PRESCRIPTION FOR EXCELLENCE With Dr. James J. Williams
4 Ways to Survive a Crisis as a Public Speaker The COVID-19 pandemic has not only been difficult from a health perspective. It’s also been really challenging financially for those whose careers largely depend on in-person interactions, like public speakers. In my own case, my adjunct opportunity has been placed on hold until 2021 due to low enrollment. Likewise, I lost many great speaking gigs, including an opportunity to speak at various organizations. But that doesn’t mean I have to just wait around, with no supplemental income, until conferences and other events can resume. Public speakers like myself can survive this crisis by focusing on digital opportunities in the short term and looking long term toward future in-person opportunities. Specifically, you can take these four steps: 1. Book events for late 2020 or 2021 While many conferences have been canceled over the next few months, plenty of events are still scheduled for later this year or in 2021. Be proactive and hit up every conference organizer you think could be a potential fit, even if that means going outside your main industries. Many public speakers have valuable lessons to share with essentially any business, so even if you normally only speak at marketing conferences, you might find opportunities to speak about marketing at a finance conference, for example. If you do book gigs, try to get an upfront deposit so you have some cushion over the next several months. While it’s possible some of these future conferences will need to be canceled too, you could try securing a non-refundable deposit by working out an agreement with the conference organizer to speak at a digital event or providing a digital presentation that the organizer can share with would-be attendees if the conference doesn’t take place. Better yet, if the events can take place in-person, then you’ll be in a good position by putting in the work now to secure these spots. 2. Speak at virtual events In addition to securing future events, reach out to organizers of virtual events that are taking place in the coming months to book as many spots as you can. In many cases, you can still find events that will pay for speakers online, as money that would have been spent on in-person conferences could still be available for digital events. Likewise, you can offer your own private events online, as would-be conference attendees may have some budget to spend on online learning now. Keep in mind that you may need to adapt your style a bit. My in-person energy and mix of entertainment with education don’t necessarily translate the same way online, so I have to be flexible to meet the mood of the online event.
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