Your Monthly News & Updates |
|
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.
|
|
A Message from Our President |
|
Hello fellow members. We have entered a new year, with new possibilities, and opportunities to grow both personally and professionally.
Your board of directors has numerous goals that are member centric.
One goal your board tackled is an upgraded association management software (AMS). After looking at numerous options, we have selected a solution that will serve the many needs we identified for our speaking community. Here is a short list of benefits from this software upgrade:
- A new NSA-Arizona website. I provided a sneak peek during the January monthly meeting and we are working hard to go live in short order.
- The new website will serve many member purposes: a streamlined registration process for our events and membership renewals, and a marketplace for meeting planners to learn about our members.
- An advantage of the new site is that it will enable the marketing and membership committee to have a brand that reflects the professionalism of our association. This will enable us to push for additional members.
- The new AMS will allow us to be more effective in managing our membership.
Another goal is to provide members with diverse education every month. In January, Shawn Rhodes shared information on speaker sales systems. And in February we are grateful to have the expertise of Eddie Turner, CSP® to share how to use facilitation to grow your speaking business. Eddie is one of the smartest, kindest people I know in our industry. I cannot wait to learn from him.
I hope to see you at your February meeting. Remember we have Project and Speaker Labs that enable you to advance your speaking business.
Stay focused, safe, and be well.
NSA-Arizona President
2020-2021
|
|
NSA-AZ Monthly Meeting
Saturday, February 13, 2021
|
|
THIS MEETING WILL BE VIRTUAL |
Networking: 8:30 a.m.
Presentation: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER—Use Facilitation to Grow Your Speaking Business! - Eddie Turner, CSP®
Increasingly, meeting planners are asking for it. Audiences are demanding it. What is it? More interaction from speakers! It is no longer enough to be the “sage on the stage.” The highly paid speakers have discovered the key to engaging audiences is to become a facilitative speaker—both in their delivery of keynotes and training and in customized workshops that follow these events. This program will explain and demonstrate how professional speakers can use the power of facilitation to grow their speaking business.
|
|
Register by February 1st to save 50%!
|
|
Leverage the power and knowledge of the NSA-Arizona Professional Member community. Facilitated by Elaine Simpson.
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 on Zoom from 12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. immediately after the regular chapter meeting.
Attendance at the Professional Opportunity is included for Professional Members and Candidates in the meeting registration. All members are welcome!
Register in advance for this meeting by clicking here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
|
|
If speakers find a niche topic that no one else "owns," they have a higher probability of success. For that reason, the theme for our January-May candidate program is "Finding Your Niche."
Each month one of our NSA-Arizona chapter members will share the story about how they arrived at their niche topic/offering, followed by a short Q&A with the speaker and an interactive sharing session with the group. Each guest speaker's story will be different, which means the takeaways will also be different. Even long-time speakers can benefit if they want to narrow their focus.
Our guest speaker for January was Dr. Lynette Charity. Her courage and determination as she overcame barriers to her success energized the group. Lynette's words of encouragement and nuggets of wisdom led to a lively group discussion. We thank her so much for her contribution to the candidate program!
Join us in February when our guest speaker will be Bob Loeffler, real estate expert and creator of "Fearless Agent." Bob's niche is unique in the real estate industry. We will learn how he recognized a missed opportunity and narrowed his focus to capture it.
Register in advance for this meeting by clicking here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
As always, we’d love your feedback on your experience so far and what additional topics you might want to include in future sessions. Email Kay Sever.
|
|
Bob Loeffler, The Real Estate Sales Expert, got into real estate 30 years ago, when mortgage rates were 15% and the average market time for listings in his area was over a year. Propelled by his positive attitude, he eagerly devoured all the industry and company training he could find. He took extra classes and worked extremely hard … and still failed miserably. Then, after five years of poverty-level earning and frustration, he turned his real estate career around with a unique sales strategy.. |
|
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.
|
|
Cultivate Your Speaking Skills - Reason to be at SPEAKERS LAB #47
Memory (noun)—the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.
“Memory is a complicated thing, a relative to truth, but not its twin.” —Barbara Kingsolver
Many of us start speeches with a quote. And I usually provide a quote as part of the Speakers Lab newsletter piece. Using today’s quote, I might ask, "How do we get our truths into their memory?" Instead, I am going to talk about using quotes in our speeches.
I really like the above quote because I teach psychology and it helps to introduce the psychological process of memory. However, it did not fit the purpose of this article. Have you ever done that? Have you ever fallen in love with a quote, or an example, or story that didn’t quite fit your purpose?
How are we going to know if our quote (or other element of our speech) does not fit our purpose? Our audience will not necessarily tell us and they may not see why such a distinction is important. However, at Speakers Lab you can get that kind of feedback–supportive and direct.
In our current online environment, many of us have been presented with new challenges regarding engaging our audiences. Both the NSA Chapter meetings and the NSA Speakers Lab meetings have gone online. These present an appropriate opportunity for practicing in this environment and getting feedback.
Our presenters may seek help with marketing materials, website design, book ideas, or presentations. NSA-Arizona Speakers Lab is known for providing valuable feedback from skilled evaluators. They help the presenters (and others in the session) to engage their prospects, customers, clients, readers, or audience.
Our methodology: We ask presenters what their purpose is and what kind of feedback they want or need. We provide feedback in a structured environment that includes 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.
Because of our host's scheduling conflict for the Tuesday morning sessions, we are shifting our attendance to the Wednesday evening meetings for the time being. Normally, we would be meeting at NSA headquarters. However, in the current environment we have changed to an online format. 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.
Upcoming Guest Enrichers
02/17/2021—TBD, evening (online) session
“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.
|
|
Volunteer Spotlight: Dr. Karen Jacobson |
|
Where do you live now? Where are you originally from? Do you share your home with pets or family? I live in Scottsdale Arizona. I am originally from Long Island, NY with a 15-year detour in Israel, back to NY then AZ.
Do you have any hobbies, travels, volunteer work, or other interesting things to share? I'm a health and wellness fanatic. I love music and dance. I've been performing since I was a little kid, putting on shows in the family living room. I play guitar and sing in at least two languages. I also dance competitive Latin ballroom, where I've placed top 6 in U.S. National Championships. I have a passion for making soup and no two soups are ever the same since I cook intuitively without set recipes.
What is your speaking specialty? My area of expertise is in leadership and human potential. I run a Leadership Academy that focuses on High-Performance. Most of my work is with management teams and sales teams in technology, finance and healthcare markets.
What kind of work did you do before you started speaking? Are you still doing that or other work in addition to speaking? I was in private Chiropractic practice for over 24 years. My practice ranged from pregnant moms-to-be and newborn babies to elite athletes. I made my career change in a couple of phases. First, back in 2012, I added coaching as a secondary offer while seeing patients. And then five years ago, I stepped away from practice to full-time speaking and consulting. I still maintain my Chiropractic license and will occasionally adjust a patient or two but I dedicate myself full time to my Academy.
When did you start speaking? When did you join NSA-Arizona? I've been speaking for many years from as far back as my Clinical internship in Chiropractic school in the early 90's. Much of my practice was built on speaking at community events, using a business model that people would call "speak to sell." I would give free wellness talks and make an introductory offer to my practice. I joined NSA-Arizona back in 2014 when I was making my career shift. I was a candidate for two years before getting my professional status.
How have you volunteered for our chapter? When I joined the chapter I volunteered to be a greeter during the monthly meetings and worked with the membership committee for a couple of years. In addition, I helped with several events through the years and served a two-year term on the board of directors 2018/2019 and 2019/2020. During my time on the BOD, I chaired the Chapter Candidate program and ran it for two years.
For you, what is the best advantage of NSA-Arizona membership? Personally, I found it a great privilege to work with the candidates. As speakers, we are constantly learning, growing, changing and evolving. I have many fellow NSA members as my own support team. Being able to pass along knowledge and expertise to aspiring speakers was an opportunity to "Pay it Forward."
|
|
Editor’s Note: This feature reminds you to take advantage of our fabulous lending library of NSA Convention recordings.
Sometimes I like something a little bit different. I looked through the library's collection and remembered that we have a good number of Voices of Experience CDs, the audio magazine, available to us thanks to generous donations. So I grabbed a disc at random, and chose the April 2013 edition.
In this issue, Theo Androus interviews Sally Hogshead, author of Fascinate about how she built her career as an unknown. It comes down to the decision-making process; how does the planner, bureau, or committee select who will speak at the event? One of two things will happen: the speaker either goes to the "no" pile, or into the "maybe" pile.
Who deserves a second look? Sally knew she couldn't compete with bestselling authors, or people who are regularly on TV. As long as she can stay out of the "no" pile, and continue to earn their interest, she has a chance of staying in the "maybe" pile.
Sally's research shows the average attention span is nine seconds. She had to do something that would keep that attention for the first nine seconds, then the next nine seconds, then the next nine seconds. She chose to make a speaking reel that looks more like a commercial. Make it impossible for the decision maker to turn it off after nine seconds, even if they don't like it. As long as she could stay in the "maybe" pile, she could potentially break through enough to clearly define herself in that category.
The good news, Sally says, is that the bar is low. Just be really great in one way that your materials stand out. Turn your attention to the audience before the audience, which is the decision makers. Those are the ones we need to fascinate before we can get to the audience.
I'm glad I listened to this interview, because it echoed something I have been considering. I work as a contract trainer teaching people how to pass the stockbroker license exams. I make a decent rate as a trainer, but obviously someone is making more.
I can teach the exams as well as anyone, but I don't have the name brand of Kaplan, STC, Pass Perfect, Knopman, etc. So what can I do? I can make my own demo reel. I can record my virtual classes, and now I know to edit video clips together to ensure, that for nine seconds at a time, I can hold someone's attention.
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.
|
|
Influence 2021: July 10–July 12, 2021–Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, NV
|
|
Word Tripper from the Platform |
|
Do you ever confuse this word pair? Now you know the difference so you won't get tripped up!
Afflict, inflict – Both words mean to cause pain, suffering, distress, and discomfort. “Afflict,” which uses the preposition with, usually describes an illness or condition. “Inflict,” which uses the preposition on, concentrates on the force with which the punishment, suffering, distress, pain, or discomfort is administered.
As a noun, “affliction” is synonymous with disease, misfortune, suffering; “infliction” is synonymous with imposition, enforcement, exaction.
“He did not intend to inflict shame on his friend by his calloused remark. It later afflicted him with a deep sense of remorse.”
|
|
Due to COVID, Living Room Forum has been cancelled until further notice. |
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
