I run a variety of workshops and speak at a lot of conferences; I write a lot of books. Questions come up....such as...
How do you get to be a conference speaker who can charge for his/her talk?
- Like many, many roles there is no defined path. But here are a few points which might help.
- It should go without saying that you are practising your presentation skills day in and day out until they are very, very good. In particular you need to become a story-teller.
- Now decide what 'your thing' is. Any speaker bureau will have 100s who do 'sales' or 'motivation'; find something for which you get known. Your 'thing'.
- And although it is arguable whether there is a 'brand-new', fresh idea out there, build your own material and acknowledge the primary work of others.
- Now get out there and find some gigs. Do some for free initially to get some references. Once people are consistently saying 'excellent, amazing' start charging. How much? Look at the speaker bureaus to see the ranges. Increase your fees as you increase your skill and value to your clients.
- Review every gig you do and learn from the feedback.
- Better speakers:
- consistently improve
- customise for the audience
- offer practical 'take-away' tips for the audience
- are professional in every aspect from time-keeping to knowing their client inside-out
- Weaker speakers:
- Sound and look as if they have done this too many times before
- This role complements that of author. If you are good, people will want to buy your book. Write one and if necessary self-publish it, ensuring you engage a proper proof-reader.
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