Putting a fine point on the speaking industry
Get Connected
Recently, I traveled to Ann
Arbor, Mich., Columbus,
Ohio, Louisville, Ky.,
Richmond, Va. and
Washington, D.C. What
do these cities have in
common? They have great restaurants.
Their unique and diverse offerings are
amazing, from the best corned beef
and chopped chicken liver sandwich
(you just have to try it) at Zingerman’s
Delicatessen in Ann Arbor, to the second largest beer menu in Richmond at
Mekong Restaurant.
Each city also offers a gamut of entertainment options from Louisville’s Inter-
national Ryder Cup Golf Tournament
to the many museums and monuments
in our nation’s capital. What’s more,
each city has an NSA chapter composed
of active members who care about each
other and our association.
longstanding members and helping them
remain connected and involved. Just
because you have been a chapter leader
in the past doesn’t mean you shouldn’t
take another turn at leadership now.
What makes a chapter great?
Why do members attend meetings?
Ultimately, member participation makes a chapter great. NSA members come together for
education and building
community.
In the past two years, Elizabeth
Jeffries, CSP, CPAE, a past national
director, and Stephen Tweed, CSP, a
past national presi-
It is easy to fall into dent, have served as
the trap of saying, chapter presidents of
the Louisville chap-
Those who are new to
the speaking profession
attend meetings to learn
“I’m out all week, ter. Richard Avdoian,
and I don’t want to CSP, MS, MSW, a
past St. Louis chap-
as much as possible about
the speaking profession.
give up a Saturday” ter president, is serv-
or “I’ve heard ing as chapter president again this year.
her before.” I know there have
been several other
chapter presidents who have served
additional terms for their chapters. I
applaud their involvement and hope
they will serve as examples for other
members.
They want to soak up
information and wouldn’t dare miss a
meeting. It doesn’t matter if it’s scheduled on a weekday, week night or a
Saturday morning. They’re there!
As speakers gain experience and have
the opportunity to see and hear more of
our members, it is easy to fall into the
trap of saying, “I’m out all week, and I
don’t want to give up a Saturday”
or “I’ve heard her before.”
While education is important, networking, friendships and community are
equally important. Even
though I’ve pushed myself
to attend chapter meetings
on Saturday mornings in
St. Louis, I’ve never regret-ted it. I only regret missing
a meeting.
Attend a chapter meeting this month.
I’m willing to bet that you will enjoy
seeing old friends and be delighted to
forge new relationships. You won’t
regret going to a meeting, but you
might regret knowing that you missed
out on a lot by not attending meetings
over the past few years.
I hope to see you at a chapter meeting when I’m in town. In the meantime,
“Keep It Real!”
For chapters to thrive, it
is important to attract new
members while retaining
Sam Silverstein, CSP
