Business
The Start of Speaking When it comes to speaking, the only thing between you and to chance to share your voice is learning how the industry works. Grant spent a lot of time questioning and following speakers to acquire the knowledge that he then applied to his life. Do not disqualify yourself before even starting the process. There is a big misconception that to be a speaker, you need an energetic, external, and charismatic personality. Through his years of speaking, Grant has seen that that is not true. There are many succesful speakers, like him, that have more internal personalities. Don’t believe in the misconception of there being a one size fits all description of a successful speaker. I found my voice, now what?As a full-time speaker, Grant often hears the same questions from those standing where he stood a few years ago: 1. How do I find gigs? 2. How much should I charge when I find a gig? 3. How does the speaking world even work? No matter if you want to speak just a bit on the side or if you want to become a full time speaker, those questions are important to answer. In his book, he explains how to demystify what it takes to get someone to not only want you to come speak, but also to pay you for your time. Their book lays out a five step framework to finding and booking gigs. The acronym SPEAK is an easier way to remember their process for this. Evaluating Yourself as an IndividualThere comes a time when you must decide what kind of speaker you want to become. Grant advises to focus on one thing, and by doing so, you become an expert on that topic. Through that, you get the ability to charge a premium on the thing at which you’re really good. Many speakers try to become all things to all people, but that makes it to where you can become mediocre at all things instead of amazing at one thing. One way that Grant personally pursued this was by acknowledging that he was a great speaker, but that did not make him a great author. Through this notion, he was able to successfully collaborate with Jeff Goins. Evaluating Your Speaking When it comes to evaluating a speech, there are three important factors to consider: you the speaker, the audience, and the environment. As the speaker, you must ask yourself if you did your part in being prepared or if you went through the motions. Being prepared or not prepared can play a large role in the success of a speech. Ultimately, if the audience is not ready to receive your speech, no amount of preparation can resolve that issue. The environment also plays a huge role in the success of a speech. For instance, the power going out can definitely impact what occurs. If you are interested in learning more, take Grant’s free marketing course at grantbaldwin.com . His book, The Successful Speaker: Five Steps for Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building your Platform, is also available on Amazon. Timeline:[01:29] Do you ever wonder if your voice could be heard?[02:23] Building a platform where professional speaking is part of what you are able to do. [02:31] Grant gives advice on more than just being a professional speaker, but also includes becoming better at pitching ideas. [04:22] The timeline of granting learning how to become a speaker. [04:47] How Grant evaluated moving past wanting to speak more by questioning how to find gigs, decide what to speak about, and how much to charge. [05:32] Once a professional speaker, what Grant heard from listeners. [06:23] “Speaking is a great way to build a business, and a great way to make an impact. [07:10] Are you wondering how to figure out your voice?[09:26] The process of Jeff Goins and Grant Baldwin joining together for the purpose of writing a book. [11:11] Just because you have one skill set does not mean that you have all other skill sets. [12:18] Ask yourself, “How can I collaborate?”[14:26] The importance of different personality types in speaking. [16:32] There is not a one size fits all description of a successful speaker. [16:55] A common mistake speakers make. [18:23] Becoming a steakhouse over a buffet. [20:25] The big challenge for entrepreneurs: making a decision[21:37] Why making a choice can actually make your life simpler. [24:17] Overcoming a “swing and a miss” in speaking. [26:31] Unexpected moment of success for Grant in a moment of adversity. [27:13] The roles of the speaker, audience, and environment [29:06] Accepting that as a speaker, sometimes thing are just out of your control. [32:59] "Speaking is about inviting people to have an opportunity to be able to stand and deliver in any given moment. [34:01] The audience wants you, the speaker, to succeed. [34:32] “Speaking is a shared experience with you and the audience. [36:28] Speaking is more than just the finished process, it also entails falling in love with the craft of speaking.