Accomplishments

Art received both a CSP and a CPAE award designation from the National Speakers Association. Below is information regarding those awards.

What is CSP?
The Certified Speaking Professional designation, established in 1980 by the National Speakers Association (NSA), is the speaking profession’s international measure of professional platform skill. CSP is conferred by the US-based National Speakers Association and by the National Speakers Association of Australia only on those who have earned it by meeting strict criteria. The letters CSP following a speaker’s name indicate a speaking professional with proven experience who understands what is required and knows how to deliver client satisfaction.

How Many CSPs Are There?
Less than 7% of the speakers who belong to the International Federation for Professional Speakers hold this professional designation. The membership of the International Federation for Professional Speakers is comprised of professional speaking associations worldwide. CSP is the international standard that these associations agree represent competence in the speaking profession.

What Are the Criteria?
Every CSP must...

Comments from Those Who Hire Speakers

"CSP is an insurance policy toward the meeting planner's success. The CSP designation is a qualifier in the mind of the astute planner."
Brad Plumb
North American Speakers Bureau, Inc.

"I am a CMP (Certified Meeting Professional). I believe strongly in designations. It says you are committed to the profession. When I have equal speakers, I will take the CSP first over the non-CSP. Yes, CSP does make a difference in selecting speakers."
Betty E. Garrett,CMP
Garrett Speakers International

"You know they (CSPs) have achieved a certain discipline that puts them in a category all their own;they have passed the test oflongevity; they have proven themselves. It makes a difference today and will continue to make a difference in the meeting planning industry."
Marolyn Wright
Program Resources

"When I have a choice of a speaker who is a CSP or not, I will select the speaker who is a CSP."
Michelle Lemmons
International Speakers Bureau, Inc.

"I always consider the CSP designation the hallmark of professional excellence. The CSPs that we have selected have never disappointed our audiences."
Barbara S. Sadek
The Society for Human Resources Management

"It's truly an indication that a speaker has achieved a higher level of professionalism. It's something we look for first. I reduce my risk by hiring someone with a CSP."
William Bess
Mfgrs. Representatives of America

CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame®

In Feb.1977, the National Speakers Association (NSA) established the Council of Peers Award for Excellence Speaker Hall of Fame to honor professional speakers who have reached the top echelon of platform excellence.

Admission into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame is a lifetime award for speaking excellence and professionalism. Inductees are evaluated by their peers through a rigorous and demanding process. Each candidate must excel in seven categories: material, style, experience, delivery, image, professionalism and communication. The award is not based on celebrity status, number of speeches, amount of income or volunteer involvement in NSA.

To date, 151 men and women have been inducted into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame. Up to five new inductees are named each year at a gala celebration held in conjunction with the NSA National Convention. There are currently 123 living members of the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame. Additionally, NSA conferred an honorary CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame award on Ronald Reagan in 1981 and on General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) in 1999.