WHAT CORONAVIRUS MEANS FOR PUBLIC SPEAKING CAREERS IN 2020 AND BEYOND

Large, in-person events are canceled for the foreseeable future. States have already tried opening up, and the data has shown a drastic increase in case counts. Some experts are predicting event restrictions will run through 2022. 

What are public speakers going to do?

Most speakers are moving online. However, that’s easier said than done. The tools at your disposal are different and the same strategies for speaking to a room of 3,000 people won’t work for a webinar.  

Live Your Truth Media has been guiding our public speaking clients through the coronavirus shutdowns, and we wanted to share our top four tips that you can use to pivot and thrive during the coronavirus’s new normal.

Stay True to Your Core Strength

Don’t panic. Coronavirus has not made public speakers like you obsolete. People still need to hear your motivational and informative talks. People will still pay to hear your motivational and informative talks.

You don’t need to abandon public speaking. Don’t become an author if you’re not an author. Don’t go into coaching if you’re not a coach. Of course, many public speakers are multi-talented and pair their speaking gigs with some other forms of revenue stream, but do what feels natural.

Don’t force yourself into a new specialty because you’ve been told the sky is falling and public speaking is dead. Stay true to your dream. Play to your strengths and leverage the speaking skills you’ve developed over your career.

Enhance Your Audience’s Online Experience

There’s nothing quite like sitting in an auditorium with the lights down waiting for your favorite speaker. A live performance delivers a spark of spontaneity that you just don’t get on a pre-recorded video. In sales terms, this experience is one of your product differentiators. It’s a compelling reason for someone to drop $100 to see you speak rather than tune in to Youtube for a free recording.

Unfortunately, this differentiator has been hit by the coronavirus. It’s extremely difficult to create the “live event effect” over a webinar. Therefore, you need to get creative when it comes to curating an audience experience, especially online.

We recommend taking advantage of the internet’s native interactivity. Your audience is no longer made up of silent seat-fillers. They are primed to engage, and as more and more events are hosted online, they will begin to expect a certain level of engagement from your talks.

Here are some ideas to boost your online audience experience. 

• Host Q&A sessions

• Conduct polls and surveys

• Send post-event media like videos and PDFs

• Share your screen to include relevant images and slides

• Have audience members participate in face-to-face activities

You might notice that these strategies are similar to what you were doing at live events. Exactly! But too many public speakers forget that the internet isn’t a one-way street. Build your speaking brand by engaging event participants in real-time with digital tools.

Speak Once, Publish Twice

By now you can deliver your speech in your sleep. You have your talk memorized and muscle memory kicks in as soon as you step on stage. You’ve edited and revised so that your words land with efficient impact. Now it’s time to take your performance one step further. 

Record your speeches and webinars for online distribution. Use Vimeo On Demand or EverWebinar to set up automatic streaming and charge viewers to watch your content. You’ll be able to monetize your existing speeches, automate the delivery, and work on new content to further build your brand. 

Don’t underestimate the repurposing and automation power of the internet.

Diversify Revenue

If coronavirus has taught us anything, it’s that all eggs should not sit in one basket. Given the global nature of the world economy, it’s possible that another pandemic will strike in the future. Even in regular times, diversifying revenue helps protect against the financial impact of family crises, unreliable clients, and unexpected injuries.

That’s why Live Your Truth Media recommends creating at least one of these products. Again, stick to your niche and strengths (see tip number one), but repackage your expertise into a product that doesn’t require a live audience.

Diversify revenue by:

• Developing online courses

• Co-presenting with other speakers

• Writing a book

• Running ads on popular Youtube content 

• Blogging for other platforms

• Creating weekly Facebook challenges

• Selling affiliate products through your webinars

Diversifying revenue might require hiring a content marketing firm since you might not have the skills to develop an online course or set up Google AdSense. Think of it as insurance. By investing now, you’ll protect your income from future downturns. And when times are good, you might see an extra zero on your income statement.

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How are you pivoting as a public speaker? Email your tips to Live Your Truth Media here. We want to hear from you.