Your Monthly News & Updates |
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In News Flash, we provide the highlights of the month with links to the stories you most want to read. You'll find the full edition of News Flash online here. Please forward this newsletter to others whose careers benefit by improved skills in speaking and presenting. Some examples are members of Toastmasters, ATD, MPI, ICF, and AZODN among others.
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A Message from Our President |
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Those of you who have attended our virtual monthly meetings this year know that I like to start them by playing some music relevant to the topic of the day. For the March meeting, I selected Paperback Writer by the Beatles to coincide with our featured presentation on writing your book.
I see the light at the end of this dark tunnel from the past year, and it is not an oncoming train. More of us here in Arizona are getting vaccines. Also, the President has committed that any adult will be eligible to get a vaccine beginning May 1st.
Therefore, your Board of Directors is hopeful that we will be able to go back to in-person meetings, beginning in June. We will social distance, wear masks, and do all the safety protocols. There are a lot of factors that could change our plans, but we are hopeful.
I hope you have had the opportunity to experience our new website. Keep coming back, as we are adding new material all the time.
Be well. Hope to see you in-person soon.
NSA-Arizona President
2020-2021
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NSA-Arizona Monthly Meeting
Saturday, April 10, 2021
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THIS MEETING WILL BE VIRTUAL |
Networking: 8:30 a.m.
Presentation: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER—BYPASS THE GATEKEEPER: SELL TO ASSOCIATIONS THROUGH THE BACK DOOR with Ed Rigsbee, CSP®, CAE®
Tired of hearing from association meeting planners, “We don’t pay speakers” yet you see big names on their program? They do pay speakers, but not just any speaker. Associations want subject matter experts and thought leaders…they don’t want the person that read the book, they want the person who wrote the book.
This program explores many aspects of the association/society, 501(c)6, world and how to succeed in selling your keynotes and training.
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Join your peers as we develop tangible action items cultivated from the material presented during the monthly meeting.
Accountability, brainstorming, and creative thinking lead to the tactical implementation of business-generation ideas!
Join us from 12:15 - 1:30 p.m. immediately after the regular chapter monthly meeting in a Zoom breakout room.
You must register for the monthly program to attend the Professional Opportunity. Open to NSA-Arizona Chapter members.
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The NSA-Arizona Candidate Spring Program continues with its "Finding Your Niche" theme. Our April guest speaker will be Dr. Tyrone Holmes, who has facilitated more than 1,500 paid keynotes, training seminars and classes that have taught participants to connect with others despite their differences, to effectively articulate their messages, to connect with diverse audiences and groups, and to reduce unconscious bias.
His most recent book, Making Diversity a Competitive Advantage: 70 Tips to Improve Communication, is a tool we can use to build powerful connections in diverse organizations. Dr. Holmes is a Past President of the Arizona Chapter of the National Speakers Association. Tyrone will share his story about how he carved out the niche he owns today.
After Tyrone shares his story, participants will have an opportunity to ask questions. Don't miss it!
Join us from 12:15 - 1:30 p.m. immediately after the regular chapter meeting in a Zoom breakout room.
You must register for the monthly program to attend the Candidate Program. Open to NSA-Arizona Chapter members.
As always, we’d love your feedback on your experience so far and what additional topics you might want to include in future sessions.
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Tyrone has held positions in higher education and the financial services industry. He also served as a corporate HR Manager for Amerisure Companies, where he worked extensively in the areas of teambuilding and human resource development. In addition, he's served as a full-time faculty member at Eastern Michigan University and Wayne State University.
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Say Hello to Projects Lab:
- A casual, virtual co-working support space to focus on a project
- Meets 2 hours, twice weekly
- Includes 3 mini-breaks of 5 minutes each to share or get fast feedback
The lab is based on evidence that bursts of focused work of 25-45 minutes align best with brain function. Also, mini-breaks promote productivity and reduce stress.
Recent Projects Lab examples:
- Commencement speech teleprompter preparation (Roger Rickard)
- Working on book (Michelle May, Marla Harr, Lynette Charity)
- Consultant training prep and handouts for winter NSA (Bob Pike)
- Caption conversion for videos and classes (Lynne Wellish)
- Preparing client projects and reports (Natalie Sayer, Denise, Michele Redmond)
There's been fun, like Lynette working on a comedy gig, but also crushing tedious tasks like invoicing. The mini-breaks offer a moment to refresh but often to share inspirational comments and helpful feedback.
Join us on Zoom:
- Mondays from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. - Meeting ID: 810 0479 9119 | Passcode: PROJLAB
- Thursdays from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. - Meeting ID: 896 0984 8982 | Passcode: PROJLAB
Typical Projects Lab Flow:
12:00-12:05: What’s your project/task/goal
12:05-12:40: Focused work
12:40-12:45: Break/Feedback
12:45-1:20: Focused work
1:20-1:25: Break/Feedback
1:25-1:55: Focused work
1:55-2:00: Feedback
If you'd like to work on a project, with the support of your peers, email Suzanne or Marla Harr for the LINK 24 hours prior to the session.
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Cultivate Your Speaking Skills—Reason to be at Speakers Lab #44-B
Persistence (noun)–Firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.
“Your dream doesn’t have an expiration date. Take a deep breath and try again.”–Kt Witten
“If at first you don’t succeed, before you try again, stop to figure out what you did wrong.” –Leo Rosten
I decided to repeat the reason of “persistence” but with a different slant.
In psychology, we use the folksy term “grit” for the ability to persist in the face of obstacles. There is talk of “Zoom fatigue” as an obstacle. Indeed, fatigue itself often presents itself as an obstacle.
Come join us at NSA-Arizona Speakers Lab to get energized and to bolster your grit. We are known for providing valuable feedback from skilled evaluators. We also provide a unique networking environment. You are instantly among friends and colleagues. Speaking for myself, I have established multiple valuable friendships through my participation in Speakers Lab.
We provide feedback in a structured environment. We ask presenters what their purpose is and what kind of feedback they want or need. We provide guidelines both for evaluators and for speakers. This helps to provide supportive, constructive, and useful advice.
Is there an area of your speaking or your speaking business that would benefit from some feedback? Come join us at Speakers’ Lab and experience the valuable feedback and encouragement to help you improve in any area of the speaking business.
We meet via Zoom the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with networking from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. An announcement regarding the Zoom session for the Lab will be emailed prior to the Speakers Lab. When you respond to that email to register for that session, you will be provided with a link.
You may attend these sessions as a Guest. However, if you wish to present at the Lab, you must be a chapter member in good standing. We ask that you attend as a participant twice, before you sign up for time to present.
In a normal meeting, we have three 30-minute slots. Speakers can use the time to receive feedback and tips for a specific purpose, like trying out new material or trying a new form of speaking. They can also get feedback about marketing materials, web sites, or a book idea.
“Insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, but expecting different results.”—attributed to Albert Einstein
“If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.”―Steven Wright
Upcoming Guest Enrichers | April 21, 2021 – TBA
“Speakers Lab is one of the greatest features provided by NSA-Arizona. It is designed to be a safe place to not only practice and hone speaking skills, the feedback given by NSA members is extremely valuable and well worth the price of membership. I highly recommend Speakers Lab to anyone serious about advancing their speaking career.” — Rita Hudgens
NSA-Arizona Speaker Lab Leadership Team: Michael Haley, Debra Exner, Natalie Sayer, Antonio Valles.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Kristin Arnold, MBA, CSP®, CPF Master
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Where do you live now? Where are you originally from? Do you share your home with pets or family? I currently live in North Scottsdale, Arizona with Joe Sherren, CSP®, HoF, Global Speaking Fellow. I’m originally from Los Angeles and went to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, and was stationed in San Francisco, Portsmouth, Virginia and Washington D.C. Once our kids went to college, Joe and I moved to lovely Arizona! We also have a place in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share? I love to read, cook, and travel. Not that I’m doing much of the latter lately!
What is your speaking specialty? I am a professional meeting facilitator and leading authority on moderating panels. I speak on teamwork and critical thinking, with a side dose of emceeing events.
What kind of work did you do before you started speaking? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to speaking? I served on active duty in the USCG in operations and then got into training…which led me to training and facilitation. When I started my consulting company in 1993, I went into the reserve and retired in 2002.
When did you start speaking? When did you join NSA-Arizona? I started speaking in the traditional sense in the late 1990s. I was a member, and then President, of NSA-Virginia. I was a member of NSA-DC for the six years I lived in D.C., and have been a proud member of NSA-Arizona since 2008.
How have you volunteered for our chapter? I have been a presenter, a chapter sage, guest enricher and general cheerleader!
For you, what is the best advantage of NSA-Arizona membership? I have learned so much from my professional colleagues. Why go through the trials and tribulations of this business when you can learn from others, share best practices, and support each other? Very few people understand our business, so it’s great to hang out with those who do!
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Editor’s Note: This feature reminds you to take advantage of our fabulous lending library of NSA Convention recordings.
Info-Product Wealth: Strategies for a Purposeful, Profitable Product Empire, by Stephanie Frank (2007)
I have been thinking lately of putting out some information products to diversify. But what if I could have an info product empire? Sounds pretty good, so I listened to the 2007 breakout session from Stephanie Frank ( who is based in Scottsdale) called info Product Wealth. She describes her techniques in planning, creating, and then marketing her series of information products.
Before any of this can be done, however, we must remove anything that blocks our ability to create info products. Stephanie says, "We must cut through the C.R.A.P."
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C is confusion, not knowing what to do.
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R is resistance, whatever reasons (or excuses) we have on why things are not getting done.
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A is apathy, feeling that the book is not that important.
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P is procrastination, I'll get to it tomorrow.
Notice what is going on, what keeps you from finishing your book? You must understand what is holding you back, because it will continue to slow your progress.
There are three steps towards building your info-product empire: You must first have a model. Your model is the principals that you teach. You may have only a few principals at first. Next, you need a funnel: This is how clients will purchase from you at ever-increasing prices. The third part is your marketing.
Stephanie used her book, "The Accidental Millionaire," as an example. The book is written in story form, and contains 33 principals on how to rebuild a business and systematize everything. At the end of each chapter is a section called "Something Successful to Think About." She says, "We gave the reader specific steps to get connected to the principals. Once you have you principals and your model, you can go as wide and deep when you make your info products." Her book is available by clicking here and each chapter includes specific steps directing the reader to her websites for additional worksheets.
Effectively, Stephanie's book is the introduction to her principals, which then direct readers to further online resources to apply those principals. Each of these principals may break down into three or four more skills, habits, or tools. Each of these can then become a CD, a course, a special report, or a book.
Stephanie says, "If I didn't have something to sell next, what to do next, it would have been a book and that's it. We took all the principals at the end of each chapter into a toolkit and built the tools. Instead of a $20 book, it's now a $20 book plus a $147 toolkit, plus coaching."
The book is the introduction, "How you do what you do is your home study course, it is not your book." Each successive product goes deeper, and at progressively higher price points. "Free is the first thing; give away something for free on your website." Subsequent products will be in the $1-$100 range, then $100-$500, $500-$1000, and $1,000 to $5,000 range."
The key is to draw customers further into the product funnel. "When someone buys one of your products, at the end, tell them what to do next. At the end of the CD, tell them to go to your website, you must tell them what to do next. If you have a free auto-responder e-mail, tell them to buy your next product. At the end of your articles, tell them to download your free stuff." Which is what she does! The back pages of her book are, "Other products and services from Stephanie Frank," including free courses and tools, paid products, and an order form for additional copies of the book.
Richard is NSA-Arizona’s librarian who accepts donations of books, tapes, magazines, CDs, and videos of interest to speakers. Contact Richard for instructions to download recent NSA Convention sessions.
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For more details and to register, visit the NSA website.
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Word Tripper from the Platform |
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Do you ever confuse this word pair? Now you know the difference so you won't get tripped up!
Impetuous, impulsive – Both words refer to people who are hasty or precipitate in their actions. The difference comes from the intention, or lack thereof, behind the action. “Impetuous” suggests eagerness, impatience, recklessness or rashness, while “impulsive” emphasizes spontaneity and a lack of reflection or forethought. Think of the word impatient when you think of “impetuous.”
By comparison, “impulsive” actions tend to be motivated by emotion rather than thought; they are often sudden and sometimes ill advised. “His impetuous advances had her feeling impulsive about getting away from him.”
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Due to COVID, Living Room Forum has been cancelled until further notice. |
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Email your News Flash announcements to editor Linda-Ann Stewart at or call 928-600-0452 by 15th of each month. Thanks to proofreaders Michelle Cubas and Richard Victor.
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