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What about the rest of us? The midst of a worldwide pandemic is not the best time to gather huge audiences of people who want to pay hundreds of dollars each for a hotel buffet and the chance to hear someone give a speech, but opportunities to speak can arise in the most surprising ways.
Mere commoners are not going to collect million-dollar fees, but it is not unusual for professional public speakers to charge fees in the range of $2000 to $20,000, plus expenses, to give a major speech at a business or professional conference. Topics vary: people speak about how to overcome stage fright, how to close a sale, better ways to organize a hospital, and any number of other topics. Universities that I worked at often hired outside consultants to give major presentations plus all-day seminars in return for generous fees.
And as people get used to online meeting technology, organizations will continue to hire specialized experts to share their expertise, knowledge, or humor with their members.
How to get started? I am assuming that you are qualified to speak about some specialized topic that will interest the commercial world. Are you in real estate? Politics? Sales? Health care? Are you skilled in a trade?
First, speakers need to start by getting practical experience. No matter how well you did in your public speaking class, start by giving out several weeks or even months of freebies: speak to churches, synagogues and temples, youth groups, and Rotary Clubs. Even with these groups are close, many of them are eager for someone to present online content. Or offer to give lunchtime seminars at your place of employment. Even people who are working from home need to eat lunch. This gives you two benefits. First, practice makes perfect and your speaking will improve. You can never be too good! Second, you never know who will be listening. The more presentations you make, the more chances you give program planners to hear how good you are.
Second, speakers need to work up their publicity materials. Inexpensive business cards, one-sheets, or trifolds are basic. Maybe you'll write up brief free articles about your topic, format them attractively, and distribute them (with your contact information prominently displayed, of course). Give your publicity materials to anyone and everyone. If you’ve written a book, congratulations, and of course you should have copies for your assistant, spouse, or friend to sell on the spot. During the pandemic, the sales table is not a place to ignore social distancing. If you are speaking on line, you can provide clickable links to your sales page. (This might require you to have a business license, which you should have anyway, and to pay sales tax, but it's worth it.)
If you have not written a book, and if you’re a good writer, well, write one. It doesn’t have to be huge. Make sure it includes lots of inspiring stories. If you can't find a commercial publisher, you can hire a contract editor and self-publish. Sell it at your presentations.
Third, an online presence is essential. Twitter and Facebook are basic. Celebrities put their selfies on Instagram, so you should, too. Break out your camera and take a lot of pictures. Make sure they are captioned and include your contact information. Don’t forget about Flickr and Tumblr. If you’re young and know the latest dances, swallow your pride and get on Tik Tok. (Please don’t look for me on Tik Tok. LOL.) Most important, start a blog and post at least once a week. Blogger, WordPress, and Weebly are among the web hosts that make things easy for amateurs.
Your online presence will also need to include short examples of you speaking on YouTube and Vimeo. Make sure that you’re energetic, because YouTube is what Marshall McLuhan called a hot medium. If possible, include audience reactions. For best sound quality, make sure to use an external microphone.
Fourth, obviously, master every online meeting software. Learn everything, and I mean everything, about using Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, and any other platform that emerges. Know all of them. You want to be so skilled with meeting software that you never need to ask for tech support. In fact, make sure that you know enough that you can provide technical support to anyone else who needs it. If someone is giving you money to speak online, you’d better know how to do it. If you’re speaking online, be sure to obtain quality camera and sound equipment. With modern technology, that’s much less expensive than you might think. You can spend $100 or less and get a good USB microphone with the mounts and accessories. Never use the tiny microphone built into your laptop. Practice with the equipment until you can use it comfortably.
Fifth, professional speakers almost always work with speakers bureaus. You will need to send them samples of your work, including audio and video, and they will want you to have the kinds of experiences that I list above.
Sixth, if you are speaking professionally, you need to be 100% reliable. You need to be on time for your in-person engagements – and when I say on time, I mean an hour early – impeccably dressed, and completely prepared. A delayed airline flight, heavy traffic, or Internet glitch is not an excuse to be late. Your computer and visual aids absolutely must work. Have a backup and contingency plan for anything that might go wrong. If you are speaking in person during the pandemic, practice social distancing without compromise and wear a suitable mask even when you are speaking. Do not let anyone intimidate you into being careless with your health. Contrary to what politicians say on television, a mask does not noticeably obstruct your voice.
Take online speaking seriously. Dress professionally, and be set up and ready to go well before your scheduled time. Be ready to receive last-minute phone calls and emails.
Finally, in all seriousness, please follow all pandemic safety rules. No point in making a lot of money if you end up in the hospital.
If you have been speaking to groups, please post a comment to tell my readers about it. Happy speaking!
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