Speaking is 10% of the job. The other 90%?

21 Aug 2025 · 1 min

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In this brief monologue, a professional speaker explains that the visible part of their work—delivering talks on stage—represents only about 10% of their overall effort. The remaining 90% consists of behind‑the‑scenes activities such as client calls, proposal writing, customizing presentations for specific audiences, and post‑event follow‑up. The speaker emphasizes that the on‑stage performance is the result of extensive, often unseen, preparation and business development work, urging listeners to recognize the full scope of effort that makes a speaking engagement possible.

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You see me on stage speaking to hundreds, sometimes thousands of people. But what you don't see is the work that happens before the lights come on. Most of the time isn't on stage. It's on calls with clients. It's submitting proposals. It's customizing presentations to make sure every audience gets exactly what they need. The truth is, As a professional speaker, only about 10% of what I do is the part that I love— delivering the message. The other 90%, that's building the business, preparing, following up, doing the behind-the-scenes work that makes those moments on stage possible. So remember, when you see me up there, it's more than just showing up and speaking. It's the result of countless hours of work that you may never see.