Two organizations for taking your speaking to the next level.

-A misconception among some professional speakers is that the National Speakers Association is for professionals and Toastmasters is for amateurs. In my opinion, a more correct perspective is: NSA is for the business of speaking and Toastmasters is for everyone.

-NSA is a vibrant speaking association of people who speak for a living or who aspire to be a professional. The value of the conventions is unequalled. It is a supportive organization where speaking professionals share success secrets with their peers.

-If you join NSA, also join a chapter if there is one near you. It’s your chapter membership that connects you with other professionals.

-Toastmasters is where you sharpen your platform skills. You receive feedback that NSA is not designed to give you. Shop around for a strong club that is a good fit for you. Not all clubs are the same. The major value of Toastmasters is found in your participation at the club level.

-Even if you are the most polished speaker in your club, the club format still provides you a terrific place to hone and practice your new material. Testing material in front of an audience is extremely valuable. This is especially great for honing your humor.

-Always compete in all the Toastmaster contests. As a good speaker it’s easy to become lazy. A contest will push you. It’s not about winning. It’s about growth. The speaker who comes in second learns more than the one who wins.

-Toastmasters International has a professional speaker accreditation called Accredited Speaker. The challenge of the goal is reason enough to pursue it. Approximately 60 speakers worldwide, in an association of 200,000 members have been awarded this designation.

-Find more information on the National Speakers Association at www.NSASpeaker.org.

Find more information on Toastmasters at www.Toastmasters.org.

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By John Kinde, Humor Specialist speaker from Las Vegas. Copyright 2005 by John Kinde. More humor skills articles and free Ezine at www.HumorPower.com (702) 263-4363.