The Three Competencies of Professional Speaking

Professional

We expect all Members and Fellows to be completely professional. This means that in all their dealings and activities they will exhibit professionalism, which requires them adhering to the values and ethics of the Professional Speaking Association. Clearly, being professional means you are expert in your field and that you are a speaker who gets paid for speaking. But more than this, the professional competency means you behave courteously to your clients and to other speakers and that you treat everyone you work with respectfully. It means that you run your business or your employed work efficiently and effectively. Someone who is professionally competent also has external advisers, such as accountants and mentors to help them continually improve. Professionals are always interested in personal and business development.

Speaking

If you meet the Speaking Competency you have demonstrated to your sponsoring member that you can speak in public. You will have demonstrated the ability to present your material in an organised and professional manner, but also in a way which engages your audience. Someone who demonstrates the speaking competency will be engaging audiences on a regular basis, not just occasionally. And those audiences will almost always be to groups larger than 8 individuals. A competent speaker is well-prepared, rehearsed, on-time and backs up their presentations with further advice and support, either in the form of handouts, websites or other additional materials, such as books, manuals and so on. In other words, a competent speaker does more than just speak well. Professional speaking is more than entertainment.

Association

Being around other speakers regularly is not just an indication of your willingness to develop your professional skills and your business; it is also a marker of your commitment to the PSA itself. The Association Competency is demonstrated by attendance at PSA events and/or those of our partner organisations in the Global Speakers Federation. Furthermore, your competency in association is demonstrated by your willingness to be mentored and to mentor other members of the Association, so that you can help each other develop personally and professionally. The essence of this competency is willingness to help other speakers and to be helped by your colleagues in the PSA.