The Speaker Success Roadmap reveals the system successful speakers have used
If you have a message the world needs to hear, you can find a way to share it. You need more than dumb luck to be a successful speaker; you need a proven process. Whether intuitively or intentionally, the successful communicators in the world have always followed a very specific system.
To be a professional speaker is to start a speaking business. It is one thing to know how to be a great speaker and it is quite another to make a name for yourself from speaking.
"You don’t need to have a near–death experience or to have achieved some extraordinary feat in life to be a successful speaker".
Being a successful speaker is more about following a certain set of principles that have been proven to work time and again across different industries.
Life is not all about money, but it is possible to do something you’re passionate about and still make money. The strategies explained in this summary will guarantee success for you in the speaking business when you apply them to your life. There is a specific process involved in making a successful career out of speaking.
If you follow the Speaker Success Roadmap, you’ll know where you’re going and what to do when you get there. The Speaker Success Roadmap is an easy–to–follow, step–by–step blueprint designed to help speakers start and scale a business from the ground up.
The Roadmap will help you to clarify your message, spread your speaker brand, and create the impact you want to make.
The acronym S.P.E.A.K. has been expanded to represent:
• Select a problem to solve
• Prepare and deliver your talk
• Establish your expertise
• Acquire paid speaking gigs
• Know when to scale
The rest of this summary explains this acronym in greater detail so that you can arrive safely to your destination on your journey toward becoming a successful speaker.
To succeed as a speaker, you have to be able to deliver a powerful message to an audience
Beyond talent or skill, you need to have a plan and work out the plan, and that plan is the Speaker Success Roadmap. Selecting a problem to solve is the first step in the Speaker Success Roadmap. It is the foundation on which success is built. It seems invisible and unattractive but it is crucial to everything else.
"Speaking doesn’t start with what you want to say. It starts with the problem you want to solve".
The speech you deliver is the means by which you solve the problem. When people ask you what you speak about, the real question is what problem do you solve and why should it matter to them?
"A good answer is best illustrated with an example".
You can say “I help corporate executives maximize their productivity so they can spend more time with their families.” The general rule is “I help GROUP do TOPIC so they can...”
Keep your solution short, clear and simple. The “Topic Trifecta” of selecting a problem to solve is:
• Choose an industry
• Identify an interest
• Speak with integrity
Choosing your industry means you need to know your audience. The best way to reach your target audience as a speaker is to find them and speak directly to them.
"Speaking to everyone is almost the same as speaking to no one. Hence, knowing who you are speaking to can help you figure out what topic to speak on. Industry comes before interest".
This choice will limit your ability to reach other people but it will make you a more effective communicator and a more successful speaker. You will be speaking to specific people. When they hear your message, they know it is for them.
There are 7 major industries for speakers: corporations, associations, faith–based organizations, nonprofits, government and military, colleges and universities, and education.
"Find the industry you are best suited for and focus on that industry".
To determine the right industry for you, ask the following questions:
• In which of these industries have you worked or have connections?
• Which industry do you feel the most passionate about or have the most knowledge in?
"Your past may be a valuable asset to your future".
As a speaker, you need to narrow your focus by picking a specific area of interest
Your focus of interest will help you achieve clarity. Set your expectations and own them. You will attract more of the kind of client you want, and you’ll fill up your calendar with bookings a lot faster. Don’t get greedy and try to talk to CEOs, health enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, and married couples all at once.
To narrow your focus, ask the following questions:
• What do I enjoy talking about?
• Can I speak on this topic for the next 5 years?
• Are people interested in learning about this topic?
"When you have a powerful topic that others will be interested in hearing you speak on, you are headed in the right direction".
When in doubt about industry and interest, the key is to watch the market. Pay attention to what industries are looking for from speakers. What are other speakers in your industry talking about? What problems are they solving?
You may be interested in many topics. However, you need to find the intersection between the market demand and your interest, and focus on that.
How do you do that? Ray Edwards, a marketing expert and professional speaker, recommends the OPEN method to determine if your audience is interested in your topic.
OPEN stands for: Oblivious: People who don’t know they have a problem. Pondering: People who are vaguely aware they have a problem. Engaged: People who are actively seeking a solution. Needing: People whose problems have become overwhelming.
Your target should be people who are engaged or needing. To find these people, you need to look in the right places, like other speakers’ websites, conference websites, or speakers’ bureau websites.
Trying to convince people why they should care about your interest is a waste of your energy and time. Find people who are already interested and find a way to get your message to them.
When people are not interested enough to pay you, try the Trojan Horse Method. It means you position yourself in an area that people are interested in so that you can reach more people. Make sure your interest falls within the area you have inserted yourself. This is not a bait–and–switch. You’re still talking about the main thing — the horse — but you’re smuggling in another topic that is equally important.
"Opportunity is always found at the intersection of industry and interest. Listen to what people want, but don’t forget to give them what they need".
The third member of the topic trifecta is integrity. Don’t pretend to know everything or to be someone you are not. Talk from experience and share what you know.
The more you speak, the more opportunities will come, and the greater the temptation to step outside your core area of expertise.
Integrity is important — be true to yourself and share what you know with people who listen.
If selecting a problem to solve is the foundation of being a successful speaker, the next step will be to put up the walls
Prepare and deliver your talk even when you are yet to have your first speaking gig booked. Why? You need to know what you want to do before you start speaking to people about hiring you.
"The best marketing a speaker can do is not making the right connections or having the slickest promotional material, but simply delivering a great talk".
There are three different types of talk you can choose from. They are: keynotes, workshops, and seminars.
By trying each type of talk, you’ll figure out the one that’s best for you. TED talks are great examples of keynotes. To find examples of workshops and seminars, you may need to attend local conferences.
Indeed, you can offer all three types of talk to speaking clients. You just need to have a clear strategy for why you’re doing this and the purpose of each type of talk. Now that you know the 3 different types of talk, you need to create one. Before you write anything, ask yourself what your goal is as a speaker. What do you want to accomplish? You will be able to use time well only if you have a clear objective.
Create a speaking menu. A speaking menu is a list of options available to your client, including what types of talks you do, what topics you cover, and the ideal audience for each type of presentation. The easiest way to get started is to begin with what you want to talk about and what kind of presentations you want to do. If you have no idea, try identifying your audience to understand what topics get booked and what those clients need. As you get more experienced and learn about what works and what you like, your menu will evolve and change. Like a good restaurant owner, try to keep your options limited while still considering what kind of choices your audience prefers.
When you know where you are going, it is easier to create a map that shows the way.
"Your job as a speaker is to bring your audience along with you for the ride, and to do that well, they need to start at the same place and arrive at the same destination as you".
The goal in preparing a speech is to become clear on your destination so that everything in your talk points to it
A good talk should always answer two questions:
• So what? This addresses the one thing you want your audience to know.
• Now what? This addresses what you want them to do as a result of what they now know.
Your talk and its objective will get better and sharper over time, but we all have to start with where we are.
"Reducing your talk to a single, powerful idea will allow you to create an entire talk around the one thing you most want to communicate".
Resist the temptation of packing too much into a single talk. You want your talk to leave your audience with a more memorable and enjoyable experience.
In his book “Steal the Show,” Michael Port discusses several frameworks for a speech. Four of these frameworks are: numerical, chronological, modular, and problem–solution. These frameworks help you to structure your talk accordingly.
Find a process that works for you and the audience. There are no hard–and–fast rules. Allow for spontaneity and improvisation. Try new things, experiment, use stories.
"Stories are one of the most powerful tools in a speaker’s toolbox, and learning to use them well is an essential skill for becoming a successful speaker".
According to Michael Port, a quick and easy way to brainstorm story ideas from your own life is to think about people, places, things, and events.
Write out the story to identify more details that would make the story better. When you use stories for your speech, share the ones that contribute to your main idea. The details you share should be those that move the story forward and are critical to understanding it.
"One of the easiest ways to lighten a talk is by using self–deprecating humor".
Use humor. Humor is extremely effective for keeping an audience engaged. But remember, as with stories, humor should be used to move the point of the talk or story forward.
Here are some additional tips for using humor: take an unexpected detour, pay close attention to context, go with the flow, and never tell the audience your joke will be funny.
Also, don't get carried away; be mindful of time. Allow your audience a chance to laugh, always be appropriate, and remember to take notes.
Also, it helps to occasionally write out your speech — the whole thing.
A good presentation is a dialogue between the speaker and the audience
Public speaking is the number one fear for most people, more terrifying than heights, death, flying, loneliness, bugs, or snakes.
The fear of public speaking comes from three unspoken fears, which are fear of the unknown, of embarrassment, and of the worst–case scenario.
To combat these three fears, you need to acknowledge that all good things in life come with the possibility of failure.
"Fear is not always bad. It can focus your attention and tell you something is important".
It’s also important to understand that excitement is often misinterpreted as fear. For example, while some are afraid of rollercoasters, others are excited about them. Both groups of people feel butterflies in their stomachs each time they go on the ride. Fear causes you to flee from something while excitement causes you to run toward it.
To manage the discomfort that comes from speaking in front of an audience, the following tips might help:
• Practice your talk over and over again
• Use keywords rather than notes for your presentation
• Have a pregame routine where you check all the facilities you will use for your speech
"Your speech needs to be able to stand on its own without any slides or tools or technological wizardry".
Technology should be an aid to your presentation and not the fulcrum on which the presentation stands. Some of the most commonly used tools by speakers are slides; props, visuals and handouts; microphones, camera, and music.
Though the environment or room may abound with distractions, it is possible to speak to an audience who pays attention to your every word.
There are a number of dynamics that determine how your audience receives your message. Start the talk with a strong opening, make your energy match the room. Finally, utilize opening and closing loops.
The more you speak, the better you become at reading the room and the audience to know which interactions will work in which settings. Feel out the audience and decide what’s best for them.
Did you know? As of 2013, the average attention span of a human was 8 seconds. A goldfish has an average attention span of 9 seconds.
As a speaker, you want to be the go–to authority event planners consult to solve a specific problem for their audience
What you need is a brand. You may know how to solve a problem and have a solution prepared. This is not enough. You need to make the people who need the solution see that you can solve their problems.
"A brand is how other people tell your story, and marketing is the work you do to get that story out there".
What is your brand as a speaker? What are the most important marketing tools you need? How do you establish your expertise and get a client’s attention?
When clients come to your site, you need to show them your best, which means you have to do your best to represent yourself. It is important that you realize that you are the brand, not your product, teaching or company.
"Your brand is what you communicate, and you are always communicating something with everything you say and with what you don’t".
Your brand must be clear. Your brand is the feeling you give your clients; it’s the story they tell themselves, before, during and after they buy your product or service. It’s that feeling of reassurance they get when they see you on stage, killing it.
"Two important marketing tools you need to build your brand: a website and a speaker reel".
Start with what you have at your disposal. A brand is something you are continually growing as you go further down the path of becoming a successful speaker.
Your demo video is the most important part of your website, and aside from having a great talk, it’s the best piece of marketing you will ever have.
When a nightclub hires a band, the first thing they do is go listen to the band’s music. Event planners want to see for themselves what a great speaker you are. But what if you don’t have any video of you speaking? Find a local event where you can speak for free, just to get the footage. Or you can choose to host your own event. Another option is to speak to an empty room. Then you can outsource the video editing if you are not tech savvy. Before you start marketing yourself, ensure your video and website are available online.
When setting up your website as a speaker, your message must be clear and directed to your customers and not consumers. For example, if you speak to high school students, they are not your customers. They are the consumers. The customer is probably the school administrator who hires you to speak to the students. Build your website with the administrator in mind.
All you need to get started as a speaker is a simple, one–page website with the goal of getting people to watch your demo video and subsequently contact you.
Social media, though not as important as your website and demo video, can also be a useful marketing tool. The point is to be intentional about social media rather than being everywhere online.
"As soon as you establish your expertise as a speaker, go all out to acquire paid speaking gigs to gather experience".
Identify potential clients and reach out to them to find out if they need a speaker for their upcoming event
Online search engines are a great place to find events that need speakers. For example, if you speak on dog training, you can google “dog training conference.” Then add your province or state to streamline the search. Smaller events are often looking for more of an up–and–coming speaker, which means you.
"Invest your time in going through the results that are returned from your search. This will allow you to get familiar with the clients and their industry".
Search engine optimization is a technique that can come in handy when using search engines. It makes it easy for new clients to find you. To get started with SEO, try the following:
• Pick a keyword or phrase
• Consider the variations of that same phrase
• Get as specific as you can
Start creating content using these terms and phrases so that people can find you online.
Another way to get speaking gigs is to ask for referrals. When you speak somewhere, always ask the event planner for other contacts who book similar speakers. This is the best way to get future gigs. You can also ask for client testimonials, which you can use to reach out to future clients. Ask for this as part of the negotiation. Write a letter based on their verbal feedback and send it to them for endorsement.
"Pay–per–click is a more advanced strategy which involves paying a small fee for each person who clicks your ad on a search engine or website".
Speaker referrals also help. Build relationships with other professionals in your niche despite the fact that they are competitors. There are several reasons that can make them refer you:
• The budget is lower than the fee the speaker charges
• The speaker is already booked for that date
• It is not a topic they speak on
• The location of the event is too far for them to travel
Showcases are auditions for speakers and are most common in the college and conference markets. The audience is made up of decision makers considering whom to hire. It has a potential advantage of offering great exposure to potential clients. The disadvantage is that the competition is fierce and you may find it difficult to differentiate yourself.
Media and press can also give you the publicity you need. Find out the websites, blogs, or publications that your potential clients read and get featured on any of these platforms.
By diversifying your portfolio to complement your work as a speaker, you can increase your income
There is a time when the challenge of speaking exceeds your skill set. Then, there comes a time when your skill set exceeds the challenge of speaking. You want something more than just speaking at events. Knowing when to scale is the final step in becoming a successful speaker.
"For your speaking business to grow cohesively, all your efforts must be in alignment with who you are and where you’re headed in life".
Get a clear picture of your income streams before creating new products for your business or start scaling. Let’s call it your income pie. It will reveal the aspect of your speaking business that brings in the most income. Do you spend enough time on the aspect that brings in the most income? How much do you enjoy each of the income streams? Can you visualize the ideal state for your business?
There are different types of speakers with different income pies. Deciding which kind of speaker you want to be will help you decide what to offer and what your next steps should be.
The key to picking where to expand your business first is to find out what questions, challenges, or obstacles your audience is facing, then create solutions to those problems.
Once you have something to sell, confirm with the client if it’s okay to sell your product. Do not assume permission. If you get permission, the following rules can help you make sales:
• Give people a reason to buy while they are physically there
• Make sure there is a break after you talk when people can buy
• Keep the pitch short when you talk about your product
• Use the product in your talk
• Host a giveaway
• Use product packages
You will become extremely successful as a speaker if you follow the Speaker Success Roadmap.
Conclusion
Deciding to become a speaker has the potential to change your life. It offers you an opportunity to do something you love and earn money while doing it. You get to reach a lot of people with a message that matters. It fills your life with purpose.
Select a problem to solve. Wealth comes from adding real value. Value comes from solving real problems. Identify those who know they have a problem and need a solution to the problem. They are your potential customers.
Prepare and deliver your talk. Don’t just blabber, have a strategy and rhythm to your speech. Make your solution very clear and ensure your speech is not technology–dependent. Use props and make the props as real as possible. It leaves an impact on the audience. Tell relevant stories and use good humor. Keep improving your ability to deliver powerfully.
Establish your expertise by creating a website and a demo video where potential clients can reach you. Differentiate between consumers of your product and customers. They are not always the same. Use SEO and client referrals to get more speaking gigs.
Acquire paid speaking gigs by reaching out to potential clients in the industry you have chosen. Once you’ve clarified the industry, your interest in the industry and have integrity, you can check online for opportunities to speak at small events and scale up from there.
Know when to scale. Your ability to speak at events may wane as the years go by. Therefore, do a critical analysis of your speaking business to know where the biggest slice of your income pie comes from. This will give an insight on what to spend time on and what you need to cut down. If you must have a product, ensure it is needed by the clients in your industry. Then, find a way to put it out there for them to buy.
Being successful as a speaker requires mastering the art of speaking and mastering the business side of the profession.
Decide what type of speaker you want to be and use the Speaker Success Roadmap to become that person. Live happy and fulfilled.
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Choose the type of speaker you want to be and follow the guide presented in this summary to achieve it.
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