We are back with the history of The Speaker Lab part II! If you missed part one you can hear it here . On episode 238, I am again interviewed by a former Booked and Paid to Speak alum and current coach in the program, Eric Rheam. Today we talk about how this show has evolved over time, where we are going in the next few years and my advice for anyone starting their speaking journey. Join us to hear that and more! THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: When did I know it was time to retire my first podc...
May 21, 2019•37 min•Ep. 238
Episode 237 of The Speaker Lab is a unique show: we are diving into the history of The Speaker Lab! And we are doing it by flipping the tables: I am going to be interviewed by Eric Rheam. You may recognize him from previous shows, he's a former alum of Booked and Paid to Speak and a current coach with the program. This is the first of a two-part series in which we detail how I got into speaking, what my early years were like as a speaker, and then how and why I created The Speaker Lab. Join us f...
May 14, 2019•41 min•Ep. 237
On this episode of The Speaker Lab I have a fireside chat with Jane Atkinson, founder and creator of The Speaker Launcher. The journey to creating this business began with a desire to work for an inspirational speaker. The seed was firmly planted when she saw a Les Brown TV special not long after, and it soon sprouted her first marketing gig. Hear how that gig led her to later work with Peter Legge and Vince Vicente, before she ultimately formed The Speaker Launcher. You'll hear her stories and ...
May 07, 2019•48 min•Ep. 236
We are back with another YouTube speech breakdown; this time we are giving you the ins and outs of what works and what doesn't from the venerable Mel Robbins. On today's The Speaker Lab, we are breaking down Mel's very popular Ted Talk called How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over . Mel is a well-known keynote speaker and presenter so you will learn a lot from her speech. Be sure to hear it all by tuning in to episode 235 of The Speaker Lab. THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SHOW: What pieces of your speech...
Apr 30, 2019•28 min•Ep. 235
Has a company ever asked to license your material? Whether or not you've ever been approached, it's important to understand the topic of intellectual property for speakers. Here to tell us about IP for speakers is Pamela Slim. Pamela is a successful coach, author, speaker and all-around amazing woman. On this episode of The Speaker Lab, Pam explains when and how to license your material, how to protect your IP (intellectual property), as well as how to market it, price it, and leverage it to you...
Apr 23, 2019•42 min•Ep. 234
We're doing something different this week on The Speaker Lab: coming straight from our YouTube channel is our play by play breakdown of speeches and popular Ted Talks. We'll talk about what works, what doesn't work and some ideas on areas to improve. Today our speech breakdown is of 2018 Toastmasters Champion Ramona J. Smith. Personally, I have mixed feelings about Toastmasters which I will share on today's episode. So tune in to hear my thoughts on Toastmasters and our speech breakdown of Toast...
Apr 16, 2019•13 min•Ep. 233
Are you overlooking some simple ways to book more gigs? You'll find out when you listen to today's show! Kris Reece is a professional faith-based speaker who also coaches and writes books for women about reaching their fullest God-given potential. On this episode we talk about some issues she is facing in her speaking business. Specifically, we help Kris find new gigs, leverage connections from previous gigs and evaluate whether it makes sense to pay to speak. Join us to hear insights on those t...
Apr 09, 2019•37 min•Ep. 232
Follow up is what separates part-time speakers from full-time professionals. But how do you follow through on your follow up in the most effective way? That's what we are talking about today on The Speaker Lab with Jim Kukral. Jim is an online marketer and serial entrepreneur who wants to grow the speaking aspect of his business. This episode is a one on one coaching call with Jim about what he's been doing for follow up and what he can start doing right now to improve that aspect of his busines...
Apr 02, 2019•44 min•Ep. 231
Ever feel like your topic should be heard by everyone? If you said yes today's show is perfect for you. Our guest is facing the same dilemma many speakers have faced: how to narrow your speaking audience. To address this common challenge on today's The Speaker we are joined by Rocco Cozza. Rocco is a successful businessman who wants to do more speaking and today we're going to help him accomplish that goal by narrowing his audience. Join us to hear exactly how to do this and so much more on this...
Mar 26, 2019•38 min•Ep. 230
Hugh is one of our rare 3-peat guests and he's back to tell us how to use blogging to book speaking gigs. On today's edition of The Speaker Lab, Hugh specifically explains why you should blog to grow your speaking business including how often you should blog, what you should blog about, how long your blog posts should be, and where you should promote your blog. In addition to being a keynote speaker and best-selling author, Hugh runs a business called BlogWorks. BlogWorks is a company devoted to...
Mar 19, 2019•34 min•Ep. 229
Do you know how to network and get more keynote speeches as a result? Our guest is here to find out, and you'll hear too when you listen to today's episode of The Speaker Lab. Lea Pica is part of our elite coaching program and she is looking for ways to turn her existing speaking opportunities into additional paid keynote engagements. Lea is a data storytelling evangelist who teaches digital analysts and internet marketers how to look at the data from their programs, tie it to the success of the...
Mar 12, 2019•37 min•Ep. 228
Is getting paid to speak on creativity really a viable option? Is that a topic to build your business around? Here to explore those questions is one of our Elite coaching students, Beth Inglish. Beth is an artist who speaks to other artists and leaders in the community to help them rediscover their creativity. Of late, she's been speaking to leaders in corporate America about how to be more creative and how to lead with a creative mindset. On today’s The Speaker Lab, we talk about what changed f...
Mar 05, 2019•33 min•Ep. 227
Everyone loves an underdog, right? If you're just starting out as a speaker you definitely fall in the underdog category. So why not take full advantage and create your own underdog Rocky story? Clint Pulver did and success has followed suit. Today he's going to tell us how he tapped into the power of his own Rocky story to make powerful relationships with speakers he admires and respects, and how he created his own board of directors as a result. On this episode of The Speaker Lab, he'll also t...
Feb 26, 2019•36 min•Ep. 226
Do you track any of your speaking metrics? Our guest today, Erick Rheam, says there are 5 key metrics to growing your speaking business. Erick has been on the show before so you can revisit his story on episode 126 and episode 150 . I brought him on to today's episode of The Speaker Lab to talk about the exponential growth he has had using certain key metrics. Specifically there are 5 key metrics he focuses on, and those metrics have taken his business from $15,000 to nearly $200k in under 4 yea...
Feb 19, 2019•36 min•Ep. 225
Todd Henry is a successful speaker, consultant and best-selling author who is here to give us speaking tips from the accidental creative point of view. Todd has written four books, including The Accidental Creative , Die Empty , Louder than Words and his latest work called Herding Tigers . Herding Tigers is about how leaders can create environments in which creative teams can thrive. On today's The Speaker Lab, we talk about his evolution, why you need to have a great speaker video and the impor...
Feb 12, 2019•37 min•Ep. 224
Does the idea of cold calling strike fear into your heart? It won't after today's edition of The Speaker Lab! Joe is an up and coming speaker who has quickly added a lot of gigs to his calendar by using the four rules of cold calling for speakers. On this episode, Joe tells us what those four rules are as well as how to remove the fear of cold calling and how to make it easy for your prospects to say yes to you. This is another terrific guest you won't want to miss so be sure to join us on episo...
Feb 05, 2019•35 min•Ep. 223
Mike Kim is one very smart man who knows marketing and branding, and he is here to share his 7 step process for creating your speaking brand. This is the same process he has used with his clients, including well-known thought leaders like John Maxwell, Donald Miller and Suzanne Evans. On this episode of The Speaker Lab, he walks us through those 7 steps and what they entail. We also talk about why positioning determines so much of everything else you do in your business, how to price yourself as...
Jan 29, 2019•38 min•Ep. 222
Some people do it all and our guest today is one of those people! Alli Worthington joins The Speaker Lab to tell us all how to write, speak and host conferences. Alli is a speaker, author, business coach and conference host who fell into speaking the same time she hosted her first event, an interesting story she shares with us today. We also talk about how having a book has impacted her speaking career, what you should do if you want to speak to female entrepreneurs, and how she chooses which sp...
Jan 22, 2019•36 min•Ep. 221
If you are just starting out your main concern might about how to get started as a speaker. Our guest on this episode of The Speaker Lab is here to tell us how he did it. Today Jason Hewlett is a professional speaker and entertainer, but like many people he had no idea where to start. He had the dream and the desire, but he needed a plan. On today's episode we talk about how he got a plan in place and took action. We also discuss how he went from performance-based speaking with impressions and i...
Jan 15, 2019•41 min•Ep. 220
Justin is a unique guest who is unlike any other guest we've had before on this show: he's here to explain what magic can teach us about speaking. As a magician, Justin is an amazing entertainer who speaks and performs from stage. On episode 219, Justin tell us when he knew he wanted to pursue a career in magic, how he strategized which markets to focus on and what his business look like today. We dig into those topics and more so join us on today's edition of The Speaker Lab! THE FINER DETAILS ...
Jan 08, 2019•38 min•Ep. 219
As we kick off the new year resolutions are in the air! Is writing a book one of yours? If writing a book is your way of running down a dream then there's no one better to help you on your path than our guest today, Tiim Grahl. Tim is a book marketing expert who has been in the industry for 10+ years. He has worked with everyone from Dan Pink to Barbara Corcoran of Shark Tank, and many other names you'd recognize. Today on episode 218 of The Speaker Lab, he tells us what it takes to make a book ...
Jan 01, 2019•42 min•Ep. 218
Is there something unique about you, perhaps something you haven't fully shared with the world? Our guest joins us to share how being different is awesome and how what makes him different has opened doors in his speaking career. Ryan Haack is a student in our Booked and Paid to Speak training program, and has had success speaking to elementary schools. Specifically, he talks to elementary school assemblies about a physical difference he has had since birth and why being different is positive. Al...
Dec 25, 2018•34 min•Ep. 217
What is a speaker showcase and how do you master the art of showcasing to colleges? Justin Laipply will explain on this episode of The Speaker Lab. Justin has been on the show before on episode 107 . On that show, we dig into his background in the college/education space as well as his current market: the corporate world. But today on The Speaker Lab, we talk about what showcases are exactly, who is in the audience and how to leverage these appearances into paying gigs and long-term relationship...
Dec 18, 2018•48 min•Ep. 216
People who excel at speaking and any other profession have one thing in common: they invest in themselves. A great example of this is our guest for today's show, Kate Garnes. Kate is a member of our elite coaching program and her results reflect why investing in yourself matters so much. On this episode, we will talk about the moment she knew she wanted to be a motivational speaker, why she signed up for the elite coaching program, and how she went from zero gigs a year ago to having 13 upcoming...
Dec 11, 2018•36 min•Ep. 215
Have you ever thought of YouTube as more than a place to host your videos? What if you could find out how to use YouTube to grow your speaking business? The man to tell us how is none other than my friend Thomas Frank. Thomas went through our Booked and Paid to Speak trainings a few years ago. I met him when he was in college; I spoke at his school. We stayed in touch and he's become extremely successful, especially with his YouTube channel. On today's show, we talk about his origins, how you ca...
Dec 04, 2018•37 min•Ep. 214
At a certain point, most of us think about how to ensure we are living a life of significance. One person who has definitely done this is our guest today, Pete Smith. Pete has devoted his career to this very topic and he's here to share with us how he's successfully done so as a keynote speaker. Today he has between 40 and 50 engagements a year, most of which are opening or closing keynotes on the topic of bringing significance into our lives. But how he choose that topic and how he's grown his ...
Nov 27, 2018•38 min•Ep. 213
One of the fundamental keys to succeeding as a speaker is providing an exceptional customer experience for your client. This includes all aspects of your client's event: before, during and even after. A man who knows this truth like the back of his own hand is Joey Coleman. You may remember Joey from epsiode 197 of the show, and you may remember we finished that show with a tease to bring him back. Well he's back and in full force for part II! Today Joey walks us through an 8 step process of wha...
Nov 20, 2018•44 min•Ep. 212
Can you change your audience once you’ve started speaking? You can, and here to share how to pivot in your speaking career is Kendra Dahlstrom. On today’s episode of The Speaker Lab, Kendra shares how and why she changed her speaking niche, how she gained traction early on in her speaking career, and what it was like to make the jump from alast full-time job to a full-time speaking career. Join us for all of that and so much more on today's 211th edition of The Speaker Lab! THE FINER DETAILS OF ...
Nov 13, 2018•33 min•Ep. 211
Do you need a speaking management company? What's the difference between a speaking management company and a speakers bureau? Here to answer those questions and more is Karen Harris of CMI Speaker Management, a management agency for speakers. Karen's agency is designed to represent the speaker's interests and take care of their needs, while also growing their business. On this episode of The Speaker Lab, we talk about the differences between speaker agents and bureaus before discussing what clie...
Nov 06, 2018•35 min•Ep. 210
Have you ever considered how to develop your voice through speaking and writing? Whether you are a speaker who wants to write or a writer who has a book to promote writing and speaking go hand in hand. Here to tell us more about this is Ann Handley. Ann is the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs, she's also a best-selling author and a speaker. Today on The Speaker Lab she and Melanie are talking about writing and speaking are intertwined, how to find and refine your unique voice and the impo...
Oct 30, 2018•30 min•Ep. 209
