³ As a closing plenary speaker for the International Human Resource Information Managers Association, I waited patiently in the wings while an insufferable director of a charity took all of his time and most of mine trying to solicit corporate donations. The meeting planner looked on like a mushroom. I had only 20 minutes left after my introduction. I opened with, “In view of the time, I will be brief,” got a thunderous round of applause, finished in 20 minutes, and left, my full fee having been paid six months earlier. I received one of the highest reviews of the entire conference.