NSA-Wisconsin upcoming events

Ask a Hall of Famer (November 16, 2026)

Mon, 16 Nov 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Members Only

Ask a Hall of Famer
presented by Christine Cashen, CSP, CPAE

Hall of Fame Speaker, Christine Cashen, CSP, CPAE will join us for a lively Q&A session. Come prepared to ask one of the greats anything you want to know about the speaking profession, storytelling, stories from the road, or beyond.

Christine Cashen has spent more than 20 years speaking to audiences around the globe, delivering fast-paced, laugh-out-loud programs filled with practical ideas people can actually use. She’s a CSP, CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame inductee, and award-winning author of The Good Stuff and It’s YOUR Business.

With a background in communication, adult education, corporate training, and broadcasting, Christine has built her career around humor, relatable stories, and practical ideas that stick.

Christine is a proud member of NSA North Texas, co-chaired Influence 2017 with Michael Hoffman, and has spent years making questionable but highly entertaining dance videos with her bestie, Tami Evans, for Thrive.

Offstage, she’s mom to two college kids, wife to her “hottie engineer,” and an enthusiastic golfer whose short game remains a work in progress.

Note: you will receive the Zoom link in your confirmation email after you register.

Virtual Speakers Development Lab (November 23, 2026)

Tue, 24 Nov 2026 00:30:00 GMT

Join us as a speaker or come for the fun and gain some insights and tips as you watch others get coached by our established professional members.

One of the most valuable services offered by NSA-WI is the Speakers Development Lab. All members -- from Past National Presidents and CPAEs to new candidate members -- are welcome to attend. The Lab operates much like a Hollywood “Actors Studio” where speakers, facilitators, seminar leaders, those who sell products or services through public presentations, etc. can go to try out new material, revise current material, practice delivery techniques, etc.

Our goal for the Speakers Lab is to take speakers, facilitators, teacher/leaders at their current level of skill, impact, fee level, etc., and help them move up to the next level. Both those speaking, and observers benefit from the Lab, and the net effect is to increase the skills and impact of each participant.

Click here or more information.

Searching for Speaking Opportunities (December Chapter Meeting) (December 01, 2026)

Tue, 01 Dec 2026 15:00:00 GMT

December Chapter Meeting

Searching for Speaking Opportunities
presented by Sam Richter

There are more professional speakers than at any time in history—and most of them are very good. To succeed, you must constantly find new opportunities and ensure relevancy in every sales communication. In this dynamic presentation, you will discover…

Online intel secrets that you never thought possible for finding speaking opportunities and decision-makers.
Tips and tricks for using AI as sales and competitive "intelligence agents” so impress in every sales call and presentation.
How to ensure relevancy in every communication and keynote.

This may be one of the highest take-home-value sessions you’ve ever experienced. This high-energy, motivating, incredibly high content program has a huge "WOW" factor. You will be shocked at what you don't know (but soon will).

NOTE: All attendees will receive one month of complimentary access to the Intel Engine for Professional Speakers. You’ll also see a short demo on how to use it and leverage it to fill your calendar.

Embark on a transformative journey with Sam Richter, a Hall of Fame speaker and bestselling author celebrated for his mastery in harnessing digital insight to uncover opportunities, foster genuine connections, build trust, and communicate with authenticity. Recognized as one of the World’s Top 30 Global Gurus as an Internet thought leader, Sam has also won a Codie Award—the 'Oscars' of the software industry, a Gold Award at the International Film Festival, and he’s been inducted into both the Minnesota and the National Speaker Hall of Fame. He’s recognized as a Top 100 Motivational Speaker, Top 50 Sales Keynote Speaker, Top 15 Virtual Presenter, IES Speaker of the Year, and he was a Finalist for Inc. Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year. He’s been featured in Forbes, CNN, USA Today, and newspapers and online publications around the globe, and he’s also the creator of the AI-powered Intel Engine, used by top organizations worldwide to gain a competitive edge. That’s why executives and meeting planners call Sam’s programs “must-attend events.”

Agenda

8:30 -- Arrive, Networking
9:00-10:00 -- In-Meeting Speaker Lab (requires separate registration if you would like to speak)

10:30-Noon -- Sam Richter: Searching for Speaking Opportunities
Noon-1:00 -- Lunch, Networking

1:00-1:30 -- Inside the Speaker Studio: Pieces of the Pie
1:30 -- Sam Richter: Panel—How do you find new business?
4:30 -- CSP Journey: Accountability Decisions

In-Meeting Speakers Development Lab (December 01, 2026)

Tue, 01 Dec 2026 15:00:00 GMT

In-Meeting Lab
Join us as a speaker and take advantage of the built-in audience at our chapter meeting

One of the most valuable services offered by NSA-WI is the Speakers Development Lab. The Lab operates much like a Hollywood “Actors Studio” where speakers, facilitators, seminar leaders, those who sell products or services through public presentations, etc. can go to try out new material, revise current material, practice delivery techniques, etc.

Click here or more information.

If you would like to also attend the Chapter Meeting, register here.

Confidence Doesn't Wait for the Yes: Your Vision, Your Voice, Your Next Gig (Academy) (December 09, 2026)

Wed, 09 Dec 2026 23:30:00 GMT

Midwest Speaker Academy
Academy & Established Members Only

Confidence Doesn't Wait for the Yes: Your Vision, Your Voice, Your Next Gig
presented by Meshell Baker

Most speakers rehearse the speech. But many speakers do not rehearse the sale.
That's the gap. Not stage presence. Not story. The proposal that never gets sent, the price that's never said out loud before it's said to a client, the "no" that gets read as "they don't like me" instead of "not yet."

This session names the pattern and rebuilds it. Attendees leave with a declared vision for their speaking legacy and a rehearsed sales conversation, the belief shift and the muscle, in the same room, on the same night. We will equip you to close the gap between what you say on stage and what you say in the sales conversation. Participants declare their speaking legacy, then rehearse the exact conversation standing between them and their next gig.

Highlights:

Confidence Is Daily Practice, Not a Feeling You Wait For: Stop treating confidence as something that arrives once the gig is booked and start building it as the thing that gets the proposal sent.
Your Legacy Defines Your Vision - Your Vision Defines Your Ask: Declare the speaker you're building toward and connect that vision to the conversations required to get there.
Rehearsal Beats Willpower: Practice a sales conversation out loud, in real time, before you ever have to say it to a client.
Silence Is Not Rejection: Reframe the gap between proposal and response as biology, not verdict, and build a next-conversation-is-a-yes mindset.

Meshell Baker is the Chief Confidence Igniter and published author of UNSTOPPABLE: Embrace Your Unshakeable Confidence, with over two decades driving performance across Fortune 500 organizations including Ford, UPS, Salesforce, Accenture, and Microsoft.

She builds confidence as a repeatable performance system, not motivation that fades by Monday. Known for bold storytelling and contagious energy, Meshell has an average Talkadot rating of 94.5 across more than 2,000 attendees, and speakers who've heard her routinely credit her sessions with the moment they finally sent the proposal, made the ask, or took the leap they'd been circling for years.

NSA Wisconsin Welcome Online Meetup (December 18, 2026)

Fri, 18 Dec 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Join us for a quarterly virtual event designed to help new members get oriented, meet other members, and discover how to make the most of your NSA Wisconsin membership!

All NSA WI members are welcome to participate. Register to receive the Zoom link in your confirmation email.

How to Launch a Paid Mastermind from Stage (Academy) (January 06, 2027)

Wed, 06 Jan 2027 23:30:00 GMT

Midwest Speaker Academy
Academy & Established Members Only

How to Launch a Paid Mastermind from Stage
presented by Ben Fauske

When delivering a keynote the goal is not to receive a standing ovation (although that still feels great), the goal is enrollment. Enrolling others in a new way of living. Enrolling others into a future they don't yet see for themselves. Enrolling others into becoming the best version of themselves.

In this session, Ben will share the process he has used to create a seven-figure business including a thriving mastermind. He will take you through the step-by-step process to transition from a great presentation to a revenue generating experience.

This process does not work for just a select few speakers, it works for everyone willing to share the secrets of their craft. That includes you. Join Ben and get all of your questions answered on how to make money from stages.

Ben Fauske is a confidence researcher who equips leaders with the tools to build their ideal careers. His clients describe him as passionate and committed to their success. Thousands of leaders have accelerated their careers through the Authentic Confidence Process.

Prior to founding RISE Leadership and creating the Authentic Confidence Process, Ben was the Director of Organizational Development for a Canadian-based, multi-national corporation with over 1100 employees, headquartered in Montreal. He led the training and leadership development process from the executive level to the shop floor. Ben specializes in executive coaching, culture development, employee engagement and performance management.

Mic Check Monthly (January 19, 2027)

Tue, 19 Jan 2027 16:00:00 GMT

Mic Check Monthly

January topic: What would your dream gig be?

Mic Check Monthly is a mostly monthly, casual Zoom meetup designed to help NSA Wisconsin members connect, collaborate, and support one another in their speaking businesses.

These informal calls are a chance to meet and correspond with other members. Drop in as you’re able, and join the conversation. Expect a great time of sharing ideas and asking questions!

Note: you will receive the Zoom link in your confirmation email after you register.

Follow Up Strategies That Will Get More Clients and Close More Sales (Academy) (February 03, 2027)

Wed, 03 Feb 2027 23:30:00 GMT

Midwest Speaker Academy
Academy & Established Members Only

Follow Up Strategies That Will Get More Clients and Close More Sales
presented by Wanda Allen

Follow-up is one of the most overlooked—yet most profitable—parts of the sales process. Too often, it becomes a burdensome “to-do” or gets pushed aside entirely. In this powerful presentation, Wanda cuts through the noise and gets to the heart of why follow-up gets neglected and how to fix it. You will walk away with a proven, easy-to-implement approach that turns follow-up into a consistent, results-generating habit. Whether you're struggling to stay organized, afraid of being pushy, or just not seeing results, this session delivers the clarity and motivation they need to take action.

Key Takeaways:

Why using a follow-up system is critical for long-term sales success
Common follow-up systems that don’t work — and what to do instead
How mindset directly impacts consistency and confidence in follow-up
Eye-opening sales statistics that reinforce the importance of follow up.
Three simple, immediately actionable strategies to boost follow-up performance

Bottom line: The one who follows up is the one who gets the business.

Wanda Allen is an international speaker, coach, and corporate trainer, and the author of Follow Up Savvy and Follow Up Sales Strategies. With a 25-year corporate background, including 15 years as a Senior Vice President, Wanda brings deep expertise in sales, business development, and client relationship management. Recognizing follow-up as one of the most underutilized – yet most powerful – tools in sales, Wanda founded Follow Up Sales Strategies to teach professionals how to convert contacts into clients through proven follow-up systems. Her methods are practical, tested, and results oriented. Today, she helps entrepreneurs, business owners, and sales professionals grow their pipelines, boost sales performance, and build lasting relationships through the power of effective follow-up.

Mastering the Art of Creating a Killer Keynote that Forges Deeper Connections with Your Audience (February Chapter Meeting) (February 17, 2027)

Wed, 17 Feb 2027 15:00:00 GMT

February Chapter Meeting

Mastering the Art of Creating a Killer Keynote that Forges Deeper Connections with Your Audience
presented by Karen McCullough

In a world where audiences are bombarded with information and seem to have the attention span of a goldfish, capturing and maintaining their attention is more challenging than ever. Your presentation must rise above the noise and engage while create a genuine connection with your audience.

In this workshop, Karen share a repeatable process you can use to help you connect to every audience and deliver a killer presentation. We will dive into the creative process, adding audience-focused pieces to your presentation.

You will walk away with a structure that will help you gain insights into what audiences in 2024 and beyond want, need, and demand!

Learning Objectives - just a few!!!!

Gaining a deeper understanding of the audience and the buyer
Developing your conference call strategy
Adding empathy and vulnerability stories to your presentation
Developing a great opener -Being the guide, not the hero
Using Karen's keynote framework while preparing for every presentation
Creating engaging content "chunks"

Karen McCullough , CSP went to her first NSA conference in 1999 in Dallas and she was hooked. She graduated from Houston's Speaker Academy in 2000, got her CSP in 2006, and then ran the chapter’s Speaker Academy for the next three years. She has presented to over 1000 top corporations from American Express to Zappos. Last year she did a breakout session at Influence with CSP, CPAE Linda Larsen entitled Own the Stage, Master the Spotlight!

Karen loves what she does and she loves creating high content, high engagement, high humor keynotes. She created her first Killer Keynote workshop in 2015 and has presented it to NSA chapters as well as her corporate clients. A few years back, she attended Donald Miller's StoryBrand workshop and incorporated some of the StoryBrand concepts into her process. Today, Karen teaches speakers to rise above the noise, engage, and connect with audiences.

Come ready to roll your sleeve up and dive in! You are going to love this session!

Agenda

8:30 -- Arrive, Networking
9:00-10:00 -- In-Meeting Speaker Lab (requires separate registration if you would like to speak)

10:30-Noon -- Karen McCullough: Mastering the Art of Creating a Killer Keynote that Forges Deeper Connections with Your Audience
Noon-1:00 -- Lunch, Networking

1:00-1:30 -- Inside the Speaker Studio: Pieces of the Pie
1:30 -- Karen McCullough
3:30 -- CSP Journey: Accountability Decisions

In-Meeting Speakers Development Lab (February 17, 2027)

Wed, 17 Feb 2027 15:00:00 GMT

In-Meeting Lab
Join us as a speaker and take advantage of the built-in audience at our chapter meeting

Click here or more information.

If you would like to also attend the Chapter Meeting, register here.

Mic Check Monthly (February 26, 2027)

Fri, 26 Feb 2027 20:00:00 GMT

Mic Check Monthly

February topic: Family Life Intro -- Bring your pet and talk about life outside work

Mic Check Monthly is a mostly monthly, casual Zoom meetup designed to help NSA Wisconsin members connect, collaborate, and support one another in their speaking businesses.

These informal calls are a chance to meet and correspond with other members. Drop in as you’re able, and join the conversation. Expect a great time of sharing ideas and asking questions!

Note: you will receive the Zoom link in your confirmation email after you register.

The Art of Presenting and Performing (Academy) (March 03, 2027)

Wed, 03 Mar 2027 23:30:00 GMT

Midwest Speaker Academy
Academy & Established Members Only

The Art of Presenting and Performing
presented by John Watkis

Is a speech a performance? If you’re not comfortable performing, is it possible to still be entertaining? Find out the answers to these questions (and many more) during this interactive session with speaker, performer, and presentation skills coach, John Watkis.

John Watkis is an award-winning performer, international speaker, author, high-stakes
performance coach, and voice actor. In addition to nearly three decades of experience delivering keynote speeches and workshops for clients in seven countries, and on four continents, he has written speeches for corporations, government officials, non-profits, professional speakers, and a hall-of-fame athlete.

He’s the author of Speaking Notes: The Eight Essential Elements to Make Your Speech Music
to Their Ears, a salsa dancing champion, and the first Canadian actor to play Mufasa in the
onstage Disney musical, The Lion King.

John uses his center stage speaking method to help speakers steal the spotlight when they stand up to speak.

NSA Wisconsin Welcome Online Meetup (March 19, 2027)

Fri, 19 Mar 2027 15:00:00 GMT

Join us for a quarterly virtual event designed to help new members get oriented, meet other members, and discover how to make the most of your NSA Wisconsin membership!

All NSA WI members are welcome to participate. Register to receive the Zoom link in your confirmation email.

Academy program -- details TBA (April 14, 2027)

Wed, 14 Apr 2027 22:30:00 GMT

Midwest Speaker Academy
Academy & Established Members Only

Details TBA

Mic Check Monthly (April 19, 2027)

Mon, 19 Apr 2027 17:00:00 GMT

Mic Check Monthly

April topic: Local Flavor -- What's the best thing about where you're based in Wisconsin?

Mic Check Monthly is a mostly monthly, casual Zoom meetup designed to help NSA Wisconsin members connect, collaborate, and support one another in their speaking businesses.

These informal calls are a chance to meet and correspond with other members. Drop in as you’re able, and join the conversation. Expect a great time of sharing ideas and asking questions!

Note: you will receive the Zoom link in your confirmation email after you register.

Beyond Applause: Creating Sustainable Income and Impact Through Training (Academy) (May 12, 2027)

Wed, 12 May 2027 22:30:00 GMT

Midwest Speaker Academy
Academy & Established Members Only

Beyond Applause: Creating Sustainable Income and Impact Through Training
presented by Jason A. Hunt, CSP

Speaking is an incredible way to make an impact, but it doesn’t have to be the only way. As you build and further develop your speaking business, training can help you create deeper relationships with clients, generate recurring revenue, and make a lasting difference long after the keynote ends. Image building long-term partnerships where you work with the same organization over multiple sessions, creating real transformation, rather than constantly chasing new clients for single engagements. That’s the power of training.

Whether you want to supplement your speaking or focus entirely on training, this session will help you build a profitable, sustainable business by mastering the structure, content, and sales of training. If you want to move beyond applause and build a business with greater impact, stronger client relationships, and more predictable revenue, this session is for you.

Jason A. Hunt, CSP is a leadership speaker, author, and thought leader who helps leaders slow down, see clearly, and choose better under pressure so they create bigger impact and more influence when it matters most. He has worked with more than 40,000 leaders across organizations large and small, equipping them to move beyond authority into influence that actually sticks. Jason’s journey began at 19, leading a church group of 100 people in outer Siberia. Since then, he has served in a wide range of leadership roles, including as a school principal, where he failed miserably. Those experiences shaped his belief that titles and good intentions aren’t enough.

Jason holds a master’s degree in leadership, is the author of five books, and the creator of The Discernment Path™, a leadership framework that helps leaders slow down, see clearly, and respond intentionally. He is a past president of the NSA Minnesota, is a CSP, and currently serves as a Chapter Leadership Committee member for NSA National.

Mic Check Monthly (May 17, 2027)

Mon, 17 May 2027 19:00:00 GMT

Mic Check Monthly

May topic: Travel Hacks -- What are your best travel secrets?

Mic Check Monthly is a mostly monthly, casual Zoom meetup designed to help NSA Wisconsin members connect, collaborate, and support one another in their speaking businesses.

These informal calls are a chance to meet and correspond with other members. Drop in as you’re able, and join the conversation. Expect a great time of sharing ideas and asking questions!

Note: you will receive the Zoom link in your confirmation email after you register.