Businesses looking for a quality speaker, trainer, facilitator or consultant will find that CAPS's membership is a good resource for them to tap into.

"The CAPS website offers a database of members that can be searched by name, subject expertise, and geographical location," says Patricia Katz, the president of CAPS. "You will find just the right speaker for your conference and in-house training and development needs. All CAPS members agree to bide by a stringent code of ethics governing the conduct of their business."

One benefit of membership is exposure to the skills and expertise required to grow a business.

"Professional development sessions, offered during monthly local chapter programs and during the annual CAPS convention, provide information on key strategies for business success, use of technology, marketing, sales, promotion, topic development, platform expertise, networking, business management, product development and many other topics," says Katz.

CAPS has both local and national membership options. National membership is open to individuals who earn some or all of their income from professional speaking, training and facilitating, with professional and associate membership levels available. An annual, national CAPS membership costs $425 plus $150 initiation fee (one time only) plus GST per year.

For those who are just beginning their speaking careers, local membership is also available in one of eight chapters and networking groups across the country. Local chapters are located in Calgary, Cyber, Edmonton, Halifax, Hamilton-Niagara Region, Montreal, Ottawa, Saskatchewan, Southwestern Ontario, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg.

Contacting CAP:
Drop by the CAPS national website (www.canadianspeakers.org) for complete contact details on the national association and all of the chapter groups.

You can also contact the national office directly in one of the following ways:

CAPS
1370 Don Mills Road, Suite 300
Toronto, ON M3B 3N7
P: (416) 847-3355
F: (416) 441-0591
E-mail: info@canadianspeakers.org