SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT AS YOU THINK ABOUT IT

I have only been in this business of professional speaking for thirty years – and I am more excited about its future then ever before. I am confident that the demand for quality speakers who can inform, inspire and motivate an audience will continue to increase.
If you are considering this activity to create an additional income stream, or if you are speaking now and would like to be paid more and more often, your timing couldn’t be better.

A few suggestions to keep in mind:

It won’t happen over night. You can start earning a fee from day one, but it will take at least a few years for your reputation and network to build so that it provides a regular flow of speaking opportunities at a measurable fee level.
It’s a mistake to try to be all things to all people. The creed in business is that if you are not number one or two in your category, invent a new category that you can be number one in! For a speaker that means speak on something you know about and be perceived as an expert in your subject. Identify a point of difference that will make you stand out. You can always expand your subject content from this starting point.
Remember “less is more”. Your audience will appreciate less content with more examples, stories, analogies and techniques to help them absorb and remember your key points.

Keynote speaking is different to training or conducting workshops. You are not there to teach skills. It is different to a speech at a Rotary function or other community group. And it is very different to a winning speech at Toastmasters. The difference is that the objective of a Keynote is to take your audience on an emotional journey that will impact on how they think and feel. You are there as the catalyst for change. You are presenting ideas, concepts and options that provide your audience with new directions - to modify behaviours that will allow them to achieve improved results.

Work with a good coach! If you were taking up the game of golf, I am sure you would want to go to a pro and have a few lessons. Of course, when you go out on the course you can improvise as much as you like, but you can always go back to the basics if your game gets a little shaky. The same with speaking. Get the help you need to develop a template that works. Then you can improvise knowing the foundation is strong.

I have worked closely with many of Australia’s most successful presenters and would be delighted to help if I can.
Call me at (02) 8968 6666 or send me a note (HERE) and we can discuss your options.

A final thought: Stay at it!!

I have only met a handful of people who couldn’t make it in the speaking business if they stood on their heads.
The overwhelming majority of people who would like to be in this business could if they were willing to pay the price.
Don’t get me wrong. If you wanted to play basketball, it would really help if you were seven foot tall. But as I write this, one of the hottest properties in the USA National Basketball League is only five foot six inches in the old money. That’s my size! But he was willing to work harder and longer to get in front of players much taller then himself. Same with professional speaking. I know a ton of people with good ability who gave up for myriad reasons. But the bottom line is they were not willing to pay the price of learning the skills and learning the business and the marketing end of the profession.

Get good direction, work at it, and have patience. Try not to measure your progress by what someone else is doing.

This is the most fantastic and rewarding profession I could ever dream of being involved in.

Good luck…….

Ron Tacchi