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The Speaker Lab

Grant Baldwin from The Speaker Lab podcast will be sharing speaking business tactics, tips, and strategies from his own experience, case studies, and interviewing the experts. Whether you're just getting started trying to get your first booking or you're a veteran speaker looking to build and grow your business, this is for you. Grant has built a multiple six-figure per year business as a speaker having presented to over 500,000 people in over 450 paid speaking gigs. We'll talk about speaker marketing, working with speaker bureaus and agents, building your platform, negotiating fees, social media marketing, networking, storytelling, humor, operating the business and so much more!
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All Episodes
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Now displaying: June, 2020
Jun 30, 2020

Today's conversation is a discussion on race and the speaking industry with my friend Nicole Walters. Nicole is an incredible speaker, amazing entrepreneur and phenomenal human being.

On this episode of The Speaker Lab, we talk about the heavy but important topic of racism in the speaking world. We talk about what exists in the marketplace for her as a Black woman, how she sees things that I don't as a white male. She also gives advice for minority speakers and shares what the speaking community at large can do to better support diversity in the industry.

These are serious topics but Nicole brings her humor, lightheartedness and personal wisdom. Join us for this much-needed talk on episode 296 of The Speaker Lab with Nicole Walters.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • Why it's important for activism to be on-going and not just a trend.
  • How racism impacts her everyday life: a snapshot.
  • What are new factors she considers now when booking gigs?
  • Do you know what performative activism is and why you should avoid it?
  • What group of people are becoming entrepreneurs at a rate of 9x the average American?
  • When you should add 10% to your asking fee.
  • What are some ways white people can be an allies for speakers of color?
  • How to encourage diversity at your speaking gigs.
  • And so much more!

 

Jun 23, 2020

How to embrace your fears is the subject that helped our guest today jumpstart a whole new career as an international speaker and author.

Michelle Poler is here on The Speaker Lab to talk about how she embraced her fears through 100 fears in 100 days challenge, how that challenge culminated in a TEDx talk and how some of those fears even became things she now loves to do.

We explore those topics plus specific steps she took along the way and how you can do the same. Join us to hear the scoop on episode 295 of The Speaker Lab.

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • Which speaker was instrumental in both of our speaking careers?
  • What should you do if your fears are holding you back?
  • Why you don't need to believe all the speaking advice out there.
  • What is more important than the number of views of your video?
  • How she utilized her network to get the ball rolling on speaking gigs.
  • Why having your spouse on board is incredibly helpful to grow your business.
  • What actions did she take that led to referrals from Brene Brown?
  • What can you do to set yourself for success when approaching speaking bureaus?
  • And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

Jun 16, 2020

How to pivot to speaking virtually may not have been something you thought of before the pandemic, but our guest today explains why he and a lot of other speakers are embracing it now.

Jon Acuff is an entrepreneur and author. He is also one of the best speakers I've seen live: he takes this craft seriously and it shows. In our conversation on The Speaker Lab today, Jon explains the pivots he's made during the COVID-19 pandemic, including virtual speaking and utilizing YouTube to grow his client base. We also explore the long-term implications of virtual speaking going forward.

This is a fun, informative, and engaging talk with Jon Acuff so join us on episode 294 of The Speaker Lab.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • What can be done virtually that can't be done from the stage?
  • How do you adjust your pricing for virtual speaking gigs?
  • What are value adds to consider in your virtual offerings?
  • How can YouTube contribute to growing your client base?
  • Has he tweaked his content to reflect current events?
  • If you use humor when speaking live can you continue doing so virtually?
  • Should you read comments while you're speaking virtually?
  • Why it's okay to be an amateur when starting out as a virtual speaker.
  • And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES

Jun 9, 2020

Knowing what meeting planners want from a speaker can be the difference between booking some gigs and being a full-time speaker. Our guest today has the inside scoop on this very topic and he's telling us the answers on episode 293 of The Speaker Lab!

Jay Baer is an exceptionally successful speaker who has been in the industry for a long time and has accrued a wealth of knowledge along the way. Today on The Speaker Lab, we talk about Jay's recent research study that surveyed 150 event planners. We dig into what topics planners are looking for, what they want and hows event planners find speakers.

Join us to hear the details on all of those topics and more episode 293 of The Speaker Lab with Jay Baer.

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • Why micro-categories may be your ticket to success.
  • Who speaks on more topics: mediocre speakers or great speakers?
  • How much customization should you do for your speaking gigs?
  • Substance versus showmanship: what balance do you need to strike?
  • How can you build momentum when you are just starting out?
  • Why bringing something unique to the stage gives you an innate advantage.
  • What are the ways to test your material?
  • How does Jay think the coronavirus will affect speaking topics going forward?
  • And so much more!

EPISODE RESOURCES

Jun 8, 2020

Grant Baldwin and Erick Rheam hosted a Facebook Live to talk about one of the biggest challenges professional speakers face: getting consistent speaking gig leads and what to do with them.

During the live stream, Grant and Erick discuss:

  • Where many speakers get stuck
  • Why you can’t afford to sit back and wait for the phone to ring
  • How Erick falls back on principles he learned in the military
  • What speakers can do to prepare for times of crisis
  • How to handle stressful times without getting stressed out
  • The value of creating a system to help you take the next right step
  • Identifying the secret sauce behind a sustainable speaking business
  • The 5 stages of your speaking gig pipeline
  • Where to never discuss your pricing
  • Setting up event planners for success and recruiting them to your team
  • How to replicate the success of professional speakers
  • And more

EPISODE RESOURCES

Jun 2, 2020

How public relations helps speakers may not be something you've considered before, but after today's episode you will know how PR can make a difference in your speaking career.

Chris Winfield joins us to talk about this topic. He teaches PR (public relations) and the art of relationships and connections. We dig into those three areas right out of the gate, and also talk about my skepticism of the value of public relations!

We answer questions like how important is it to build long-term relationships?  What are the challenges and potential obstacles if you are an introvert versus an extrovert? Chris also tells us about PR firms, why most are horrible, and a simple exercise you can do right now to move the needle.

This is a fun and informative show so join us for episode 292 of The Speaker Lab with Chris Winfield.

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • Does everyone have Impostor Syndrome?
  • What is the law of reciprocity and how does it work?
  • Ten minutes in person can replace how much time online?
  • Who are the people who make the greatest connections?
  • Do you have something to bring to the table, even if you are starting out?
  • Are certain forms of media more impactful than others?
  • What does it mean to "borrow credibility"?
  • How do you know which platforms are ideal for you?
  • And so much more!

RESOURCES

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