NSA Virginia

NSA VA Communicator

A Newsletter for NSA Virginia

June 2013

In This Issue
NSA Virginia Brings Home the Bacon
Presidents Remarks
New Member Spotlight
Check out this Month's Sponsors
Want More Speaking Business in 2013?
Attend ProTrack
Tools of the Trade
Save the Date: Upcoming Events
Attend Convention
2013 NSA VA Sponsors
2013 NSA Virginia Board
Join Our Mailing List
2012 NSA President Acceptance Speech
2012 NSA President Acceptance Speech

Do It Well, Make It Fun and Laugh All the Way to the Bank

Friday June 21, 2013 from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDT

Join us for our June meeting with Ron Culberson, CSP and NSA President.

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Richmond Airport

 

  

This Month in NSA Virginia:
 Do It Well, Make It Fun and Laugh All the Way to the Bank"
Featuring: Ron Culberson, CSP and NSA President
Friday, June 21, 8am-Noon
  
From his graduate thesis on the relationship between humor and depression to over 1,000 humorous presentations as a conference and keynote speaker, Ron has been studying and teaching about the benefits of humor since 1984. He believes that there is more to humor than a punchline and that when coupled with a foundation of excellence, humor can help us manage stress, reduce conflict, become more creative, improve problem solving, and ultimately achieve a higher level of productivity and contentment in life and work. He not only teaches this concept, his funny presentations demonstrate it.

 

Thank you to our June Workshop Sponsors: 

Jim Gordon, Successful Life Sailing 

  

And Don't Forget to Register for This Month's PEG!

 

NSA Virginia's PEG has been meeting since September, 2012. The PEG was recently named, the Bacon PEG because the focus of discussion has been about bringing home more money (and those attending seem to also have an affinity for bacon). Meetings are usually attended by 10 -12NSA Va members and affiliates.

 

 The cost to participate is $5 (payable on when you register for the workshop) plus the cost of what you order from the menu on the day of the meeting.

 

Have questions about the PEG?, call Pam Rambo at 757-903-6511 or email her at [email protected].

Presidents Remarks:

Pam Rambo, Ed.D

NSA VA President 2012-13

 

Thank you for the privilege of serving NSA-VA this year as president. We've accomplished much this year as an association. One of my favorite tasks was getting to be a part of making our monthly programs both fun and educational. To borrow a term from Tom Davidson, our association provided a considerable amount of edutainment this year. A full list of our accomplishments this year is contained in the attached annual report that includes both financial and activity updates.

 

One of innovative highlights this year was launching our first PEG (professional enrichment group). The Bacon PEG is modeled after NSA national PEGS and provides an informal meet-up opportunity after each of our monthly workshops to network, exchange ideas and ponder business challenges. What started as an experiment in the fall has become a popular permanent activity.

 

The army of members who enthusiastically took charge of running the association, our NSA-VA Board, rocked with leaders like Jim Gordon, Nancy Giere, Shirley T. Burke, Cathy Lewis, Joan Bowling, Gloria Thomas, Liz Garrett, John Lewis, Dave and Jayme Miles, Barb Upchurch, Lori Hopson, Kittygayle McMoon, Ron Chapman, Winston Bersch and Coleen McKinney. Their contributions strengthened our membership, revised our bylaws, developed a strategic plan of the association, secured sponsors, ran fund-raisers, kept our books in order and our dues and program prices stable, enhanced our outreach and promotion, set a blockbuster lineup for next year, improved our future venue lineup and made new organizational friends. When you see them at our last meeting of the program year in June, let them know how much you enjoyed this year and share your suggestions to pass on to the incoming board.

 

On June 21, 2013 we celebrate our last program of the 2012-13 year with national President of NSA, Ron Culberson. I hope you will be able to join us to see one of the funniest men in the business. Ron is one of those people the White House calls when they need to make a speech funny. Come prepared to put your name in a hat for a chance to win one of several opportunities to give five minutes of one of your speeches for Ron. He will show the winners how to add humor to give added audience impact to their speeches...which increases the likelihood of a return engagement. Cha-ching!

 

Click HERE to download our Annual Report

New Member Spotlight

By Joan Bowling, NSA VA Membership Chair

  

 As Lady Gaga sings it, some people are just "Born This Way" and you get the sense in talking with new NSA/Virginia member Meade Craun that she was born to be a coach and trainer. Meade is currently Relationship Manager with TrainingPros which means that she is the liaison who works with independent contractors and corporations to chart exactly what they need, and the best person to fulfill the training needed. Prior to this position, Meade spent ten years in corporate training and development.

 

Sometimes a great personal loss provides a springboard into a fantastic professional gain; a way to open up the passion and clarity in one's work. Meade lost 110 pounds recently and recaptured her health, energy and confidence to navigate into significant career changes for herself. In recent months she launched her new business, "Doenda" a old Irish word in tribute to her family roots. With Doenda, Meade's goal is to coach adults between the ages of 20 - 39 through critical insights in their careers and then work with them to discover and build frameworks to use in their developing careers.

 

Meade's introduction to NSA/Virginia came through a professional connection via Tom Davidson. Upon attending a NSA/Virginia meeting this year, she was hooked! Meade sees NSA/Virginia as a growth opportunity for keynote speaking and a resource to keep current with speaker tools to build her new business. She's already made some great connections via our membership.

 

Meade lives in Staunton, Virginia with her wonderful husband and two fabulous young children. She enjoys being active in her church's childrens ministry program. She's an avid reader and recommends, "Daring Greatly", by Brene Brown.   Brene Brown was recently on TED talks, which Meade says that she is addicted to! And when it's girlfriend time, her slogan is "So many Virginia wineries, so little time"!

Please join me in welcoming new member, Meade Craun.

 

Sponsor Articles

Captain Jim Gordon

Successful Life Sailing

The Master Empowerment Creator for Women Leaders

 

Captain Jim is fiercely committed to guiding women leaders to achieve fantastic goals without the pain in the gain. You can have the personal life and professional business of your dreams.

 

If you are looking for a proven system that insures your success in addressing financial frustration, physical well-being i.e. desired weight, or lack of confidence, you've come to the right training.

 

"With 30 years of experience working for amazing clients with similar concerns and guiding them to achieve remarkable success, my commitment is that within each is the seed of greatness."

 

Captain Jim resides in a cottage named Wind Chimes on Mill Creek of the Chesapeake Bay. A love of the sea enriches his unique approach. With his one-to-one training, you can bring your dreams into sharp focus.

 

Get in touch with Captain Jim and learn more about his programs by calling (804)399-4444, send an email to [email protected] or

visit www.SuccessfulLifeSailing.com  

 

 

Cathy LewisCathy Lewis

Lewis Communications Group

 

Sitting behind a microphone every day on a live radio talk show is like living in a civil discourse laboratory.  For one hour each day, new organisms (callers and ideas) are introduced into the on-air environment and we get to explore them, consider them, and give them a chance to reshape our ecosystem.  Sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree but the value is in the exchange and our openness to reconsider our own ideas.

 

This opportunity to put our thinking to the rigors of competing ideas is becoming endangered in nearly every sphere of our lives.  Our public discourse pits one well-labeled side against another.  Most workers say they have been in uncivil work environments and many leave their jobs as a result.  Even our children who may have  been teased on the playground in the past have been subjected to sustained bullying campaigns magnified by social media.

 

If you know an audience that would value real-world strategies for creating a more civil future at home, at work and in the community, I hope you'll let me know at [email protected].  

 

I am proud to be part of a profession that offers a nobler way of moving in the world. Every time we treat an audience with respect and allow our ideas to be exposed to theirs, we not only become better speakers and model more positive behavior, we take a stand for a more civil future.  And the challenges we face as a nation are too big, too complex and too expensive for any other response.

 

Stay Tuned, 

 

Cathy Lewis 

Are YOU Being Seen?

 
In December the the Virginia Chapter converted the "find a speaker" search to 
eSpeakers.  If you have not yet created your eSpeakers profile then you are NO LONGER being SEEN on the NSA VA Chapter Website.  As a NSA VA Chapter Member you can have a FREE espeakers profile on our chapter website.  You will need a Credit Card to activate your profile; however it will not be charged. CLICK HERE to activate your eSpeakers profile today! At the minimum your eSpeakers profile need to profile photo, entry in the "one-line bio" and "bio" fields to show on our site. 

 

If you have already created an eSpeakers profile and it is not showing please do the following: Log in to your profile, be sure you have selected the Virginia Chapter as your NSA Chapter and send an email to [email protected] requesting you be added to the Virginia Chapter Website. If you cannot recall your eSpeakers password you will need to contact them directly at [email protected].

 

For more information, contact Jim Gordon (804)399-4444.

ProTrack- Now Accepting Applications for the 2014 Class!

 

NSA-VA offers the Pro-Track Speakers Academy to members who want to build a speaking, training or consulting business. This step-by-step, 10-month program delivered by current NSA members will help you to:


CLICK HERE to download the ProTrack Application in a PDF or email [email protected] for a word doc.

 

CLICK HERE to learn more about this amazing program!  

 

Tools of the Trade

By Dave Miles, NSA VA Publicity Chair

 

For this last 'Tools of the Trade' article for the 2012 - 2013 NSA-Virginia year, I was initially at an impasse.  There were so many great tools - some established, some new - that were highlighted over the year, and so many more that we could cover.   I decided to spotlight a few of my favorites and to recommend two new ones. 

 

These are tools that I have used -items that I would personally recommend because I have used them in the past and they have a lot of value depending on what you are trying to accomplish. 

 

First, some of the previously highlighted tools... a 'best of' of sort.

Prezi (www.Prezi.com) is probably the best tool for speakers and trainers who would like to bring a fresh visual perspective to your speaking and training audiences.  I have used Prezi for several classes and conference presentations that went very well, plus I have seen a few keynoters use it very successfully.  One particular professor keynoting at a conference I attended far exceeded anything I have ever been able to do with the program, showing me how much potential there is to PDF's, video, audio, and images.  Here is a quick into to the program: http://youtu.be/ZUNvQVCw4eg

 

Don't forget that it is not only much more engaging and visually appealing, but is also good for search engine optimization.

 

DropBox (www.DropBox.com).  DropBox is a tool that is available for PC, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad, and Blackberry platforms that allows you to not only access your files anywhere over any of your devices, but has a much more important feature.  It allows you to share files with others by creating a shared folder and placing your files there from your computer.  Many files such as video files (even very short files) are way too large to send via regular email like Gmail, Yahoo, etc.  These files can be uploaded in real time and shared with as many people as you are willing to share your file with.  Colleagues that you collaborate with, to 'students' in one of your workshops, or a sales presentation package to a bureau can be shared by initially sending a quick link from DropBox.

For the second portion of the article, I wanted to let you know about two other tools that I have used that you may find as helpful.

 

Have you been looking at writing a book, especially one that you could use for 'back of the room' sales versus a commercially published book?  If so, you might want to look into Amazon's CreateSpace (www.CreateSpace.com).  I have used them before and found that I had a great experience with their service.  You can choose to do as much as you feel comfortable doing on your own, or you can have them help with your design, editing, and marketing for your book.  The price is very reasonable to publish and best of all you do not have to purchase thousands of books and have them take up precious space in your garage.

For a $19.99 retail priced book, I believe that I paid the 'author price' of approximately $3.00 - $3.50 for each hard copy that I wanted shipped to me.  You can sell that book for a pretty discounted price at the back of the room and still make a healthy profit on your book.  CreateSpace also can place your book on Amazon.com for distribution fairly easily since it is an Amazon corporation. 

 

If you're looking at writing a book - CreateSpace is definitely worth the proverbial price of admission.

 

Finally, are you looking to get into PodCasting as a mechanism to get your message to your social media followers and clients?  ...or are you looking to produce great quality audio for your workshops you would like to place online?  

One of the best resources that I have found has been Cliff Ravenscraft, the PodCast AnswerMan (www.PodCastAnswerMan.com).  Cliff's site is truly a beginner's one-stop shop for information about PodCasting.  I have utilized one of the training videos in the past for Adobe Audition and have really enjoyed it and it was very educational.  The PodCast AnswerMan site not only has a variety of training on how to successfully begin to podcast on your site but recommendations on equipment as well as how to set up your equipment to make it as smooth as possible.  Overall, I have been impressed with the site and the information to help steer you in the right direction if you are interested in podcasting. 

 

Remember, when you are considering adding podcasting to your cadre of content on your site it doesn't have to be 100% you or your material to make up a great podcast.  One way to begin is to lean on the expertise of others.  Reach out to other NSA members and experts in their field, or your area of interest and ask to interview them.  Many are very willing to help.  Not only to you get the advantage of their expertise integrated into your content, then can link to your podcast online if they wish helping your SEO and making that content available to as many people as possible. 

 

I have enjoyed writing this article for the NSA-Virginia newsletter this year and I sincerely hope that there has been at least one product or site that you have found to be helpful in making your business more efficient or effective... or at least make your (speaking) life a bit easier.  If there has, I would enjoy hearing about it at [email protected]

 

Thanks again for the opportunity to serve all of you in NSA-Virginia.

Dave

SAVE THE DATE
  • 27-30-July 2013 NSA NATIONAL CONVENTION  CLICK HERE for information

       Please note: As we strive to have the highest caliber of speakers, with that comes last-minute changes at times. Therefore, speakers and topics are subject to change. Watch your email for details on these meetings. Registrations for these workshops will be open soon! 

 

View Photos From Past NSA Virginia Workshops 

NSA National Convention Trip for NSA Virginia Members

 

The NSA National Convention is a career-changing experience for speakers and entrepreneurs. It is a chance to connect with the most successful speakers and business owners in the country and learn new ways to monetize your skills, reach your niche customer and evaluate your brand.

 

The great news for NSA Va. members is that the 2013 national convention is on the east coast this year. Join your NSA Va. colleagues in Philadelphia July 27-30. Registration for the convention has begun at www.nsaspeaker.org. Save money by registering early by June 10. Early registration is $727 for national members and $977 for state chapter members who are not national members. Staff members, spouses and partners can attend for $657. Children between the ages of 10 and 16 can attend the NSA Youth Leadership Program at the early bird rate of $525. Early bird lodging is only $159 per night at the Marriott for reservations made through June 26.

 

Getting to Philadelphia is inexpensive. Philadelphia is an easy drive but will involve parking fees. Amtrak has great fares from Newport News, Williamsburg and Richmond. For example, The 94 Northeast Regional from Newport News to Philadelphia (9:15 am from Newport News and 10:29 am from Richmond July 26 arriving in Philadelphia at 3:54 pm) and 95 Northeast Regional return from Philadelphia to Newport News round trip fare is $159 on July 31. For more information about Amtrak service to and from the convention, go to www.amtrak.com. US Airways is currently advertising a $292 roundtrip fare for convention week.

 

Some of the members of NSA Va members are already planning to take Amtrak. Join us on the Amtrak 94 Northeast Regional on July 26th from your neighborhood Amtrak station. Whether you go by car, train or plane...see you at NSA 2013!

 

CLICK HERE to learn more about this wonderful opportunity!

We Our NSA Workshop Sponsors!

By Liz Garrett, NSA VA Sponsor Chair

  
As the year winds down, we would like to give a final shout out to our wonderful Chapter Members and Guests that have supported this years workshops as a sponsor. A round of applause please as we introduce this years supports in order of appearance:
2012 - 2013 Officers and Executive Board
 

LEADERSHIP TEAM

President- Pam Rambo
President-Elect- Jim Gordon
Immediate Past President- Coleen Kenny

Vice President- Ron Chapman
Secretary- Nancy Giere

Treasurer- Shirley T. Burke

Member at Large- Gloria Thomas

Member at Large for Planning- John Lewis

 

LOGISTICS TEAMS

 Chapter Growth:

Membership Chair- Joan Bowling
Hampton Roads Liaison- Cathy Lewis

Richmond Liaison- Barb Upchurch

Peninsula Liaison- Lori Hobson

Sponsorship- Liz Garrett
Publicity- Dave Miles

   Member Education:

ProTrack- Winston Bersch
Newsletter- Jayme Miles

Librarian- Kittygayle McMoon

 

CLICK HERE to VIEW their profiles and see contact information on the NSA Virginia Website.