Sarah ArcherProfessional Speaker, Organisational Consultant & Coach, Lemon Squeeze Limited · International Speaker | Speaking Coach | Top 1% Podcast Host | Helping Organisations Unlock Business Transformation & Growth Through Strategic Storytelling | Helping Experts & Business Authors Nail th

Not every free stage is worth standing on. #publicspeaking #publicspeakingtips #freenotes

18 Feb 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:55

In this segment, the speaker outlines a concise framework for deciding if a speaking opportunity is worthwhile. The framework consists of five core questions: (1) Does the audience match the speaker’s target audience and their problems? (2) Does the organization’s values align with the speaker’s own values? (3) What is the organizer’s agenda—are they bringing the speaker in for genuine reasons or for self‑serving motives? (4) What potential value or return (e.g., exposure, networking, compensation) can the speaker gain from the gig? (5) Finally, what does the speaker’s gut feeling say about the fit? By clarifying these questions, speakers can make quick, confident decisions about accepting or declining speaking engagements.

Chapters

What's the criteria you should use to evaluate whether it's worth you doing the gig? First things first, and perhaps most important, is, is their audience your audience? Are these the people with the problems that you can help solve? Is the organization or company a right fit for you in terms of your values? Are they aligned with you? Um, are they bringing you in for the right reasons? What's their agenda? And then what is the potential value that you could get back from doing this gig? I guess the final one, which is what I say to people, is after all of that, what's your gut telling you? Is this a fit? Is it not a fit? That also comes into play. Get those questions clear for you, and then you'll be able to make decisions quickly.