The 3 Es Of Professional Speaking

Posted by: Joshua on

I just got back from delivering a knockout event at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. It’s always my favorite booking of the year. The energy in the room feels like they’re gonna set the place on fire! They pay me very well for an hour of fun that always ends with an element of inspiration, and they rebook me every year.

What does this have to do with the speaking business?
Everything, because those are the 3 Es of professional speaking.

• Entertain
• Educate
• Earn

Yes, you’ve got to ENTERTAIN your audiences. We live in a short attention span society. You know that old story about how you can drone on in a boring monotone and your audience will hang on every word if you’re reading a list of who’s getting an organ transplant to the people who need them? Well guess what, life doesn’t hang in the balance when you speak. Nor does it when I speak or perform.

We’ve got to entertain and engage our audiences if we want them t pay attention to what we have to say. You can have the most important message in the world but if nobody’s paying attention to you when you deliver it than what good is it gonna do anybody.

Speaker’s could learn a thing or two from entertainers about how to get people excited about your appearance, about how to open up and own the room once you get there, and how to leave them wanting more so they’ll bring you back again and again.

Entertainers could also learn a thing or two from speakers about how to weave a message into their presentations. If you don’t EDUCATE them when you’re on the stage or platform then all you’ve accomplished is a little “ha ha show” and your fee will remain commensurate with the value you’ve delivered.

That’s why I always end my entertainment programs with an uplifting message about human potential and apply it to that particular group. It takes all those good feelings I’ve generated and adds value to them.

“You can accomplish anything you put your mind to” is always my closing message in any of my entertainment programs and it’s what the audience walks away with once the laughter dies down. What message do you leave your audience with once everything is all said and done? If you don’t know then you need to clarify what you stand for.

And finally you need to EARN from every appearance. Speaking is a Business just like Show and Business are two equally important components of the same profession. Even if you’re speaking for free (like on cruise ships) you’ve got to find a way to make your fee (like from product sales and coaching). Otherwise you’ll soon be out of business and all those future audiences out there will miss the magic of you.

It’s actually pretty easy to create a six figure speaking business once you know how to deliver those three Es, but you’ve got to do it every single time you’re up in front of an audience or you’ll fail. Simple as that. Boring speakers don’t get rebooked. Fees eventually reflect the value delivered. And your earning power needs to come from more than just your mouth.

The more you can Entertain, Educate, and Earn from every audience the more successful you will be. Check out the Six Figure Speaking Club to find out how.