THE BUSINESS OF SPEAKING
INTRODUCTION:
Have you ever made a presentation in front of a class or group? Have you ever spoken in a meeting, or given a toast at a wedding reception? If you have ever spoken in a public, then I’ll be right to say that you are a public speaker. The truth is that inside everyone of us lies a public speaker and we can consciously transcend from being a mere speaker to a public speaker that is being paid to present speeches, motivate, inspire or coach people.
You can indeed achieve fame and fortune by getting into the business of public speaking. A lot of people have done it in the past, countless numbers of people are still doing it in our dispensation and the generation unborn will still do it.
DEFINE YOUR EXPECTATIONS:
Being a public speaker can be fun and exciting. However, if you do not clearly define your expectation from yourself and from your targeted audience, you can be faced with a boring and frustrating public speaking career.
In order to become successful in the business of public speaking,
you must determine or carve a niche for yourself
you must determine your audience.
Doing the above indicates a sense of direction and it will go a long way in helping you build your personal brand.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING
Once you’ve succeeded in polishing your speaking skills, the next thing that is expected from you is to develop your products (i.e Books, Tapes, CD, DVD, e.t.c) and then set out to market it to your targeted audience.
You should analyse the market to be able to come out with a product that will appeal to your potential client and you can achieve this by carrying-out a market survey.
The ways of becoming a known brand and being able to effectively market your products effectively is to:
Secure interview on radio and TV stations.
Write articles for publication in newspapers and magazines.
Develop your personal website or blog.
Join a speakers bureau.
Join a speakers organization (i.e Motivational Speakers Association Nigeria, etc.)
Deliver free Speeches in birthdays, parties, etc.
HOW TO DRAW – UP A CONTRACT:
It is a good idea to seek the advice of a solicitor when drawing up a contract with a client.
There are a number of key areas you need to cover when drawing up a contract as a public speaker with your client.
They are
*you must clearly define the nature and scope of the presentation or work to be done.
*you must clearly define the responsibilities of both parties in the contract.
*you must both agree on the fee to be paid.
*if it is a job that requires more than a day, that is, it’s either a long-term or a short-term job, you must agree on how you want the result to be measured.
*it is advisable to include a comprehensive service level agreement which sets out responsibilities and priorities, defines the service they must provide, the level of services to be delivered and the time required to do it.
*Finally, you must establish conditions that will warrant any of both parties to get out of the contract.
GETTING, SECURING & ACCEPTING INVITATIONS:
As a public speaker, for you to get paid means that you must be able to secure speaking contracts for yourself or accept invitations from clients who wants you to speak at their events.
One of the best ways to get companies, banks, schools, churches, NGO’s, Government or even individuals to hire or book you to speak or facilitate at their events is to get your promotional materials to the market place.
If you can get your promotional materials ( i.e your books, CDs, DVDs, tapes etc) in the market place.
People who do not know you physically will have knowledge of who you are and what you can do. The fact is that your promotional materials can go to places that you’ve never been to, and they can unlock unlimited doors of opportunity for you.
BUILDING A SPEAKERING ORGANIZATION
WRITING PROPOSALS:
Once you have define your niche and you are confident in your speaking skills and what you can deliver, it means you are ready to start marketing yourself to the people who can hire or book you.
One of the ways of marketing yourself is by writing and sending proposal to potential client.
A simple and good proposal must contain the following:
• Executive Summary: It is an umbrella statement that contains your case and summary of the entire proposal. It is your cover letter.
• Statement of Need: this where you state why the project is necessary.
• Project Description: this where you state the nuts and bolts of how the project will be implemented and evaluated.
• Budget: This is a financial description of the project, it is good to add explanatory notes.
• Organization Information / Profile: this is where you state the history and governing structure of your organization, its primary activities, audiences, services and products.
INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE/ AFFILIATIONS:
We have bodies all over the world that regulates the operations of professional speakers. When you join any of such bodies, it gives you a leverage to enjoy the full benefits that is available for members.
We have professional speakers bodies like:
International Federation For Professional Speakers (IFFP): This is the body that regulates all the activities of all the speakers association of the world. It organizes speakers conferences and retreats all over the world.
Motivational Speakers Association of Nigeria (MSN, Nigeria): This is the platform that regulates the activities of professional public speakers in Nigeria. Through this platform, you can become a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), you will have the privilege of attending speakers conferences and retreats all over the world. You will have the opportunity of networking with professional speakers.
We also have other speakers’ platforms in Nigeria.
Others National Speakers Association, USA, National Speakers Association, South Africa, etc.
Presented to Headstone Speakers Academy on 18th October, 2008
By Solomon O’chucks Nwokoro
Motivational cum Inspirational Speaker
