Today, I spent time with a small conference organizer who asked us to speak at his event. Because he said he was in alignment with our mission to teach UNTERNS, we were willing to come teach at our expense– he wouldn’t have to cover travel or pay a speaking fee.
More than half an hour into the call, he said that he was looking only for sponsorships– that we could speak if we bought a sponsorship.
My mistake was that I flipped out on him, especially since this guy is a paid speaker himself. He certainly knew how this works.
What I should have done is quickly apologized for the disconnect. Those who know me can tell you I can cut down people quickly for their mistakes.
But from now on, I’m making a special effort to look the other way and be kind, instead of right.
