I GOT MY CSP®!!
What the heck does that mean? Fair question.
CSP® stands for Certified Speaking Professional. It is the only designation/certification type thingie for professional speakers in the US, awarded by the National Speakers Association. Only about 800 people in the world (17% of the NSA Membership) have their CSP, and I’m proud and honored to be among them.
It’s basically a designation that tells meeting planners that I’m a pro. (which after 8 years doing this full time, I sure hope I’ve figured it out! My muffin top says I ain’t starving, so I must be doing something right!)
To get it, I had to:
- Submit a detailed spreadsheet showing that I’d done 250 paid presentations with at least 15 people in each audience within a 10-year period.
- Also show that I had maintained a certain income level from speaking for 5 of those years.
- Request testimonials from at least 20 of my past clients (within a harrowing 10-day period…thank you again to everyone who submitted for me!!!)
- Submit a video of one of my keynotes to be reviewed by the CSP committee
- Go through a final review by the committee for the final approval
AND I WAS APPROVED!!! (and then I made THIS face when I had my big photo op on stage…nice Anne. Why can’t I just be normal sometimes?)
So now I have a few letters after my name, and a bit more of a pep in my step. It’s a lonely business sometimes, and it’s easy for that voice of doubt to creep in (as with all of us) so it’s nice to have a little proof that I’m doing something right, and I should keep doing this speaking thing!! It's been an amazing 8 years, and I can't wait for many more!
What proof do you have that you can pull out when that inner voice of doubt starts squawking? Keep that close, and remind yourself what you’ve accomplished and what you’re capable of.
Then go get ‘em Tiger!
