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Author:
Bette Daoust, Ph.D.

How do you find groups that are in need of speakers
(at no charge)?

Finding groups that use speakers is not difficult. I find that most organized service groups use speakers for their regular meetings. I am a member of Rotary and have been for nearly fifteen years. In that period of time, the clubs use a speaker almost every week of the year. There are thousands of Rotary clubs all over the world. The most important thing to remember, especially for Rotary, is that the topic must be of interest to the members and that you cannot sell your services to the group. Many a good speakers have not been recommended to other clubs as they tried to sell attendance to their speeches or training sessions.

I find that other groups such as Lions, Kiwanis, churches, PTAs, etc., all want to hear good talks and they do not want to be sold a bill of goods. You need to remember that your goal is to get your name known, not to sell. If one group likes your speech, they may give you referrals to other groups that would like to hear what you have to say. Another great place to offer a talk is at the Chamber of Commerce. Almost every town in North America has a Chamber. You will need to find out the protocols for putting on a talk, but most are open to new ideas and fresh topics. More often than not, you will find out about groups through your own networking efforts.

Even though some groups are easy to get on the speakers list, others will make it more difficult. They will want to know more about who you are, why you want to talk to the group and how the topic fits for their members.

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. has been networking with others since leaving high school years ago. Realizing that no one really cared about what she did in life unless she had someone to tell and excite. She decided to find the best ways to get people’s attention, be creative in how she presented herself and products, getting people to know who she was, and being visible all the time. Her friends and colleagues have often dubbed her the “Networking Queen”. Blueprint for Networking Success: 150 ways to promote yourself is the first in this series. Blueprint for Branding Yourself: Another 150 ways to promote yourself is planned for release in 2005. For more information visit http://www.BlueprintBooks.com

| Article Keywords: Professional Speaker

A Quick Note From The Publisher... If you like the article above, you may be interested in the following article which is also related to Professional Speaker... So, You Want To Be A Professional Speaker? I had my first paid public speaking engagement in 1985 and it has been a love-hate relationship every since…I love to speak but have always hated dealing with the details surrounding booking new engagements. Even though getting new speaking engagements has not been an issue for sometime now (everyone do me a favor and find some wood to knock-on), I know that it remains an issue for many up-and-coming speakers. So in today’s post I’ll share my thoughts on what works and what doesn’t with regard to finding someone who wants to listen to what you have to say. The first thing to keep in mind is that you have to have something to say. I’m an experienced subject matter expert first, and a speaker second. Speaking is something that I enjoy…it gives me a break from my other business activities and gives me the opportunity to share my passion with people that can benefit from my experience. Take time to build your subject matter expertise and then build a great presentation around said subject matter. Work tirelessly on refining your presentation and then customize your presentation for each audience. I NEVER give a canned presentation. I take the time to understand my audience, how they can best benefit from my experiences and then I tailor the presentation accordingly. In fact, at most presentations I spend a few minutes up front asking the audience what they hope to take away from my presentation and I make sure and deliver…Quality, customized and personalized presentations will cause you to be invited back. I’ve never used a speaker’s agent and while I’m sure that there are quality agents out there who produce results, I truly don’t believe they are necessary to be a success in public speaking. I do belong to a few different speakers bureaus and find that they will...