Although I play guitar in a band, I’m far from being a “rock star” (well, my mom thinks I’m one), and I don’t think the term “speak star” exists (although it should!) But I decided to title my story this way because the title of an article is like the intro of a song or the name of a presentation: it should catch you from the start.
A few years ago, I had to give a talk in a conference in Las Vegas. There was great participation, the audience laughed at my jokes and I delivered the message I was looking for. Immediately after I got off the stage that day, a woman named Megan came up to me and said, “You are awesome—you were epically great!" I felt like I was on cloud nine, and I walked around the audience with my chest full of satisfaction and pride. I then decided to stay next to Megan in the backstage area to enjoy the next speaker, and it turned out that it did not go well. He was totally nervous, his slide text was very small, he forgot basic concepts, and used more time than scheduled in his talk, among other capital sins of a good speaker. Well, after finishing his session, he got off the stage, walked over our way, and what happens? Megan comes up and says, “You’re great—you were epically great!” – exactly the same thing she said to me!
Well, that day I understood that the reviews we give to speakers do not necessarily reflect the reality of their performance on stage. Why am I telling you this story? Well, it is very simple – thanks to ISACA and its wonderful Awards Program, having won the ISACA John Kuyers 2020 Award, I now have an impartial reference on my speaking skills. And after many years, I have been able to sleep peacefully and those words of Megan do not torment me in my dreams J That is the significance of ISACA and everything it has done for me, that is the significance of its Awards Program and the importance of what the program does for all its winners. ISACA gives you the award and the community gives you your reward. In fact, if back in 2019 I had not won the “Outstanding Chapter Leader Award” award that inspired me to give even more of myself that year, it is very likely that I would not have won the other award – a cycle of positive events is generated after each recognition.
Friends, colleagues, global family of ISACA, I will confess something to you because you are my family. I was sad this year. Besides of course all the ravages that the pandemic has caused us as a society, on a personal level I was sad because it was not going to be possible to join many of my colleagues at conferences in their countries, but a few weeks ago I realized something. I read a note from a famous new artist, and she was sad because the COVID-19 pandemic had truncated her world tour at “the summit” of her musical career in which she had her most successful song. Of course, it is very possible that when all this passed, she will no longer be leading billboard charts. In contrast, I have had the pleasure of participating in many virtual conferences—in fact, many more than I could have attended in person. I have “traveled” to seven different countries in a single day to give talks at different conferences, and unlike the artist I mentioned, I am certain that I will not be a “one-hit wonder” who wins a speaking award and never speaks again.
How do I know that? Well, in my case, having transformed from being a rock star to a speak star, my talks are my songs, and I think I have several billboard hits, such as “The AudiTHOR: in the Mysterious IT Universe,” “Confessions of a Cyberhumourist,” “Soft Skills for Hard Professionals” or “50 shades of IT.” In fact, thanks to the first talk I mentioned, some colleagues know me as “The AudiTHOR,” basically a traditional or old-school auditor who evolves and becomes an auditor on steroids … an AudiTHOR! with improved technical capabilities (such as data analytics) and enhanced soft skills.
My beginnings as a musician were very similar to my beginnings in ISACA: I was invited into that world and the passion of those around me caught me. I started playing the guitar in different heavy metal bands when I was 15 years old, and I continue playing in bars with my band “CISOmos Rockers,” meaning, "YES, we are rockers.” I have loved the energy of being on a stage “headbanging” and waving my beloved long hair that I had for many years. I finally exchanged my long hair for ties and suits, but I will never be able to change my desire to be on stage for anything, whether it be with a guitar or a microphone – or both!
Preparing a talk is for me is like composing a song. To start, you must be inspired, then you must understand that a talk does not necessarily have to be highly technical (like a classical baroque song). You can do a talk with a single “chord” or idea, and in fact some of my best talks have been based on transmitting an idea or few ideas in a very clear and useful way. The aforementioned talks and others have led me to create the “AudiTOUR of the AudiTHOR 2020,” and surely there will be more editions of that tour in the coming years when I trust that I will soon greet all those who have honored me by reading this article. If you want to be part of the AudiTOUR, please contact me.
By day, I am an engineer expert in audit, cybersecurity, governance, risk, control, privacy and fraud, and by night I am a lead heavy metal guitarist, a griller, a magician, a traveler in search of the ultimate experience, and an award-winning speaker (at least for this year!). I don’t know how interesting my life is, but I sincerely hope that my story inspires someone like the stories and lives of many professionals who have and continue to participate in ISACA have inspired me. I’m just a normal guy from Monterrey, México, who was invited one day to participate in ISACA as a volunteer, and from that moment on his professional career took a big boost. Do you remember those little arrows on the road that appear in the video game “Mario Kart” that, when you pass over them, you are shot at high speed? Friends, that is ISACA, because ISACA is more than just an association, it is a means to empower ourselves as professionals and as people, so that we can be “One In Tech,” and so that we can all be better.
Who could mention a non-existent term like Speak Star, a possible one-hit wonder artist, Mario Kart and even Batman (see my last quote) in one article, and use them all to convey an epic message about ISACA? Only your friend: Arnulfo “The AudiTHOR” Espinosa.