Is Professional Speaking As Easy As It Looks? by Beth Larson

Awhile ago, I asked a group of speakers if it was time for the speaking profession to stand up and take a leadership role in educating would be speakers about the challenges speakers face.

If you get a chance to talk to a professional speaker one-on-one you will find that there are many challenges that most people fail to understand.

Professional speaker Josh Gordon www.joshgordon.com two greatest concerns are creating a message that is compelling, unique, and engaging to both audience members and the organizations that hire me while presenting myself as an essential part of the company meeting agenda/corporate training goals. “ I’m learning to embrace my differences from other speakers and not just be a razzle-dazzle type speaker,” says Gordon, author of Presentations That Change Minds

A big challenge for Trish Rubin www.theedventures.com of The Edventures Group is staying globally savvy as a communicator around the world with different cultures and ranges of audiences from 20- somethings to baby boomers in the audience.

Some speakers have a different set of problems. Al Myles said,“ The biggest challenge I’m facing is finding how to balance a jam packed schedule with my home life.”

I think there is also a crisis in the failure of leaders, both on a corporate and political level to set models for the general workforce,“ adds Lewis Harrison www.thelewisharrison.com

With the speaking industry growing fast, a career as a professional speaker can be extremely lucrative. However, as the meetings industry grows so does the number of speakers. To get to the top, aspiring speakers need to be prepared to face some serious challenges.

Ask speaker and author Lane Jordan (www.lane Jordan.com) what difficulties she faces and she doesn’t hesitate: “The biggest challenge I face as a speaker is getting my name out to the public!”

Rande Davis Gedaliah and Robert Gedaliah, the team behind www.SpeakingForResults.com, agree. They’ve found that no matter what your message is there are other people who are saying the same thing. The difficulty lies in finding “an interesting and unique way to say it.”

In this increasingly crowded field, marketing is crucial. Brandon Iurato spent three years grooming himself to become an in-demand speaker. He “studied, attended seminars, joined the National Speakers Association and Toastmasters' International, wrote articles, and conducted numerous seminars and workshops.” Despite all this effort to develop his speaking skills, Iurato explains, “Several years too late, I have discovered my biggest challenge and weakness is my ability to market myself. Marketing and public relations are critical areas which cannot be ignored if you want to position yourself as an expert in your field.”

Psychologist, author, and speaker Susan Fletcher, PhD, has also found marketing to be challenging. She says, “Every speaker looks for the golden egg: that video, TV appearance, website update, consultant or coach that is going to catapult them to instant success. The returns from these investments can sometimes be disappointing.”

Fletcher highlights that, even with the best marketing, the nature of a speaking career is “feast or famine.” The trick is to manage and survive these cycles. She explains, “The famines are not so bad because they give you time to evaluate and update your material, write a book, etc. However, to retain support staff requires that you have funds set aside to cover costs during the famine.” Her website is www.smartzoneexpert.com.

In the past, speakers that established themselves as experts in their field had a leg up on their speaking competition. However, as Dianna Booher, founder of communications training company Booher Consultants, explains, “With information so readily available to almost anyone with researching skills, speakers today must work harder to show they are true experts in their field. They must stay up-to-date on the latest concepts, studies, and application of ideas. It demands constant work in the field, not just talking but doing."

Please visit www.booher.com for more information.

T. Scott Gross, author of Positively Outrageous Service, agrees. Gross says, “It's not enough to be the expert. To really earn your fee you must remain the expert. I'm always looking for fresh ideas to validate my theory and fresh theory to trash my old ideas.” Gross complains that too many speakers allow slick technology to stand in for quality content. You can learn more at www.tscottgross.com

Most speakers choose this career because they have something positive they want to share with the world. Yet the desire to contribute their knowledge and experience to help others often gets in the way of a speaker’s ability to make a living. This is especially true early on in a speaker’s career when the going advice is to build your resume by speaking for free.

Doug Kruse, founder of Big on Leadership, says his challenge is “selling work that I would have gladly given away.” For Kruse, delivering speeches filled with “encouragement, motivation and learning experiences” and that lift people up can be rewarding in itself. Yet, in order to make it work, I have to earn.”

The willingness of some speakers to work cheaply makes it tougher for everyone to make money.

Financial services industry expert Patti Branco (www.pattibranco.com) admits that she has been guilty of pro bono work but now pricing is one of her main challenges. Branco says, “I think fees are all over the board and event planners are unaware of the differences in a truly customized piece—where the planners say, ‘She knew our business and our people’—to one that is given over and over and over again—same words, same talk.” Branco makes it clear why true experts with effective presentations should be paid higher rates, “A top notch presentation takes time to create, practice, and deliver with success. There is a formula that takes time and experience into consideration!”