conventions in various other countries. In addition to being a part
of phenomenal keynotes and breakouts, I made loads of new friends
and received amazing hospitality in many different countries. Plus, I
joined mastermind meetings that helped me to grow personally and
professionally. One connection made by an overseas friend turned
into a global contract that expanded my training business.
A few months ago, I did some research (on Facebook, of course)
to find out how other association members were working together.
The more people shared their experiences, the more it became
clear: Collaboration helps everyone to grow and succeed. Many of
the examples fell into several categories: global contracts, referrals,
podcasts or webinars, books and e-books, training and keynotes,
mentoring/coaching, and guest bloggers.
With 14 associations around the world now, many more speakers
are benefiting from being connected via a huge global community,
with the GSF at the heart.
Through collaboration and expertise sharing, we can expand our
combined influence to shape minds and hearts, and to make our
world a better place.
SHIRLEY
TAYLOR, CSP,
is president of the
Global Speakers
Federation. She
lives in Singapore
and is founder/CEO
of S TTS Training.
She specializes in
business writing and
communication skills.
When newcomers walk into any new environ- ment, it’s easy to look around and assume that everyone else is a confident, accomplished professional, light-years ahead of you. That’s what I felt in 2005,
when I attended my first meeting of APSS (Asia Professional
Speakers Singapore).
But like many of you, I pushed through the nerves, and
I kept going back each month. I soon discovered there were
many others just like me—solopreneurs looking for support.
I also realized that those people who seemed so far ahead
had gotten there because they had asked others for help, and
they had reached out to help others.
It wasn’t long before I started discovering the amazing
opportunities that can happen when we collaborate with our
peers—raising money for charity, mastermind meetings,
co-hosting events, and writing books together.
I also discovered the community of the Global Speakers
Federation. Over the past 12 years, I have attended several
Global Speakers Summits and NSA conventions, as well as
WORKING TOGETHER
TO BUILD A GLOBAL PIE
BY SHIRLEY TAYLOR, CSP
