See you at the St. Louis Storytelling Conference!

Speakers know full well the impact that a story has on listeners.

What better place than a national gathering of storytellers to learn from the masters how to craft, deliver and apply a story in business, education, or health care?

Performance storytelling will also be expertly demonstrated in one of several storytelling concerts.

It's open to the public and family friendly.

The confluence of tellers from across the USA will occur in St. Louis, Missouri July 12-15, 2007 at the annual National Storytelling Network's National Storytelling Conference.

For further information go to Storynet and click on the Gateway Arch!

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...this educational post brought to you by your friends at National Speakers Association.

Learn more about The Gateway Chapter here!

23 truths every professional speaker needs to know

1. Speakers deal with meeting planners, experts deal with CEO’s. Which one are you?

2. Audience members want to hear FROM success, not ABOUT it.

3. The more you focus your speeches, the more the buyers say, “That’s for me!” and then the more you can charge.

4. If all you’re doing is speaking then you don’t have a business.

5. If you don't want to make this a career, don't bother.

6. It’s not what you talk about, but what can you bring that nobody else can.

7. ASK YOURSELF: What industry do you want to dominate?

8. Refuse to go away. Persistence is attractive. But don’t be annoying. Or desperate. It’s tough to sell with your tongue hanging out.

9. Why would you re-do or re-create your marketing materials if nobody asks for them?

10. Too polished of a speaker = unapproachable and not real.

11. Speaking at a tradeshow = credibility.

12. Is everything you know written down somewhere?

13. It doesn’t matter what you write. Just write. It's amazing how many speakers don’t write every day.

14. You need to build a following.

15. Eliminate the “one” source of income.

16. You are selling your insights.

17. If you’re the only one who does what you do, there IS no competition.

18. If you want to dominate you need to do your own stuff.

19. Tradeshow speaking = broad based intro to industry & keeps you current.

20. THEY ARE not buying your book, they’re buying your voice.

21. We are in the name accumulation business.

22. SERIOUSLY ASK YOURSELF: Why are you speaking?

23. “You participate in your online image but you don’t control it.” CEO, Monster.com. He also said, “The internet is forever.” Careful what you post.

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...this educational post brought to you by your friends at National Speakers Association.

Learn more about The Gateway Chapter here!

17 things we learned from Eileen McDargh

Eileen McDargh led a fantastic discussion at our NSA St. Louis Chapter Meeting today. Here are a few highlights:

1. Never do anything without a reason with an audience

2. The only word that should follow NO is NEXT

3. As a speaker, remember that you’re taking away the single most valuable assent of your audience members: their time. You can take someone’s money. But you can’t take their time. You take their time; you take their life.

4. Where’s the breath? (stopping, taking a pause, off button, pause to think)

5. If you “know too much,” how do you reduce it down to the core?

6. To succeed in this business, it costs A LOT of money

7. Don’t be seduced by the success of others. It will destroy you.

8. How soon are you engaging your audience?

9. There is no single way to make it in this business.

10. You CAN be several “things,” as long as you market them differently

11. You have to earn the audience's trust as soon as possible.

12. Jackets give women shoulders, taller, more space – b/c women need to own space because there's not as much immediate trust like men

13. Speakers aren’t just booked for content and speech, but as a partner in event and “making the event awesome” and co-producing

14. Be careful not to fall in love with your own titles

15. What is today’s creative opportunity?

16. What are you selling your audience?

17. Clarify your topic/message before you get cute with the title


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...from your friends at National Speakers Association

Learn more about The Gateway Chapter here!

Join us for our May chapter meeting!

Are you green and growing in the speaking business?

Or ripe and about to rot?

These are just some of the fascinating questions that our guest speaker,Eileen McDargh, CSP, CPAE will tackle on May 8th for the St. Louis Chapter.

Register online here!