So You Want to Be “A Speaker”? Here’s Recent Industry Info

  After I speak or train, I am often asked how I "got to be a speaker" or "what does it take to be a speaker". I cannot answer that in a few paragraphs other than to say, it takes a lot of work, persistence, having expertise, and practice.

One of the practices anyone in any industry will do well to embrace is to learn about, and keep updated with, their industry. The "speaking industry" includes meetings and conventions, event planning, HR, and other industries. To that effect, I subscribe to several publications and online forums that relate to the meetings and hospitality industries. One of them – Meetings and Conventions Magazine – ran a poll recently asking meeting planners how they find and use speakers for their events.

This article provides the results. So, if you are interested in "being a speaker" or are already speaking to audiences for a fee (or for free), take a look at the responses and make your decisions about where you will focus your efforts accordingly.