Professional Speaking on the Fast Track

The National Speakers Association’s Las Vegas Chapter (NSA-LV) is proud to introduce its Speaker Academy program. The Academy is a multi-month adult learning program designed to accelerate the educations and skills development for people who want to be successful professional speakers.

Academy’s Purpose

The NSA-LV Speaker Academy’s purpose is two-fold

  • To provide a mechanism for aspiring speakers to learn the basics of the speaking profession and gain the skills necessary to become successful as speakers.
  • To continue to add to the talent, breadth and experience of the NSA-LV chapter membership base.

Academy Member Benefits

The seven-month program will turbo-charge your career by helping you:

  • Understand the business of speaking from both a developmental and operational perspective.
  • Chart your own course for speaking success based on your unique goals and aspirations as a professional speaker.
  • Develop the core competencies of a professional speaker.
  • Gain powerful and practical insights from professional speakers who are practicing what you are learning.
  • Build lasting relationships with other Academy members, NSA-LV members, and the tribe of speakers across the globe.
  • Qualify for professional membership in the National Speakers Association.

As an Academy member, you will learn from a respected faculty of experts hand-picked from NSA-LV Board of Directors and NSA-LV membership, many of whom hold Certified Speaking Professionals (CSP) designations and other industry accolades.

Academy Dates

NSA-LV Academy sessions are held on the 2nd Monday of each month. They begin at 6:30 PM and run until 9:30 PM. All sessions are held in the first-floor Board Room of the Henderson Executive Airport, which is located at 1400 Executive Airport Drive, Henderson, NV 89052.

Dates for the 2011-2012 Academy classes are:

  • October 10, 2011
  • November 14, 2011
  • December – No class
  • January 9, 2012
  • February 13, 2012
  • March 12, 2012
  • April 9, 2012
  • May 19, 2012 – Approximate – On Regularly Scheduled NSA-LV Chapter Meeting

Graduates Also Receive

  • Access to discounted professional services, e.g.
  • Headshots.
  • Video Bios.
  • One-Sheet development assistance.
  • Premier Night Showcase – Judged/feedback & videotaped. Video provided to student in ready-to-upload format.
  • Free admission for every monthly NSA-LV meeting in during the program (value $343)

“This was the best adult learning program I’ve ever attended. In fact, it was so good I agreed to lead the development of the NSA-Las Vegas Chapter’s Academy!”

-Paul H. Burton, J.D. and Creator of the QuietSpacing® productivity method
Graduate – Class of 2010 (NSA-Oregon Fast Track)

Scheduled Curriculum

The Academy’s program consists of seven evening sessions. Subject to the availability of our faculty and instructors, the course sessions will include:

Speaking as a Business

What are the underpinnings of a successful speaking business? How do you get started? What is it that you are trying to build? These are the questions this first session addresses. You will learn the nuts and bolts of starting and running a professional speaking business from the ground up.

Content: Developing Content and Styles of Content

This session provides an overview of the myriad ways content can be developed and delivered. Are you a humorist, a storyteller, a motivator, etc.? With a grounding in the type of speaker you are, you can begin to produce content audiences want to hear. The latter portion of this program reviews the types of content that meeting planners and audiences want to hear.

Creating and Distributing the Marketing Materials

What do you need in the form of collateral to market your services to the people hiring speakers? How much of it is electronic collateral and how much of it is physical? During this session, you’ll learn what professional speakers consider the must-haves and the nice-to-haves for marketing to meeting planners and economic buyers in the speaking industry.

Building and Executing the Marketing Plan

Great content is the first step in any successful speaking business. However, building a plan for getting the message out, then getting the message out are both critically important to building your brand and procuring the financial reward for all your hard work.

Platform Skills – Speaking Like a Professional

The client has called, reviewed your proposal, and hired you to speak. This is the big moment! This session will focus on the tips and tricks of delivering your presentation well and using the stage as a tool.

Dress Rehearsal

The dress rehearsal event will join your presentation with NSA-LV members as judges to provide you a constructive critique of your content, your style and your presentation skills. All this is in preparation for your coming out party to be held at the upcoming NSA-LV Chapter meeting, in front of “real” judges.

Showcase Day

This is the culmination of all your hard work. You will be given 10 minutes to strut your stuff in front of the entire NSA-LV Chapter membership and their guests. In the audience will be meeting planners and speaker bureau representatives who will provide you invaluable written and verbal critiques about your programming.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of this programming. I, too, attended a similar program back in Florida and it did wonders for my skills, confidence, and bank account!”

-Jeff Civillico
NSA-LV Board Member and Academy Instructor

Program Information

  1. Classes are held between 6:30 pm and 9:30 pm.
  2. Class size is limited to 10 people.
  3. Homework will be assigned at the end most meetings.
  4. You will have the opportunity to join a Mastermind group consisting of between 4-6 fellow program participants. Such groups meet regularly and provide an important additional vehicle to growing your speaking business.
  5. Classes are taught by successful professional speakers, as well as, recording experts and others who serve the speaking community. Instructors are selected for their expertise in specific areas.
  6. Upon admission to the Speaker’s Academy, you will also become an Affiliate Member of the NSA-LV Chapter for one year, and will be eligible to attend monthly chapter meetings for FREE.
  7. Completing the Speaker’s Academy program does not make you eligible to join the National Speakers Association or authorize you to use the NSA logo, but it does provide you a clear path to how you can fulfill those membership requirements.

Academy Costs (including all the benefits mentioned above)

If you register BEFORE October 1, 2011: $700.

If you register On or AFTER October 1, 2011: $777

For additional questions, please contact paul@quietspacing.com.

Eligibility and Application Process

No prior paid speaking engagements are required to be eligible to apply. You are eligible to apply to the NSA-LV Speakers Academy if any of the following apply to you:

  • Have already been paid to speak; or
  • Are seriously interested in pursuing a career as a professional speaker; or
  • Are seeking to use paid speaking as an integral component of promoting your existing business venture, e.g, consultancy, training, coaching, etc.

The Academy’s coordinators seek a commitment from you to learn and master the business of professional speaking, as demonstrated in the answers on the application form. The program coordinators will closely consider applicants commitment to attend, participate, and follow-through on program activities.

If this is program is for you, please complete and submit your application here.

If you feel that you currently qualify for full membership to the NSA, please contact NSA directly at (480) 968-2552 or visit our web site for membership details at www.nsalasvegas.com/membership.

Academy Coordinators

Our coordinators review applications and manage the Academy. For this inaugural year, there will only be one coordinator:

Paul H. Burton, paul@quietspacing.com

Paul helps people meet the challenges of the modern workplace. His clients regain control of their day, get more done, and enjoy greater career and personal success. When not delivering presentations filled with time making suggestions, Paul is training and coaching people on how to customize his revolutionary QuietSpacing® productivity method into the way they like to work. You can learn more about Paul and his practice at www.quietspacing.com.

If you have any questions, please email the coordinators listed above.