CSP (Certified Speaking Professional)
ELEVATE YOUR
IMPACT, INFLUENCE, & INCOME
By earning your CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) designation, you can prove to meeting professionals that you are among the top echelon of professional speakers who have earned this international designation.
With this designation, meeting professionals looking to work with the best speakers will see your commitment to the profession and know you have the top-notch speaking ability with a track record of professionalism and success.
Why be a CSP
(Certified Speaking Professional)
WHY CLIENTS HIRE CSPs?
It will make their job easier! The success of their meetings will be judged largely on the caliber, professionalism and appropriateness of the topic and presenter(s). Choosing a CSP maximizes their opportunity of providing a speaker with a message that will focus, elevate and enhance the mission of your meeting and stick firmly in the memories, attitudes and action plans of their attendees.
HOW CSPs BENEFITS CLIENTS?
A CSP brings a proven track record of continuing speaking experience and expertise. CSPs are committed to ongoing education, outstanding service and ethical behavior. CSPs offer wide varieties of approaches, topics and styles. Only the client can determine which speaker will best fit your needs. A Certified Speaking Professional provides a solid place them which to begin their search.
Meet some of our CSPs
CSP Podcasts
Lindsay Adams ,CSP
Checklist to Qualify for Accreditation
- A financial member of VSAI for a minimum of 6 months prior to applying.
Earned a minimum of the average annual salary of your country as determined by the United Nations in (AT LEAST) 5 non-consecutive years out of the past 8 years prior to applying, or the equivalent earnings attributed to your country.
(For example: When applying in 2024, you’ve earned in USA – US$50,000 annually for the following years: 2023 – 2021, 2018-2017)You will need to contact the Accreditation Chair, Lindsay Adams OAM CSP to identify and or calculate your countries average salary. This methodology makes it fair for every country around the world and ties the accreditation to realistic monetary goals based on your own country.
Each of the presentations that you rely on to make up that income were for a minimum fee of USD $1000 or equivalent in speaking related income (SRI)
Attended at least 2 VSAI events in the years for which you claim the income
- Given a minimum number of 5 presentations per year
- Met an assessed standard of speaking ability, as evidenced by a full-length video recording of yourself delivering a presentation to a live audience – in person or virtual. The video must be of one of the paid presentations being counted in the application. It can be live or virtual.
- Met an assessed standard of your professionalism and expertise, as evidenced in electronic examples (or links) of marketing materials, products or other materials.
Please note
- You can include, in your income, presentations which meet all the criteria but which were made prior to you becoming a member of VSAI. But you cannot lodge an application until you have been a member of VSAI for 6 months.
- Speaking related income (SRI) is defined later in this document – please make sure you read it. The onus is on you to provide clear evidence that income being used in calculations was generated at a speaking event, part of the purpose of which was to sell products or services. The evidence may be subject to full or partial audit. Evidence might be, for example, a copy of a completed order form for your products with the date of the presentation printed on it, and a copy of the payment transaction within 7 days of the event.
Requirements
& Key Definitions
Application Documents
& Checklist
What you need to provide us with
In order to be assessed, please provide us with:
- The fully completed and signed application form and income spreadsheet* included with this document
- A duly executed and witnessed statutory declaration, in the form provided with these documents, attesting to the accuracy of the criteria mentioned
- The completed Release of Information Authority form provided with these documents
- The unedited video (minimum 30 minutes) referred to above
- The professional and expertise materials referred to above
- Full payment of the application fee
The application fee
A non-refundable fee of €200 is payable and must be received and cleared before the assessment process can begin. Please contact VSAI office about payment methods.
How your application will be assessed
Once you have lodged all of your documents and paid the fee, your application will be assessed as follows:
- The VSAI Secretariat will check all the documents for completeness and forward them to the National Accreditation Chair
- The Chair sends the video to 3 current CSP’s for assessment against criteria contained in the CSP. Video Assessment Form contained in the downloaded documents
- The Chair reviews the other documents to ensure the other criteria are met
- If everything is approved, the Chair notifies the Secretariat that the application is successful
- The VSAI Secretariat then notifies the National President and Chapter President who will call the applicant with the good news
If the application is not successful for any reason, the National Accreditation Chair will:
- Advise the Secretariat accordingly
- Contact the applicant and advise them of the fact and the reasons why the application was not successful
Complete your documents and send them to:
[email protected]
Please note:
The identity of the CSPs who are assessing your video remain confidential at all times, to preserve the integrity of the process.
The identity of the National Accreditation Chair is not confidential, in order to provide transparency and accountability to the process. The Chair is appointed by the Board. The Chair is not involved in assessing the video, only in ensuring that the other documentation meets the criteria. No one other than the Chair and the auditor (if necessary) will see the financial information that you provide.
After your application has been received and during the assessment process, you may be asked to provide details of every engagement in four of the months listed. These will be selected at random.
An external auditor may contact clients from that list to verify the details. The auditor may also choose to ask for further detail if he or she deems it necessary. It is up to you to provide sufficient details for the engagement to be verified by telephone or email. If a particular engagement cannot be verified, due (for example) to the organisation having closed, or key people no longer being available, you may be asked to provide evidence of bank deposits to verify the engagement.
During the assessment process, no member of VSAI will see your client list. The National Accreditation Chair may, if there is a query, seek your permission to see the list for purposes of clarification only.
The identity of the auditor remains confidential at all times. The agency which is used is not a member of VSAI, nor do they have any affiliation with any member.
Any application from an applicant who has had an adverse finding against them in an ethics investigation in the period covered by the application will not be accepted.