Food, Nutrition, and Public Speaking with Donna Manning
Adult and Continuing Education instructor Donna Manning, DTR (Dietetic
Technician Registered), who is an MATC graduate, is a businesswoman who has a
successful career as a motivational speaker, teaches nutrition classes, and volunteers in her community.
She attributes her accomplishments to her attitude. “Without a positive
attitude it is difficult to get anywhere.” Through her business, “Talk of the Town ”, Donna reaches out and inspires people at keynotes, conferences, community
events, educational seminars and the like. Her favorite presentation to give
is Life Strategies Using Humor And A Positive Attitude.
Speaking with her, it’s easy to see why Donna is a successful motivator. Her
sentences twist upward at the end, keeping you listening, anticipating what is
to come next. Donna’s charisma is encompassing and she is full of energy and
is an engaging conversationalist. |  |
“Goals are so important. I think it’s good to have a one-year, a three-year,
and a five-year goal. State conference level was my three-year goal. I did
make that, and my five-year goal was to hit a national level of speaking,” she
said, adding that she signed her first national contract at four and a half
years. “If you don’t have something to work up to—it doesn’t mean you’re not
going to change those goals along the way or tweak them—having goals keeps you
focused on what you’re going after.”
In 2004 she was accepted to the National Speakers Association, a 3500-member
organization whose mission is to “advance the art and value of those who speak
professionally.” That same year she was selected as Dietetic Technician of
the Year for the State of Wisconsin. Her new set of goals includes her five-year
goal of being published.
Donna earned her Dietetic Technician Registered status at MATC and has
several professional affiliations. She co-chairs as Public Relations Representative
for the Madison District Dietetic Association and also holds memberships in
the Wisconsin Dietetic Association and American Dietetic Association. She will
be speaking at the National American Dietetic Association conference this fall.
Donna also serves on several committees, City of Monona Senior Commission,
and the State Accreditation Committee for the Monona Senior Center.
She gives back to her alma mater by teaching ACE courses in public speaking,
food and nutrition. “It boils down to calories in, calories out and physical
activity,” Donna said of the obesity epidemic the United States is currently
experiencing. “The key word is to no yo-yo ‘diet’, but choose a healthy eating
lifestyle.”
Besides teaching and professional speaking, Donna volunteers at the Madison
and Monona Senior Centers and the Monona Library, where she once led a reading
program for pre-schoolers. “That was more nerve-wracking than public speaking
because with pre-schoolers, if you aren’t any good, they will tell you,” she
said with a laugh.
“If you don’t give back, you don’t get back,” Donna said of her dedication
to volunteering. “You never really give away anything. You think you are, but
you always get something back.” She says her recent advance to a national
speaking platform won’t change her community involvement that much. “I just see
opportunities to have fun and more challenges ahead and I’m ready for it.”
Last Modified:
July 2, 2008
top
|
