A Convention Bonus offer of this hour-long video will be offered beginning NOW.
The 2006 NSA Convention Special Bonus with any projector order. Call or email to find out details of the new projectors being shown at NSA.
The free bonus offer includes $315 worth of books, videos and CD's perfect for speakers.
Best Ideas from 32 NSA Conventions Video by Bill Johnson, CSP, the same seminar that earned a standing ovation at the 2003 Convention in New Orleans. Includes work sheets for individual or group study session! Bill was the first Executive Vice President of NSA serving for eight years. As president of a recording company he produced tapes for over 100 speakers. He has attended every NSA Convention and recorded the first eight conventions. In 2003 he was one of the five honored each year as a "Legend of the Speaking Profession" at a D.C. area banquet by the Veteran Speakers Retreat.
New CD set "Speaking and Presentation Skills" Bill Johnson, CSP.
This collection is from Bill's popular 12 hour "drill deep" seminar. A perfect companion to the "Best Ideas from 32 Conventions" audio and video package.
Patricia Fripp's classic Video Preparing & Presenting Powerful Programs
The Fine Art of Doing Better hard cover book produced and edited by past NSA President John Hammond. Includes chapters by Zig, Brian Tracy, Mark Victor Hansen, Cavett Robert, Bill Gove, Art Linkletter and others.
The Public Speakers "Not So Secret" Rule Book.... Being introduced for the first time released convention week by Ed Scannell and Steve Tyra. Ed is Past President of NSA, Meeting Professionals International and American Society for Training and Development. Steve is past president of NSA Arizona, author of three previous books and former chief audio engineer for a trend setting recording company. He produced tapes for over 100 top speakers and seminar leaders.
Classic CD of 1976 interview with first NSA President Bill Gove.
Jana Stanfield's CD custom made just for speakers seminar in-out-break music features her "If I were Brave" hit.
A classic 1978 cassette interview with Cavett Robert, founder of NSA. This archive treasure has never been offered for sale.
This $315 package is offered as a bonus with any projector purchased during 2006!
Contact Bill Johnson at 602-870-3333 or Bill@BillJohnson.com for up-to-the-minute newest models, features and prices to fill your personal needs. Bill can also explain the workings of the revolutionary tiny digital recorders for your own CD's, projector remote controls and wireless microphones.
These are ideas I recalled from the early conventions and the speaker who passed along the idea.
Bill Gove -- First NSA President
The most important points in preparing a speech are a strong Opening and Close. Both of these should be well practiced and delivered from memory. His comment was that if you follow that guideline "The middle will take care of itself."
Bill Gove was master of the vignette. His example was building a story until it was a major part of the speech. My personal recollection of Bill's speeches is that one-hour might be three stories that would take up seventy five percent of the time. Each story was fine tuned and told with a dramatic flair, humor mixed with thought provoking content.
Like most of the prominent early (1950's) speakers Bill would do he same speech with very slight customization for a year.
Dr. Norman Peale
He was a pioneer of speaking in his church "down front" instead of behind a pulpit. He used the same style in delivering convention speeches. He also was one of he first speaker to do away with notes of any kind.
Norman Vincent Peale was a master at coloring a plain simple story into a verbal masterpiece. He made a personal joke about how he learned to "embellish stories" from Cavett! His speeches were usually constructed with only three major points that could be easily remembered.
Dr. Charles Jarvis
A dentist from San Marcos, Texas, Dr. Jarvis was a graduate of the Naval Academy and a Navy pilot. He was the premier humorous speaker in the early days of NSA. If a crowd was gathered you could be sure they were listening to Charles! He taught us the amazing power of simple facial and hand gestures.
Dr. Jarvis created most all of his stories from experiences, both real and imagined as he worked on teeth! He used "strings" of material that perfectly fit into a hilarious word picture adventure. We all need to work for better word pictures for our speeches.
He gave credit for his skill to reading books on humor and listening to tapes of the great comedians.
Cavett Robert
He taught us the power of "off the wall" enthusiasm! From start to finish his speeches were non-stop energy.
Cavett gave his first paid speech at age 60! His enthusiasm for speaking recruited a majority of the fist NSA members into the profession. His constant encouragement of others drew together the first group who later became National Speakers Association.
Joel Weldon
Became a model student of our profession. He studied every speaker, learned from the great and threw out everything else. Joel broke new ground in creativity and especially amazing preparation for every presentation. His guideline was simple: The three "P's". Prepare, Prepare and Prepare.
The best line I ever hear Joel utter was "practice doesn't make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect!" (Practice only makes permanent)
Og Mandino
Through Og's sincerity on the platform we found a new level of power.
Og was always the quiet and warm person we saw on stage. Being yourself is so important! Through his books we learned the incredible power of the metaphor and word pictures.
Ron Willingham
Ron has taught thousands of speakers and seminar leaders world wide the importance of integrity. My greatest lesson from Ron is the value of tight structure and discipline in training. More than anything else he has taught us that the information we pass along is about the audience, not about the speaker. The power in training is making it "discovery learning" for the participants.
The early days of NSA were almost completely dominated by males. The first convention attendees were over 90 percent men. It was fantastic when Naomi Rhode blew us away at the 1977 convention with her unique soft, loving and serious style. This was new for NSA and was followed in 1979 when Jeanne Robertson showed us a completely new level of delivery and humor. Patricia Fripp emerged rapidly and has shown us the importance of "passion for the platform." Thanks to these women for leading the way with new style and delivery and what that did to bring many women into NSA. The conventions now look and smell a lot better! They also brought a new level of "class" and nice touches in many areas of our meetings and preparation. Each of these women became President of the National Speakers Association, honored as CPAE Speakers Hall of Fame members and each received the "Cavett" award. That award goes to ONE speaker each year!
Bill Johnson, CSP
First Executive Vice President of NSA
1975-1983
A personal note....
My passion for the speaking profession began long before I ever gave a speech. In 1973 I was president of a recording company and had never heard of a "professional speaker." Somers White introduced me to the business. Cavett Robert came bounding in my office one day and my life has never been the same. Soon I met Bill Gove over dinner and he was to be the first president of NSA.
We produced cassettes and packaged albums for those three pioneers and a hundred more during the 1970's. Cavett invited me to attend the first convention in 1975 and I asked if I could bring my little 40-pound recorder along. That was the beginning of my recording the first eight conventions for NSA.
As the first "supplier" member of NSA they recruited me to be the executive director on a part-time basis. That part-time job soon was called executive vice president. In 1983 NSA grew to the point of needing a regular staff and I began speaking and consulting.
A list of many ideas I learned along the way follows this page. In some cases the point may not be clear or understood to newer speakers. Please send me an email with any questions. If you have ideas that should be on the list let me know and it will continue to grow. I will take the liberty of using your name unless you tell me differently.
Thank you
Bill
Labor Day 2003
Contact your meeting planner as appropriate before any event to reconfirm the schedule
Clear any significant adjustments of any kind with your host person
Learn as much as possible about your audience in advance
Send appropriate introduction in advance and keep a spare copy on your person
Have a personal travel and speech checklist at home and office
Develop fresh and original material daily
Know which material to delete in a time crunch
Less time and material is always more ------ going too long is bad for someone
Don't even think of using others speakers' original material
Join a Toastmasters Club and if you do not get value find another Toastmasters Club!
Do not even consider billing for little items or padding expenses
Never take the upscale personal comforts without specific planner request
Keep critical presentation items in your possession with back up of discs and print copies
Attend humor and acting workshops, get a coach for these skills
Develop a memorable & unique style and stories
As practical, use your own electronic equipment to reduce host expenses and your reliance on unfamiliar or questionable equipment
Be prepared to contact a back up speaker in the event of a personal problem
Keep speaking attire and materials ready for a quick departure to help a planner or speaker in emergency
Avoid clothes and jewelry that might detract attention from you and your message
Be sure to request final program copy via fax; programs magically change without notice
Carry copies of all agreements and meeting details to the event
Supply planner with diagram of your preferred room set with English and Spanish instructions
ON SITE Considerations and ideas
Use an evaluation form and discreet video taping when appropriate for self-critique
You are on before you are on; watch your behavior because they know who you are! This includes during transportation to the event
Let the planner know you have arrived
Make some new friends to mention by name in presentation
Learn some very fresh information to use in their presentation
Visit the meeting room early and again when you are next
Note location of sound, temperature, light controls
Locate nearest fire exit
If it is classroom style, use chevron table arrangement
Meet the AV person (if appropriate)
Let the planner know you will be in charge of the room (one less item for worry)
Have your personal clock easy to read from a few feet out of audience sight
Do not look at your wristwatch during presentation (see above)
Avoid stress with anyone
Attend sessions and activities prior to your presentation to avoid redundant material and for relevant idea gathering
Be cautions about any remark or comment that could offend on or off the platform
Final restroom visit including check of your clothing, face and teeth with wireless mike off
Exercise your voice gently with low do re higher la la la and me
Avoid cold beverages including ice water; room temperature water with lemon please
Be prepared to give immediate fire evacuation instructions
In the event of an attendee health issue be calm and take charge; it is your speech but their meeting. Relinquish control to the meeting management or host in extreme emergency.
Bill Johnson, CSP was the meeting planner for eighteen NSA Conventions and workshops. He served as Executive Director of five associations and president of the Arizona Sunbelt Chapter of Meeting Professionals International.
