I don’t know about you, but even though I’m an extrovert, I have a hard time entering a room full of strangers and unknown circumstances without discomfort.  In a job that I held that required attendance at local Chamber of Commerce meetings, that was especially true.  There was something about the unknown that gave me pause.

Today I want to do a little dispelling of the unknown about Next Step Speaker Services.  Since Message Development has been our most popular service so far, here’s a little peak at what using this service would feel like and what you’d receive.

Introductory call:  After receiving “Request Information” forms, I give a personal call just to see if I can answer questions about the service.  It’s informal and free. I love to hear about the unique calling that each woman has and how God is beginning to open doors for ministry.  In this call we decide together whether NSSS is a good fit for your needs.  If not, I’ve got some other great referrals!

First Call:  I do some teaching about finding your niche and creating a tagline for your ministry.  We also talk through the contract for the service to make sure you’re comfortable and understand how the service works.  For each call, I give a homework assignment.  That might sound horrible, but the most consistent feedback that I’ve gotten so far is that accountability is the most valuable part of working with NSSS.  (Maybe some day someone will say it’s my fabulous and dynamic teaching.  Sigh. LOL)  Creating your personal tagline is the homework.

Second Call:  We work together on your tagline and polish it up.  Next, I share my message development process that I’ve learned from other great speakers on our team and some reading I’ve done.  I also talk through an amazing Bible study tool that I’ve learned and assign Bible study as the research phase and homework.

Third Call:  After discussing any questions about homework, I go over the message outline taught in Communicating for a Change.  I also share a concept from Made to Stick that ties into the outline.  Homework is to create the first part of your message.

Fourth Call:  I teach another concept from Made to Stick and we brainstorm the other parts of your message.  The homework is to finish creating a message outline.

Fifth Call:  I give you written and oral feedback on the written version of your message.  This is the piece that lots of people worry about!  You should know that one of my spiritual gifts is encouragement.  You’ll get lots of that along with gentle suggestions to make your message even better.

I’m laughing as I write this, because now I think all of you will just do it on your own!  If you want to, then I am your biggest cheerleader–go, girl, go!!  My heart’s desire is to see women grow in confidence and effectiveness in their speaking ministry.  If you’d like to have a partner in that who will encourage you, share what she’s learned and hold you to some deadlines, then I’d love to work with you.  Fill out the form on the “Request Information” tab, and let’s talk!

Amy

Good afternoon!  Sorry this is late, but we’re iced in today.  For our family that meant sleeping later, sipping coffee longer and an appointment for me with Miss Clairol.  I knew ya’ll would understand.

Although I don’t want to use this blog just have a soap box for Next Step Speaker Services (If this is your first time here, please take a few minutes to look at old posts and see how much fantastic free speaker help there is.  We’re glad you’re here!), I want to take this post to clarify what we’re about and what enlisting our service looks like. This week I’ll tell you about Proverbs 31 Ministries’ three services for speakers. 

Proverbs 31 Ministries now has 3 separate arms/services to help train, equip and encourage speakers.  They are:

• She Speaks—An amazing conference for speakers, writers and women’s ministry leaders.  In a nutshell, She Speaks is designed to not only give the nuts and bolts of speaking but to nurture and encourage women to share God’s message wherever they go.  It’s truly a feast for the spirit and mind.  God amazes me every year with how He is very present at She Speaks.  Registration will be opening soon.  We’ve sold out and had waiting lists for the past few years, so visit the website, put it in your favorites and visit often.  We’d love to see you there this year!
• Next Step Conference Calls–She Speaks attendees are given the opportunity to register for Next Step Conference Calls, 12 weeks of conference calls for speakers and writers.  The first six weeks are for writers and the next 6 for speakers.  This year’s topics included working with event coordinators, finding fresh topics, and tayloring your messages for different groups.  Although registration primarily is done at She Speaks, the conference is not a requirement for participation.  You can call the office to register after She Speaks is over, and I think we’ll be including more information about these calls on our new website.
• Next Step Speaker Services–I (Amy Carroll) began this service out of a deep desire to share all the things that I’m continually learning from our incredible Proverbs 31 Speaker Team.  It’s been invaluable to me to have Karen Ehman give me feedback on my messages, Melanie Chitwood help me write values statements and LeAnn Rice critique my new bio sheet before I spent beaucoups of dollars to print those babies in color.  Next Step Speaker Services teaches some of the topics that you might learn from the other two branches (although participation in those is not a requirement to use the service) but gives you personal, individual feedback on your messages or marketing pieces.  I’ll give you a glimpse of what it looks like to work with Karen or me in our next post, but here’s what a few of our clients are saying about our new service:

“Working one-on-one with Amy was not the kind of ‘journey’ we speak about sweetly.  No, it was more of the put your helmet on, goggles down, hold onto the wheel tightly, fast-paced, crash course that took the mystery out of getting started, uncovered my unique core – who I am and what consistent beating message God has put on my heart, provided a step-by-step manageable process that taught me to let God lead the dance, and the most terrifying, but exhilarating piece to moving forward – she held me accountable for completing each lap of the race with weekly calls.”                                                                                                                          

Susie Wilson
Christian Life Coach
www.liveyourjoy.net

“‘Amy has offered honest and insightful feedback for my writing and speaking ideas. Our weekly phone meetings have kept me focused with practical steps to help frame the unique ministry to which God has called me.”

 Charlotte Angles

“Next Step Speaker Services was exactly what I needed to push forward in ministry. Working with Amy helped me clarify the direction in which God was leading me. The process also helped me better understand the value I bring to my audience by helping me see how my varied experiences contributed to the trajectory of my ministry. I was provided with many helpful resources to help me develop as a professional speaker. I now feel more focused in this area of life and definitely plan to use Next Step Speaker services again as I move forward.”

N. D. Pemberton-Todd, MS, MA, LPC

For any of you who have participated in one of these branches, I’d love for you to leave a comment telling about your experience!