Next Generation Speakers Magazine - October 2021

4. Do Sell Yourself This is a two-part section because it involves both selling yourself to event organizers and to the audience.

When selling yourself to event organizers, come in with a strong game plan. Know exactly what you want to talk about and why you’re an expert, how much you expect to be paid for the engagement, and how you can help the organizer gain more exposure through your own network. Event organizers may come back to you and say they can’t/don’t pay speakers. This is a whole other conversation we plan on covering because it’s becoming a major issue. However, knowing your value and expectations will set the table for a better conversation up front.

Selling yourself to an audience is totally different. Before the event, try engaging with other attendees on the event app or on LinkedIn. It will drum up the people attending your talk and possible connections. You also want to make sure you’re super personable during the entire event, not just on stage. Selling yourself is about providing value, listening, and engaging. Knowing when and where to do this is key to your success in speaking at events and conferences.

5. Know Your Worth In doing the research for this article, I came across way too many articles citing event organizers not paying speakers fairly. There are, of course, going to be discrepancies between veteran event speakers like a Cindy Gallop and someone just starting out. But, there are also huge differences between what men get paid and what women or people of color get paid. Some articles even cited that the same event paid male and female counterparts dramatically different sums.

Knowing your worth when you submit a proposal or are asked to speak at an event are crucial. You can avoid the awkwardness by being very upfront about your needs and expectations.

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