Newsletter - January 2005

 Welcome

A very warm welcome to you - this is the first e-newsletter of the National Speakers Association of South Africa, the official South African body for professional speakers who earn their living from speaking, training, coaching, facilitating or the like. The organisation has been formed along the lines of the NSA (America) the PSA (Great Britain) the NSAA (Australia) the NSANZ (New Zealand) and CAPS (Canada) and is in the process of fulfilling the criteria to become a fully fledged member of the IFFPS (International Federation For Professional Speakers). The broad objectives of this non- profit organisation is

to build the scope and credibility of the speaking profession in Southern Africa 
to create a home for existing speakers where ideas and knowledge can be shared in the interests of upliftment of the profession
to establish training forums for those speakers wishing to improve their capabilities and run their businesses more effectively
to encourage and develop aspirant local speaking talent

Why now?

Although Southern Africa has an embarrassment of highly talented speakers, relatively few have developed an international profile. Over 3 years ago Stef du Plessis took the initiative and invited as many South African speakers as he could find to a founders meeting. At this meeting it was agreed to register the Association, and open a bank account. These initial costs were sponsored by Stef and Clive Simpkins by means of a loan. But it was only in April last year that the association started organising meetings and in August elected a  voluntary representative committee. The committee consists of:

Stef du Plessis           (President and founder)

Paul du Toit              (Deputy President, founder member and newsletter)

Michael Jackson         (Joint 2nd deputy President and Memebsrship Verification)

Gail Cameron             (Joint 2nd deputy President and Treasurer)

Annie Greeff              (Recruitment)

Justin Cohen             (Website)

Bronwyn Gibson         (Membership Services)

Gail Cameron has graciously made her conference centre available in Randburg (Gauteng)where we have held our most recent meetings. Since April 2004 our meetings have been addresses by speakers of the calibre of Paul Bridle (UK, President of the IFFPS), Gihan Perera (The Speakers Internet Guru), Bob Urichuck (Canada), Nigel Risner (UK), Frank Furness (immediate past president of PSA UK) and others.

In November 2004 a contingent of a dozen South African Speakers attended the PSA Conference at Latimer House in Chesham, London and came back brimming with ideas, having made new friends from all over the world, many of whom have indicated strong interest in visiting South Africa and sharing their wisdom with us - but most of all with a broader perspective of where professional speaking is going worldwide.

What are the benefits of joining the national body?

The benefits of being a member of NSASA and ultimately IFFPS are numerous. It is recommended that you visit the websites of some of the more established associations to ascertain for yourself what has been achieved, and the long term benefits for your speaking career. Our own website will be going live in 2005.

United States https://www.nsaspeaker.org
Europe (UK)   http://www.professionalspeakers.org
Australia          http://www.nationalspeakers.asn.au
New Zealand http://www.nationalspeakers.org.nzl
Canada           http://www.canadianspeakers.org

When the NSA in the USA was started years ago many asked the same question - what are the benefits? The NSA has set a trend that has been emulated by other national speakers associations around the globe, and their annual conference (to be held next in Atlanta July 2005) now attracts well in excess of 1500 delegates every year including many of the world's most sought after speakers. Only members of the NSA or recognised affiliated bodies will qualify to attend this or any of the international speakers conferences at member rates.

The next big speaker's event is the inaugural First Global Summit of Professional Speakers at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel  in Singapore from 31 March to 2 April 2005 and will be attended by speakers from around the world. This event will be jointly hosted by the International Federation For International Speakers (IFFPS) and the Asia Speakers Association (ASA). Fully compliant members of NSASA will attend at member rates. The South African contingent will be led by Stef du Plessis, Paul du Toit and Michael Jackson.

For details and registration forms for this premier event go to http://www.iffps.org/

What are the subscriptions to NSASA?

We have a four-tier membership system. The fees are:

Professional membership - R350-00 per month (and a once-off initiation fee of R350)

Associate membership - R125 per month (and a once-off initiation fee of R350)

Candidate membership - R85 per month (no initiation fee)

Supplier membership - R185 per month (and a once-off initiation fee of R350)

Details of the various categories and membership requirements are available on request.

What if I live outside of Gauteng?

The model developed by the other speakers associations worldwide is the establishment of Regional Chapters - for this we need members in those regions prepared to roll up their sleeves and get these chapters going. We plan to have chapters established in Cape Town and Durban in the first six months of 2005 and would welcome members from other major centres.

Who do I contact to become a member?

If you require membership forms or further membership information please mailto:manager@stefduplessis.com 

Next meeting Saturday 15 January 2005 at 09h00.

On Saturday morning 15 January NSASA is holding a strategic planning workshop called "Plan your Speaking (training/coaching) Business for 2005" at Image Excellence House, 159 Oak Ave, cnr George Avenue – off Hendrik Verwoerd Avenue, Randburg. It will be presented by our association President, Stef du Plessis. The session will commence at 09h30 and should be over by 13h00. If you would like to attend, please email Stef@stefduplessis.com to reserve your place. The cost of the morning is R50 for members, R450-00 for non-members (or new members applying for membership on the day). 

This session is preceded by an NSASA committee meeting at 07h30 that morning.

Next Newsletter

Should be out early February. We hope to have a logo and newsletter-head by then. If you have news that may be of interest to the speaking community, please mailto:paul@congruence.co.za.

That's it for now. If you're not a member already, we hope to have you on board soon.

Kind regards,

The NSASA Committee