President's Report

February is the month of care — a time when we intentionally show love to those who are important in our lives.  I like to think of this as my crapy month.  Not that this month is a terrible month (although for some it may be), but because this is a month where I strive to intentionally Celebrate, Recognize, Appreciate, and Praise others.  In other words, a month when I really Give a CRAP. 

You see in the world of speaking, training, coaching, facilitating or whatever else it is that you do, Giving a CRAP isn't just a nice sentiment—it’s a business strategy. Clients don’t just hire experts; they hire people who care about their success (I’m learning more about in Jimmy Z’s Sales Perspective book). That’s why it’s critical to Give a CRAP—to Celebrate, Recognize, Appreciate, and Praise the people around us…all the people around us.  That means meeting planners, potential clients, past clients.  It also means family members, siblings, and community members.  And it certainly means fellow members of NSA Minnesota. 

As speakers and trainers, we give a CRAP when we celebrate the progress of our audiences, recognize the struggles our clients face, appreciate the decision-makers who bring us in, and praise the teams who make events happen. We also give a CRAP when we read each other’s books, when we celebrate each other on social media, and when we freely share our knowledge and expertise with fellow chapter members.  The more we invest in genuine human connection, the more trust we build. And trust leads to repeat business, referrals, and deeper impact (Am I right David Horsager?). The best marketing isn’t just a great speech—it’s the way people feel while working with us.

So, this February, let’s double down on the Give a CRAP mindset. Send that extra thank-you note. Praise a fellow speaker publicly. Recognize a client’s growth. Small moments of care create big moments of opportunity. And in an industry built on relationships, showing people that we genuinely care isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s the smartest business move we can make.

P.S. If CRAP offends you, try CARE (Celebrate, Appreciate, Recognize, Encourage).  I just find that crap sticks better in the mind.

P.P.S Give a CRAP is my (Jason A Hunt’s) content.  As with all things in NSA, please don’t steal.  That’s a very crappy thing to do. 

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NSA MN Chapter Meeting

Gosh, we’ve had some great events already this year. If you missed out, Terry Brock delivered gold in regards to how to use AI in your business, Mark LeBlanc unlocked our potential with his analysis of Diana Kander’s Influence keynote, and Joe Fingerhut brought the business of show business.  You can find Terry’s and Joe’s message on our NSA MN vault (log in to your nsa-mn.com account and click on program resources)

Our next event is this week.  Join us as we get the chance to sit with the famous Robert Kennedy III.  He’s sure to bring some incredible information on how to build a business, how to use tech tools, and what you can do to expand your influence through media. 

The only other event this month is the deadline for all those who have registered for the Last Story Standing contest.  We are currently full and not looking for any more registrations.  Video submissions are due on February 20th and we’ll have our three finalists share their story with us at our March 15th chapter meeting.

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Calendar of Events

Theresa Rose is back!  Last year, CSP Theresa Rose invited all of us to engage with her as she virtually delivered an extra bonus to our Speaker Academy.  Well, she’s doing it again.  Mark your calendar for Wednesday, March 15th from 7-8pm central for a virtual experience on crystallizing your message.  More details and registration to come soon. 

Our annual gala is coming up!  For those that don’t know, our gala is a black-tie event where we celebrate the accomplishments of our members.  Several awards will be given, a nice dinner will be served, and we’ll have a great time communication and being entertained during the evening.  We’ve reserved the date of June 5th for the gala, so please make a note of this on your calendars.  Registration is not up yet as we are still finalizing some details, but it will be soon.  We typically start around 6p.   

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Let's Get Social!

Did you know?  NSA Minnesota has a Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube page?  Well, we do and we’d love for you to be our biggest fans.  Use the links below to subscribe and follow as we spread the word of this amazing organization. 

NSA MN YouTube

NSA MN LinkedIn

NSA MN Facebook

Once you’ve connected, actively engage with us - Like, Comment and Share the content to your own social media. Encourage others to follow us and attend our events. Tag us on your own posts.  Together we can all build a better business and become a better speaker. 

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Celebrations

One of our very own has just been accepted into the NSA Million Dollar Speakers Group.  Huge congratulations to Jan Lehman.  This is not an easy feat and it has been a goal of hers for several years.  Nice work Jan!

While not a member of our chapter, Ty Bennett did deliver a chapter presentation for us.  I don’t know about you, but I took a lot away from his message and I was super excited to get his white paper delivered to my inbox.  If you weren’t there, Ty has been working with his teenage kids on stage and they’ve done some pretty cool research into what creates high performance.  Check out the announcement video here and white paper here. 

Kristin Brown is hosting some events and is offering a special deal for all of us!  Here are the details:

Write Your Signature Energy Speech in a Weekend with Kristen Brown, CSP! Want to craft a powerful, marketable speech but feeling stuck? Join NSA Minnesota's own Kristen Brown, CSP—one of only 400 active Certified Speaking Professionals worldwide—for an immersive weekend designed to help you identify your Signature Energy, write your speech, and pinpoint 10 researched leads to market it to immediately.  Choose from two small-group weekends (only 5 spots each) or upgrade to the VIP Option for 1-on-1 coaching, custom dates, and an extra half-day to polish and practice—plus 20 researched leads! NSA members and Academy students get 30% off—email [email protected] for the discount payment link or to set up a payment plan. Learn more & register here. 

If you know of someone who should be celebrated, or if you’ve done something worth celebrating, please send me a short description [email protected]. 

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Your 2024-2025 Leadership Team

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