• Are you someone who loves to speak and has solid expertise and speaking experience?
• Have you begun to think you’d like to have professional speaking be your business or an expanded revenue stream in your consulting, training, or other communication business?
• Are you wondering how you can make the leap from free-to-fee and reach a sustaining level of income?

It is to fill these needs that we created and present the NSA-Oregon Fast Track Candidate Program - for you and people like you.

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Download Fast Track application

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The NSA/Oregon (NSA/O) Candidate Program is designed to help you accelerate your successful entry into or expansion in the speaking profession. You will strengthen your speaking, training or consulting business and as a candidate we will help you qualify for membership in the National Speakers Association and NSA-Oregon.

This program is presented by a faculty of successful long-time professional speakers and is co-coordinated by Jan Carothers, CPC and Christine Richards, who each have long-standing speaking and training careers.

The NSA Oregon Fast Track Candidate program is a two-year commitment that contains a range of educational and developmental elements designed for skillful speakers and emerging professional speakers with the intention to build a more extensive independent business or internal speaking practice. This is not a beginning program for learning to speak. It is designed for experienced speakers.

How the NSA Oregon Fast Track Candidate Program Works.

The program consist of all of the following elements:

1. Fast Track Course– An intensive nine-month learning program that meets on the first Monday of the month in the evenings. The program is designed to help you develop the necessary information to address all the aspects of launching or expanding your speaking business. It addresses and explores up to date information on the key competencies of the ever-changing speaking profession: expertise, eloquence, enterprise and ethics.

2. Speaker Lab’s – An ongoing monthly evening program designed as a laboratory for people to work on material and enhance their speaking skills. Each evening includes a guest speaker facilitator/coach focusing on different aspects of speaking performance.  These invaluable evenings are open to all NSA members and candidates. Every monthly Speaker Lab is an exceptional creative opportunity to give and receive supportive creative feedback on material, delivery and stories with excellent colleague speakers.

3. Designing a high impact business project - that will help you progress toward your goal of getting started or expanding your speaking/communication business.

4. Small group participation – you will become part of a small group of participants who will act as a support, and practice team for you as you go through the Fast Track program. Many past participants have found these small support/accountability groups to be extremely valuable in navigating all the challenges of this program.

5. Personal support – Access to the coordinators of the program to assist you in reaching your goals and friendly access to many of the chapter members who are very supportive of candidates. In addition, you will discover a generous open door from members of the chapter to our candidates to answer questions and guide you on your focused inquiries.

6. Bonus events - Special guest training opportunities developed each year tailored to the special needs and interests of the people in the Candidate Program. These events are focused on the needs of the second year candidates and are open to first year people.

After the initial nine month Fast Track program is complete, you will continue to take part in the monthly Speaker Labs to refine your material and delivery as well as all the career specific Second year seminars, as well as having access to members and the program coordinators and your small group colleagues.

You’ll find that Fast Track will act as your launch pad. During the remaining months of the program you will be busy with expanding projects, speaking engagements, marketing and have an entirely different level and focus of questions. The program has a very effective structure, and some people review parts of the Fast Track as they progress.

In addition candidates are eligible and highly encouraged to attend:

NSA Oregon Chapter meetings – Monthly from September to June the Oregon Chapter has its special membership event (seminar, gathering, or teleconference) that is open to the NSA community here in Oregon and SW Washington. Candidates are part of that community and may attend these events. Often there is a guest speaker or panel of experts or meeting professionals and other speakers who give high content focused presentations targeted to the needs and interests of dedicated professional communicators. Chapter meetings have a separate registration fee per event (usually $35-40.00.)  Candidates pay the chapter member rate.

We also invite you to consider attending National educational events:

NSA National Convention (in July),
NSA Annual Educational Workshops (See www.nsaspeaker.org for details)

Special Opportunities and Discounts

From time to time, candidates may be offered special packages and discounts from special vendor arrangements for services and products needed by speakers, such as video production, portrait photography, graphic or web design, etc. These are offerings as a benefit, and are not required to participate.

The chapter doesn’t participate in such fees, and NSA-Oregon will never propose to candidates any special discount arrangement with a vendor that doesn’t meet a high standard of service and expertise.

Top 10 Benefits for You In the NSA Oregon Fast Track Candidate Program

1. You will become industry savvy.
– Learn from the experience of others how you can be most effective and thrive in this changing communication services profession. We hold small, private, interactive meetings led by seasoned pros. On your own, it can take years to learn the successful business practices, strategies, and techniques shared with you in these straightforward work sessions.

2. You will accelerate your business growth.
 - We assert there is more than enough speaking business available for all of us to achieve our dreams – even in challenging and competitive times.  Our goal is to support every candidate in clarifying and achieving his or her professional goals. Creating and sustaining a living in this business can be a long road when taken alone. Every month you will see progress in yourself and in your candidate colleagues that will both delight and challenge you.

3. Your marketing will be energized and much more effective.
-You will improve your marketing skills, focus your offerings, target your specific audience, explore a range of product delivery channels, enhance your sales skills, and have opportunities to demonstrate your expertise to other speakers, to business buyers and event professionals. You will plan, create or upgrade key elements of promotional material needed, including images, footage, web presence, graphics, writing and media outreach.

4. You can get speaking referrals.
- Our clients often ask us to make referrals to other speakers we know their people would appreciate. We want to refer speakers with the right experience and expertise to delight their audiences. We are a close community and many of us seek opportunities to become familiar with each other's work. Consequently we are able to cross-refer frequently. Through the Speaker Lab’s, candidates have a singular opportunity to be seen and heard by more senior speakers in a casual environment, and many discover they have gotten engagements just through the exposure of Fast Track.

5. You will grow clearer about yourself and your direction.
- We offer high impact, compelling educational sessions and programs in which you can watch and learn from international masters -- some of the best speakers anywhere. This is an excellent place to test your intention to be in the speaking, training and consulting business. It is not, however, the place to learn to speak. If you are really beginning in speaking we will be happy to suggest other training resources. You will be a better speaker to the degree you work, develop superb material and attend Speaker Labs to test it.  You may also find you want to hire a speaking coach.

6. You’ll learn what is happening in the speaking business locally and nationally.
– We inform you about other resources that will help you stay current on the latest information about NSA-Oregon, NSA, other associations, newsletters, speaking resources, and each other. We share ideas and online links stay connected. You can keep up with questions, quandaries and progress of the members of your candidate class.

7. You will gain more good friends. - We are entrepreneurs, road warriors, experts, entertainers, and much more, who enjoy a "water cooler" experience with peers. We believe that adults learn best through participation in shaping their education. We also believe that groups support accelerated learning, so you will be part of a number of groups. This is not the industry or business for the solitary learner. It is a business of relationships, and many happily report some of their best professional relationships started in the Candidate Program.

8. You will save money.
– This is an investment that pays off. As we look back, most of us can point to money we wish we hadn’t spent in our businesses. Or spent differently. The Candidate Program gives you priceless access to information – recommendations and cautions – from seasoned people. You will hear from experts what really works for them, and you can save time as well as avoid their costly mistakes.  (Then you’ll be free to make your own!)

9. You will have a blueprint for success.
- Attending Fast Track is like getting a Masters Degree in “Building A Successful Speaking Business,” only not quite so much work and much more fun. This focused program is a hands-on experience that covers the four key elements of success as a professional speaker and teaches myriad skills and disciplines. One universal claim from Fast Track participants is “I just didn’t know how much there is to know, or to decide, in this business.”

10. You will laugh and have fun.
– We promise! To participate in Fast Track, and succeed in professional speaking, you don't need to be funny, but we do suggest you bring a light-hearted sense of humor. You’ll need it!

Sign up now:
As in everything else in life, to the degree you work the Fast Track program, you'll get these results. If these results would be valuable for you, contact Holly Duckworth at 503-887-4112 or email holly@hollyduckworth.com for this year’s application.

Enrollment for the NSA Oregon Fast Track / Candidate Program two year is open now and we are accepting applications. Space is limited. Reserve your place now.  The 2010-2012 program begins in October 4, 2010.

There will be two information events to find out more and to meet past graduates and faculty – one June 23rd and the other September 15, 2010.

So You Want to Be a Professional Speaker.
Introductory Information Evenings

If you’d like to attend an information event, go on the program and events page on this website and sign up. You can register and pay for the event on PayPal.

These evenings will be held at the Courtyard by Marriott from 7 pm – 9 pm for $10

2010 Fast Track begins October 4th - Sign up soon and save!
Early Bird Discounts

If you sign up and pay by July 15 you save $100 off the tuition. If you sign up by September 22nd you save $50 off the tuition.

The total tuition for two years of programming is $1150.00.  $100 deposit will hold your seat.

Take advantage of one of our special early bird discounts, Register and pay by July 15 get $100 off. Register and pay by September 22nd – receive $50 off full tuition fee.

For further information or for an application to the NSA Oregon Fast Track Candidate Program, please contact Membership Chair Holly Duckworth at 503-887-4112 or holly@hollyduckworth.com or Chapter Administrator Becky Klotz at 503-655-4775 or designcorr@comcast.net.

Co-leaders of the Fast Track Candidate program and Fast Track are Jan Carothers (503-786-9132 -jan@jancarothers.com) and Christine Richards (503-381-6585 - Christine@blackbeltbizsolutions.com)