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MILLION DOLLAR SPEAKING

THE PROFESSIONAL’S GUIDE TO BUILDING YOUR PLATFORM

By ALAN WEISS

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Alan Weiss
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-07-174380-8

Contents

PREFACEACKNOWLEDGMENTSPART ONE SavvyCHAPTER 1 When Are You a Professional?CHAPTER 2 Establishing Your MarketCHAPTER 3 Positioning and Becoming an Object of InterestCHAPTER 4 Establishing FeesCHAPTER 5 Modern MarketingCHAPTER 6 Lean and MeanPART TWO SteakCHAPTER 7 Accelerating and Accentuating Your AppealCHAPTER 8 Creating Great Speeches and WorkshopsCHAPTER 9 From Steady, to Surfer, to StarPART THREE SizzleCHAPTER 10 Stage WorkCHAPTER 11 Yawn: Passive IncomeCHAPTER 12 Preparing for SuccessEPILOGUEALAN WEISS INTERVIEWS PATRICIA FRIPPAPPENDIXINDEX

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

WHEN ARE YOU A PROFESSIONAL?

AFTER ALL, WE’RE ALL SPEAKING, OFTEN SIMULTANEOUSLY

I was speaking at a small business awards ceremony at the Westin Hotel inProvidence, Rhode Island. It was a 45-minute after-dinner, post-awards speech, atough position. I was originally asked to do it for free, since I live 15minutes away, but I pointed out that the three huge firms that were sponsoringthe evening never gave their products away for free, and I was being paid myfull fee.

I had prepared my varsity game for the tough closing segment, and 400 peoplerose (some rather unsteadily) to their feet, either happy with my performance orglad that it was over. As usual, a couple of dozen people waited to chat withme.

“You’re the best speaker we’ve ever had here, and the best I’ve ever heard,”announced the first woman in line.

“I’m sure I’m not, but thank you,” I responded.

“No, you are the best!” she proclaimed.

“I bet you say that to all the speakers,” I said with a smile, tryingdesperately to move on.

“No, you are unique!”

“Okay,” I said, facing my unmoving groupie, “why do you think I’m sogood?”

“Because you are the only speaker we’ve ever had here who can walk,talk, and hold the microphone at the same time!”

Stunned, I mumbled, “What about my four transcendental points for smallbusinesses?”

She stared back, uncomprehending. “What four points?” she asked.

WHITHER GOEST?

For a long time, if you told someone that you were a professional speaker, thatperson would immediately translate that into “motivational speaker,” a phrasethat represents everything that is wrong and empty-headed about this profession.Calling an excellent professional a “motivational speaker” is like callingdinner at a five-star restaurant a “meal,” citing Willie Mays as an”outfielder,” or calling Judy Garland a “singer.”

Some phrases just don’t do the subject justice.

Historically, professional speakers were evangelical, professional by dint ofhow they were trying to move the audience, as in Billy Sunday or Oral Roberts.There is a history of superb, moving, inspirational sermonizing and homilies inevery religion. There have also been speakers whose intent was to enlighten theaudience members about their own potential, not so much by offering pragmatictechniques as by offering stirring messages: “You can be your own best friend”;”You are the owner of the mortgage on your life!” Accompanied by experiences andexercises (taken over from early T-group and sensitivity training), the speechmorphed into workshops and “events.”

In the 1960s we had Werner Erhart, and in the 1990s, Tony Robbins. In betweenand along the way, we’ve had thousands of pretenders to the motivationalthrones. But these approaches were based largely on the personality of theoriginator, no less than the religious, charismatic speaker. (Very few TonyRobbins franchises have ever been successful, so far as I know. I used to mentorone such franchise owner. People wanted to see the master himself,understandably.)

Finally, we have “rallies,” wherein an organizer fills an arena, often with theemployees of a few companies that foot the bill, and marches out the likes ofColin Powell, George Bush, Zig Ziglar, and whoever else is on that circuit to”wow” the crowd. For a few hours people can hear some stirring commentary, buysome products (which will later gather dust on endless shelves), and return towork under the temporary belief that their company has just invested in theirlong-term well-being. (It’s a lot cheaper than giving them raises or improvedbenefits.)

Those times have changed.

Oh, you’ll still see a group of Goldman Sachs or Prudential senior managers outon some beach racing to build sand castles under the tutelage of an “energycoach” or a “motivation manager.” But the only thing occurring there is sunburn.

Today, everyone had better be a motivational speaker, but there has tobe steak to accompany that sizzle. That is, paying customers are expectingexpertise in specific content areas presented in an engaging, provocative, andentertaining manner. Thus, two extremes will not work:

1. Running around like the Mad Hatter trying to thrill people with vapidaffirmations, such as, “They can heat you up, but they can’t burn you!”

2. Standing rooted in the earth, talking through another boringPowerPoint presentation of 185 slides while people try to see their PDAs in thedark. (If you have enough iPhones, with screens aglow, in the audience duringsuch a tedious presentation, it begins to resemble a silent rock concert.)

Here is why the market expectations and demands have changed:

• Increasingly sophisticated audiences. The mass media and the Internethave created a more intelligent expectation. People can readily watch experts onTED, for example (TED.com), and in 20 minutes (the time limit) be captivated bygeysers on the ocean’s bottom, synthetic happiness, urban planning, or moderncommunications devices.

• Increasingly sophisticated buyers. Corporate executives and tradeassociation directors demand a return on their investment. They don’t needsomeone to “babysit” the audience for a few hours during a convention; theyrequire topical expertise that can be utilized immediately in conjunction withorganizational strategy and tactics.

• An overabundance of schlock. There is no barrier—zero—toentry in the professional speaking market. A lot of people have sidled in,managed to get work, and flopped. Still more have decided to position themselvesas commodities, charging very little in the hope of achieving for volume, andhave done poor (and repetitive) work.

• The economy contracted. Some lingering effects even during rebound andgrowth will be a more zealous analysis of external expenditures. Professionalspeakers have never exactly proved themselves to be irreplaceable or urgentlyneeded. So the corporate zeitgeist has incorporated a “less is more”philosophy.

• The association and (legitimate) connection with the training business.Most people who are making big money in speaking are doing so in training.(More on this later in the book.) Very few of us who are noncelebrity speakerscan earn big money exclusively from keynoting, for example, and few of us wantto, since the travel is ridiculous. However, training and human resources withincorporations are increasingly discredited, so approaching through those routesis a rough road.

The profession is changing, but for the better. That’s why it’s easier than everto build and sustain a thriving practice.

WHY SIZZLE AND STEAK ARE BOTH REQUIRED FOR FINE DINING

There’s a wonderful “old world” restaurant in Providence where I love to takeclients. It’s called Capriccio, it’s dark, the captains wear tuxedos, and theyare allowed to flambé food tableside, having been “grandfathered in” for thischarming but otherwise extinct practice.

Capriccio has both great steak and great sizzle. The ambiance and charm add tothe meal (as I’m sure is true of many of your favorite restaurants). If you areintent on an excellent experience, high value for your investment, and findingsomeplace to which you can confidently return—as I do withclients—you don’t want to eat your steak in a parking lot and you don’twant to eat gristle in a penthouse.

Assuming that you’re salivating, here’s the deal: EVERY speaker needs to be amotivational speaker (to have the sizzle) and engage people in a dynamic manner.The steak is your expertise and your ability to convey solid material that iscredible, applicable, and flexible.

Take a look at the only four conditions these two factors permit (Figure 1-1).

In the upper right, we have an engaging speaker who has original, informative,and relevant content, as well as appropriate humor, energy, and what we willcall “platform skills.” By platform skills, I am referring to engaging stagepresence and dynamics. In the bottom left, we have a speaker with neither, whowill disappoint and disappear.

But we have two dangerous positions in the other corners for those who areseeking to be truly professional speakers. The tap dancer is the speaker who hasvirtually no content—no steak—but who tries to dazzle the audiencewith footwork, telling jokes, playing an instrument, using ventriloquism, doingmagic tricks, smashing pumpkins.

The opposite is the true expert whose sizzle was extinguished by a dam burstingyears ago and who shows you 120 slides in an hour of unremitting ennui. I took acourse in undergrad school at Rutgers during which the professor literally readhis dissertation notes, recorded on hundreds of sheets of yellow paper, in everyclass, mumbling on, turning a page with regularity, nary an inflection norintonation ever detected. You could, however, hear some snores from the back ofthe room.

Too many people who are seeking to speak professionally have a “message” thatthey feel the universe needs to hear if it is to keep on with its cosmicticking. (It doesn’t.) It’s somewhat threatening but nonetheless true that amajor event in one’s life, no matter how splendid or traumatic, does not alwaystranslate into another person’s utilitarian need (or even rapt attention). Thenthere are others who simply love to speak, and feel that the content and subjectare irrelevant because they are simply so enthusiastic and emotional. (How longcan you really watch the frenetic Energizer Bunny?)

Most, not some, of your teachers, professors, meeting leaders, instructors, andsuperiors have been less than engrossing speakers. How do I know this?

Because we all make such a fuss when we actually have the good fortune to be inthe presence of the exception.

THE TRUE SPEAKER IS NOT A PERFORMING SEAL

This business is about intellectual firepower. Several years ago I was part of asmall task force organized by the National Speakers Association to determinewhat buyers really sought in choosing professional speakers.

Overwhelmingly, we found that they wanted expertise. That’s the “steak.”

Expertise can be defined as a thorough and encompassing knowledge of aparticular subject matter, including its origins, application, strengths andweaknesses, future probabilities, and so forth. It’s not about perfection orabsolute wisdom, or even a personal repository of global information.

It’s about helping others to improve in a given area. That improvement may be inthe form of more knowledge, changed behavior, new standards, reduced stress, amore balanced lifestyle, more enduring relationships—whatever.

It’s not about jumping through hoops, donning strange clothing, balancing blockson your nose, juggling fireballs, or reading people’s minds. All of theforegoing may be important at times and, if done well, certainly haveentertainment value (well, not the juggling), but they are not what professionalspeakers focus on. Every gimmick you introduce dilutes your educational anddevelopmental message. And there are myriad jugglers and ventriloquists.

But there are relatively few effective and engrossing professional speakers.

So unless you prefer to be paid in herring, here are some parameters for yourprofessional conduct and demeanor.

ALAN’S MILLION DOLLAR SPEAKING PROFILE

• Focus on the power of your words and reduce gimmicks to a minimum. Youmay choose to use visuals or audience interaction, or to play a bit of music.But if these actions are more than 10 percent of what you do (six minutes in anhour’s keynote, a half-hour in a morning’s workshop), then you’re confusing yourimage, your brand, and, probably, the audience. (Ninety percent of the time, youshould not require visuals in an hour’s keynote.)

• Create and maintain a professional image. If you’re wearing strangehats, weird clothing, or outrageous accessories, or if you’re selling T-shirtsand flip-flops from the stage, you’re in the merchandising business, notspeaking. (Always dress a step above the group, for example, if it’s businesscasual, dress in business attire; if it’s resort casual, dress in businesscasual.)

• Don’t allow the organizers to dictate your approach or demeanor. Youare the expert in the craft, so you decide how you’ll approach the stage andleave it, how you’ll be introduced, and whether or not you’ll take part inrelated activities. You’ll lose your gravitas if you’re dunked in a water tankat the company “carnival.” (I once had to assertively explain to my client thatit was a very bad idea to ask for a moment of silence to honor adeceased colleague immediately before I was introduced with the topic of”Innovation for Tomorrow.”)

• No matter how talented you are, don’t muddy up your intent. The factthat you can play the piano, shoot a decent game of pool, sing (most people whothink they can actually can’t), or create animals out of balloons is nice buthardly relevant. You’re not speaking to showcase your ability or to show yourvacation slides. You’re there to improve the condition of the audience and tomeet your buyer’s objectives. (I once watched, horrified, as a woman began herpresentation by announcing several awards that she had just won, waiting for thedelayed applause, and then acting as if she were surprised at the reaction.)

• Be concerned about, aware of, and willing to change your environment.In the next section, we’ll talk about varying scenarios, but try to understandthe milieu so that you can appraise whether it makes sense for what you intendto do. A performing seal will honk and balance balls anywhere the handler takesit. But even the seal is not at home when it’s out of the water.

THE DIVERSE (AND DAUNTING) SPEAKER SCENARIOS

When I talk about “speaking” in this book, I’m embracing any and all of thefollowing:

• Keynotes. The keynote is literally the “key note” to a convention orconference and is properly the opening plenary session. When someone says, “Idelivered the closing keynote” or “I was one of the four keynoters,” that personis a tad confused.

• Plenary sessions. These are general sessions to which the entireconference is invited, and there can be only one or many. The keynote is alwaysa plenary session. Plenary sessions can last from 20 minutes to 90 minutes, butare typically an hour.

• Concurrent sessions. These are longer sessions that runsimultaneously. Participants generally have their choices of which to attend,although they may be assigned based on need. These generally run from an hour tothree hours, but are typically about 90 minutes.

• Workshops and seminars. These are full-day and multiday programs. Theymay be within one organization or be “public sessions” that strangers areinvited to attend. They are generally much more oriented toward skills transfer,practice, and application.

Generally, when you work for a large client, you are delivering sessionsinternally for that client. But when you are delivering public sessions, you arepromoting these yourself and charging each individual attendee (although you maybe subcontracted to do this by larger seminar training companies, which is likebeing in indentured servitude—at this writing, some are paying $300 perday).

Here are some variations of these roles:

• After-dinner speakers. An after-dinner speaker is addressing a generalsession with a dozen or a thousand people to conclude an evening. It is one ofthe most difficult types of speaking in that the audience has usuallyexperienced an open bar, a heavy dinner, wine with the meal, often an awardsceremony, some boisterous banter, and some droning talks by the top executives.It is not for the unconfident, inexperienced, or thin-skinned.

• Humorists. These folks may appear anywhere on an agenda to lightenthings up (if they’re good) or poison things for everyone who follows (ifthey’re not good). They often incorporate information about the organization andthe people sponsoring the event into their humor. (Once again, we’re not talkingabout celebrities such as Jay Leno or Jerry Seinfeld, although they’ll do thiskind of work if you pay them enough.)

• Character portrayers. There are people who dress like Ben Franklin,Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, or, presumably, Zorro who usethe persona of their subject both to entertain the audience and to convey somepertinent points about personal and professional development. They frequentlyprovide an exegesis of their subject’s famous speeches or roles. These arenovelty acts, tightly choreographed, that are often quite successful in schoolsas well as businesses.

• Facilitators. Facilitators facilitate—that is, they are supposedto enable groups to communicate better, to resolve issues more expeditiously,and to deal with difficult issues in a collaborative, constructive manner. Thebest facilitators allow the groups to do most of the speaking, but they areoften required to present summaries, demonstrate what’s occurring, describeobstacles, and provoke debate.

• Moderators. The moderator is typically the panel emcee who providesbrief explanations of subjects and procedures, introduces the panelists, handlesquestions from the floor, and keeps the proceedings on time.

Nowhere on my lists do I include the phrase “full-time” or “part-time.” That’sbecause those delineations make no sense in professional speaking, despite thefact that so many people seem preoccupied with them. I spoke 50 times last year.Am I a part-time speaker? Would you have to speak every day to be full-time? Andspeaking is seldom all that you do, especially when you’re successful. You’reprobably doing a little consulting, perhaps serving as a coach, maybe creatingand selling products, and generally seeking ancillary sources of income. Full-time and part-time are irrelevant.

Paying the mortgage is relevant.

(Continues…)
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