Episode Details

Getting a yes for a speaking opportunity can feel like the finish line. You pitched yourself, made the case for why you belong in the room, and someone agreed to bring you in. In reality, that yes marks the beginning of your responsibility as a speaker, because what happens between getting booked and taking the stage can determine whether you are invited back.

Speaking is a relationship business long before it’s a stage business. That relationship is still being built as you ask questions, learn what the audience is navigating, and prepare for the experience the organization wants you to create. People can feel the difference between a speaker who prepared for their specific audience and someone who prepared a talk and just happens to be delivering it to them.

In Part Three of So You Want to Be a Speaker? on Branding Room Only, Paula T. Edgar shares how speaking opportunities actually begin, how to pitch yourself with strategy, and how she prepares once she’s booked. She walks through how she builds the spine of a session, rehearses out loud, and handles the practical details that affect the delivery, so that when it’s time to step into the room, she can be present, connected, and in service to the audience.

1:16 – Reality check about how speaking opportunities actually reach you

2:42 – How to decide which stages are worth your time to pitch to

3:22 – How to personalize the pitch to increase your chances of getting booked

5:04 – How to follow up, and why silence after a pitch doesn’t automatically mean “No” 

5:54 – The first thing Paula does to prepare after getting an invite to speak at an event

6:49 – The internal process behind building a talk that has a true through line, and how writing out your speech reveals gaps you can’t see otherwise

7:47 – Why rehearsing out loud matters, and the importance of the first 60 seconds 

8:26 – Overlooked practical details that separate a polished professional from someone just winging it

9:35 – What determines whether an organizer books you again 

10:22 – How Paula prepares on the day of the event, and why preparation can also offer flexibility

11:31 – Your takeaway, and a preview for Part Four of the series

Mentioned In So You Want to Be a Speaker? How to Pitch, Prepare, and Get Invited Back

Part 1 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Getting Clear Before You Get Booked

Part 2 - So You Want to Be a Speaker? Build a Personal Brand That Gets You Booked

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Sponsor for this episode

This episode is brought to you by PGE Consulting Group LLC.

PGE Consulting Group LLC empowers individuals and organizations to lead with purpose, presence, and impact. Specializing i