In a report I just published, I discussed my view of the last 2 years of the public speaking business. The report is called “Public Speaking (*as you know it) Is Dead!”
If you would like a free copy of the report, you’ll find a link to it in the resource box at the end of this article
This report contains my opinions, but the facts support and top speakers agree with what I have concluded.
I recently received a comment from well-known speaker and author, Jim Cathart, CPAE and Past President of the National Speakers Association, who said this: “Scott Dennison has nailed it. The problem in our business is that it’s not there anymore. The needs are still there and our skills are still valuable, but the ways in which people buy our services has permanently moved. It’s time to go where the buying is happening.”
So what is this all about and if the old way of doing things in the speaking business is dead - what can you, as a public speaker do to survive? Here are my top three tips for public speaking success in 2010 and beyond.
1) Since we’ve moved from a time when speakers delivered their message in meetings and conventions and commanded high fees to do so, to one where meetings that require a speaker are reduced, we all have to respect and adapt to the new rules.
Even though meetings and conventions are less plentiful the audiences you served are still hungry for information on your topic and want to gain access to your knowledge, so be sure to provide it to them. The new rules state that you must move beyond thinking like a speaker and instead think like a publisher of content and information.
2) Understand what your audience members loved about your information, seek out those who are passionate about your topic and build relationships with them.
With the power of the Internet, your audience does not consist only of those who could or would travel to the meeting where you were speaking, but to individuals all over the world. If you can fill a need in someone’s life with your information (content), it does not matter where they live provided they are connected to the world wide web.
Provide content for your users in multi-media formats for them to consume. When you offer your information in video, audio and text based formats you meet the needs of everyone and do it in a way that allows them access in the learning style which they most prefer.
It is not uncommon to see a presentation that was recorded in video, later made available as an audio CD, as a book, offered in a series of articles or blog posts and many other forms of distribution. While that may seem like a lot of work it’s actually quite easy and very profitable to do so.
Forget about thinking that tens of thousands of fans are needed for speakers to make an outstanding living. These days if you have just 1000 people who you’ve built a strong relationships with, and who want to learn from you, that they invest only $100 per month, you’ll immediately decide that THERE IS life after the old model of public speaking has died.
Speaker’s marketing whiz, Scott A. Dennison is discussing the future of the public speaking business and offering you his FREE report Public Speaking (*as you know it) IS DEAD along with his top ten free Public Speaking Tips when you visit his site.