florida, thinking of you Ben. By the way, YOU’RE DOING GREAT.” Toward the end, he stopped responding and I got worried. The messages were being delivered but not opened. I called the school district and spoke with the guidance counselor. She immediately thanked me and said “We know exactly who Ben is and what he needs, and we are helping him. He is okay.” Thank goodness. Since I’ve been sharing this message, on random days, I still receive texts from numbers without identifying their names or when we met, asking me to say “Will you tell me one more time?” Of course, I do. The power of those words “YOU’RE DOING GREAT” is immense.
Fox Tales: You spoke at PAR just this month. What’s your take on association revenue producers? What, if anything, sets them apart?
Berkey: A special understanding for the value of association members. What they can bring to the table and how they can contribute overall to growth when we simply involve them. At Ritz-Carlton, we had a value that stated, “I’m involved in the planning of the work that affects me.” Why wouldn’t every organization do the same? My sense is that this group at PAR truly does this. Ask, Listen, Act. Just brilliant.
Fox Tales: More broadly, what is your perspective on the media in general, association and otherwise?
Berkey: Media is powerful. Use it, embrace it, and celebrate it. Understand that everyone learns differently and likes to be informed differently. Tell “STORIES NOT SNORIES,” meaning share information that is memorable and valuable. I suggest sharing messaging or news that is more “Instagram-able” than “Google-able.” People will remember stories 22-times more than data. Lead with things that are interesting. There is a chapter in my book entitled, “My Dog’s Feet Smell Like Fritos.” You might just need to read the book to find out. It’s on Amazon, of course. “Most People Don’t…And Why You Should”