GLOBAL SPEAKING FELLOW: APPLICATION OVERVIEW & PROCESS

A Global Speaking Designation

(December 2023)

The Global Speakers Federation (GSF) is the world-wide professional body serving the interests of their member speaker associations, advancing speaking globally, and connecting the professional speaking community globally. In alignment with the GSF mission, working with member associations, and in response to the expanding international nature of the needs of global speaking members, international clients, and global audiences, GSF has established the framework for a designation that recognizes professional speakers successfully presenting at a global level.

The Global Speaking Fellow is conferred by the individual’s home association on members who hold the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation or the Fellow of the Professional Speaking Association (FPSA) and who have sustained a successful speaking business across numerous global geographical regions. The designation Global Speaking Fellow indicates recognition by peers and clients of global speaking competence and experience. For purposes of this document, the notation “CSP” in subsequent sections includes approved equivalent designations of the GSF member associations including FPSA of PSA UKI, CSP of PSA, CSP of NSAUS, CSP of APSS and CSP of VSAI.

Support for high-level professionalism in the global speaking profession promotes the wider use of accomplished professional speakers and expands the credibility and value of all global speakers. Bringing value to the global meetings industry supports effective partnerships between speakers and those who hire them and it fosters confidence in the markets of GSF member associations and emerging speaking associations. This confidence plays an increasingly important role as a driver and facilitator of the adoption and high-quality implementation of high standards in those regions of the world with emerging markets for professional speaker services.

This designation comes from the alignment of GSF organizational Values, Mission, and Strategy. The GSF Three Pillars Strategy document (Appendix A) provides the tactical direction for the work of the Federation and is based on the following foundations:

Values: Growth and enhancement of the speaking profession is best served by continually enhancing the talent, ethics, and business acumen of individual associations and practitioners.

Mission: The GSF is a global framework for independent speaking organizations to collectively serve the interests of their individual members while advancing and connecting the professional speaking community worldwide.

Strategy: The GSF is a mechanism of affiliation through which independent associations for professional speakers around the world can serve these interests by providing members with greater access to professional education materials and access to one another’s educational programs.

This designation is a leading indicator that a professional speaker who has earned the Global Speaking Fellow is competent in the core competencies unique to global speaking. The competency structure was developed with the input of global speakers and global meetings industry professionals and is designed around the professional skills and behaviors demonstrated by a successful global presenter.

Since its formation in 1997 (and official launch in January 1998), the GSF has been serving its member associations with a mechanism for sharing resources and providing affiliation among independent speaker associations around the world.

In 2012, the GSF leadership advanced a strategy to deliver educational content unique to the work of a global professional speaker. Leadership began developing the body of knowledge around a successful and sustained global speaking professional working across international regions and continents. This body of knowledge advances the professional development opportunities of those seeking to expand their speaking business on a global scale and provides the framework to evaluate competency in the field of global speaking. Originally called CSPGlobal, the first class of 23 recipients was conferred during the 2013 Global Speakers Summit in Vancouver. Subsequently, after discussion, the GSF Executive Council approved to change the name to Global Speaking Fellow in January 2016.

Support of high-level professionalism in the global speaking profession promotes the wider use of accomplished professional speakers and expands the credibility and value of all presenters. To that end, the GSF has undertaken the work to identify the competencies and standards of a professional global speaker, to promote the high standards, to recognize those who achieve the standards, and to foster collegial and supportive networks within the community of CSPs working on a global level.

Successfully working across continents as a global presenter requires business acumen, specialized knowledge, and mastery of key competencies unique to presenting in global markets. The key competencies of a successful global speaker and the component elements of these competencies are a part of the body of knowledge and educational content developed exclusively by the GSF. The GSF seeks to deliver educational content and tools that will improve the success of global professional speakers, reduce risks for international clients, and increase value for global audiences.

With the input of global meeting professionals, international bureaus, global speakers, and research data that explored the standards for conferring global designations by associations across professions and industries, the GSF identified four core competency areas of global speaking:

These competencies provide the framework for evaluating mastery of a speaker’s capabilities in global markets. The measures of continued success in global markets, the input of those who hire professional speakers, and the assessment of the knowledge the speaker conveys are combined to determine an applicant’s grasp and capability within the competencies. Only the top-rated competencies are utilized in the evaluation of the applicant’s suitability for the designation. The full list of identified competencies appears in this document (Appendix B) and may be utilized to create an educational curriculum that can be made available to speakers interested in pursuing work as an international speaker. Each competency has several components that were developed by key professionals, under the guidance of an education committee, into modules to help professional speakers learn from the experience and insight of others. Each competency list is arranged in order of importance as determined through surveys and interviews. Those competencies ranked highest are a part of the Global Speaking Fellow assessment criteria.

• Customize content for appropriateness and applicability
• Demonstrate sensitivity to culture and manage communication appropriateness
• Work successfully with interpretation professionals and communication technology - both simultaneous and delayed
• Customize delivery style, both in-person and/or live virtual presentations, for place and culture

• Adhere to global business conduct standards and maintain high integrity
• Navigate the unique realities of networking in global markets
• Market and sell services in global markets
• Identify and work with promotion and media relation professionals worldwide
• Understand the expectations and the difference between being hired in a location or sent to a location

• Understand local traditions and how those will impact the event and presentations, in-person and/or live virtual
• Maintain awareness of planner and client expectations that differ from home events
• Manage the nuances of scheduling for events and how to adjust in the moment
• Know the protocol for interacting with attending dignitaries

The Global Speaking Fellow designation is conferred on those who have proven mastery of the core competencies over a minimum of three years, who have received favorable reviews by the clients who have hired them, who have demonstrated sustainability as a global presenter, who have presented professionally in a designated percentage of the macro geographical (continental) regions / geographical sub-regions as defined by the United Nations, or have spoken in 25 separate countries, and who have passed an internal review by an evaluation team composed of Global Speaking Fellows.

Applicants apply through their member association, who, in turn, verify that the candidates currently hold the CSP designation, are a member in good standing, and have no outstanding ethics violations or other sanctions by their member association in the last 60 months. The evaluation is performed by the Global Speakers Federation. Upon approval, the designation is conferred by the member association. The process flow is documented in Appendix E.

The application process is designed to determine if an applicant has met the standards and criteria of the Global Speaking Fellow designation. CSPs who achieve this global designation may display the mark on their collateral materials and notify the hiring public that they are a Global Speaking Fellow with GSF-verified global speaking experience and competence.

Applicants must demonstrate proficiency in each competency area through submitted evidence documenting their attainment of the experience standards, through client evaluations, and through peer verification that they have mastered the competencies. The rigorous multi-stage process is confidential to the participants involved and is managed primarily through online mechanisms. All applicants also agree to uphold the global speaking Code of Conduct. This Code supplements the Code of Professional Ethics provided through the GSF membership associations.

The application and client evaluation process are designed to support the determination of the appropriateness for conferring the Global Speaking Fellow designation on those global professional speakers who have achieved the standards of the designation and exhibited mastery of the global presenter competencies. The final part of the process involves an internal review of the applicant’s submitted materials and video. The internal review is performed by global speakers from the pool of Global Speaking Fellow designation holders.

The application follows a multi-stage process and each stage has a number of component elements that are verified, reviewed, and tested.

Each stage of the application must be successfully completed prior to moving to the next stage. The process takes approximately three months to complete from the date of application submission. The application stages have a number of specific parts and these are listed below.

Part 1: Applicant Information – contact information, CV/resume, areas of expertise, membership information

Part 2: Global Speaking Experience – dates, regions, contact information, fees (note that an independent audit is performed)

Part 3: Adherence to Professional Integrity – signature check on Code of Conduct

Part 4: Link to applicable video footage (or equivalent) of applicant

Part 5: Submission of administrative application fee

All forms for the Application Submission are provided via member’s home association Website or can be obtained at the GSF website submission portal. The forms include detailed instructions to assist in their completion. The Application Submission is completed though the secure GSF website portal, which is usually linked to the member’s home association website.

Applicants may be asked to provide detailed information on specific engagements, in-person and/or virtual, within their application. By submitting an application, the applicant agrees to make available the requested documentation to an independent GSF staff person reviewing the application. The GSF staff person is not a member of GSF and all fee information provided is confidential. All documents will be held securely.

Once Stage One is completed and Application materials are verified, and if a pass is issued, the External (Client) Review Process is initiated.

The External Review consists of a standardized evaluation form that will be sent to a random selection of global clients provided in the Application submission process. The responses to this form are assessed by the evaluation team. Once Stage Two is deemed as passing, the application is moved to the Internal (Peer) Review Process.

The Internal Review consists of the evaluation team assessing the submitted materials and video. If additional questions or clarifications are required, a verbal interview may be scheduled with the applicant.

The information from Stages 1, 2 and 3 are provided to the GSF Global Designation committee who will render a final decision. The applicant and home association will be notified of the final decision. Recognition of the achievement will ideally take place during their home association’s annual convention and/or during a Global Speakers Summit.

Global Speaking Fellow: Experienced, Credible, Globally Competent

The home association qualifies that the applicant is a CSP, is a member in good standing, and has no outstanding ethics violations or other sanctions by his/her member association in the last 60 months. The application then goes to the GSF where it is determined if the applicant is speaking professionally on a global level. This is done by verifying the completed engagement form indicating speaking experience specific to the applicant’s global work over the last 60 months. All engagements must be fee-paid and/or consist of same day product sales.

Stage One includes the following:

• A minimum of 36 in-person and/or live virtual presentations in the most recent 60 months prior to application. Pre-recorded presentations do not qualify.
• Presentations must span a minimum of three (3) of the five (5) major groups identified by the United Nations, with a minimum of two (2) countries in each region (see Appendix D) -or- having spoken in 25 separate countries. For live virtual presentations, the country the majority of viewers are located in will be considered the target country for the presentation.
• Link to online video(s) – at least one for each format (i.e., in-person or live virtual). The video(s) must be an unedited and continuous for at least 30 minutes.
• All engagements listed are paid, either through a fee or product sales the same day of the engagement, and the applicant must submit documentation to the independent GSF staff person to verify engagements and income. The GSF staff person will randomly select engagements for the audit.

The GSF will determine that the applicant is speaking and meeting client expectations on a global level. This is done by verifying client satisfaction and feedback via an external evaluation form on presentation work or equivalent.

Stage Two includes the following:

• Response from at least 20 clients to an online evaluation of the applicant.
• The External Review follows a set of performance criteria and is scored based on specific behaviors. that meet the criteria (e.g., such as speed of speech when working with interpreters, gestures and movement, references, and word choice).

The GSF will determine that the applicant has a mastery of the global speaking competencies. This is done through a review and an assessment of the submitted materials (except for fees) and the submitted video by the evaluation team. If there are questions or concerns on the part of the evaluation team, then a knowledge assessment interview (where the applicant answers questions verbally) may be conducted.

Stage Three includes the following:

• Review submission of an unedited and continuous video of the presenter of at least 30-minutes in length with a minimum of one for each type of presentation (i.e., in-person and virtual).
• The evaluation team independently evaluates the applicant’s submitted video(s) and submits an online evaluation of the applicant.
• If required, a 30-minute verbal knowledge assessment interview of the core competencies will be made and will be designed to verify that the applicant has a firm grasp on the nuances of globally speaking under a variety of conditions. The assessment will be scored based on the weighted value of the competency elements.

The GSF Global Designation committee will review all the material and evaluations from Stages 1, 2 and 3 and will render a final decision.

Stage Four includes the following:

• If a decision is made that candidate has been approved, the candidate is notified and their home association is notified. The formal notification letter and conferment is made by the candidate’s home association.
• If a decision is made that the candidate is not approved, the candidate is notified.

Based on the information provided on the application, an applicant may not meet the minimum standards to advance to the review and assessment stage. An application will be denied if it is incomplete, does not reflect the applicant’s most recent professional experience (i.e., the application represents a timeframe outside of the recent 60 months), the information is misrepresented, and/or the supporting documentation is not supplied when requested. The list of presentations is to be submitted in English. If an application is incomplete, the applicant will be notified and have 30 days to correct the application, staying within the same timeframe represented in the application, and can resubmit without additional fees. If the application remains incomplete after the 30 days, the applicant must start over and must complete the submission process representing the updated time frame.

Applications containing misrepresented information will result in the disqualification of the applicant.

By submitting an application, the applicant agrees to adhere to the Code of Conduct and submit a $995 USD application fee. $50 USD of the fee is forwarded to the member association.

The identity and information concerning all applicants is confidential. Peer reviewers and verbal knowledge assessment providers are required to sign a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement before participating in the process. No peers will review the submitted financial and client data of an applicant.

The Global Speaking Fellow designation is granted for a five-year period, after which the global speaker must renew the designation through demonstration of maintaining CSP membership, continued professional development, and commitment to the profession by contributing to the best-practice content library for the advancement of excellence in global speaking. After one renewal and after the age of 70, the designation is considered to be continuous.

Global Speaking Fellow presenters agree to abide by the GSF Code of Conduct for Global Speakers. The GSF requires adherence to this Code as a condition of the designation. The purpose of the Code is to assure clients that designation holders are committed to maintaining their professionalism and adhere to high standards in the conduct of providing services to clients and in their dealings with their international audiences.

As a Global Speaker, I pledge to:

• Serve clients with integrity, competence, and professionalism.
• Accept only those engagements for which I possess the appropriate experience and competence to provide the services requested.
• Treat appropriately all confidential client information.
• Agree in advance with a client on the basis for fees, expenses, payment, and the process for managing cancelations and refunds.
• Respect the rights of speaking colleagues and other presenters and never use their proprietary information, stories, examples, and materials without permission.
• Respond courteously and respectfully when turning down any opportunity that does not fit with my personal ethics or legal requirements.
• Respect the cultural norms and requests of clients and audiences by removing images and language from presentations that are not a fit.
• Respect interpretation professionals and treat them as valuable partners in delivering presentations.
• Respect the meeting professionals and support their work to deliver a high-quality program.
• Represent the global speaking profession with integrity and professionalism.
• Apply the Global Speaker Professional Code of Conduct equally in all markets.

The successful marketing of this designation will be achieved through the clear focus on the value propositions of the designation to clients, audiences, and speaking professionals communicated consistently across all communication channels available to the GSF including all member associations. A badge has been created that may be used by all Global Speaking Fellows for their own purposes on websites, social media, letterheads etc.

These channels include: the GSF website and the support of member association websites and publications, the relevant content feeds and articles provided to meetings industry websites and publications, and the global speaking members themselves with their websites and collateral material. Additionally, social media, word of mouth, and other forms of emerging channels will be leveraged with stories and videos of success from Global Speaking Fellow speakers.

The promoted value propositions will address how the designation directly advances the work and goals of the key stakeholders including: global meetings industry professionals, potential applicants, and future potential applicants. The value propositions will focus on outcomes, not on how to achieve the designation. In the limited attention bandwidth available from potential applicants, the GSF will deliver a few simple, repeatable, and clearly focused key messages through stories, testimonials, and examples.

For meetings industry professionals, the key messages revolve around support for lowering their risk and improving their outcomes. For designation holders and potential applicants, the key messages explain how the designation brings value to them as a professional in the global meetings industry and how they will be a part of the cohort of professionals at the forefront of advancing the art and value of global presenting. How to actually achieve the designation will be secondary to the why they will want to pursue it. Simple videos can explain the application process and all communication will be fully focused on why it is important.

For the marketing of the designation, value statements directed at the key stakeholders will be developed and promoted through all GSF communications efforts. Sample value statements may include one or two of the following for each target group:

• Reduces risk through verified competence level of designation holder
• Establishes and supports a professional code of conduct
• Provides an useful filter in hiring decisions and in identifying qualified speaking professionals
• Increases confidence in the abilities of the speaker
• Demonstrates commitment to competence and excellence
• Defines standards within the global speaking profession
• Advances the profession and creates a common understanding between speakers and those who hire them
• Increases cooperation and support between organizations in the disciplines of the meetings industry
• Provides a means for the profession to self-regulate
• Increases the likelihood of achievement of event goals

• Provides recognition and credibility
• Enhances professional reputation
• Displays personal accomplishment
• Demonstrates a high level of commitment to the profession on a global level
• Validates skills and knowledge
• Feassures local governmental agencies when issuing visas

• Provides all of the above items plus -
• Creates professional development opportunities
• Displays a roadmap for global speaking skills development
• Includes admission into an elite segment of the speaking profession

• Demonstrates respect for local culture, language and norms
• Increases confidence and belief in the validity of professional speaker
• Demonstrates commitment to the highest level of audience experience
• Indicates dedication to audience satisfaction

The entire administration system will be paperless and will be managed in the English language with translation technology utilized as needed. Technology, already being used by many credentialing and certifying organizations, will be deployed to manage the process. Some elements of the system may be administered through programs such as FormStack or other capable and affordable technologies.

A central staff administrator will oversee and maintain the system at an estimated combined five hours a month during usual times. At peak times (in the lead up to a deadline for recognition at a specific event), volume may increase and require ten hours a month of general administration.

Volunteers will make up the bulk of administrators in the process within the online review and assessment process. The central administrator will be responsible for assisting with scheduling and file transfers as well as overseeing the independent auditor verifying the applications at two to three hours per application. This work is clerical in nature and will require oversight of the GSF Executive Director to simply assure compliance with confidentiality and process.

Professional designations aim to provide many benefits to the professions they support and to society as a whole. The Global Speaking Fellow designation has been created using the guiding principles advanced by the Institute for Credentialing Excellence and the belief that by bringing value to the global meetings industry, the GSF brings value to its member associations.

The Global Speaking Fellow will be achieved through specialized and advanced experience within the core competencies and the body of knowledge advanced by the GSF. Additionally, the Global Speaking Fellow designation promotes an additional level of standards of conduct related to working in global markets.

The Global Speaking Fellow designation is the leading indicator that a professional speaker has met the standards of a global speaker and exhibits mastery in the global speaking competencies. These competencies are the framework that captures the basic skills, knowledge, and behaviors global speakers must demonstrate in order to successfully meet the needs of clients and audiences in a wide variety of environments around the globe.

The GSF proudly supports and promotes the value of a designation such as the Global Speaking Fellow.

Each competency has several components to be developed, by key professionals under the guidance of the GSF Education Committee, into modules to help professional speakers learn from the experience and insight of others. The resulting modules will become the educational content of the GSF.

• Customize content for appropriateness and applicability
• Demonstrate sensitivity to culture and manage communication appropriateness
• Work successfully with interpretation professionals and communication technology - both simultaneous and delayed
• Customize delivery style for place and culture
• Provide context through research of local issues, news and cultural mediation services
• Maintain high interpersonal awareness for mitigating distracting mannerisms and colloquialisms
• Convey content through translation services
• Select clothing fitting for local standards of modesty and customs
• Identify resources for props and slides review to understand how to work within cultural differences

• Adhere to global business conduct standards and maintaining high integrity
• Navigate the unique realities of networking in global markets
• Market and sell services in global markets
• Identify and work with promotion and media relation professionals worldwide
• Understand the expectations and the difference between being hired in a location or sent to a location
• Identify appropriate channels for publishing and distributing content
• Select the appropriate system for payments and transactions
• Understand the laws and protections of intellectual property rights on a global scale
• Identify the right management systems for business copyrights and trademarks
• Know the parameters of local contract negotiations and set appropriate expectations
• Understand the global business ramifications, both home and abroad, around fraud and legal issues
• Understand how to hire experts to manage tax implications, both at home and abroad

• Understand local traditions and how those will impact the event and presentations, in-person and/or live virtual
• Maintain awareness of planner and client expectations that differ from home events
• Manage the nuances of scheduling for events and how to adjust in the moment
• Know the protocol for interacting with attending dignitaries
• Identify appropriate resources for research to support successful delivery of content
• Utilize pre-event briefing checklists with contacts and clients
• Work with local publishing processes for program materials
• Know the type of staging technology that will be used and what to do if it does not work
• Work across multiple technology platforms for presentation audiovisuals
• Know how to locate information about systems-voltage and connectivity prior to the event
• Understand the local power grid availability and managing around challenges

Who will be responsible for the reviews and assessments?

Volunteer peer reviewers and verbal knowledge assessors will be drawn from the pool of Global Speaking Fellow recipients. These designation holders will provide the reviews and assessments to ensure the applicants are presenting capably at a global-level. A minimum of ten initial qualified recipients will be identified by a panel of Past Presidents of the GSF and confirmed by the GSF Board of Directors. GSF board members are removed from the list to eliminate potential conflict of interest challenges.

How will the educational content identified during this process be developed and will applicants be required to attend these educational programs as part of the application process?

The development of the educational content around the identified competencies is separate from the designation. Applicants will not be required to participate in an additional educational programs beyond those required for CSP to achieve the designation.

How will adherence to the Professional Code of Conduct be monitored and what consequences for non-compliance will be imposed?

If a complaint is charged against a Global Speaking Fellow member, the GSF Board of Directors will convene an ad hoc committee, led by a GSF Past President, to evaluate the allegations. Where the allegation matches a code principle in the member home association, the matter will be referred to the member association for a ruling. In those circumstances where the code principle is exclusive to the GSF Code of Conduct, the ad hoc committee will evaluate the matter and determine a ruling. In both cases, an affirmative violation ruling will lead to a determination of consequence and whether or not revoking the Global Speaking Designation is warranted. Recommendations to revoke or apply other sanctions are referred to the Board of Directors for a vote and action. The GSF will not revoke a CSP designation as that is a matter for the home association to evaluate.

How will the new designation be marketed?

A brief overview of the strategies, channels, and key message development is included on page 11 of this document. It is recommended that the tactical marketing plan for marketing the Global Speaking Fellow will be expanded and documented by a designation marketing subcommittee of the GSF Communications Committee.

How will the intangible nuances of successfully speaking at a global level be evaluated?

An external review by clients and an internal reviews by peers will supplement the application data submitted by applicants. Within the review and assessment components of the process, the team of volunteer peers will help determine global-level competence. These reviews are an important part of the credibility of the designation in the eyes of the clients hiring global speakers. Every effort is made to standardize these reviews and the system will allow for appeals to make sure the process minimizes bias.

Please refer to this United Nations page, Geographic Regions tab for the world regions and country groupings.

https://unstats.un.org/unsd/methodology/m49/#geo-regions

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