By Carolyn Strauss, CSP I just spent the weekend at the CSP® Summit in Scottsdale, Arizona, surrounded by 150 Certified Speaking Professionals™, some of the best speakers in the world…. And I couldn’t speak. Not a whisper. Not a croak. Nothing. I arrived with a perfectly normal voice the night before the Summit. Woke up … Read more
By Susan Frew, CSP — Keynote Speaker, AI Strategist, and Author of RECODED: Upgrade Your Business DNA with AI For a long time, the three things that made someone a successful professional speaker were talent, determination, and travel. You could make a living if you could get people to pay attention, keep booking gigs, and … Read more
By Heather R Younger, J.D., CSP I joined the National Speakers Association in 2018 and later served as President of NSA Colorado. In those years, I have watched our profession grow in both reach and noise. Open LinkedIn on any given day, and it seems everyone is a keynote speaker. I celebrate the enthusiasm, but … Read more
By Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE, Cavett Award Recipient With 3,500 paid speaking engagements over the past 48 years, I have taken about 9,000 separate flights, including connections. I’ve stayed in over 3,000 hotels and taken a huge number of taxis, limos, private and Uber rides in places where I had never been before. What are … Read more
By Dr. Celina Peerman, CSP In my last article, I wrote about the tension many speakers face as we grow — how success can sneakily outpace our systems, our energy, and even our joy. What I’ve learned since then is this: capacity isn’t about keeping up. It’s about building ahead. If your speaking business is … Read more
By Dr. Celina Peerman, CSP I still remember the moment I realized I couldn’t do it all myself anymore. I was walking off stage after delivering a keynote that had taken weeks of preparation, managing all the logistics, communications, travel details, and follow-up myself. My inbox was exploding, and I had multiple training sessions booked … Read more
By Clint Pulver, CSP, CPAE Eight years ago, I walked away from the security of a steady paycheck. People thought I was crazy. I had a good job, benefits, and what many would call a stable life. But deep down, I wasn’t living—I was existing. A quote by Oscar Wilde haunted me: “To live is … Read more
By Amanda Gore, CSP, CPAE, Global Speaking Fellow BE YOURSELF! So often when I present to speakers, they come up to me afterwards and say, “Thank you for giving me permission to be myself on stage!” I really understand now – but I didn’t earlier in my career! My mentor, Michael Grinder, the world’s leading … Read more
By Brian Walter, CSP, CPAE, Cavett Award Recipient Okay, the words “Clooney” and “paparazzi” in this headline may seem to go together. But…genocide? Yet if you do what I do, and search online for old media stories, you’d discover an amazing insight on how to make our speeches more “sticky.” This insight came from a … Read more
By Maura Nevel Thomas, MBA, CSP The final lessons I’ve collected on building a thriving speaking business involve strategic growth and cultivating the professional relationships that continue to sustain me. These lessons include smart referrals, increasing rates with confidence, staying relevant, and engaging meaningfully with our professional community—all while maintaining the personal well-being that makes … Read more