Where are NSA-NYC meetings held?

Unless otherwise noted, all meetings are held at the NYC Bar Association: 42 West 44th Street, New York, NY 10036. 

I have attended Toastmasters; how is that different from NSA?

Toastmasters does a superb job helping people develop and fine-tune their communication, leadership, and presentation skills. National Speakers Association is an organization of and for those who speak professionally.

I would like to speak professionally; will NSA-NYC teach me how to get paid to speak?

NSA-NYC will help you learn how to expand your opportunities and manage the profession of speaking. Some of our programs each year do address marketing. The target audience of NSA-NYC, however, are those who are already being paid -- at least some of the time -- to speak.

Does speaking professionally mean giving keynote addresses to large audiences?

For some speakers giving keynotes is an important part of their business model. However, many of our members present workshops and seminars, and do quite well, but do not deliver many keynotes at all.

What is the difference between Full Membership and Affiliate Membership of NSA-NYC?

To become a Full member of NSA-NYC, one must also be a member of National NSA. There are minimum requirements for National membership that are detailed here:

http://www.nsaspeaker.org/JOINNSA/QualificationInformation.aspx

We strongly encourage those who are eligible to join National NSA since there are certain benefits, both on the National and chapter level, which can be quite valuable.

NSA-NYC welcomes all guests to become members of the chapter at the Affiliate level. Many who are not yet eligible to become Full members find that attending local meetings and presentations help them become more competitive and fine-tune their current or future business model as a speaker. Affiliates receive reduced meeting rates, are eligible for our mentoring program, receive special invitations to our “members only” events, and are part of a unique learning community. Once an Affiliate member joins National NSA they automatically become a Full member of the chapter.

I do a lot of public speaking or workshops or seminars as a part of my work but I don’t define myself as a speaker. Is NSA-NYC for me?

You would be in good company. Most speakers start with some sort of expertise but realize that their professionalism requires continued attention to their presentation styles and changing business models.

I am a very experienced speaker; will I find myself surrounded by people just starting out? OR I am a very inexperienced speaker; will I find myself over my head?

There is a mixed group of attendees at every meeting -- some very well known, accomplished, long time speakers and others who are new in their professional speaking career. The content of each meeting is geared toward professionals but most of our presenters are quite accomplished in modeling how to address multiple experience levels at one time. There is also ample networking time built into each meeting.

What is the mentoring program?

Now in its second year, the NSA-NYC mentoring grogram gives selected participants an opportunity to address specific identified gaps in their professional skills or strategies. A cohort is selected during the summer and each mentee is provided a mentor with expertise in the area identified by the mentee. Each mentee is also given the opportunity to present a 10-minute spotlight at one of the monthly meetings. Applications for the next round will be accepted sometime in the spring.