I remember the first time my 1st grade teacher, Miss Page, came into our classroom and told the story of how she was scared to be away from her family and come to school for the first time. I immediately went from being unsure of my surroundings to smiling in nervous agreement with the other 3 footers around me.
Public Speaking Articles
After presenting to new friends at the NSA Minnesota chapter meeting a few weeks ago, I got a followup question asking what the difference is between eSpeakers and a performer directory like Gigmasters or Gigsalad. Should a professional speaker have one or the other? Both?
Celebrating 53 years of the “I Have A Dream Speech” Infographic
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
53 years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. gave one of the most famous and influential speeches in American history. The “I Have a Dream” speech was effective not just for its words, but also for Dr. King’s impassioned delivery. It represented the feelings of millions of people fighting for civil liberties. The speech, given by a lesser man in a lesser setting may not have earned the same attention. Dr. King knew if he were to truly help bring about change, he would need a speech and setting that would inspire. The March on Washington and “I Have a Dream” speech caught the attention of a nation, and brought it closer to the much-needed change.
The problem with buyers today is that they’re empowered, and they know it.
That’s why they don’t buy at the back of the room as much as they used to. They know they can get it online, get it somewhere else or get along with it. You have to work so much harder to build a sense of urgency because buyers are less driven by FOMO (fear of missing out) than they used to be.
Getting the biggest bang for your buck? What meeting planners expect from professional speakers.
While preparing my presentation set-up for a keynote at a recent conference, the meeting planner ran toward me in a panic, apologizing for being pulled in ten different directions, simultaneously. She explained that there were several items demanding her immediate attention. Her committee were in a time crunch, trying to locate the whereabouts of one of the panelists due to appear in a morning breakout session. In addition, tensions were building amongst attendees as the registration software was inexplicably malfunctioning, resulting in lengthy line-ups and delays at the welcome booths. Boxes containing sponsors’ promotional materials were missing and presumed lost en route, as the conference facility’s shipping and receiving department and the planner frenetically exchanged text messages. Meanwhile, the banquet manager was waiting for her at the back of the room, needing approval to add seating for the luncheon, in order to accommodate a number of special guests who confirmed their attendance that morning.
Last week at IMEX America (one of the largest meetings-related events in the world), I attended three different sessions on the “state of the union for meetings”. I was curious if my speaker friends could look forward to more engagements, or if I should tell them to start tightening their belt.
Want to know what the outlook is?
Many new speakers agree that it feels like an uphill battle to get their speaking career off the ground. Can you relate? Some speakers assume that the only way to get bookings is with a big budget to market themselves or do a crazy publicity stunt, because those things will make them stand out from the competition.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that you need to spend a ton of money or do something crazy, because the truth is that you just need to show meeting planners the value you provide before the event, through your presentation, and after the event. Once you’ve built a strong reputation, it becomes much easier to get noticed and start booking speaking engagements.
Do you want to look good in front of your boss when the speaker you selected for your meeting gets a standing ovation? Do you want to impress the team by saving money… without all the guesswork, struggle, and those long hours of staying up late to find the right speaker for your next event? The answer is called speaker piggybacking, and it’s now easier than ever with eSpeakers Marketplace.
Speaker Piggybacking is the concept of maximizing a speaker’s schedule to include multiple speaking engagements in the same city. If the speaker is already traveling to a particular destination, then it is possible to add on an additional speaking engagement with another event.
We live in a social media tsunami – wait one week and another wave of latest-greatest comes calling.
Periscope snagged 10 million followers in just four and a half months[1], Pinterest is now for men[2], and Twitter wants your advertising dollars.
Despite all the bright lights of social media, nothing trumps the staying power of email. Definitely not sexy (or new for that matter) – email should be your most valued marketing channel and list building should be a top business goal.
Here are five reasons why you need to invest more resources in growing your mailing list and learning how to use email to grow your business.
