That First Speaking Engagement

NOTE: Read to the bottom for an important announcement about summer email courses!

What do you do when you want to start speaking, but no one seems to be asking you? How can you get that first speaking engagement?

That’s a tricky one, but I think there are certain steps that one has to take that make it easier.

1. Figure out what your story is. The mistake many new speakers make is that they want to seem like an expert, and so they try to throw too much teaching and too many “facts” or Bible verses into their talk. It is so much better just to learn how to tell your story well. People relate to you on a personal level, and so it’s important to share who you are and what God has done for you. More on that here.

2. Once you’ve figured out your story, it’s easier to figure out what the main message God has for you to deliver. My main message, for instance, is different from the message of other speakers I know. Joanne Goodwin talks about seeing God in the midst of depression. Shannon Ethridge talks about seeing God as our husband. I talk about getting rid of the guilt society lays on us and just learning how to be real before Him. They’re all valid; and they all end up at the same place. But we come to that point differently because of the nature of our stories.

And it’s okay to have a different theme than other speakers. In fact, you should! As long as everything leads to the cross, you’re on the right track. But what is your unique angle? If you choose something that doesn’t fit with your story, you’re always going to be struggling with the structure of your talk. But if you choose something that flows smoothly, then you’ll be much more at ease, you’ll make more sense, and people will be able to relate to you and follow you better.

3. Once you have your story and your main message chosen, start to look at small venues that need speakers. Think about who your natural niche is. I write for moms, and so my natural niche is moms and tots groups. Now that I am more established I speak for a whole variety of groups, but when you’re starting out, head to your natural niche. It’s easier to get an engagement, and easier to craft an appropriate talk.

A senior should not aim at moms & tots, even if you have wise words to say. A young woman should not aim at a seniors’ group. A single shouldn’t aim at couples. You get the picture, I’m sure.

4. Contact some people you know in that group and ask if they may be interested in you sharing your story. When does your niche meet? Do they have regular Bible studies? Christmas outreaches? Sunday School classes? Could they meet in libraries or at the gym?

The launch of a new ministry year or a new term is often a great time to do this. Try for your own church, or for a church where many of your friends go so that you already have a natural connection.

Be prepared to do it for free, too. One day you’ll be able to charge, but the important thing at the start is to just get an engagement so you can get practice.

5. Record yourself. Buy a digital voice recorder so that you can record your talk. You never know when you might say something interesting! Even if you don’t like how you sounded for the whole talk, there may be a portion that you can pull out and use as a demo to give to other groups that might be interested in booking you.

One of the first things I did was ask ten of my friends to come to a room and listen to me give a 45 minute talk just so that I could get a recording. We had a lot of fun, they did me a big favour, and it all worked out well.

6. Collect email addresses and contact information of those who are there so you can follow up. If you can remain in touch with people, it is more likely that they will think of you when their group needs another speaker.

The best way to build a speaking career is through word of mouth, and to do that you need to get out there and speak. So prepare your story, tie it in to your natural message, and then find groups that relate to that message. And pray that when you’re prepared, the opportunities will come!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: This summer, I’ll be launching two teleseminars and ecourses: How to Launch Your Speaking Career, and How to Network with Social Media (which will include how to sell your speaking products online). Sign up to hear more about it right here!

What to Put on Your Book Table

…now the answer to the above question seems obvious, doesn’t it? BOOKS!

Ah, but what if you don’t have any books? Or what if you have only one? Then what do you do?

I have four books out, plus two compilation books. But I have a TON of stuff on my book table. Why? Because you do not have to just sell books! And if you don’t have books, never fear! You can find stuff to sell, too.

What we need to realize is that the book table is not actually about selling books. It’s about selling information. And information can come in a variety of forms.

The first way you’re transmitting information is by speaking, of course, which is why you’re there in the first place. So we know you can speak. You may feel like you can’t write, but if you can speak, you can communicate. Thus, there are a variety of ways that you can still create items to sell.

Here are some ideas:

1. Sell CDs of your talks. Just record them, edit them (it’s not as hard as it sounds), and then burn them. To record them, you can purchase a digital voice recorder which you can then plug into your computer to edit the sound file. Here’s the Digital Voice RecorderI use.

Once you have a bunch of talks, you can even package together ones on the same theme. For instance, I sell three CD pack for marriage, one for moms, and one for any woman, regardless of kids/marital status. Then I had someone create a nice CD sleeve for them, that looks like this:

2. DVDs of your talks and conferences. This one is a little more pricey because you usually will have to pay to have a professional quality video made. However, sometimes you’ll be speaking in a church which already has the video camera set up to record things. Ask ahead of time, and see if you can have someone record you in exchange for a reduction in the fee. Videos come in handy for other uses, too, like putting snippets on YouTube or using as a promotional DVD, so it’s good to record whenever you have the chance!

3. Bible Study materials. If you’re speaking from a particular passage, can you take what you’ve done and turn it into a 6-week Bible study course? You just need to come up with some good questions, ice breaker ideas, and different passages to study each week. Buy those binders that allow you to put a sheet of paper in the front, and now you have a Bible study. You can sell it for $25, and then give people the rights to photocopy it for their groups. It may not seem like much, but groups are always looking for studies that don’t require homework (and sometimes NOT having a book that goes along with the study is actually a bonus!).

4. Gift Baskets. Did you talk about grief? Did you talk about friendship? Did you talk about encouragement? Why not create a gift basket that goes along with what your topic? Add a few pretty printed cards with some of your key Scriptures or sayings, and then put cute things that go along with it, like a mug, flower seeds, bath products, chocolates, or whatever. People can take it home to give to a friend to encourage them. Try to keep it inexpensive and simple.

5. Mugs. If you have a pithy saying that you use a lot in your talk, consider getting a mug made up. Many malls and printers have places where you can order customized mugs, and see how much it would cost for a quantity of 100 or 200 to start.

6. Charts/Checklists/Calendars. Do you talk about getting organized? Do you talk about making time for God? Do you talk about prioritizing family, or finding time for relationships? You can create several charts or workbooks that help people implement what you’ve said. Again, they don’t have to be expensive, but you can stick them in an inexpensive binder with an attractive cover, or sell them in a duotang with an attractive sticker with personalized graphics on the front.

In all of these items, the trick is to come up with inexpensive graphics that make your products look professional! Ask around to see if there are any amateur graphic designers in your church, or any IT people who are willing to do some work on the side for some extra money. Or, if you’re on Twitter, send out a request for moms who want to make money on the side. The internet is filled with really talented moms who want to work from home, so you’re sure to be able to find somebody!

These are just some ideas that don’t have to do with books. Do you have others? Leave them in the comments! Or if you don’t have a clue what to sell, leave your topics in the comments and maybe we can come up with some ideas for you!

I’ll be launching a FREE email course soon on how to launch your speaking ministry, followed by one on how to create products. If you’re interested in being informed of these, let me know here!