Stop Chasing Yes: The Power of Not Now
By Patricia Brown I have spent a good part of my career in sales and business development, and one thing I wish I had learned much earlier is that there are more than two answers in sales. We tend to think everything is either yes or no. They booked you or they didn’t. They answered…
The Five-by-Five Method: How Barb Betts Turns Relationships Into Bookings
This post was created from an NSA Speakernomics™ podcast interview with Barb Betts. Want to hear the full conversation? Click here to listen to the episode. Barb Betts spent 14 years building a real estate speaking career before she ever stepped on a corporate stage, and she brought exactly one strategy with her: relationships, ranked…
Make Your Ideas Portable: How Speakers Can Get More From Every Podcast Interview
By Cait Donovan NSA’ers, we have a thing in common. Most of us like to hear ourselves talk. Some of us even got “Most Talkative” in our eighth-grade yearbooks. (Wait, just me? I doubt it.) And we’re so lucky because during keynotes and trainings, we get to experience our love of the gift of gab. Even better is when someone…
When Everything Looks Real, Verified Experience Is the Only Thing That Can’t Be Faked
By Jaime Nolan, CAE The speaking industry has a trust problem, and it didn’t start with AI. Several years ago, meeting planners began telling me something I initially found hard to believe. They were booking speakers with polished demo reels, glowing testimonials, and a professional online presence, then watching them bomb on stage. When they looked deeper,…
Five (Super Easy) Things the Perfect Keynote Speaker Does…Off Stage
By Stephanie Melodia What event organizers actually wish keynote speakers knew, straight from meeting planners at the annual NSA conference, Influence. Public speakers spend years honing their craft, their message, and their delivery. Fewer spend any time on what happens backstage, in the inbox, and in the weeks before the event—even though this is often…
Why a Big Story Isn’t Enough — Presented by MainStage Speaker Business Academy
How One Adventurer Turned Global Attention into a Sustainable Speaking Business Using the Award-Winning Speaker Business Model from MainStage Speaker Business Academy Mark Agnew looked perfectly set up for a speaking career. A world-first expedition in the Arctic. Headline coverage from the BBC. More than 200 media features worldwide. Surely, the speaker bookings would just…
The Real Value of Influence Is Sitting Next to You
By Thom Singer, CSP Influence 2026 lands in my hometown of Austin, TX, this July 25–27 at the Hilton Austin. The theme is about building a better business, and if you’re attending, you should show up ready to learn. The main stage will be strong, the breakouts will be useful, and the hallway conversations will be everywhere….
Don’t Let Public Speaking Leave You Tongue-Tied
By Harvey Mackay, CPAE I am, first and foremost, and will always be, an envelope salesman. My business card says so. But more people probably know me as an author and speaker – which evolved from my sales career. Who knew? Regardless of the title on your business card, everyone is a salesperson whether you want to admit it or not. Why? Because from the time you get up in the…
Should You Attend the Reception the Night Before You Speak?
By: Courtney Ramsey, CSP I read a thread recently that stopped me mid-scroll. The topic wasn’t new, but that didn’t make it any less relevant. It was about whether speakers should attend the reception the night before they present. I paused because this is one of those things I still debate… every single time. I’m that speaker sitting in my hotel…