A Message From Our National President, Chantal Cornelius

It’s time to STAND OUT!

I joined the PSA back in 2013, when I realised that I needed to improve my speaking, if I was going to stand out. I remember sitting in the audience at my first annual conference, watching one confident speaker after another taking to the stage. At the Gala Dinner I watched the National President hand over to his successors. There and then, I knew that I wanted, one day, to be up there on that stage.

It’s been a 10 year journey, which is why I’m now thrilled to be the National President of the PSA. It’s been a journey of ups and downs, and really hard work. Something that has stood out through all those years is the community of the PSA. We’re connected. We work together and recommend each other to our clients. We ask for advice and share our expertise and experience freely, whenever we’re asked. I have never been part of such a supportive organisation.

Something else that has stood out for me is the need for each of us to learn how to truly STAND OUT. As members, we don’t directly compete with each other. We are, however, in constant competition with speakers outside the PSA; many of them are not ‘professional’ speakers. We have to show our clients what makes us the best choice for their event or training.

This is why my theme for my year as National President is STAND OUT. It’s a theme that will run through all our national events – our 25^th Birthday Party in January 2024, our one day conference Impact! in April 2024 and our 3 day Speaking Business Summit in October 2024. I will also take this theme around our 13 regions across the UK & Ireland – including our Virtual Region, which we launched in September 2023. We’ll share best practice and ideas on how our members can stand out, through their marketing, sales, customer service and on-stage delivery. We’ll connect and we’ll work together, as a community. Come and join us!

I look forward to seeing you at some of our regional and national events. If you’d like to get in touch, just click here to email me.