Professional Speakers are always looking for the edge to make themselves more competitive in the marketplace. Regardless of how much you have monetarily invested in your own brand, there is one thing that ANY speaker can do to instantly separate yourself from others long before you step foot on stage. All you must do is follow directions.
I will never forget an activity we had back in the 2nd grade. We were each given a sheet of paper with a very long list of instructions. Most of the instructions were ridiculous such as rip the instruction sheet in half and jump up and down on one leg. As crazy as this sounds, embedded in this activity was a very powerful lesson: FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. You see, the very first task on the list was to ready all the instructions, before beginning the activity. If we had followed directions, we would have realized that the very last instruction was to “ignore all the instructions.”
Clearly, this activity was a test to see how many people would actually read and follow directions.
Fast forward more than 30 years later, I can tell that many emerging professional speakers would benefit from this activity. At Black Speakers Network, we send and are included on dozens of calls for speakers and presenters each month. The #1 complaint that we hear from meeting planners is that when speakers submit their speaker application form, they do not follow directions.
Here are the 3 most notable instances that we encounter:
Incomplete speaker proposals: Speakers who fail to answer all the questions or provide requested documentation. If meeting planners are asking for this information, it means that it is important to them so do not skip it. We see applications all the time that are missing a bio, speaker video, electronic press kit or other materials. If you don’t have everything that is being requested, just hold off on submitting until you have it.
Submitting to the wrong events: Not all speaking engagements are meant for you. In fact, most speaking engagements are not meant for you. When you try to speak to everyone, you ultimately speak to no one. Take the time to clarify who your target audience is to avoid wasting your time trying to speak to audiences who are misaligned.
Attempting to circumvent the established process: Some events will require you to submit a form, while others are an email and still others may be a DM on social media. The key here is to submit to the opportunity in the way that the meeting planner is requesting, not the way that is most convenient for you. If they are asking for a form, do not send them an email explaining why you are the best speaker and telling your life story. Put it on the form.
As a speaker, you must realize that meeting planners are busy. They don’t have time to follow-up with you to ask for missing details, clarification or to redirect you. You will be passed over for the speaker who followed the process and submitted his or her information correctly. The moral of the story is, the easiest and most cost-effective way to stand out from other speakers is to READ and FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.
Brian J. Olds is the President and CEO of Black Speakers Network, a nationwide speaker development, training and empowerment company. For more tools and resources to start or grow as a professional speaker visit www.BlackSpeakersNetwork.com Speak Up! Your Audience Awaits…