And the Winners Are...!

In case you missed the Virgina Speakers Idol Contest held after our program in June, you missed a great time!

The speakers graduating from the Pro Track class had the opportunity to showcase what they learned throughout the year. Not only that, but they got great feedback from a panel of Idol judges, including Paula, Dog and Simon, a la Doris Young, Tom Davidson & special NSA guest Darren LaCroix!

Enjoy a slideshow of the event at:
http://tinyurl.com/Va-Idolcontest

We loved you all - it was so hard to choose the final winners!

And the winners are...
#4 - Yvonne Ortega
#3 - Winston Bersch
#2 - Coleen Kenny

#1 - Debbie Bowie

Congratulations to all who participated. You are all winners in completing the Pro Track course and enhancing your speaking & business skills.

If you haven't signed up to join the upcoming Pro Track class that's starting in September, be sure to visit: http://www.nsavirginia.org/protrack.php for details and an application. There may still be one or two spots available.

P.S. - For the latest list of UPCOMING EVENTS for 2009-10, click here: http://www.nsavirginia.org/events_Results.php

Catapult Your Career!

Would you like to advance your speaking career at lightning speed? Then sign up today for the Pro Track Speaking Academy. You will advance and polish your speaking skills under the tutelage and guidance of seasoned pros. You will also learn other essential skills that will help your speaking business grow. Pro Track is limited to 12 people, and there are only a few spots left, so hurry.

Pro Track grads are eligible to compete in June 2010 for the “NSA Idol Contest” and the top prize is valued at over $1,000. Other prizes are worth hundreds of dollars. All 12 contestants will receive prizes, so get your application in today!

Visit http://FreshBizIdeas.com/SpeakingResources.html for details and program overview.

Register today by clicking on the above link and printing the form to fax in. See you in the limelight!

Need A Marketing Coach?!

Three great opportunities to plug into the mastermind of an innovative marketing speaker (and internet marketing guru) are coming your way this week. Of course, I'm referring to Ford Saeks of http://www.primeconcepts.com/ who is our February 20th program speaker.

Here are the perfect combination of opportunities to move your business ahead of the curve:

• Bonus dinner with Ford for NSA-VA members Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. Contact Ron Chapman at ron@5starperformancesolutions.com for details and to reserve your place.


• Three-hour program Friday morning: Innovative Marketing Mastery to Grow Your Business. Reserve here: http://www.nsavirginia.org/events_Detail.php?EventID=8


• Special one-on-one coaching opportunity Friday afternoon or evening at half off the normal $500 hourly fee. (Email derlanger@erlanger-inc.com to reserve your coaching session asap!)

Take advantage of one or all of these opportunities to get your questions answered or develop some strategies that will kick your business to a higher level!

Getting the Spin on PR!

Our PR Chairperson, Susie Galvez, had been doing an outstanding job of getting more visibility for our chapter and programs this year.

Check out the most recent article, written as a result of the January program: http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/business/local/metrobusiness/article/IRIS02_20090130-233915/193881

Prior to that she ws able to get us some spin in the V Magazine in Richmond. View here: http://tinyurl.com/NSA-Vmag

We were also mentioned as a "Hot Pick" in the Richmond Times-Dispatch for the event on Social networking, which helped drive our program registrations through the roof!

It's great to have such a go-getter on the board doing an outstanding job in PR! Let's be sure to give her kudos, as well as any suggestions or contacts on what else we could do to get the word out about our great programs and chapter benefits.

Brains, Bodies and Advice Needed NOW for Next Year

by Tom Davidson, President-Elect

If you were at the January 16 chapter meeting on Social Networking with David Nour, then you saw the energy and spiraling growth of NSA-Virginia, including 45 visitors to one of the most exciting chapters in the Nation. As your president-elect and with the help of many, I have started to make initial plans to keep this spirit alive and thriving in the new NSA year, which begins July 2009 and continues through June 2010.

For example, your new national president will make Virginia one of his first stops after the National Convention (July 18-21) when he presents a special program to us on August 7th. Many more big programs are being arranged to partner with other professionals across the state and to keep up the momentum we have inherited. Your Board of Directors continues to do a uniquely outstanding job of planning and executing under the leadership of our current president, Dorothy Erlanger. But now is not the time to rest.

Please consider the following requests and respond to me directly with your comments:
1. Volunteering. Your help is badly needed for a growing list of volunteer jobs and potentially open positions on the Board of Directors. If you have an interest in any of the following areas, of if you are unsure where you might fit but just want to take a more active role in the chapter, please let me know right away. There is more than enough to do so that anyone with an interest can be accommodated in some way, and it is one of my goals to help leverage your membership through networking and volunteering of this type.

a. Membership services
b. Meeting logistics
c. Financial management
d. Leveraging technology
e. Internal and external communications
f. Library resources
g. Special projects

2. Programs. While some groundwork as been laid for programs in the new year, I am still working to identify top speakers on relevant topics that you will find inspiring for yourself and practical for your businesses. If you have any suggestion for a topic or a speaker who has made a difference in your NSA experience or elsewhere in your lives, then please let me know. Also, if you belong to another professional organization with a goal that intersects with those of NSA Virginia, let me know who they are so we can potentially build bridges with them in the year ahead.
3. General Advice. Finally, if you have any advice for providing leadership and managing the organization’s resources in the new year, please let me know that as well. I will value every word and appreciate every minute you spend sharing your wisdom.

Please email me with your thoughts at Tom@DavidsonLeadership.com or call me at (O) 804-217-8365 or (H) 804-769-1754. I look forward to hearing from you on any or all of the topics posted above and seeing you over and over again throughout 2009 and beyond. Thank you!

Take Your Speaking Business to New Heights!

The February meeting in Chesapeake, Va. features marketing guru Ford Saeks. This should be an incredible meeting that you won't want to miss!

For total details on this marketing maven and the resources he's bringing us, view the one page pdf file at the link below. Then click on the link to register for this awesome program!

http://www.FreshBizIdeas.com/SpeakingResources.html

See you in Chesapeake!

December Program Changes!

Please note that the previously scheduled program from Friday, December 19th will be postponed till February. Ford Saeks will replace the Feburary speaker.

Make sure you have the February 20th program date on your calendar, as Ford has an awesome program to present! With too many conflicts around the December and holiday time date, it just made sense to move it. It's just that valuable and important to get as many of you as possible to his meeting! For more info on Ford, go to: www.FordSaeks.com

Also plan to attend the January 16th program in Richmond on Social Networking to find out what all the fuss is about Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and other sites that NSA-Virginia is now linked up with. David Nour is the presenter for that. You can check his website for more information at: www.relationshipeconomics.net

In the meantime, president Dorothy Erlanger has invited us all to a holiday get-together in her home. It will be held Friday, December 13th at 5 p.m. Here are the details:

Friends, Food, Fun
When:
Friday, December 13th, 5 pm, early start to make it easier for our ‘cross-regional’ crew to all get together.
What:
Potluck supper
Improv!!! A special event to highlight the evening – Comedy Sportz will engage us with improv theatre
Where:
The home of Dorothy Erlanger, NSA Virginia chapter president
Welcome to: all of our NSA participants, be they members, guests, program visitors who want to get to know us better, and of course partners/spouses

RSVP please to Jean Austin at http://us.mc563.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=jean.austin@comcast.net or Dorothy Erlanger at http://us.mc563.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=Dorothy@proactivepathway.com

For partiers who would prefer to drive in daylight not late evening, the ‘Erlanger B&B’ welcomes you to stay over - up to three people or couples, and there are others in the area who are also happy to provide an evening over place to stay.