Public Speaking; It’s a Business, not a Speech
A number of years ago, Mark Victor Hansen, when asked about the success of best seller Chicken Soup for the Soul said “it’s a business, not a book”. If you make your living in public speaking, the same is true for you. Which I why I’m puzzled to find so much of the public speaking training focused on the speech itself and not the business.
The fact is that public speaking is a business built on top of a speech. Many speakers are attracted to the business for the applause. They thrive on the recognition. I have found however, that those who remain in the public speaking industry do so only when it becomes a business for them.
Looking to make money speaking?
In his “Big Lesson Of The Month” which is published in the Glazer-Kennedy NO-BS Marketing Newsletter, Bill Glazer notes that “Dan (Kennedy) was in the ’speaking business’ along with thousands and thousands of other speakers. The traditional speaking model is to speak for fees and/or to sell products from the stage at the engagements. Then they were done and moved on to the next speaking appearance. On the other hand, Dan built a newsletter business from customers he acquired while speaking”.
Effective speaking focuses on the business more than the speech
What can you learn from Dan Kennedy’s example? In my opinion, alot. As I’ve been discussing in my other free public speaking tips, and in my Facebook group called “Speakers Passive Profits”, there are ways of earning a very rich living without spending your life at the airport or living in hotels.
My clients know that once we develop a product continuum customized to their unique message and fully implement it, that everything changes. If you want to learn more, then stop by regularly and I’ll show you how you can do it too.
Related posts:
- If Public Speaking Is Dead – How Can My Speaking Business Survive?
- A Public Speaking Tip That Pays Dividends
- In the Public Speaking Business, How Important is Passion?
- Persuasive Speech? Only with Passion, Please!
- The Art of Public Speaking in 2008 and Beyond
Tagged with: effective speaking • free public speaking tips • make money speaking • public speaking • public speaking tips
Filed under: Product Development • Speakers Marketing • Speaking Tips
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Hi Scott,
We just became friends on FB. I find this article of yours interesting. Please tell me more!
Cheers!
Boom
Wow, Somehow I do agree with you from the heart. Then there is this side of me that is the purist. At http://www.Speechmastery.com, my focus is mostly on mastering the use of words and speech to be the best you can at the business of public speaking.
I for one do not do it for the applause. I do it for far grander reasons. Like the day when someone came up to me after a talk and said I saved their daughters life. Not sure where they were coming from, a conversation ensued.
It turns out a few months earlier, a lecture I gave at my hospital where I was employed was heard by a group of doctors. Within a week they faced a crisis on the very topic I lectured on and just happened to be one of a few nurse experts in the US with this modality of health care.
In this crisis, they called me, a RN to ask for help with the challenge. Offering to give the names of other expert doctors in the field for a telephone consult, they declined. There was no time.
They basically asked me to manage the crisis. The doctors were responsible and signed off on what ever I suggested but they recognized me as the expert.
Needless to say, the advice given over the phone saved the young woman’s life. The advice was asked because of my appearing like an expert when giving the original lecture and the grueling question and answer session after. The applause, I never even hear it. Those words however are priceless.
Unlike most speaking gigs, this required weeks of coaching and practice with the many potential questions and making sure to get the wording just right. There were numerous ethnic and religious sensitivities to address in the lecture. Yes, even though a coach myself, I hired a coach to help me with my presentation.
Perhaps the challenge is not just that of being a business (for some). There are a lot of speakers making lots of money who are not necessarily great speakers. Some may have flaws that their celebrity allow them to get away with. One of the current high paid speakers has the push a thumb tack in the teleprompter mannerism and he gets 100K per speech.
If there is an intersection of great businessman or businesswoman and masterful public speaker, that is the place I would like to park for a season or two of my life.
I am curious what others think.
I’m not saying your wrong. Just for some, there is what you said and more that is involved.