Global Speaking Federation History.
The world of professional speaking has certainly come a long way, and it continues to evolve. We are proud of our history and contributions to the profession. Please see below for the history on how the GSF came into existence and how it has evolved over time.
Cavett Robert (1907-1997) began his career as a teacher in his home state of Arizona, USA. After studying and practicing law, he became a highly successful salesperson. His success in selling led him into the field of training and professional speaking. After joining Toastmasters International, he became the World Champion of Public Speaking in 1942.
Cavett was passionate about helping others, and he started telling his peers that he wanted to help other people to become better speakers. Many of Cavett’s peers at this time were wary of Cavett’s passion, concerned that others would “take a piece of our pie”. But Cavett’s motto was always:
“Don’t worry about how we divide up the pie. Let’s just make a bigger pie!”
In the sixties, most professions were so filled with the competition that this thinking wasn’t rewarded. However, in an industry where previously very few organizations used professional speakers, this ignited an industry boom.
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1973
Cavett Robert’s dream became a reality when he founded the National Speakers Association (NSA) in 1973. He built the association on this concept:
“There is nothing that can’t be accomplished when the right people are swept up in a worthy cause, divorced from who gets credit for what!”
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1987 - 1997
Over the next decade, three other countries followed suit by setting up national associations of professional speakers:
1987: National Speakers Association of Australia, now Professional Speakers Australia
1994: National Speakers Association of New Zealand
1997: Canadian Association of Professional Speakers
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A New Global Entity Evolves
The Board of Directors of the first four-member countries – Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States – approved the formation of the International Federation For Professional Speakers in July 1997. The Federation officially launched in January 1998. The IFFPS was originally set up to provide a conduit through which associations and their members can share and benefit from the knowledge, experience, and the wisdom of each other.
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2000 - 2006
Over the next several years, the IFFPS continued expand its membership:
2000: Professional Speakers Associations UK and Ireland
2002: Asia Professional Speakers Singapore
2005: Germany Speakers Association
2005: Malaysian Association of Professional Speakers
2006: Professional Speakers Association of South Africa
2006: Professional Speakers Association of Holland
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A New Name
The advent of the Internet had impacted IFFPS in many positive ways, but it became clear that the Federation needed a name that was more searchable and easier for people to remember. The discussion about changing the name was initiated by Joe Sherren in his term as IFFPS President, and continued during W. Mitchell’s Presidency. In 2009 the name was officially changed from the IFFPS to the Global Speakers Federation (GSF).
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The Next Decade
Over the next decade-plus, the GSF continued to add member associations:
2011: Association Française des Conférenciers Professionnels
2017: National Speakers Association of Sweden
2018: Philippine Association of Professional Speakers
2019: Professional Speakers Association of India
2019: CIS Speakers Association
2021: Virtual Speakers Association
2021: Latin America Speakers Association
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Growth Led to Restructuring
The world of professional speaking has certainly come a long way, and it continues to evolve. With more speaking associations being formed all over the world, the Federation restructured in 2018. This transition engages association leaders in the Federation and reaffirms the vision of global collaboration.
Nabil Doss, GSF President 2016-17, led the Federation through the important first year of this transition. In his report, Nabil said: “With this new structure, we have created one of the most powerful masterminds on the planet. It’s up to us to take advantage of our tremendous combined brainpower to resolve our challenges with a concerted and collaborative mindset.”