Karen Eddington

About Karen Eddington

I work with organizations who want tools to recover from setbacks. Specializing in…

Experience

1. Keynote and Virtual Speaker

   Centered Inc Conferences And Events

   Jan 2008 — Present

   Why I Speak to the One: A behind the scenes experience.Have you ever felt alone at a conference? There are times we can be surrounded by people yet still feel isolated. I was hired to speak at an association conference in Florida. The night before the conference started they held a reception on an outdoor plaza, complete with attendees, a live band, food, and glow bracelets for some added fun. I remember walking the perimeter of the loud party when I saw a woman in the back, alone, on the sidelines, and she wasn\'t wearing a glow bracelet. I kept going a couple steps when I felt an impression to stop,\"Go say hi to that woman.\" We had a simple conversation. But her parting words hit me. She said,\"Thank you so much for talking to me. I was feeling quite alone.\" I invited her to attend my morning breakout session. About 10 minutes into my program I saw her enter the room late. We made eye contact, and in that moment I felt like I had traveled across the country to talk to her. She was my \"one person.\" But perhaps the best part, the session title we had decided on months in advance was,\"You Are Not Alone.\" We can be a in a room full of people and still feel alone, not good enough, with a hustle to be seen. This was a pivotal experience for how I see my role as a conference speaker. I believe in being accessible, and speaking to your attendees one by one.I want to ease disconnection that happens at events while sharing words that I love. You matter. Your attendees matter. You need hope, uplift, professionalism, and fun that fit with your learning style. I\'ve learned ways to create meeting safety for introverts (sometimes when we\'re planning we forget about those who\'d rather be introspective) and fuel for the extroverts. Let\'s help our attendees feel progress over side to side positioning. Let\'s help people to feel seen. Let\'s spark ideas that fuel us. Meetings matter. Reach out if I can help you plan your conference.

Education

• Brigham Young University - Idaho

  Organizational Communication