259 What Stage of Speaking Are You In?

So I'm curious, what stage of speaking would you say that you're in? Like, are you at the point where you're just starting to get comfortable getting more visible, or are you ready to take it to the next big stage when we can get on big stages? Well, today's episode is a quick self-study to help you figure it out. Hey movers, it's Sally Koering Zimney with Be Moved. Let's go create some talks that will move this world. We're gonna talk with amazing speakers, share tips, tricks, resources, and we are going to be moved so that our audience can be moved. This moved me. What is moving you? Oh hey everybody, welcome back to This Moved Me. I'm Sally Koering Zimney, I'm your virtual speaker coach and I empower purpose-driven entrepreneurs and changemakers like you to leverage speaking on behalf of your business or your idea. Unleash your authentic voice out into the world so that you can grow your impact. Finally leaving self-doubt and obscurity in the dust. It sounds like a great plan, and we're gonna do it together. Now, today on the show, we are talking about the stages of your speaking. We really need to know where we are at as speakers, because when we do, when we can identify what stage we are in, it helps us figure out how to take the next steps in getting better, getting more visible, sharing our stories, stepping into the next phase of growth and impact on behalf of our audience. Now, before we dive into the show, I really wanna take a moment and talk about our sponsor for today's show. You probably have been hearing me talk about it. It's the new Movers U membership. Now, Movers U is my new online community and experience to help you uplevel your speaking from whatever stage that you're in right now into the next one. Because I really want to empower you to use your voice to grow your impact. And MoversU is designed to support you through your speaking seasons, like all of the seasons that we have to focus on and get better at, like content delivery and mindset and scaling our speaking with courses, coaching, and community. Mm, it's awesome. I'm really excited about it. And right now I am offering a founding members pricing just for the first 50 people, or when December becomes January. In other words, through 2020. Spots are filling up. In fact, we are about halfway full, my movers. And I know all of you latecomers, okay? Every time I launch something, I'm like, gosh, it's so quiet, it's so quiet. Also, in the last day, everybody decides to join on the last day. Well, the last day is New Year's Eve. People. Don't wait until New Year's Eve. I don't want to wait until New Year's Eve. I know you don't want to either. We have better things to be doing. I know it's a pandemic. We're not going to be doing anything, but we could still have fun by ourselves at home. Don't wait until New Year's Eve. Join now because there may not be spots left on the last day. And I will try and keep you in the loop on how we are filling up, but just know spots are filling up and it's because it's $29, this founding member price. Is bonkers cheap. And with the $29, you get a masterclass, you get a Q&A, you get live hot seat coaching. It's awesome. Um, and access to all of our mini courses. If you're trying to figure out how to be a virtual speaker right now, I got courses on that. If you're trying to figure out, um, how to write your intro, well, there's resources in there for you. So it's, it's got what you need. And if it doesn't have what you need, let me know and then I'll find something for for you. $29 to get started and help make 2021 a year where you feel more confident in your skills, where you can see growth in your ability to show up, share your story, get more visible, and bring in some more money. That'd be great too, right? So you can join us at bmove.com/join-movers. -the letter U. Join-movers-U. All right, let's get to our show. Now I think of stages, like in terms of our speaking stages, in 4 different stages: newbie, emerging, pro, and star. What? There is a stage higher than pro? What? I thought I was pro and I was like good to go. Well, probably doing awesome if you are at pro level, but even the star level is working on getting better, or they should be. So let's start with newbie. Here are some characteristics that I think of when I think of a newbie speaker, like the stage of being a newbie speaker. Maybe haven't had a lot of experience yet, um, you definitely haven't started calling yourself a speaker even though you probably do some speaking. That's a whole nother thing, my friends. We're gonna figure it out, but you haven't really owned that identity yet. I get it, it takes a while to get there. You probably recognize the power of speaking. Like, if you're listening to this right now, you at least recognize that speaking is incredibly powerful, and you know that it can do big things for your business and your idea and your audience. You're just getting going, right? So you'd really like some one-on-one help to become more clear, to share your story with more confidence, and just get more visible, to get out there more, to press like go on that Facebook Live. Now, if you are in the newbie stage, here's what I want you to be thinking about. I really want you to find a safe space for you to experiment, to get support, because it's especially scary at the beginning and feels It can feel really overwhelming and it's keeping too many people from even stepping into this space at all. So you're probably not investing in coaching yet, although you can, of course, coaches work with people on all different levels, but that's okay. You don't need a coach in order to start. Okay. But what you do need, uh, is some support. And I think community is a really powerful way to do that. So you might start off by finding a Toastmasters group. Now I have real mixed feelings about Toastmasters, and I'm sorry, I know there's lots of Toastmasters people listening. I've just talked to too many people who had like bumpy experiences with Toastmasters. It's super all over the board. Some people love it and have had amazing experiences. So like in all things, it's a mixed bag, but a group like that, a place where you can show up and just try some stuff to practice, because the only way we get better is to practice. Or maybe there's a Facebook group that you can, uh, resource, that you can be a part of. And of course, let me just say, my Facebook group is a great place for you to come and try some things out. We go live in there every once in a while, and I invite people to go live to practice going live, because you need a place where you can practice where the whole world isn't necessarily seeing it. There's also lots of tips and support and encouragement. We do occasional challenges, and there's lots of groups like that out there. So find a community that fits you at your level, where you're at. Now, if you're really determined to shift out of newbie mode and get into the next stage, which is emerging, I do think something like A Mover's U is a great place to do that, where you start to pay for your resources. Because here's the truth: when you start paying for it, you start taking it more seriously. You prioritize it. And when you pay and you prioritize, that's when you get momentum. That's when things start to happen. It's just the way it goes. So lots of free stuff out there for you, but if you're determined and you know this is something you need to do, it might be time to start paying to play. All right, our next stage is called an emerging speaker, that emerging speaker stage. Now a lot of my speakers are in this stage. I have speakers in every single one of these stages, but many, many people come to me in this stage. And it makes sense because you've had some experience. You've tasted the guts and the glory. You've had a little bit of both. I mean, we've all had both, but you've accumulated enough of those, what I call #oopsie moments, uh, to make you go, whew, I could use some support here. I'm wanting, I've been trying to do this on my own, but I think I'm ready for some additional support. And you're finessing, you're honing your message, you're getting really clear on who it is you're talking to, what exactly it is that you have to offer, you in particular. Identifying those things is a process, and emerging speakers are really in the thick of it. And you probably have that dream of getting on the big stage. There maybe is a TEDx dream out there, or that big conference stage dream, or even the virtual gig. Like, I wanna speak at that summit, I wanna get on that podcast, right? That is all around visibility because you've had that little experience and you're like, I, I want to do more of that. I want to get better at it. There's more growth on the other side of this courage. Now, if you are at the emerging stage, your next steps are really about finding a more skilled community and a coach. You don't have to pay a ton of money. To do some coaching, like in Movers U, you're not paying a ton of money and you have access to a coach. That's pretty amazing because people who work one-on-one with me, it's not a small investment, I'll just say, and it's worth it. It's really powerful. You don't have to do that. You can step into this space with minimal investment because you need to find a place and a coach and a community that you trust. Especially finding a coach that you feel like really gets you so that you can be intentional about your approach and your growth. And a place like Movers U, I mean, if you join Movers U, awesome, but there's lots of other places out there. But finding a place that just clicks with you is going to be really important for you on the journey because there's some safety. In the closed group, and it's led with a specific philosophy in mind, a specific approach and a mindset, and with other people who have also bought into that mindset so that you can really support each other. And it helps you envision what's next and what's really possible and the steps that you need to make it happen. The thing that is so exciting about Emerging Speakers is there's still a lot you can do to hone your approach and finesse and get better. And sometimes even the smallest tweak can make such a huge difference. It's like you're about to leap off the cliff and you just need somebody to help nudge you and so that you know you're moving in the right direction. So all kinds of exciting things are potentially about to happen with emerging speakers. So I really love working with emerging speakers because you know enough that you're ready to take the leap, but you're scared. And I really love pushing people off the cliff. I hope you know what I mean by that. Take it with love. Now maybe you are at the pro speaker stage, and if you are at the pro speaker stage, it's just a little bit beyond emerging speaker. Essentially, you're getting paid when you speak with consistency. Not always, cuz sometimes we choose an opportunity where we don't get paid because it's clicking off some other needs and some other goals, which is great too. But you are really focused on consistent opportunities, finding the next bigger stage. It doesn't mean that you're not focused on content development and delivery and mindset as well, because we always need to be working on those things. They never go away. They evolve. With us, and some days we're doing great and other days we need some help. One of the key characteristics of a pro speaker is you're starting to plan speaking in your revenue because you are like, oh, I can make pretty good money speaking and I'd like to do more of that. Being a pro speaker doesn't mean that's the only way that you make revenue, but it is a consistent way that you make revenue, and you're probably using Speaker in your title in some official capacity, which is great because you're speaking, so let's own it. Now, if you are in the pro speaker stage, you need a community of people who are going to push you because you cannot get lackadaisical. You cannot sit on your laurels and be like, I got this, I'm making money consistently, it's fine, I've got my talk, I'm never gonna change it. No. No, don't do that. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, right? So you need to find a group of people who are at a similar level as you that can really nudge you to the next place. Masterminds are going to be really important at this level, finding a group of people that you trust and who are also seeing speaking as an important part of their business. And because you're at this level, it's worth that kind of investment. It's worth it because your development does equal an ROI. Now maybe you are at the last stage, what I call a star speaker, sometimes known as a celebrity speaker. You're getting paid really well when you speak, and you don't even have to speak a lot because you're making bank. I'm in awe of these people. I am not a star level speaker. I'm not a celebrity level speaker. Brené Brown is, Simon Sinek is, they're probably headlining a lot of the really big conferences. Good for them. Now just because they're a star or celebrity speaker doesn't mean that they are the best speakers. I think we found this, right? So the people who I know who are at this level, they are still honing and finessing their message because they care. So If you're a star celebrity speaker who cares, awesome, because there's still a need and a place for you. There's still tools and resources for you. And if you don't care, you're probably not watching this show. So, but other people in your audience are watching it, and they, they, they've identified you. Just FYI, you're a fine person. I mean no judgment about this. It's really easy to think, "I don't have to work on it because people are paying me for my name. They're just paying me to show up. They're paying me because I help bring people there," and that's true, and really lucky that events are willing to pay you this much money for fine content while the rest of us work really hard. I'm thinking of a few people who I know are in my community who I would put at star or celebrity level, or just even the very beginning of that level. There's a range with all of this, my friends. You are here because you care, because you are willing to finesse and invest in your growth and development, because you're not convinced you're at your best yet, which none of us are ever going to get there. And because working on this might give you joy artistically, you want to do something special for your audience, you don't want to sit on your laurels. And for all of that, I am in awe of you because you don't have to, and you are, and your audience appreciates it. It makes a difference. So just accept my thanks. Please, at some point, I wish you well as you ride off into the sunset of all your success. And just know I'm here for you. Now, if you are in the first 3 stages, we should be thinking about not just where we're at, but also how we can shift into that next stage. So when I say we— I'm going to help you uplevel your speaking, I'm literally talking about going from whatever stage you're at now to the next stage. And there is a pathway. To help you move to the next stage. And believe it or not, surprise, surprise, all of this exists within the Movers U community. So here's what you need to do that. You need community support and encouragement. With each one of these stages, community plays a really important role because you're not alone in your journey. You're getting coaching in the community, but watching others step out front with courage is incredibly empowering and inspiring, and it can be a boon for you, like boost, catalyst for you as you are stepping out front. So community support and encouragement, courses, classes, specific skill development. Like I said, we can't not work on these things if we wanna take the next step. And then coaching when you need it and how you need it with a coach that you trust. Sometimes we need answers to really specific questions. Generic help helps generically, and speaking is personal and it is contextual and it is dependent on a lot of things. And so coaching, uh, is really important for our growth and development, and a lot of people feel like it's inaccessible. Having all of these— community, courses, and skill development— coaching. I wanted this to become accessible for people so that I can empower more of you to use your voice, to share your story, to leverage this incredibly powerful tool on behalf of this message, this idea, this business that the world needs. And the reason why I'm focused so much on this right now is not because I'm the best coach ever, although I think I'm really good at my job. That is really hard for this Minnesotan to say, but I am very good at my job. But the reason I'm pushing on this so hard is because the real transformations, they come when we do this together. They really do. When coursework is in tandem with community, and when community is paired with coaching. All three of those pieces, it's really the magic sauce of taking you from being unsure, overwhelmed, panicked, stressed, hesitant, hiding, to Risk-taking, courageous, authentic, confident, clear. That's what we need more of. That's what your audience needs. And becoming a founding member of Movers U, it's like saying to the universe, I'm ready to speak. Now maybe you don't feel super ready. Maybe you're still a little unsure of exactly how to do this. You don't have to have all the answers to the how, but you do need to take the first step. So whatever stage you identified for yourself, and I would love to hear, I would love to hear what stage you feel like you're in right now, stepping into the next stage means more impact for your audience, more hearts opening to your message, more responsiveness to your work, more connection, and more growth. And let's be real, it's, it's growth for your business, but it's growth for you. Now, before we go, I want to make a quick mention of my 2021 Speaking Strategy Workshop that is happening today. Today. So it's Monday, December 14th, and it's happening at 4:00 PM today, Central Time. So you may be listening to this after that, which is too bad, so sad. But if you can come join us together, we are going to help you identify how you're going to make money and build your audience with speaking in 2021. So if you're like, That sounds great, but I just have no idea how. This could be a good place to start. So come join us at bmoove.com/2021. In the meantime, this moved me. What is moving you? I'd love to hear. Let me know.