What are the hottest topics in the speaking world?
This is one of the most common questions I am asked by prospective and experienced speakers alike. There is the constant effort to get ahead of the curve and to market yourself to the right audience under the right "content." When I started in this business in 1991, I remember the hot topic at the time was Total Quality Management based on W. Edward Deming's philosophies. Brilliant as they were, I also remember the next hot topic that came on its heels...how to fix my broken TQM program.
Since that time, I have seen the "hot" topics continue to evolve and change and grow and morph and change again. And the real answer to the question of what's hot now really contains two answers.
The first answer would include some of the subjects we get asked about constantly. Those subject include topics like:
- Innovation - not just in product development, but in organizational structure, deal making, finance, and customer loyalty. The lifecycle of any business model is decreasing and organizations are starting to understand that.
- Branding - with our decreasing attention span (see below), organizations have to get more and more clear with their messaging.
- Anything around "green" business - this is not really about recycling, but how green drives business through cost savings, and marketing effectiveness among others.
- As long as there are people in organizations the two subjects that will always create opportunities are leadership and sales. There is never enough of either.
Did you notice that all of these subjects are more oriented to driving bottom-line results?
Questions to ask yourself:
- How does what you do drive results?
- And how are you talking about it?
- Are you talking about it?
- The desire for these "hot" topics is due to several macro trends, but I'm going to highlight the two I would argue are the most important:
1. The economy - While nobody would compare this "slow down" to what happened after 9/11, there are a couple similarities. One is that when things get tight, organizations begin to cut out or reduce things they don't believe drive revenue to the bottom line. On the flip side, they also look at how to get more out of what they've got (anyone ready to innovate???). I would argue that while this industry is as healthy as it has ever been, there are clearly some industries and niche markets which are faced with more challenges. When the economy gets tight, you must dramatically improve yourself and your skill set or you run the risk of seeing diminishing returns. The 2nd similarity to our post 9/11 economy is that there are still many industries that are doing just fine. Anybody filled up their car lately? That industry, and all its related industries are doing quite well. If you're going to market your services, market it to those who have the money to pay for them!
2. The ever decreasing attention span of the American consumer - Our industry has changed pretty dramatically since 9/11. There has been a noticeable shift in what organizations are looking for and willing to pay for. We aren't very good at sticking with the course. We become excited about the shiny new toy and are easily distracted. You've probably heard the line that women watch TV to see what's on. Men watch it to see what else is on. Out client base makes snap decisions on speakers because, in part, they know there are many other options out there, just like men watching TV. They don't believe they need to dig down to find out how you're going to help them grow their business. They can and will find someone else who "fits" them perfectly, at least on a surface level.
Why are our attention spans so short? I believe there is one primary culprit that has caused more harm to this industry than anything else. Reality TV.
Before you think I'm off my rocker, let me explain. When Survivor or The Apprentice or anything else came out they were all the rage. It was the true water cooler talk all around the country. When the winner was crowned, they received big checks and accolades galore. Their speaking career (and many other facets of their lives) took off creating enormous opportunity most people would love to have.
But let me ask you a question. What happened a few short months later?
The next "season" of that show came on with all new participants and a new winner was crowned shortly thereafter. What happened to the winner of the previous season? They became yesterday's news. Their Warholian 15 minutes of fame were up. Anything they got from there on out was because of their own talents, skills and willingness to really work at the craft of being a true professional speaker, not a "mini-celebrity" who does appearances whose star fades quickly.
The nation moved on. We became interested in someone and something else. The same has happened in the world of speaking. If you have not given people a new reason to look at you, you're fading into the background quicker than ever before. We as a nation attach ourselves to brands very quickly, but discard them equally quickly unless given powerful reasons to stick with it. What are you doing to renew your brand in the minds of your consumers?
The 2nd answer to what are the hot topics is this: It doesn't matter.
The speaking industry is more than a $50,000,000,000 industry (and that's a conservative estimate). While we have more than 18,000 speakers, trainers, athletes, celebrities and entertainers in our dbase, there is more than enough business for that many (and many more) to be very successful in this business.
If you are really, really good on stage, have a powerful brand, sell yourself effectively, have high quality books and products, work well with bureaus and agents (if that's part of your model) and run it like a business, you can make this work. The hot topic is irrelevant. Do what you are passionate about and be committed to sharing your message. Continue to grow and evolve your career, no matter how long you've been doing it. There is a niche market for just about anything, so don't lose sight of that. No matter how many speeches you want to do, lives you want to touch, revenue you want to generate, there is a business model others are following to reach the same or similar goals...and much better.
You have no excuse for not being successful in this business. Those who are very successful are not the smartest, the best or even the most talented (sorry to break the news to all you superstar speakers out there!). They have worked very hard at building a brand over the long haul, built great relationships and kept their eye on the customer. This business is hard to become successful at only because it takes time and commitment.
Provide the time and commit yourself to doing the right things, and you can build your business the way you want it.
I believe the entire model of the professional speaking world is about to undergo a significant shift that will change the way this game is played. But that's a subject for my next blog!
