Do you want to speak more?
"How do I get more speaking opportunities?"
This is a question I get asked almost daily and so I felt like it was time for me to share some questions, insights and resources, that might help answer this for you.
To start, I am going to break this down into three questions:
Are you clear?
Are you ready?
Are you willing to be bold?
1. Let's talk about getting clear
Let's imagine for a moment that you have an expertise that helps women specifically. So, you might be thinking to yourself, "I can help all women in any industry." While this might be true, I want you to get more clear.
Are they in a certain industry? Do they have a common struggle? Are they early-career or mid-career? Are they leaders? Who are they? What do they care about? What do they struggle with?
A lot of us can help a lot of people regardless of industry, but when event organizers are looking for a speaker, the clearer you are about who you serve, the easier it will be, not only for them to get curious about you, but for people to talk about you when you're not in the room.
Also, is it clear that you speak? Do you tell people? Is it on your LinkedIn profile? If you aren't putting out the signals, it will be hard for people to find you.
2. Are you ready?
This doesn't mean that everything is perfect and in place, but this does mean that if an opportunity pops up, you have a few essentials in place. Meaning, you might still be working on that signature talk, but if someone reaches out, you can easily hand them the following:
Your speaker one sheet, which traditionally includes your speaking topics, a great photo of you, testimonials and how you can be reached.
Headshot and brandshots
Your speaker reel or a video a solid 3 minutes of you speaking and holding the attention of a room. Bonus points if you have both. If you don't have either, record yourself addressing the problem you solve, who you are for credibility, your unique insight, the proof (i.e. a client story), your solution, and end with a clear call to action.
3. Are you willing to be bold?
This means you start reaching out to all of your local network groups, chambers, etc. Find places where there is a rotating call for speakers.
This also means boldly raising your hand if someone asks if there is someone in the group who is willing to speak for 10 minutes.
Start building relationships and your speaking chops at the same time!
99.9% of my speaking opportunities have come from events I said YES to in the past or by telling current clients that I am a speaker. And guess what? Some of those clients organize events, work for a company looking for an off-site speaker, or are the CEO of a company. So, when they need someone to perk up the room and have fun with communication, they reach out!
Apply, apply, apply! Yes, you will receive a lot of rejection, but the way I see it, that's one rejection closer to them knowing who you are. Heck, I believe I received 4 rejections just this week! Score! So, if speaking at that event or conference is really important to you, then be strategic about how you want to build a relationship with the people curating the event.
Here are two resources that offer lists of speaking opportunities you can apply for:
Innovation Women (speaking opportunities and resources for speakers)
If you want to get paid, don't undercut the industry!
Have I spoken for free? NO. But I have said yes to engagements with concessions, especially when I was first starting out. Meaning, I will consider an opportunity if there are at least two of these three things to help strategically move my business forward:
Audience, Access, Assets.
Is it my ideal audience that will bring me leads? Will I gain access to other people and doors within the company or community? Is there a speaker fee? Will I get the photo and video assets after the event? Will it be fun and with good people?
And now for the bold statement about undercutting the industry:
If you are a professional and capable speaker who shows up, delivers, has done the reps, and is an expert in your field, I believe your starting minimum should be $5k. When we start too low, we undercut the industry standard, and then it becomes the Wild West when it comes to speaker fees. We pull each other up by proudly displaying our worth, and sometimes, that means you may have to walk away from an opportunity.
If you are unclear if whether or not you fit into the $5K category, hit reply, and let's have a chat.
And if you want to be really bold, create and produce your own event! This is what I did as an actor that got me work and this is what I do now. There is nothing more liberating than building your own stage and inviting the audience you are excited to have in the room. Is it a lot of work? YES! Is it worth it?! YES, but get help, if this is not in your zone of brilliance.
Ok, there is a lot here and I imagine you may have questions. But before you hit comment, here are a few more resources to help you on your speaking journey. In no particular order here are all trusted vendors for everything from head and brandshots, speaker websites, messaging, speaker profiles, and speaker reels:
TalkaDot
Now go get it!
