We Interview #Speaker Claire Newton #vocalislekker

Dear Readers Today We Interview Speaker Claire Newton all about PSASA and the
Annual Convention they have coming up.  Let's hear what she has to say:

                                                                     Claire Newton
                                President of the Durban Chapter of PSASA

1.  You are a Speaker, What do you Speak about?

I speak about YOU-Q. You-Q is a concept that I have developed myself and it is about living one’s life to one’s full potential. It is about finding one’s Inner Winner.

You- Q is more than IQ – Intelligence alone is insufficient to find your Inner Winner.
You-Q is more than EQ – Managing your emotions is insufficient to find your Inner Winner.
You-Q is more than SQ – Having spiritual understanding on its own is insufficient to find your Inner Winner.

YOU-Q includes all of these things, but it is alsomore than these things. I talk about the 3 things one needs to focus on in order to develop YOU-Q and find one’s Inner Winner. That is
1.  Get Real - know your values, purpose and vision.
2. Change Your Head Talk -change the negative beliefs you have about yourself and the unhelpful messages you give yourself and
3. Relate – be able to relate well with others(be assertive, know how to handle conflict and have good interpersonal skills).

2.  You are the President of the Durban Branch of PSASA.  What is PSASA, What's that all about?

PSASA stands for Professional Speakers Association of Southern Africa. It is a professional association for people involved in the speaking business. Our members are versatile and diverse. They represent all aspects of the speaking business. All make their living, or part of their living, speaking to and/or working with groups as trainers, facilitators, coaches, consultants, adult educators, and keynoters.

The PSASA is committed to building a better future for the professional speaking business in South Africa and internationally. We are linked to the Global Speakers Federation (GSF).

 3.  I understand PSASA is having a convention in April, what will be happening there and what is this #vocalislekker?

Every year the PSASA holds an annual convention hosted by one of its Chapters – Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg or Pretoria. This year it is being held in Durban. The theme is Vocal is Lekker, which is a play on the South African promotional slogan, “Local is Lekker” and emphasises that speaking is just lekker! (For the international readers: Lekker ispronounced to rhyme with Mecca – and means nice / good / great!)

It is a three day convention and it officially stars on Friday 27^th April with lunch and ends on Sunday 29^th April with lunch.

On Friday afternoon we have a special Business Event. We are inviting business men and women to join us to hear three top international speakers give their business keynote.

The three speakers you’ll meet at the Business Event are:

Charles Marcus

This dynamic Canadian speaker’s key note address, “The Business World Is Evolving – Are You?” covers:

• 5 game changers that will set you apart from the crowd
• How to create MAGICAL moments for your customers
• Principles of success

Holger Woeltje

Holger is Germany’s leading expert in electronic time management and will show you how to:

• Survive the daily flood of email

• Find important information when you need it
• Keep track of tasks
• Set your priorities and get important stuff done, as well as
• Achieve big results and
• Gain more time for what matters most to you.

Andreas Buhr

Andreas hails from Germany, which currently has one of the strongest economies in Europe.  He will share with you his “7 Steps to Increase Your Turnover.”  

These three business powerhouses are not often together in the same place at the same time and I encourage you to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to benefit from their shared experience.

Your investment for the afternoon is R1000 per person, including lunch, tea, the threekeynotes and a delegate’s bag of goodies. Given that each of these speakers charge a few thousand dollars / euros, each time they speak, we have it at a bargain price!

There are only 40 seats left for this ground-breaking event, so please book soon!

Saturday and Sunday brings a line-up of speakers including: Mykola Latansky (Russia), Wolfgang Bönisch (Germany), Martin Limbeck (Germany); Richard McCann (UK). Laura Stack (USA). From South Africa, speakers include Francois Muscat, Mark Manley, Bertie Du Plessis, Jurgen Tietz, Dr Petro Janse van Vuuren, Peter Court and Roger Knowles.

This event is open to all PSASA members as well as the public. There is an early booking special offer. For more information, visit the website link:  http://www.psasouthernafrica.co.za/events/index.asp?Type=Cat&CatID=16 or contact Simone simone@psasa.co.za / +27 79 680 2573 for more details and to book your seats.

There will also be books, CD’s and DVD’s on sale throughout the convention, so pop in and be inspired!

4.  Is it true that the Famous Actor Peter Court will be doing a workshop on stagecraft?

Yes, we are very lucky to have Peter Court to facilitate a workshop for us on Friday morning (9-11am). This is a pre con event and it is open to the public. (Seats are limited though, so get in quick!)

The two-hour practical workshop will focus on:

·         Relaxation and breathing – where the voice comes from

·         Vocal development – altering voice for tone and quality

·         Body awareness – development of character and presentation persona

·         Locomotion and motivation – presentation skills and gesture

·         Creating verbal drama – create better presentations and performance

So if you are a speaker, toastmaster, actor, drama teacher or someone who wants to improve your presentation skills, this is the workshop for you.

It costs R500.00/ pp. but if you book for 3 then the 4^th comes free!

You can book through the PSASA Administrator – Simone on: simone@psasouthernafrica.co.za / +27 79 680 2573

5.  What advice do you have for speakers?

1)      Join the PSASA!

2)      Attend the conventions!

I can honestly say that my speaking career is where it is today because of the PSASA.

Attending the meetings, being exposed to other excellent speakers and discussing business ideas has really given me focus.  I have also made some great friends through the PSASA.

Attending the conventions is nothing short of inspirational. They are the best investment I could have made into my speaking career. I came away, excited, inspired, motivated. You will too.

6.  Do you prefer the Beach or the Forest?  

To be honest I really love both.

When I was working on Super yachts in the Mediterranean, I was surrounded by water or jetties all of the time and I really missed the grass and the trees. At any opportunity I could get, I would go walking barefoot on the grass and look for trees to sit under, just to listen to the sound of the leaves blowing in the breeze. There is a tiny forest in Antibes (South of France)and I was so excited when I discovered it. I used to walk there a lot.

As for the beach…I am a Durban girl! I couldn’t ever live too far from a beach as I would miss it too much. In Durban we are really blessed – we have some of the best beaches in the world!

7.  How does one book for this PSASA convention?

You can book through the PSASA Administrator – Simone on: simone@psasouthernafrica.co.za / +27 79 680 2573

Don’t hesitate, just do it!


Sounds like the place to be!


Useful Links:


PSASA -  www.psasouthernafrica.co.za

Find them on Facebook -  http://www.facebook.com/psasouthernafrica

Follow them on Twitter - @psasouthafrica