How can speakers, indie writers, and self-publishers use a blog to build a platform? This article explains how to publish online content to build community around your books. Build a Platform: Set up Your Blog A blog (short for web … More ☛
Here’s a useful definition. Think of a publisher as an individual or entity that assumes the financial risk for a book. A publishing house buys your manuscript, pays you a small advance against hope for royalties, and earns a profit … More ☛
I was already in my fifties when a PhD Psychologist friend confirmed that I was “slightly autistic.” That diagnosis—informal as it was—helped me understand a number of things about myself: Why I had so much trouble relating to other kids … More ☛
In part one, you define the outcome, the transformation. In part two, you mapped out the road to get there. In part three, you crafted opening lines that inspired your audience to pay attention to you and your message. What’s … More ☛
We’ve all heard that speaker, the one with a particular type of poor me story that can actually be dangerous. I had a wonderful career doing what I loved and making lots of money. I lived in a beautiful house … More ☛
Imagine a stage where there’s a wall behind the actors and one more wall on each side of the stage. The fourth wall is invisible. That’s the one the audience observes the actors through. When an actor looks at the … More ☛
What of M&Ms, rock stars, and divas? The rock band Van Halen had an infamous clause in their contract saying there could be no brown M&Ms backstage, or the promoter would forfeit the entire show at full price. It … More ☛
Should I pay to speak at an event? Would a professional doctor pay for the privilege of treating your illness? Would a professional plumber pay to unclog your toilet? Would a professional soccer player pay to be in the big … More ☛
When can you use someone else’s intellectual property? With the property-holder’s permission, you can do what you want. That’s the safest way to use anyone else’s anything. Otherwise, the “gray area” is governed by the doctrine of fair use and … More ☛
Trademarks are registered for names and logos associated with specific purposes. For example, my StorySailing® name is trademarked and the corresponding logo has a separate trademark. Because I registered a trademark for StorySailing, nobody else can legally use that name—unless … More ☛
Ideas are “intellectual property.” I.P. includes print-based material like books and articles and scripts, music and video, and also logos and names. As authors, speakers, and thought leaders, we make our living from our intellectual property, and we rely on … More ☛
Here are speaking topic trends observed in conferences, and media as of April, 2023. Speaking topic trends can change quickly. For example, “AI” would not have appeared on the list a few years ago. It seems reasonable to imagine that … More ☛
Many people think of “speakers” as people who perform on big stages, but keynote speaking is only part of what professional speaking is about. Choose the best speaking business model for you. Keynote speakers have a “one-and-done” business. No matter … More ☛
We all get so disappointed when our favorite movie gets embroiled in some tasteless scandal. We love them so much on stage and then, in real life, they turn out to be so horrible! How will your audiences feel about … More ☛
Always, always, always give your pest performance! It doesn’t matter of there are only three people in the whole auditorium. You never know who’s in the audience. One of them might be a decision-maker who will hire you when they … More ☛
What about Speakers Bureaus? Can we rely on them to find us paying engagements? I do know a speaker who works exclusively with bureaus. They find him high-paying gigs, take their cut, and he’s happy not to have to spend … More ☛
Should you share your slides? Not if they’re good—and here’s why: If your slides are well-designed, their purpose is to accompany you. When you disconnect your slides from your talk you end up with: Bullet points that lack explanations And … More ☛
One of my colleagues has written a blog post every week for the past 17 years. If you’re that disciplined and you enjoy the challenge, go for it. But why add the extra pressure? At the time I’m writing this, … More ☛
The number one way to get more bookings is to turn each performance into more performances. The post-performance debrief is a useful strategy for accomplishing this. When you schedule your performance, also schedule a meeting or call during the following … More ☛
A rider is a document that addresses additional details, conditions, or terms of a contract. Copy and adapt this “AV Rider” to suit your performance lighting, audio, and technology requirements. Mention it during your pre-conference planning session to ensure it’s … More ☛
My friend Kelly Swanson fell off the stage! She picked herself up, looked at the audience, and said, “I will now take questions from the floor!” Standing ovation! Why is it that we waste so much energy hoping and praying … More ☛
What is the speaker‘s real job? We’ve seen it too many times: A dynamic, charismatic speaker gets the audience on their feet, makes them dance, gets them to shout, “Oh Yeah!”—and works the room like a Baptist preacher in … More ☛
Celebrities can charge enormous fees because people will pay to be in the same room with them, and when an organization brings in a celebrity speaker, they look well-connected and influential. But what about business speakers who routinely charge 5-figure … More ☛
Servant Leadership is a term we’ve been hearing a lot lately. What does it mean? Servant leadership is particularly relevant to speakers. We have two jobs to do: When we’re in front of an audience, we have to establish ourselves … More ☛
I’ve written and published 14 books… And as far as book sales go, that’s made me tens of dollars. Two million books are published every year. And getting your book noticed in the crowd is even more difficult than appearing … More ☛
How do you get more bookings? Here’s an answer from NSA Hall of Fame Speaker, Bruce Turkel: If you want to speak more, speak more! So what does that mean? It means that email, social media, and the like are … More ☛
If you want money, ask for advice. If you want advice, ask for money! This is a longstanding fundraising mantra and it works. If you’re looking for money, ask for it. You’ll receive an avalanche of ideas, recommendations, and advice … More ☛
Selling makes many of us uncomfortable. We receive thousands of BMS (Buy My Stuff) emails, and the last thing we want is to be part of a captive audience, forced to listen as a speaker closes their program with a … More ☛
How do you negotiate with a speaker? What if you find just the right speaker for your conference and then discover there’s a gap between your budget and their fee? Here are a few ways to close the price—value gap. … More ☛
How long does it take to build any business? Celebrities and rock stars may find it easy to launch an enterprise based on name recognition. A few speakers are able to build a practice quickly when they retire as industry … More ☛
True story: Gayle’s connecting flight from Atlanta was canceled and she had to be on the stage at a conference the next morning in New York City — 850 miles away. Not only was her five-figure speaking fee on the … More ☛
In many businesses, the competition is cutthroat. That’s much less so in the speaking business. Whatever your speaking topic may be, chances are good that you won’t be the only person in your lane. I speak about business storytelling and … More ☛
Become a seven-figure speaker in seven weeks! Buy this $20,000 speaking course and earn the money back on your first engagement. Yeah, right! If it was that easy, we’d all just pony up the money and start raking in the … More ☛
So many speakers are subject matter experts … and of course, we have to be. But if you tell people you speak about leadership, branding, corporate culture, or some other topic, you’ve missed the point. What problem do you solve? … More ☛
Agendas are boring. “Today we’re going to talk about A, B, and C” is not an engaging way to begin a speech. Here’s another presentation killer: “Before we begin, I need to tell you about x.” There is no before. … More ☛
Are you stuck? How will you ever get to the next level? The concept of levels is a direct assault on our self-esteem. It’s like being rich. Is there a specific amount of currency that distinguishes the rich from the … More ☛
You imagine that you have to get through your speech without forgetting a word. You imagine that you’ll bomb if the technology fails. You imagine that you can’t use notes. You imagine that being on stage holds you to the … More ☛
Preparing for a presentation? Ask about support with contest speeches, TEDx talks, and the big pitch. Rock your talk with a full gamut of services from writing to delivery coaching to follow-up strategy. Inquire:
More ☛Unless you’re specifically hired to talk about sex, politics, or religion, don’t. As the leader up on the stage, do what you can to unify people. You may not think sex is controversial but some people do. You may be … More ☛
No big deal if you run over, right? That’s just more value the audience will get for the same fee. Wrong. Think again. Running overtime is a big rookie mistake. Let’s say the conference you’re speaking at hired a $100,000 … More ☛
It’s so easy to grab a photo off the Internet It’s so easy to use your favorite song as background music while you run up on the stage. It’s so easy to share that inspiring story you heard. But it’s … More ☛
Toastmasters is a global organization dedicated to the art of public speaking. With over 270,000 members in 148 countries, chances are good that there’s at least one Toastmasters club near you. Though the quality of individual clubs varies, Toastmasters offers … More ☛
Back in my college days, I scraped together the money to hear the legendary jazz pianist Hank Jones play at an expensive local restaurant. Jones had played with jazz greats like Lester Young, Milt Jackson, Cannonball Adderley, and Wes Montgomery. … More ☛
Blame-free problem-solving is a good practice for speakers. One of my clients was ready to speak but the AV person never set up the equipment. His slides weren’t going to be part of his presentation, and this was going to … More ☛
Keynoting: Many people associate “speaking” with standing on a stage in front of an auditorium full of people, but there are many other ways to earn income as a speaker. Keynote work pays well, but it’s difficult to compete for, … More ☛
As a sailor, I ran aground more than once. I even spent a few uncomfortable nights with my keel stuck on a sandbar, waiting for the next high tide to float me off. Whenever a fellow mariner bragged that they’d … More ☛
We’re all fed up with being sold to by irritating “click my BUY button” marketers, and this leads many of us to associate sales with sleaze. But if we want to get hired, we have to sell our services. Don’t … More ☛
I was a university instructor for 15 years, and during that time, nobody ever tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Hey! You’re a professional speaker.” We tend to think of speakers as keynoters who perform on big stages in … More ☛
What’s the difference between a lecturer and a speaker? A lecturer delivers information. A speaker delivers transformation. Remember all those teachers you had who were passionate enough about their subjects to have earned advanced degrees in them? And then they … More ☛
They don’t have a clue! In 1991, I sailed a wooden boat 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. During my 38 days at sea, I battled seasickness, faced storms and calms, adjusted the sails, and minded the compass. Do … More ☛
Is your digital calendar robbing you of the time you need to be productive? Maybe the problem isn’t your calendar. Back in my carefree boat bum days, my course was governed by the world’s natural rhythms. I rose and retired … More ☛
You’ve been asked to pitch a big project. You and your teammates Shelly and Barbara sit at your conference table discussing next week’s big presentation. “It’s impossible to know how the competition is going to position themselves,” says Shelly. “We … More ☛
Do you think sales is a dirty word? Many of us think that way … and given all the tacky messages we have to sort through and delete every day, it’s no wonder. For some, the word “sales” conjures up … More ☛
Should you charge $20 for your new book or $19.97? Will dropping your price by three cents help you sell more books? What about smart consumers who are educated about sales and marketing? Will they think you’re being manipulative? … More ☛
I was talking with a friend at a business networking event when a man came plowing through the crowd doling out business cards as if he were handing out candy on Halloween. After the most cursory of introductions, he put … More ☛
How do you put a price on your passion? How can you charge a fair-but-high price for your services? You’ve got a fantastic prospect on the line. The conversation is engaging. The relationship develops instantly. Your hopefully-soon-to-be client is … More ☛
Inspire prospects to ask you to sell to them. Many years ago I was out sailing on Biscayne Bay with an old sailor friend. The conversation drifted from how to adjust the sails to light talk about our personal lives, … More ☛
In storms of life and business, it requires immense energy to sustain conflict. Dangerous and destructive forces require attention and—at the appropriate times—resistance, but often the best strategy is to park and wait for the tempest to subside. A retail … More ☛
Sell outcomes. The products or services you exchange at the transaction stage of a business relationship might not be the most meaningful basis for describing what you offer. Before you print your next batch of business cards, think like a … More ☛
Imagine an event where each attendee is given a puzzle piece and directed to connect one-at-a-time with others in the room to see whether their pieces fit together. Though such a laborious process sounds absurd, it describes exactly how most … More ☛
Anyone who questions the relationship between business and storytelling need look no farther than the humble corporate mission statement. The goal of this article is to teach the value of storytelling so you can develop engaging mission statements that … More ☛
Do you have a customer service horror story to share? What stories are you telling about yourself before you even show up to do business? A Customer Service Horror Story A friend of mine sailed his boat up on some … More ☛
How do you handle a one-star review? Capable leaders are adept at untangling the many stories that compete for attention when problems need solving and egos need soothing. I monitor a FaceBook page for a local chapter of a national … More ☛
I was frustrated the other day, thinking about how I need a better computer. Some of my software is out of date and my machine just doesn’t have the speed and the memory to support some of the the new … More ☛
“This should be a great presentation,” said Jess as we walked into the Chamber of Commerce breakfast and grabbed a table near the platform. The speaker made a gazillion dollars taking startups public. He’s the CEO of…” “Why does everyone … More ☛
“Storytelling…? I don’t know.” A troubled look flashed across Sally’s face. “You’ll have a hard time selling me on your topic. Last year’s speaker was a dud. I need to deliver some wow-factor this year or I might not be … More ☛
Use storytelling for problem-solving. Think about the various stories involved in a conflict and plot a course for resolution. Seen through the StorySailing™ spyglass, a story is analogous to the voyage of a sailboat across the rocky, stormy seas of … More ☛
Nideknil Marketplace was all hustle and bustle. Colorful signs above the merchant stalls proclaimed the advantages of endless products and services. Businesspeople crowded the aisles, picking up samples and literature and talking to the vendors. The pitch-trolls were out in … More ☛
Speakers are commonly asked, “What’s your topic?” or “What’s your message?” Such questions may sound intuitively reasonable but they lead would-be speakers astray before the first word is written. Questions about “your topic” or “your message” imply that your speech … More ☛
