Getting Ready for the 2019 NSA Conference

In just a few weeks the 36th Annual NSA Conference will be taking place and I couldn’t be anymore excited! If you want to read my recap of last years NSA conference, click here. I’ve had a lot of positive experiences with my speech in the last few months (like giving a MOH speech!), so what better way to celebrate these happy times than by heading to the beach with the stuttering community! This year the conference takes place in Fort Lauderdale, FL. It’ll be held at a gorgeous Marriott Resort right on the beach and there’s TONS of workshops that I’m super excited to go to! So, here’s how I’m getting ready for the 2019 NSA Conference:

Picking Workshops

Last year I made the rookie mistake of not looking at the workshop schedule until I got there. This year, however, I’m strategically planning out which sessions to go to so I can make the most of my time. The workshop schedule is linked here. There are so many good ones that it’s hard to pick just one per time slot! Some that I definitely will be going to are:

• WHY ME? Stories of Understanding, Acceptance and Embracing One’s Stutter
• Acceptance and Change: Are They Compatible?
• Taboo Topics in Stuttering
• Stuttering in Real Life

…And if I’m feeling brave enough, the Advertising: Hittin’ The Streets of Fort Lauderdale workshop. Last year I attended the same workshop, not exactly knowing what to expect, and we ended up walking around the streets and advertising to complete strangers! It was terrifying. I felt super awkward walking up to a stranger and saying “Howdy! I stutter!” (Ok it wasn’t phrased quite like that, but you get the point!). But hey, stepping outside of comfort zones is what this blog is all about! … *insert Chrissy Tiegen cringing gif*

Counting Successes

Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve had some great experiences with stuttering during the last few months. Giving a MOH speech at my sisters wedding was truly the highlight of my stuttering life, and to top that off, I opened up to my coworkers and bosses waaaayy more than I ever have before and got such positive feedback! These successes serve as a reminder of how much I can grow as a person, and they motive me to keep pushing myself a little farther each time I’m faced with something scary. Having these experiences under my belt as I go into this year’s conference will help me to keep exploring and pushing my stuttering boundaries.

Related: 2018 NSA Conference Recap

Setting Goals

Setting goals is something I didn’t do last year but really wish I had. Since it was my first time, I had no clue what to expect and what goals I even should have set. However now that I’m a conference pro, I will say that setting goals for yourself is very important. What do you want to leave feeling like? What risks do you want to take? What do you want to learn more about? Who do you want to meet? All of these are great questions to ask yourself as you set your goals. For me, I want to:

• Introduce myself to 25 new people at workshops
• Share a story at one of the open mics
• Show lots of raw stuttering during the workshops and social events

Preplanning which workshops to attend, counting your successes, and setting personal goals are three things you can do to ensure you have a great experience at this years NSA conference whether you’re a first timer or a pro. I’m excited to see some familiar faces and meet some new ones. There’s just under a month left! Have any of you all ever been to the NSA conference? If you have, leave a comment and tell me your experiences! And if you’ve read this far and have no clue what I’ve been talking about, check out the NSA conference homepage here!

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