How to Be a 10x Better Speaker with 20 Benefits

Last week, one conference attendee told me my presentation at Agile Tour Toulouse was perfect.

It was very kind, but I didn’t believe her.

In five years, I have spoken at almost 100 conferences and joined a similar number of community and company events. Thanks to the many discussions I had with event organizers, I think I now understand how to be a more valuable speaker.

No speaker is perfect. To prove this, I commit to be a 10x better speaker. Half of this commitment concerns the performance of my talks. I will write about that another time. This blog post is about everything I do before and after my performance.

Note: In 2015, I can offer more than I did at earlier conferences because I have always focused on workshops and book writing. From now on, I will focus more on my role as a public speaker at events.

When you invite me to speak at your conference, community event, or company event in 2015, this is what I intend to offer you:

1) I will help you promote your event

I have a popular blog with many readers, a weekly newsletter with 8,000 subscribers, and many followers on social networks. When you invite me, I will gladly promote your event for free on all of these.

2) I will record a 30-second promo video

If you want, I can record a small video that will entice people to register for your event. You can edit it and publish the result on your website and social channels, and I will happily assist with the promotion.

3) I am available for a pre-conference interview

You might be interested in organizing a video interview, a podcast, or a written interview. When the effort is less than 30 minutes, I will make sure to be available, and you can use the result in any way you see fit.

4) I can promote your discounted tickets

When you have a discount code for me, I will be happy to share the discount with the readers of my blog, my mailing list, and my social network streams.

5) I offer a 50% speaking discount for your sponsors

When you offer me as a speaker to your sponsors for an in-company session, at half the regular fee, you get them to share in my travel and accommodation expenses. This will lower the total fee that I charge to you.

6) I try to find additional sponsors for you

I can ask some companies that I know to be a sponsor of your event. In return, I will do an in-company performance at a 50% discount before or after your event. I cannot promise any results, but it’s worth trying. 🙂

7) I will bring some free copies of my books

I usually give away several free copies of my book, sometimes during a Q&A session, sometimes to random participants who are watching the Twitter stream. No matter how I do this, I like to keep it unpredictable. 🙂

8) I can offer you heavily discounted books

If you want copies of my latest book for your volunteers, or to give away as prizes, I can give you a great discount. You can even make money by reselling the books at the regular price. And I will be happy to sign them all!

9) I can offer you heavily discounted kudo cards

At some events, participants are motivated to write kudo cards for speakers, organizers, or fellow attendees. For a moderate shipping fee, I can send you a box of colorful kudo cards that can help your attendees be happy.

10) I usually allow video recordings

For any talk that is not a first-time presentation, I allow you to capture me on video and make it available on your website and social channels. And yes, I will share it with my readers too!

11) I offer you a custom version of my slide deck

Most of my performance is usually standard and well-rehearsed. However, I like making small modifications. After my talk, I will give you the custom slide deck with your logo on the title page.

12) I aim to be an active participant at your event

Depending on the available time and my commitments to other events, I do my best to attend some other sessions, and to share my experiences on the social networks.

13) I will offer a summary of my hallway conversations

I like having conversations with participants in the hallways, asking them why they attended and what they have learned. If relevant, I will share with you the most interesting things I picked up.

14) I am available for dinner with speakers or organizers

Before or after your event, I will do my best to be available for one dinner with organizers, speakers, or participants. However, this may depend on my available time and travel schedule.

15) I will publish your feedback on my website

When you share with me the evaluation or average ratings of my performance by your attendees, I gladly share these results on my website, with a permanent link to your event.

16) I will offer you my feedback after the event

As an experienced speaker, conference attendee and event organizer myself, I will be happy to share with you afterwards any feedback that could make your next event even better!

17) I offer fair, consistent, region-dependent pricing

My fees depend on the expected duration of my performance and on the average price level per country. Here is a table with my standard fees:

18) I offer to speak for free in exchange for book reviews

In an earlier blog post, I offered to speak for free at events when organizers help me get more Amazon reviews for my new book. I will put your event on a backlog with other requests for free appearances.

19) I can offer you other inspiring speakers

When you invite me to your event, I can offer you one or two additional speakers with complementary presentations. I know some interesting speakers who will lower their fee when they join me.

20) I am fair, honest, open, and transparent

In everything I do, I have never harmed an event organizer. (Well, not that I’m aware of!) You can expect me to practice what I preach, lead by example, and be valuable to you to the best of my abilities.

image: (c) 2008 Demi-Brooke, Creative Commons 2.0