Six Reasons Why Speaking Virtually Is A Game Changer for Wickedly Smart Women
Since Covid19 hit the speaking industry in the spring of 2020 the capacity for people who speak for a living to make money from paid gigs or from speak to sell gigs or even from showing up at live events for networking has been DECIMATED.
The pandemic has exposed how easy it can be to have the rug ripped out from under you but it’s also been an amazing opportunity to look at new and more liberating ways to get your message out. Since April there has been a massive flood of speakers into the “virtual speaking” space. Once looked down upon as not the same as ‘professional speaking’ and brushed off for a very long time by people in the ‘professional speaking’ space - virtual speaking is now considered by many as a life and business saver.
Here are six reasons why speaking virtually is a game changer specifically for Wickedly Smart Women:
Time freedom!!! No more do you have to spend hours of your precious time going here there and everywhere to speak and get your message in front of audiences. Spending hours seeking out local, regional or national events and then negotiating the travel time and all that entails is over (for the moment!) You now have exponentially MORE TIME to devote to building your business in an even more targeted way!
Health Improvement!!! Let’s face it - while it may be fun occasionally to be eating out - as an “on the road” speaker you spend a whole bunch of time eating what I like to call “rubber chicken lunches” and frankly most hotel and event space food is not that great - never mind the food that is available in the airports or at rest stops if you drive to gigs. Speaking virtually allows you to have your eating plan dialed in and delivered to you on a platter right there in your pajamas if you like!
Imagination Runs Wild!!! Speaking virtual lets you craft your presentations in new and innovative ways that can be WAY BEYOND the old on the road norm of the boring power point! You can incorporate all kinds of fun activities, backgrounds and yes if you want to bring in power point you certainly can but the virtual environment actually requires you to become even more directly engaged with your audience in ways you don’t get to do from the live stage. This does mean doing things differently AND thankfully the technology has advanced significantly to allow for a whole lot more flexibility and creativity than ever before and with more to come!
Energy Exchange is Efficient!!! Leveraging the power of virtual speaking allows you to hybridize your presentations (depending on the host) so that you can both be paid directly for speaking if you are hired by an event coordinator AND potentially speak to sell directly to the audience. You can incorporate easier and more immediately direct ways to encourage the audience to engage with you beyond the event too so that you are building and curating your own unique community of people who have already expressed interest in you and your message and who are most ripe to be the people you will find become clients or customers to pay you directly beyond the gig. You also get immediate feedback about whether or not your message is landing via platforms that offer and encourage audience engagement - be sure to incorporate segments of your presentation where you are directly asking for and processing in the moment feedback and responses from your audience.
Fun with Followers, Friends & “Soul” Family!!! Can a virtual presentation be FUN??? You bet it can - it’s a really powerful opportunity for people to get a “peek” into your life if you want to set up your speaking space in a very low key way - I’ve done presentations from my kitchen while cooking! You can also have a lot of fun designing and creating a more formal “set” where you show up consistently and “on brand” as a way of giving event planners (who are seeking the stand out and set up to show up professionally presenters) confidence that you are a great hire for their organization, company, association or event. The more you can incorporate your own unique fun and creativity into your presentation set the more memorable you’ll be and the more attractive to those who decide to follow you, become your friend (or event planner colleague who sees you as the "go to”) or play with you further as a client or customer - joining your ‘soul family’ where you are able to serve them at a much more intimate level. Virtual speaking also gives you the benefit of more regular family engagement too! (Yes you can even get the laundry going and have it finished while you are presenting to people on the other side of the planet!)
Be Heard By Millions!!! Once you get set up and ready to go as a virtual speaker the entire world is your oyster! You can most definitely Be Heard By Millions of people all over the world, build an international following, become a powerful thought leader and influencer and make a global impact! I did this when I first started my business in the online space back in 2008. As a single mom at the time I was both called to be a speaker who was making a global impact AND called to be a full time mom who was with my child as much as possible during his tumultuous teen years. Virtual speaking was what saved my sanity and allowed me to serve my soul’s calling and I have written about that in my new book Be Heard By Millions & Live Your Destiny! A Creative Age Leader’s Guide To Speak, Sell, Serve & Succeed. The book was a #1 New Release in 3 Categories when I launched it March 11 2020 - right before the big shut down. How cool is that? Interested in finding out more about working with me to learn the ins & outs of virtual speaking? Apply here for a consultation!