The #1 complaint I hear from speakers right now is that they don’t have a stage. Many conferences have been postponed, canceled or converted to a virtual event. This has definitely become a time for a pivot in the speaking industry but did it just start now?
For years I’ve talked about Telesummits, podcast interviews, and virtual training as an extension of the speaker stage. With more and more opportunities to get in front of your target audience, how can speakers recreate the speaker stage?
While in quarantine, I’ve spoken in front of almost 50,000 people across the globe. That is not including live streaming and my own podcast.
My strategy didn’t have to change as much as you would think and there three things that mattered most!
1. Be consistent in your message
How many time have you have had people come to you for advise on a certain topic? It may not be what you are known for but because people trust you they ask you for your advice. Yup. That can easily become the slippery slide that leads to inconsistency with our message. We don’t see it at first and there are even some who will push you towards it but fight the urge to be a “jack of all trades” when it comes to speaking.
Well, at least until you have established yourself as an expert in your industry. It can damage how people look for you and find you. I remember a client that signed on for my Accountability membership saying to me, “You are consistent in your message and it didn’t look like everyone else’s” It made me take a step back and look around. Were the messages starting to all merge or where people so eager to do what will make them money that they start to sound like everyone else. That one statement has surely stayed with me.
2. Networking outside your circle
I am an introvert…proudly! That means that large crowds are not my thing. When it comes to networking this served as a problem in the beginning. I thought, like many others, that networking was an event with a large number of people in suits. Oh, and let’s not forget the 500 business cards that we shove into each others hands. lol (The image makes me cringe)
This makes us stick to our comfortable surroundings and have conversations with people that we know. That is the fast way to NOT connect with potential opportunities. I was determined to find a different way.
~ That meant talking to people outside my circle
~ That meant looking at networking as simply having conversations and not just an event and business cards
~ That meant finding ways to network on and offline
~ That meant becoming #unmuted in a big way
I created ways for me to network outside of my circle. Through The #SpeakEasy Podcast, virtual events and even meetups, I was able to connect with people worldwide. The difference was that these connections that I was making were not just and exchange of business cards. They were an exchange of opportunities, resources and support.
3. Lead with service
Servant leadership has allowed me to be in rooms and conversations where I would have not been invited. Before I launched my first membership community I volunteered in someone else’s. Before I created my own event I volunteered at someone else’s. I sowed seeds into women who were doing what I wanted to do and it gave me a stronger foundation for what I wanted to do. It allowed me to understand the gap between speakers getting paid to speak and those who pay to speak as well.
There was no difference in the drive that they had for speaking. Those who were being paid to speak had sowed their money, time, and energy before moving ahead with a plan. I think about the volunteers and amazing communities that push speakers into another level through their support. That is the harvest from the seeds they sowed while serving.
It didn’t come automatically either. It took time!
This topic really stood out to me because I was someone that created strategies for women to become speakers. We crafted their message and created their products and services but they wouldn’t see the results that they were looking for. The had not built that community or put that time in to establish themselves as an expert in a certain area. It made me reframe the training that I do with women to not just focus on the speaking.
Now, I get to see my clients become successful. These three tips are helping them to become #unmuted and create the stage they need to educate, motivate and inspire.
Is it time for you to become #Unmuted?.
Let’s connect bit.ly/talktoaltovise
With over ten years of writing, Altovise uses her platforms to create opportunities for women to have their voices heard. Founder of the World Voice League, she educates and empowers through courses, a weekly accountability call, blogging, books, and the #SpeakEasy Podcast.
#OurVoiceMatters 