The Successful Speaker: Five Steps for Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform
by Grant Baldwin
recommend doing that: Brainstorm the topic and make a list of bullet points. These can be stories, points, stats, etc. Do not filter your ideas right now; you’ll organize later. At this point, you’re just getting everything down on paper. You can handwrite this, mind map it, use a tool like Evernote or Word, put ideas on sticky notes, or even audio record yourself. The important thing is to have no filter at all and just get it all out. Organize those ideas into an outline. What are the main points that stand out to you? What are the supporting details that work well for each main point? Look for stories and anecdotes that relate to the points. Expand your outline into a manuscript. This Corporations Large companies are always looking for speakers to help with ongoing training and education, industry events, and company retreats. These companies are a great source of revenue because they tend to have good-sized speaker budgets every year for events. Once you break into this industry, it can create a significant and consistent source of income for you as a speaker. But event planners are typically looking for a certain kind of speaker who fits their agenda, so breaking in can be difficult, and since these events usually pay well, it can be competitive. But once you’re in, it can be a very steady source of speaking gigs and clients.
Step 1 is “S,” as in “Select a problem to solve.” When someone asks you what you speak about, that’s not what they really want to know. They want to know why what you talk about is relevant to them. They want to know that you can help them, or someone they know, in some way. In other words, they want you to solve a problem. And that begins with knowing who you’re speaking to in the first place.
A good talk should always answer two questions: Question 1: “So what?” What is the one thing you want your audience to know by the end of your speech? You never want them to feel confused about the message you were trying to get across. Question 2: “Now what?” What do you want them to do about it? What’s the next step? Where do they go from here?
Debrief with the client immediately after your talk. If they loved it, ask them for a recommendation. Thank the event coordinator and everyone involved. To go above and beyond, send a follow-up thank-you note or card. If you bombed, be honest about whether you gave it your best effort or if it was some outside factor. Learn from it and move on.
Regardless, your job is to solve someone’s problem, not deliver a speech. The speech is the way you get the job done. When people ask you what you speak about, they’re really asking, “What problem do you solve? And why should I care?” No matter how great you are, the audience will always be wondering what’s in it for them.
Always have your “radar up,” so to speak, so that you’re aware of the stories when they come, because you just never know when you might stumble across a good one. Pay close attention to what’s going on in your life and around you and write down anything that you think might be good for a future talk.
"recommend doing that: Brainstorm the topic and make a list of bullet points. These can be stories, points, stats, etc. Do not filter your ideas right now; you’ll organize later. At this point, you’re just getting everything down on paper. You can handwrite this, mind map it, use a tool like Evernote or Word, put ideas on sticky notes, or even audio record yourself. The important thing is to have no filter at all and just get it all out. Organize those ideas into an outline. What are the main points that stand out to you? What are the supporting details that work well for each main point? Look for stories and anecdotes that relate to the points. Expand your outline into a manuscript. This"
"Corporations Large companies are always looking for speakers to help with ongoing training and education, industry events, and company retreats. These companies are a great source of revenue because they tend to have good-sized speaker budgets every year for events. Once you break into this industry, it can create a significant and consistent source of income for you as a speaker. But event planners are typically looking for a certain kind of speaker who fits their agenda, so breaking in can be difficult, and since these events usually pay well, it can be competitive. But once you’re in, it can be a very steady source of speaking gigs and clients."
"List any previous experience or interest you have in any of the seven industries mentioned in this chapter. Try to narrow it down to a few you really like. From there, choose an industry to focus on as you move forward. This isn’t permanent. Don’t feel like you have to stick with that industry forever. You’re allowed to change your mind. But to get started as a speaker, you have to be clear about who it is you want to speak to, so let’s just pick something for now. Choose a secondary industry as a backup in case the first one doesn’t end up being what you think it is."
"ACTION PLAN Choose what type of talk you’re going to focus on: keynotes, workshops, or seminars. You may do a variety of them, but where are you going to focus your attention and energy, at least initially? Create a menu of talks that clients can choose from. Focus on a few offerings that appeal to different audience segments for your target industry. Build a plan for finding more gigs for the kind of talk you want to do. Research events in your industry that are well attended and booking other speakers for those types of talks."
"Pick what kind of talk you want to give: keynote, workshop, or seminar. Develop an outline for that talk. While you may want to do multiple topics, just focus on one for now. Write out the entire talk, word for word. Practice, practice, practice. Practice your talk in front of someone else for bonus points. Creating a great talk is the foundation for marketing and acquiring paid speaking gigs, which we’ll cover later. Take your time here and make sure you’re clear on your message, because it will matter later."
"Step 1 is “S,” as in “Select a problem to solve.” When someone asks you what you speak about, that’s not what they really want to know. They want to know why what you talk about is relevant to them. They want to know that you can help them, or someone they know, in some way. In other words, they want you to solve a problem. And that begins with knowing who you’re speaking to in the first place."
"A good talk should always answer two questions: Question 1: “So what?” What is the one thing you want your audience to know by the end of your speech? You never want them to feel confused about the message you were trying to get across. Question 2: “Now what?” What do you want them to do about it? What’s the next step? Where do they go from here?"
- →A good talk should always answer two questions: Question 1: “So what?” What is the one thing you want your audience to know by the end of your speech? You never want them to feel confused about the message you were trying to get across. Question 2: “Now what?” What do you want them to do about it? What’s the next step? Where do they go from here?
- →Regardless, your job is to solve someone’s problem, not deliver a speech. The speech is the way you get the job done. When people ask you what you speak about, they’re really asking, “What problem do you solve? And why should I care?” No matter how great you are, the audience will always be wondering what’s in it for them.
- →Always have your “radar up,” so to speak, so that you’re aware of the stories when they come, because you just never know when you might stumble across a good one. Pay close attention to what’s going on in your life and around you and write down anything that you think might be good for a future talk.
- →When someone asks what problem you solve, you should be able to answer with the following: I help GROUP do TOPIC so they can SOLUTION. For example: I help corporate executives maximize their productivity so they can spend more time with their families.
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