I’m a professional speaker. I’ve been an NSA Member since
1993. I’m also a consultant. Before that I was CEO of an ad agency.
When people are looking to get into speaking, they get
referred to me so they can pick my brain.”
Here’s what I tell them:
1.This ain’t no picnic. When you see a great platform
performance it looks so easy. You just stand up and “let ‘er rip.”
It’s not that way Bunkie. What you don’t see is the
years of preparation to get to the level of expertise needed to really craft
winning remarks. What you don’t see is
the hours spent rehearsing and the days spent marketing to get those few brief
shining moments.
2. Go with your passion. Every Successful speaker I know is
not only an expert in some area, they are passionate about it. Most have been
known to speak on the topic even when
they are not being paid.
Their zeal comes through in a simple conversation or in a
packed auditorium. It is the reason a meeting planner or program chair selects
one speaker over another. It is obvious in a video a webinar or a phone call.
3. Practice shameless self promotion. This is the hardest
for most beginners and even some of the old pros. Until your speaking business
(Yes it is a business) reaches as sustainable level you will probably be on
your own. You won’t have an office manager to handle booking phone calls. You
won’t have a full time marketing person. You will be the manager of sales, PR,
Advertising and the Grand Poobah of all promotions.
So you have to suck it up and do it yourself, The best advice
I can offer is to emulate as much of the form of promotion used by successful
speakers as you can. And never be afraid to ask them what works for them
now as well as how they did it getting started.
4. Maintain your expertise. Each day I check a full array of
marketing information resources to see what is new, what is being commented on
and what, if anything, is being injected into the conversation from the
periphery.
I look for hard data—-surveys, analytic summaries, data
compilations, analyses, research reports and any non-statistical data cited as
“proof of process” or standard practice.
Then I step back to see how the new data fits with what I
know. If a contrarian approach is warranted, I may blog about it or fit it into
a speech.
5. Never stop believing. Today a young man (an Army Officer)
who wants to be a speaker was looking for advice. He noted that in the military
he had been training people from the time he started as a private. He trained
people at every rank he held as he rose from the ranks to be selected for Officer Candidate School.
I told him his abilities would stand him in good stead as he
moved toward a speaking career. In addition, I pointed out that the leadership
skills he had developed and demonstrated would give him first hand knowledge
and experience he could draw on in speaking about his passion: the impressive
capabilities and practical skills that vets have to bring to industry.
And I told him to never stop believing in himself, his
comrades in arms, and the men and women of the companies and associations he
will serve with pride as he has served his country.
Jerry Fletcher’s speaking web site is www.NetworkingNInja.com
HIs consulting site is: www.JerryFletcher.com