3 Steps to Get Started as a Paid Public Speaker
by Tabby Biddle
Fifteen years ago, when I first started thinking about public speaking, I was overwhelmed by the process of what it took to get there. What should I speak about? Where should I speak? And how do I get started?
My work at the time was focused on empowering emerging women leaders to discover their voice and support them to develop their leadership platform to get their message out to the world. I knew public speaking would be a great avenue for me, not to mention my clients, to reach more women. But I felt confused about the best way to get started as a public speaker.
Should I give a talk about finding your calling? Should I give a talk about how to find your political voice? Should I give a talk about how I saw feminine spirituality as a missing link to empowering women’s voices and advancing women’s leadership?
For a couple of years, I felt on the verge of being ready to develop a signature talk that represented my core message, that would help me advance the leadership status of women and girls, and also establish me as a leading expert in my field. But, in addition to feeling confused about which talk to develop and where I would speak, I wondered if I had the credibility to be out there giving a public talk, and if I had the courage to stand in the spotlight.
Then one day, the tides changed. The founder and CEO of a women’s empowerment organization based in Los Angeles reached out to me and invited me to speak at one of her upcoming events. What did she want me to speak about? She asked if I could help her audience clarify their mission, their message, and their voice to build an irresistible brand. How did she know I could speak on this topic? She had been following my blog.
This invitation to speak at her event quickly helped me get over my self-doubt and confusion about what I would speak about.
While the CEO didn’t have a big budget for speakers, she said she could offer me a stipend and, along with this, I could promote my 3-month ‘Your Voice Now’ coaching program to her audience. This felt like a good exchange, and so, I accepted the invitation.
With this event, I officially started my paid public speaker career. And it was a big success!
This gave me the confidence to continue public speaking, and opened the door to many others speaking opportunities down the road.
Since that time, I have spoken at corporate retreats, women’s leadership conferences, women’s empowerment conferences, corporate professional development events, Hollywood events, at the United Nations and on the TEDx stage.
As I gained experience, I negotiated higher fees, and also added additional speaking topics.
Over the last decade, I’ve had the honor of supporting hundreds of women leaders and emerging leaders to start their own public speaking careers.
If you are someone who has been dreaming about getting started as a paid public speaker, but aren’t sure where to start, I’d like to offer you 3 straightforward steps to get you on the path to becoming a paid public speaker.
Your people are waiting for you…
3 Steps to Get Started as a Paid Public Speaker
STEP 1: Envision Your Impact
Take out your pen and paper, and answer these questions: Who are the people who you want to reach through your public speaking? What are they struggling with? What are their hopes and dreams? How do you want to impact their lives? And what is the larger social impact you want to make? When you are clear about these things, public speaking becomes less about you (and you spinning in self-doubt) and more about your people. I like to say to my clients who are starting on their public speaking path: It’s not about you, it’s about them. When you focus on your people, how you can help them, and the larger social impact you want to make, self-doubt and procrastination will start to dissipate, and you will be driven forward to be the dynamic public speaker you are meant to be.
STEP 2: CLARIFY YOUR SPEAKER TOPIC(S)
It’s okay to have a few topics that you speak on, but don’t have a laundry list of 10 topics. It will be difficult for an event organizer to make sense of that. As you heard from my story above, if you aren’t clear on your speaker topic(s), this can lead to a lot of procrastination and uncertainty about whether you actually have what it takes to be a public speaker. I suggest you start with three topics. These can evolve over time as you evolve in your life and career.
If you took the first step above, now you know who you want to help, their struggles and dreams, and the impact you want to make in their lives. Given your professional expertise, life experience and personal passion, what can you speak about to help your people? Brainstorm 3-5 topics and write them down. Hint: Consider blogs you’ve already written, classes or webinars you’ve taught, podcast interview topics you’ve spoken on, or book chapters you’ve written. Remember, your speaker topics can evolve over time as you evolve in your life and career, but you need to get started somewhere now.
STEP 3: FIND YOUR PEOPLE
Where are your people? Are they attending a women’s leadership conference? An international teacher’s conference? A healthcare conference? A tech conference? A wellness retreat? Do they work in specific corporations? In specific not-for-profit organizations? Can they be found at your local Chamber of Commerce? At South by Southwest? In the TEDx audience? Make a list of 5 places you think you could find your people.
Once you have this list, get even more specific. Who do you know at these particular venues. Do you have a friend, family member or colleague who is connected to the organization or event where you want to speak? If so, write down their names and make a plan to connect with them. If not, type into your web browser the type of event you are looking for and “call for speakers.” For example: women’s leadership events call for speakers. I have no doubt that you will find some options.
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Once you take these three steps to envision your impact, clarify your speaker topics, and find your people, you will be on the road to getting started as a paid public speaker. Imagine how good it will feel to reach your people with your message, change their lives for the better, change your own life for the better, and make good money while doing it. It’s a win-win-win.
The world needs your voice. Your people are waiting for you.
Tabby Biddle, M.S. Ed., is the bestselling author of Find Your Voice: A Woman’s Call to Action, a private coach to women speakers globally, and the speaker coach for multiple TEDx events in Southern California. Curious how Tabby can support you as a public speaker? Connect with Tabby.