1) Speak a lot.
Is your niece looking for a guest speaker at her Elementary School’s Career Day? Does the local Seniors home ever have guest lecturers? These may not be the most glamorous engagements, but they are often attentive audiences and this is the only way to get real experience. Don’t turn down any invitation and use every gig as an opportunity to improve.
2) Off the podium matters as much as on.
Whether it’s writing a book, starting a podcast, building up a popular Twitter account, these are all important ways to bring attention to your public speaking. Think about ways to deliver new and interesting content and don’t expect to be paid for it. Just build a followership and eventually these followers will implore their company/association/school to bring you in to speak.
3) Engage with others in your space via social media.
Twitter and Facebook are not rarified air. They reflect a continuous conversation between everyone, whether famous, successful or not. Consider yourself an expert in X? Try to drum up dialogue with the people you look up to most and want to be seen with in the space. Some of them will bite, and when they do, onlookers will see that you are developing ever-so-important clout.
4) Be modest with your fees, at least at first.
It is reported that ex-US presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both make north of $150,000 USD per speaking engagement. Having booked hundreds of speakers in my career, I can tell you that this is uncommon. Consider the privilege of a group of people willing to pay you to get up and talk for 30 or 45 minutes and don’t gouge. As you gain more engagements under your belt, you’ll be able to slowly raise your fees but be mindful not to price yourself out of the market.
5) Give great speeches.
Speakers often ask me how they can get more engagements. The best answer that I can give may not sound like much of an answer at all, yet it’s true. Showing up at an event prepared, engaged and eager to knock it out of the park will show the organizer and the audience that you are playing in the big leagues. There are very few talks I have booked where the speaker got a standing ovation that did not lead to at least some potential spin-off business. If you’re there for the right reasons, you really care about what the organization is trying to accomplish with their event or meeting, and work hard to deliver a memorable keynote, there is no question that your speaking calendar will always be full.
Bonus answer:
6. Find a good agent. Duh.
Add comment