A Blog By Speakers, For Speakers.
George Clooney, Paparazzi, and Genocide
By Brian Walter, CSP, CPAE, Cavett Award Recipient Okay, the words “Clooney” and “paparazzi” in this headline may seem to go together. But…genocide? Yet if you do what I do, and search online for old media stories, you’d discover an amazing insight on how to make our speeches more “sticky.” This insight came from a…
20 Lessons Learned From 20 Years in This Industry: Part 3
By Maura Nevel Thomas, MBA, CSP The final lessons I’ve collected on building a thriving speaking business involve strategic growth and cultivating the professional relationships that continue to sustain me. These lessons include smart referrals, increasing rates with confidence, staying relevant, and engaging meaningfully with our professional community—all while maintaining the personal well-being that makes…
20 Lessons Learned From 20 Years in This Industry: Part 2
By Maura Nevel Thomas, MBA, CSP Once you’ve considered the foundational items covered in Part 1, the focus shifts to creating efficient systems and strategic market positioning. This section covers the operational backbone lessons that enabled my growth —from systematizing my processes to mastering client qualification, pricing strategies, and even travel logistics. These lessons helped…
20 Lessons Learned From 20 Years in This Industry: Part 1
By Maura Nevel Thomas, MBA, CSP This has been on my mind for years. I entered this business as a trainer, taking lessons I had learned from my decade in the productivity space. The first paid workshop I delivered was a “lunch and learn” for a state government office in 2006, where I earned $100….
The Art of the Presentation
By Harvey Mackay, CPAE Public speaking is one of my favorite pastimes – and it should be, considering all the speeches I give every year. I speak to huge corporations and highly-specialized groups and get paid well for the privilege. I’m often asked for advice on making effective and interesting presentations. Seems a lot of…
AI Disruption is Real—But Most Speakers Are Getting It Dead Wrong
By Ford Saeks, CSP, CPAE Everybody’s talking about AI. It’s the hot topic at conferences, the buzzword in boardrooms, and apparently the newest line item on speaker one-sheets across the country. The problem? Most of the content being delivered from the stage isn’t strategy—it’s a book report. Summaries of what ChatGPT can do, mixed with a few…
How To Develop A Successful, Long-Term Career As A Professional Speaker (By Answering These 9 Questions)
By Jim Pancero, CSP, CPAE | How are you, as a professional speaker/trainer/consultant growing your speaking business? Most have no real plan or strategy for what they need to do to have a successful, and profitable long-term speaking career. What does your plan look like…and what are you doing each week to advance this master…
8 Truths About Speaking Internationally (They Are Not What You Think)
By Sylvie di Giusto, CSP, CPAE Talk to any speaker long enough, and one dream is bound to surface: taking their message to a global stage. The allure is understandable: images of exotic destinations, selfie-filled reels beside iconic landmarks, late-night receptions under foreign skies, multilingual backstage crews managing headset switches, and spontaneous applause in languages…
Super Sexy Speaker Systems: How to Stop Dropping the Ball (and Look Good Doing It)
By Marcey Rader, CSP | Want to be sexier in your speaking business? You already rock the stage. But what about backstage – the messy, unsexy side, where the sausage gets made? Let’s talk about building systems that keep you in your zone of genius and off the hamster wheel. Why bother? Systems =…