We usually start planning a talk by jumping in with clear objectives for what you want people to know and do after your talk. To take your speaking to the "next level", we need to ask two more questions that serve to transform your speaking into something that compels people to take action.
When you're planning and creating a talk, there's a critical step that many people skip or miss because it is so simple, it seems almost like it isn't worthwhile. But these starting points are what lead to success and leave your audience wanting more because you deliver **value**, and there are clear takeaways from your talk.
The secret to paid speaking is mastering the concept of Value. If you want to be paid to speak, you need to have something valuable in your presentations. You need to help people save time, money, pain or just plain feel better about themselves. Here's a list of some of the things that you can focus on to create that value.
Part of getting paid speaking gigs is about determining what you're best at doing and how you can share that with your audience. The formula that works for me is pretty simple and 4 key components that lead to repeatedly getting paid to speak at conferences around the world.
I know you want to get paid speaking gigs. You need to find speaking gigs first—paid or not. Once you've found conferences, workshops, and events, you can start to zero in on the ones you want to speak at and the ones that will pay you. Here's a big step in the process: finding a decent number of gigs in the first place. How? Read and learn...
In a mentoring relationship, it's too easy for someone to say "Can you give me feedback?" If you want to make it really worthwhile, work with a mentor on very specific areas of concern. Ask them the right questions, and encourage them to give you the detail you need to take action.