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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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Now displaying: 2021
Aug 5, 2021

Wondering how to transition into speaking full-time? The Speaker Lab guest today, Erick Rheam, has made the leap, and he'll talk about what it's like to turn pro and make your speaking career a reality.

Erick is one of our original Booked and Paid to Speak students, and today he's a highly successful speaker. But he only recently left his corporate job to pursue his speaking career on a full-time basis.

You'll hear what gave him the confidence to finally leave and so much more on episode 239 of The Speaker Lab.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:   

  • When did he know he had to choose between speaking and his job?
  • What were the two reasons speaking was a good fit for him?
  • What you should do if your boss isn't supportive of your speaking side hustle.
  • What are the two keys to being successful at something?
  • Should your target market and topic evolve throughout your speaking career?
  • What was the tipping point that showed him it was time to leave his job?
  • Why you need mentors in your life.
  • What are the biggest regrets most people have in their lives?
  • And so much more!
Aug 3, 2021

If a six-figure speaking business is one of your goals then you're going to love today's episode!

Lisa Perez is one of our super successful students at The Speaker Lab. Today she's here to share with us her HR background and how she went from speaking for free to building a six-figure speaking business of her own.

Listen in and hear how you can follow in her footsteps on episode 353 of The Speaker Lab.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • Are business plans necessary?
  • Would she recommend doing free gigs?
  • How do you leverage past engagements into future ones?
  • Why she recommends contacting associations for speaking opportunities.
  • How did she narrow her focus to find her audience?
  • What is needed to shift from free gigs to paying ones?
  • Why systems and structures are necessary to financial success as a speaker.
  • What advice does she have for new speakers?
  • And so much more!

 

 

Jul 29, 2021

Our guest on this episode has delivered 90+ plus events every year for the last 11 years, and has spoke in 57 different countries and has been paid to speak over 2500 times.

His name is Phil Jones and he spends the bulk of his time helping people sell with more confidence and more credibility while getting better results.

You’ll hear how he does that along with what the markets are like in South America, Europe, Asia and Australia when you join us on the 240th edition of The Speaker Lab.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:   

  • Are there budgetary variations in Europe vs. South America vs. Asia?
  • Why you must allow yourself to go through periods of reinvention.
  • What two businesses should every speaker have?
  • If you are outside of the US, what are practical ways to break into that market?
  • The importance of getting clear on why you want to speak internationally.
  • Why should every speaker do simultaneous translation at least once?
  • What little things can and should you do when speaking to an international audience?
  • Why giving yourself permission to try, play and fail can create some of your best experiences.
  • And so much more!
Jul 27, 2021

How to exit a corner might not be a phrase you're familiar with but it could be pivotal to helping your speaking career.

Ron Tite is here on The Speaker Lab to explain how this term from race car driving applies to speaking. Ron is a very successful international keynote speaker who is back for this third appearance on the show.

Hear us talk about how to exit a corner and more on episode 352 of The Speaker Lab.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • How to embrace the reality of the room when you're speaking.
  • What is a force majeure clause?
  • When did he begin embracing virtual speaking?
  • Why he rushed to figure out content before technology.
  • How long should you be developing your new speech?
  • What's the future of virtual speaking in his business?
  • How to work within limitations.
  • Can speaking virtually make you a better in-person speaker?
  • And so much more!
Jul 22, 2021

One of your greatest resources is your network. As you make connections, build relationships and ultimately grow your business, your network is essential. Erick Rheam is a former student of The Speaker Lab and now a friend, colleague, and coach in our program. He joined me in this episode to discuss specific ways to leverage your network and cultivate referrals that will ultimately help you land more speaking gigs.

We’re answering a ton of questions in this episode including how to prioritize your contacts, when to follow-up, how to engage best in your market, and what it means to create win-win scenarios for you and your contacts.  

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:   

  • What is a simple way can you better engage your market?
  • Which two questions will help reverse engineer potential referrals in your network?
  • What are the three priorities in your network?
  • Why the “spray and pray” email strategy does not work.
  • What should you say in your first contact email to your network?
  • How to create win-win scenarios for you and your contacts.
  • How do you follow up without being annoying?
  • What are ways to show appreciation for people who help you?
  • And so much more!

Check out the episode and more details here!

Jul 20, 2021

Today we are talking about the perfect intro: how to explain what you do as a speaker so people understand and want to hire you.

On this episode of The Speaker Lab, renowned speaking and branding expert Clay Hebert, is here to explain how he helps people find what they do and also how he helps people define and share their perfect intro.

We'll be diving into those topics and so much more on today's edition of The Speaker Lab!

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • Why does he want to kill the elevator pitch?
  • What are the three myths of the introduction?
  • How to frame the perfect intro so it elicits a response.
  • What are two rules to the perfect intro?
  • Can you ever use your perfect intro in other communications?
  • Why you should focused on becoming an expert who speaks, not a "speaker".
  • Should your intro change over time and can you have more than one?
  • What is a case story and how do you construct yours?
  • And so much more!
EPISODE RESOURCES
Jul 15, 2021

Are you overlooking some simple ways to book more gigs? You’ll find out when you listen to today’s show!
Kris Reece is a professional faith-based speaker who also coaches and writes books for women about reaching their fullest God-given potential.

On this episode we talk about some issues she is facing in her speaking business. Specifically, we help Kris find new gigs, leverage connections from previous gigs and evaluate whether it makes sense to pay to speak.

Join us to hear insights on those topics and more on the 232nd edition of The Speaker Lab!

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • What are the reasons you should consider speaking for free?
  • Why you send an invoice even if you speak for free.
  • The two things you can do during a speaking gig to generate future gigs.
  • What’s the best way you can approach previous clients for referrals?
  • How do you evaluate whether you should buy a sponsorship and pay to speak?
  • What is one of the quickest ways to build a relationship?
  • How do you find the key person who books speakers at big events?
  • Why you should never stop marketing your speaking services.
  • And so much more!

Check out the episode and more details HERE! 

Jul 13, 2021
As a public speaker you are the brand, you are the product. Here to explain more is our guest Mike Kim.

On this episode of The Speaker Lab, Mike explains what a personal brand is, the three broad markets all speakers fall within and how to narrow your focus in one of those markets.

Tune in to hear those details and so much more on the 350th edition of The Speaker Lab.
 
THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:
 
  • Can you have a brand without having stepped foot on a stage?
  • What are the 3 questions he asks people to find their branding message?
  • What is the difference between a how to-preneur and an idea-preneur?
  • Why you should niche down now and pivot later.
  • What do Marie Condo and Brene Brown have in common?
  • Why it all begins with storytelling.
  • What are the 5 levels of awareness for your prospect?
  • When do you have to be the most focused in your branding?
  • And so much more!

 

Jul 8, 2021

Preparing for your speech is an important aspect of giving a great talk and here to give us her trade secrets is Melanie Deziel.

If you’ve been here before you know Melanie is a frequent co-host of the show and she joins us again on The Speaker Lab to give you a breakdown of her personal speaking preparations.

We give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we each rehearse and get ready for the stage. We specifically talk about music we listen to, food we eat or don’t eat, how much we hydrate, and what else we do in the hours leading up to the talk. Get your head right and body right before you take the stage, hear how on this edition of The Speaker Lab!

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • How far ahead of time should you have your content down pat?
  • How to use voice recording to help you in preparing for your speech.
  • Why not to touch your content the hour before you go on stage.
  • What is the best way to prepare your voice for your speech?
  • Should you work out the day you are speaking?
  • What to do backstage before giving your talk.
  • What else should you schedule for your gig day?
  • How to find out if there’s a courtesy clock or countdown clock before you go on stage.
  • And so much more!

Check out the episode and more details HERE

Jul 8, 2021

Preparing for your speech is an important aspect of giving a great talk and here to give us her trade secrets is Melanie Deziel.

If you’ve been here before you know Melanie is a frequent co-host of the show and she joins us again on The Speaker Lab to give you a breakdown of her personal speaking preparations.

We give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we each rehearse and get ready for the stage. We specifically talk about music we listen to, food we eat or don’t eat, how much we hydrate, and what else we do in the hours leading up to the talk. Get your head right and body right before you take the stage, hear how on this edition of The Speaker Lab!

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • How far ahead of time should you have your content down pat?
  • How to use voice recording to help you in preparing for your speech.
  • Why not to touch your content the hour before you go on stage.
  • What is the best way to prepare your voice for your speech?
  • Should you work out the day you are speaking?
  • What to do backstage before giving your talk.
  • What else should you schedule for your gig day?
  • How to find out if there’s a courtesy clock or countdown clock before you go on stage.
  • And so much more!

Check out the episode and more details HERE

Jul 8, 2021

Preparing for your speech is an important aspect of giving a great talk and here to give us her trade secrets is Melanie Deziel.

If you’ve been here before you know Melanie is a frequent co-host of the show and she joins us again on The Speaker Lab to give you a breakdown of her personal speaking preparations.

We give you a behind-the-scenes look at how we each rehearse and get ready for the stage. We specifically talk about music we listen to, food we eat or don’t eat, how much we hydrate, and what else we do in the hours leading up to the talk. Get your head right and body right before you take the stage, hear how on this edition of The Speaker Lab!

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • How far ahead of time should you have your content down pat?
  • How to use voice recording to help you in preparing for your speech.
  • Why not to touch your content the hour before you go on stage.
  • What is the best way to prepare your voice for your speech?
  • Should you work out the day you are speaking?
  • What to do backstage before giving your talk.
  • What else should you schedule for your gig day?
  • How to find out if there’s a courtesy clock or countdown clock before you go on stage.
  • And so much more!

Check out the episode and more details HERE

Jul 6, 2021

You might think going from playing in the NFL to public speaking is a natural transition. Our guest today, Desmond Clark, has made that leap and is here to tell the tale.

Desmond is a successful speaker and student at The Speaker Lab. He's also a former NFL player who spent most of his career with the Chicago Bears. On today's episode he tells us what led him into the speaking realm, how the pandemic impacted his business and the critical role a system has played in his success.

Join us to hear that and more on episode 349 of The Speaker Lab!

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • Has he always been drawn to speaking?
  • Are there similarities between speaking and playing in the NFL?
  • How did he make the leap from occasional speaking to regular gigs?
  • Did he also face fears and doubts when starting public speaking?
  • Is it natural to question yourself?
  • How does he filter which free gigs he agrees to do?
  • What's been the biggest pay-off for him?
  • How do you know if you are speaking for the right reasons?
  • And so much more!
EPISODE RESOURCES
Jul 1, 2021

Welcome to The Vault --- a special edition of The Speaker Lab Podcast where we are unlocking timeless episodes by revisiting some of your favorites from the show.

Do you want to book more gigs? What about 100 speaking gigs in a calendar year? Good news - Ty Bennett is telling us it’s possible AND how to make it happen.

You'll hear: 

  • How Ty sold his portion of a direct sales business to take on full time speaking
  • How he built his speaking business from scratch 
  • What tips you might need, how you can improve, and how to connect with your audience
  • Practical lessons on how to gauge your own ability as a speaker

Check out the episode and more details HERE

Jun 29, 2021

Changing your mindset to be a better speaker is the foundation for growing your business, according to our guest on today's show.

John Michael Morgan is an exceptional speaker, best-selling writer and coach who works with leaders and entrepreneurs from small businesses to large companies like Disney, Google and Starbucks.

Today on The Speaker Lab, John explains the more common challenges he sees in his line of work, the state of people's mindsets as a result of this pandemic and why and how to create the optimal mindset for success.

Join us for those subjects and so much more on episode 348 of The Speaker Lab.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • How can you clear up your own limiting beliefs?
  • Does a positive mindset come easily to some people?
  • What did a Harvard study determine as the top factor in overcoming challenges?
  • Can you be so positive it is detrimental to you?
  • How do you maintain a healthy perspective on your own progress?
  • Why scheduling is a key part of rewriting your own story.
  • What's the key phrase to use when creating your new beliefs?
  • How to set your intentions for the day, every day.
  • And so much more!
EPISODE RESOURCES
Jun 24, 2021

Welcome back to The Vault --- a special edition of The Speaker Lab Podcast where we are unlocking timeless episodes by revisiting some of your favorites from the show.

Do you ever wonder how some speakers are charging $20K for a gig and others can’t make ends meet? Mitch Joel is here to tell us how to become a highly sought-after speaker that can charge MORE.

If you’re curious about the “must haves” that will take you to the next level --- this episode is for you! Mitch talks all about speaker identity, helping you find your “content center of excellence”, and how to know if you’re killing it on stage.

Check out more episode details HERE

Jun 22, 2021

Being an education speaker is Kyle Scheele's forte, he's very good at it.

He's also an education speaker on TikTok with over 2 million followers, and he has an amazing story of how he reached his first million in 25 hours! Plus, Kyle covers topics like following your own interests, writing and marketing his first children's book and whether or not he recommends following in his own eclectic footsteps.

Hear all of that and more on episode 374 of The Speaker Lab.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • Did he have a specific strategy for being on TikTok?
  • Is TikTok something you should invest in if you're an education speaker?
  • What's the best way to transfer social media followers to email?
  • How Kyle grew his following from 17 to 1 million followers on TikTok in 25 hours.
  • What speakers would benefit most from being on TikTok?
  • Do you have to start over if you are moving into a new industry?
  • Why is he pursuing speaking in the corporate world?
  • And so much more!
EPISODE RESOURCES
Jun 17, 2021

Welcome to Episode 004 of The Vault --- a special edition of The Speaker Lab Podcast where we are unlocking timeless episodes by revisiting some of your favorites from the show.

 

If you’re looking to break into the college circuit, this episode is especially for you! I’m sharing my personal experience from the stage and highlighting 9 potential markets that exist within almost any institution.

This episode will help position you to market yourself effectively with colleges, universities, and the decision makers. We’re talking about three foundational questions you need to ask before pursuing a “new to you” market.

Check out the episode and more at https://thespeakerlab.com/speak-colleges/ 

Jun 15, 2021

What is the key to building a future-proof speaking business? The one and only Chris Ducker is here to tell us.

Chris is a veteran guest of the show but if you've missed his previous appearances on The Speaker Lab, he's a renowned entrepreneur, speaker and author. He's built several multi-million dollar businesses, written two best-selling books and traveled the globe sharing his insights with audiences everywhere.

You'll get to hear that wisdom on episode 346 of The Speaker Lab with Chris Ducker.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • Why you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket.
  • What other streams of revenue should you build beyond speaking?
  • How do you know which income stream(s) to pursue?
  • What has been the biggest game-changer for his business?
  • How do you stay focused while still being aware of opportunities?
  • Does he still have insecurities and doubts?
  • Do you have to work on your weaknesses?
  • Why pivoting is a natural progression of your journey.
  • And so much more!
EPISODE RESOURCES
Jun 10, 2021

 Welcome to back to The Vault --- a special edition of The Speaker Lab Podcast where we are unlocking timeless episodes by revisiting some of your favorites from the show.

Today we’re talking about how to sell yourself as a speaker with Matthew Kimberly. Matthew shares how to build trust and credibility in sales and as a speaker. Matthew shares his masterful approach to speaking for free and the secret behind his successful business model.

Check out the episode and more HERE

Jun 8, 2021

Embracing business development as a speaker might not be your favorite aspect of speaking, but it is one of the most critical.

And our guest, Mo Bunnell, is an expert on the topic. Mo is a speaker, author, and trainer. On today's show, Mo tells us how he went from being an actuary to a business development (BD) expert generating over $70 million in client revenue to running his own BD organization.

Join us to hear Mo's insights and expertise when you tune in to episode 345 of The Speaker Lab.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • What did he get wrong in the beginning and how did he rectify it?
  • If you want to climb do you have to cut?
  • What has given his company stickiness and scale in a big way?
  • Why you don't need to be all things to all people.
  • How long is the half-life of speaking?
  • What's the thing most people miss?
  • How does the "give to get model" work?
  • What does he suggest if you don't enjoy the business development side of speaking?
  • And so much more!

 

EPISODE RESOURCES
Jun 3, 2021

Welcome to the Vault --- a special edition of The Speaker Lab Podcast where we are unlocking some of your favorites from the show.

In this episode, Jason Hewlett discusses how he struggled with how to start before finding great success as a professional speaker and entertainer. Jason shares how he made his dream a reality by establishing a plan and taking clear action to find his niche in the industry.

Learn more about Jason's story and the episode HERE

Jun 1, 2021

Being a CEO and speaker is an enormous challenge and our guest embraces it fully!

Today Kara Goldin is an ultra successful business owner, author and speaker. On this edition of The Speaker Lab, she tells us how working with legendary organizations like CNN and Time magazine led her to create Hint, write her best-selling book Undaunted and become a sought-after keynote speaker.

Join us to hear her insightful tales and lessons on episode 344 of The Speaker Lab.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • Did she embrace speaking opportunities right out of the gate?
  • What made her not use slides during speeches?
  • How does she balance being a CEO and a speaker for her brand?
  • Why you can't buy your way into a new category.
  • Do you need to tell the story of your speaking brand?
  • Does she still have fears and doubts today?
  • How do you choose which opportunities to say yes to?
  • Where should you start if you are beginning as a speaker?
  • And so much more!
EPISODE RESOURCES
May 25, 2021

The speaking industry's future is our topic today with speaking world veteran Blair Nichols.

Blair has worked with everyone from the Harper Collins' speakers bureau to Keith Ferrazzi to Advance Your Reach, where he currently works today.

On this episode of The Speaker Lab, we'll talk about the shifts he sees coming up in the speaking industry's future and how to keep a healthy mindset while building your speaking career.

You'll definitely want to tune in for that and much more on the 343rd edition of The Speaker Lab.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • How can you get the attention of a bureau?
  • Should you be open to all speaking opportunities (even free ones)?
  • How to approach a decision-maker to land a gig.
  • Has the pandemic changed anything about the best way to book gigs?
  • What is the time frame now for booking digital events?
  • Will there be more events in the virtual world going forward?
  • What's the rule of thumb regarding your virtual fee versus your in-person fee?
  • Is the bureau model going to be disrupted?
  • And so much more!

 

EPISODE RESOURCES
May 18, 2021

With parts of the world opening up again, what is the future of virtual events? Our guest today has some insights and she's sharing them.

Christy Burch is an event planner who joins us to talk all things virtual events. On this edition of The Speaker Lab, she's giving us the full details on the future of online events including the most common mistakes people make and how to avoid them.

You'll hear those topics and more on today's episode of The Speaker Lab.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • When should you not host a virtual event?
  • Does the size of your list determine your success?
  • Do you need a polished offer before hosting a big virtual event?
  • What's the best way to promote your virtual event so people actually attend?
  • When you have a small list what should you focus on?
  • How much should you charge for an online event?
  • Why you want to delay giving your audience access to recordings.
  • Is real-life swag a worthwhile investment for a virtual event?
  • And so much more!
EPISODE RESOURCES
May 11, 2021

Today you'll go behind the scenes of The Speaker Lab with the man who has been here from the start: Bryan Harris.

Listen in to hear Bryan ask me questions and vice versa; we talk about a few of our favorite books, the importance of coaching at any level and the main differences between those who flourish and those who don't.

We'll dig into all of that and more on episode 341 of The Speaker Lab.

 

THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW:

  • What's the best way to teach and train people?
  • Why the "ah ha" moment is crucial to your success.
  • Why to start with the end of a story.
  • What's the #1 reason businesses shut down?
  • Is it ok to borrow other people's platforms to share your content?
  • How to keep showing up even when things get difficult.
  • The lesson we can all learn from Kobe Bryant.
  • What's one of the biggest cheat codes in business and in life?
  • And so much more!
 
EPISODE RESOURCES
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