Enterprising Etiquette

By Lynne Breil, CSP

When it comes to setting up an office and communicating with potential clients, there’s the polite way and the wrong way. From your voicemail to your manners at a business lunch to the way you sign your e-mail, how you behave can be a factor in whether you get the gig or stay home. This pro knows business manners, and she will share her suggestions on what you may need to do as a speaker, trainer or consultant to benefit from the power of being polite. This discussion will include the time tested and the nuances of professional etiquette for the speaking entrepreneur.

Excerpt from the Elusive Obvious

By Michael Grinder

Pattern 21. Pause and Look Intelligent

The patterns of pausing and looking intelligent are closely connected. Why is this so? Simply stated, to be seen as intelligent in the Western European cultures, the communicator must have the ability to pause.

The Pause

Research indicates that non-verbal communication is more influential than verbal communication. Mark Twain was correct when he said, “No word was ever as effective as a rightly timed pause.”

The pause is the single most essential non-verbal signal.

Read more from this article at http://nsaconvention.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=0Wp9jIrM3kQ%3d&tabid=970&mid=2070. And register for the 2010 NSA Convention July 17-20 at the Orlando World Center Marriott to see Michael’s presentation on The Power to Inspire: The Non-Verbals of Dramatic Presentations.

Busy Being Busy: How to use Virtual Assistants to Manage Workload

by Rory Vaden, 2010 NSA Convention Presenter

You wake up. Immediately you notice how tired you are from staying up too late the night before “catching up on things”. One of the first things you do is grab your phone and anxiety sets in as you notice that somehow you already have over a dozen emails waiting for you! On the way to work you anguish over your growing to do list with items carrying over from weeks before. You sit down at work to start answering some of these emails and to your horror you find that they are coming in faster than you can send them out! Not only that but every time you send one out it’s almost like you get 2 back! Throughout the day you have voicemails, texts, social networking messages, meetings, personal errands to run, client follow up, and a whole series of interruptions that constantly leaves you feeling like your behind. Sound familiar? Ever think that just “keeping up” with everything could be a full time job? Guess what? You might be right.

This lifestyle is astoundingly and sadly common among ambitious professionals and it is created by the one common problem that many of us have which is a lack of systems to manage workflow. Fortunately there is a new modern solution; it’s called Virtual Assistants – or what I more appropriately referred to as “Virtual Assistance”.

The days of only top executives having assistants are over. In this internet age hundreds of thousands of people are turning to a rapidly developing trend of working with VAs. They are fairly easy to find, cheaper than you might expect, and if you know “the system” for working with them they can dramatically change your lifestyle. Here is the 6 step process for finding, hiring, training, and working with quality VAs.

1. Step 1 –Question Yourself critically If you’ve been following my work for a while you know that one of the antitheses of the disciplined “Take The Stairs Mentality” is what we call creative avoidance. That is creating busy work for yourself just to avoid doing things you know you need to be doing. No amount of VA will solve your lack of discipline so be brutally honest and decide first if you can eliminate some of these tasks or if there is legitimate admin work that needs more time than you have.

Read more at http://nsaconvention.org/RoryVaden.aspx 

Watch the video below to get a glimpse into what Rory’s concurrent session has in store.

Meet the Pros Registration Now Available

When the 2010 Convention team asked members what it is they miss most about Convention’s they were continuously told, Meet the Pros. So we’re bringing it back this year! On Tuesday morning Convention attendees can enjoy face-time with over 100 of NSA’s best and brightest members. Find out who this year’s pros are and what they have in store at http://nsaconvention.org/MeetthePros2010.aspx.

2010 NSA Convention, July 17-20, Orlando, Fla.

Take a big step toward increasing your client base and attaining your financial goals by attending the 2010 NSA Annual Convention. Now entering its 35th year as the speaking profession’s premier educational and networking event, it weaves together inspiring speakers and motivated participants for a richly rewarding experience.

This year’s Convention boasts a robust program of dynamic general sessions and hard-hitting concurrent sessions, all focused on delivering the information you need to tackle the changes that face professional speakers today. You’ll learn the latest best practices, tools and techniques for effectively managing and increasing your speaking business and bottom line.

Don’t just imagine speaking success. Attend the NSA Convention and learn how to achieve it! Learn more at www.NSAConvention.org.

Phillip Van Hooser, MBA, CSP, CPAE
2009-10 NSA President

Mark Mayberry
2010 Convention Chair

Jolene Brown
2010 Convention Vice-Chair

Maribeth Kuzmeski
2010 Convention Marketing Consultant

Winter Conference Presenter Tells You What to Expect

2010 NSA Winter Conference presenter Linda Keith, CSP, tells you what you can expect from her session The Public Program Option: Control Your Calendar, Make Money and Market Yourself. Visit www.NSAWinterConference.org for more information.

Pre-Winter Conference Seminar

We’re not waiting for the Winter Conference to begin to start providing content-rich learning to conference attendees. The morning of the Winter Conference there will be a BONUS pre-conference seminar featuring 2009 NSA Cavett award-winner Lou Heckler and country music legend Mel Tillis. In their session titled Making Lemonade from Lemons: Turing a Difficult Start in a Great Finish, you will learn how to use the challenges you face in your everyday life to make you stronger; learn that persistence and power go hand-in-hand when you are determined to bring joy to others; and discover how to have some fun with your uniqueness and connect with just about everyone. This session is free to all registered Winter Conference attendees.

Read about Mel in the January/February issue of Speaker magazine in mail boxes and on MyNSA.org in January.

To register for the 2010 Winter Conference visit http://www.NSAWinterConference.org.

Do you want to grow your business and fatten your bank account?

The 2010 Winter Conference underscores NSA’s tradition of providing advanced learning and networking opportunities to help speakers succeed in their speaking careers. Experience a creative educational event where you will receive information, tools, resources and tips to shape your business and boost your bottom line.

The Winter Conference is designed specifically to meet the challenges of the economic downturn. You will learn how to improve your platform skills, enhance your image and engage diverse audiences more effectively. The result: more bookings!

You can customize your conference agenda by choosing the learning that is right for you–Intensive, Mega or Concurrent sessions–or sample each of them. They’re all mighty tasty! Hot topics include advanced platform skills, speaking to Generation X and Y, multiple income streams, money management, virtual staff and more.

Join us for the 2010 Winter Conference in Nashville, also known as Music City, USA. You’ll go hog wild over the abundant, content-rich learning and leave with an action plan that you can implement as soon as you return to your workplace….whether it’s your home, office or virtually anywhere.

The powerful shift from member of a group to part of the community

By Carolyn Strauss

I just got back from the National Speakers Association annual convention in Phoenix. AZ.  This is my tenth convention and to have the opportunity to play with a group of people who are amazing and more outgoing than I am, is a blast….and very noisy!
 
Having attended this convention many times, I have an awareness of what it is to be a full fledged member of this organization, and I participated as such.  I have spoken at this convention several times, first in 2005 at the convention in Atlanta, where I got to speak to the youth program.  And again, last year, in 2008 I was invited to present a breakout session in NYC.  These opportunities came after years of attending these meetings, and getting to know some of the people who make these meetings happen.
 
This time, however, was different.  As an attendee, during the convention and culminating with the CPAE (hall of fame) dinner awards banquet, I noticed a powerful and emotionally moving shift. 
 
How the awards dinner works, is they have someone from the organization who knows the hall of fame recipient, introduced them, give their bio, and then finally announced the name of the recipient.  This year there were five. 
 
As I sat in the audience at my table with people, six of whom I knew and 3 who were new to me, I watched Scott McKain and Patricia Fripp, two members of the hall of fame, M.C. the event and bring on stage the people to introduce the inductees.  As each of the introducers came out I knew who they were.  Over the past 10 or so years, I have had contact with each of the introducers at some point.  

Then something even better happened, in their description of the nominee, even before the names were read I knew who they were.  I had a connection with each of them at some point during the past many years.  To my surprise one of them, Terry Brock, is a good friend of mine and my heart pounded and leapt for joy, seeing him receive this incredible, well-deserved and distinguished honor.
 
So not only was this a memorable night and a memorable convention for the people on that stage getting that award, I felt as if the “family” and community that NSA prides themselves to be for me become a reality.  As an adult I have always said that your friends become the family you choose. It’s interesting to me how, after so many years of being a member of an organization, I am now a part of the community.  It feels warm, inclusive, an incredibly supportive… and who couldn’t use more of that in the world. 
 
I want to invite you to choose an organization or a group that is in alignment with who you are and what you believe in.  Invest the time and energy that it takes to become a part of the community.  The gift you will receive is that every time you’re with them, you get to go “home”.

Volunteer? Are You Kidding?

By Dale Collie

 Over the years a lot of experienced NSA members made the comment that volunteering really pays off. I have to admit that I was kind of leery of their remarks that seemed a whole lot like “recruiting.”

Chapter leadership kind of pulled me into action, first as a director, then as an officer, and finally as chapter president. And all of that kind of made sense to me because my volunteer work was helping hometown speakers and myself at the same time.

I was reluctant to get involved at the national level because all I could see there was grunt work or cliques that surly wouldn’t need my expertise. One of our chapter members, however, talked me into being a “people mover,” and the next year someone I’d met as a people mover asked if I would help with something else. As I got to know more people, I volunteered to help with one of the PEGs, and that led to handling a PEG newsletter and the teleseminars and then to being PEG chair. I’ve just finished a very rewarding year as chair of all the PEGs — thanks to the great PEG chairs and leadership teams. Next year I’ll be involved in another volunteer position.

Here are some things I’ve learned along the way:

• There is no clique that brings in special people. They want capable people who are willing to do the job, not “good friends only.”
• Dozens of volunteers make NSA what it is today
•  The highly visible volunteers are backed up by many who never receive any public recognition
•  All of those people at the top have demonstrated their willingness to help others
•  “Helping others get what they want will help you get what you want.” Zig Ziglar (paraphrased)
•  Let others know that you want to volunteer
• Do what you’re invited to do instead of “wishing and waiting” to asked to do something glamorous
• Make a contribution in your role as a volunteer; be active, meet deadlines, attend meetings, make a difference
• Stay in touch with those you meet along the way – not with an agenda, just as new friends
• Go out of your way to help staff and other volunteer leaders
• Give others credit for achievements; it’s a team effort
• Be persistent in volunteering for what you want to do; help those who now hold the job you’d like to fill
• The more I volunteer, the more good things happen to me

Let’s make sure everyone knows how they can put their expertise to work in helping others succeed. Add your comments about volunteering.