The Signature Talk Framework That Gets Speakers Booked

Hello, you're listening to Sarah Archer and episode 303 of The Speaking Club podcast. I want to open this show with a quote from an unknown source. If you feel like you don't fit into this world, that's because you're here to create a better one.

I started this podcast for 2 reasons: because I want to help people recognise the power of stories and humour in speaking, And because I believe it's your message that counts, not the number of ums and ahs you use. There are some organisations that want to create robot speakers. They want you to sacrifice your personality in order to speak perfectly. I want to let you know that you can be yourself and a sensational speaker. So if you want to be a speaker that connects and engages authentically through stories, a speaker that gives value as well as a great performance, Then welcome home.

How you doing? Thanks for joining me again to watch or listen to the show. A lot has been going on, hasn't it? And whether you're feeling thrilled or frustrated about the events of the past few days, I want you to put that aside for now, and I want you to focus your energy on getting your message out into the world, on your future as a speaker, and on your signature talk, because that's what I want to talk to you about today. Business book publisher and author Alison Jones has said, for business book writers, a signature talk changes the game. And then Aril Moody, who's a professional speaker, a Disney show host, and founder of a speaking tool Talkadot, has also said this about signature talks. If you feel like you're not getting booked enough, you need a signature talk. If you feel like you're constantly chasing clients and they aren't chasing you, you need a signature talk. If you feel like you just need to be given a chance but keep feeling like the best-kept secret in your niche, you need a signature talk. A signature talk is something that all the greats have and everyone who is frustrated about their speaking career doesn't have one. That's what they say and this is what I say. Get the right signature talk and you can convert 40% of your audience or more to get into action authentically and with class. So that's what we're going to be talking about today, a signature talk. What the ingredients are, what it actually is, and your first steps to creating one. Before we go into what a signature talk is and so on, I just wanted to share about a couple that I know about because I think they're great examples of what a signature talk can do for you. So the first one I want to speak about is from a speaker called Ross Bernstein, and it's called the Champion's Code. Now Ross has written loads of books about sport, he's a sports journalist by background and he has created this signature talk called The Champions Code and it's his signature keynote and it's about building relationships through life lessons of integrity and accountability from the sports world to the business world. It's about the DNA of champions in sport and how that relates to business And it's based on years of research and, as I said, lots of books that he's written. Now, what Ross does is he has this Champions Code Signature Talk, and he's able to use the sort of heart of the talk, the core of the talk, and tailor it to organizations and flex it to different lengths, so he can create a 60, a 90, or 120-minute block, which is a talk or an intensive workshop around this signature talk of The Champion's Code, and what that enables him to do is make it highly polished, one of those keynotes that you're not going to forget. And he does over 100 speaking gigs a year. He's going to be able, because of that, to guarantee event planners and organisations a safe pair of hands, but something that is going to really fit with what is going on. And of course, it fits into that whole leadership cult. It fits into so many different perennial, evergreen speaking topics that are always hot topics. That he's gonna be very, very bookable with this talk. So, that's Ross Bernstein and his Champions Code signature talk. And then we've got a lady called Kay King, who is a marketing mentor, and Kay and I worked on her signature talk, and I love what she did with this talk. It's called Marketing Without Tears. And it, even in the title, you can see how it calls out to her target audience, which are small and medium-sized business owners who hate doing marketing, who feel frustrated by marketing. And Kaye has been able to use that talk as a marketing asset to bring people into her membership. She's also been able to turn it into a webinar, and it all aligns with her brand, with her messaging, and as I said, speaks to her audience so strongly, and that's something that we're going to be talking about today. So, pulling a signature talk together is a big investment. It's a big investment. Potentially it might take research, like Ross interviewed thousands of sports people. Kay has a background in marketing agencies and so on before. That wasn't necessary for her talk, but it could be for yours depending on what you're doing. It takes a lot of thought. It can get frustrating at times because you have to step back and look at things differently and so on. And it can take a lot of effort and energy to rehearse and refine to get it to that place where you know it's going to do the job you need it to do, where it's going to make you stand out in your marketplace, it's going to get you more gigs, opportunities, and attract you more clients. That's the power of the signature talk. The ROI on the investment that you make is absolutely huge. So if you can get it right as well, what that signature talk will do for you, what I've seen it do for people that I've worked with, is get you to a level of excitement about sharing that signature talk and that message with your audience that drowns out or dampens down any fears or anxiety that might come up because you'll be speaking. It's, it's a really powerful place to get to, but guess the question you might have is, what is a signature talk? Well, I kind of alluded to it in what I've said, uh, in terms of Ross and with Kay. It's something that only you could deliver, just like your signature. It's unique to you, it's coming from a place that aligns with your core messaging, your unique point of view of the world, and it's in service of solving a problem for your audience. It's about sharing your story and the insight and opinion you've gained through experience that you've had, and it's channeled into creating that aha moment for your audience. It's also something that's crafted and rehearsed into that wow experience that leave people wanting more, you know, and in terms of getting gigs, right, there is only 3 ways that you get gigs. You have a talk that is such an amazing talk that creates 3 to 4 leads per time that you do it. That's the kind of level of signature talk that we're— we want to get to. Then you've got inbound inquiries, and then you've got outbound gig outreach where you get the gigs. So, it's a huge part of getting new speaking opportunities, so it's definitely worth the investment. What it's not, Right? What it's not is a regular presentation or sales pitch. It's also not an opportunity for you to have a therapy session in front of an audience. What it's not is an opportunity to share how wonderful you are, and it's not something that you wing or you throw together. That is not a signature keynote. A signature talk. It's, it's, it's coming from you, it can't be copied. People might try and copy it, but they won't be able to. It won't sound the same, it won't feel the same, and it will— that authenticity will be gone. They can't have your experience and your stories. So what are the fundamental ingredients of a great signature talk? Well, for me there are 3 key things. First of all, a really intimate understanding of your audience. Second, the big idea. And thirdly, creating an experience. Let's talk about audience intimacy first. This is all about creating a deep understanding of where your audience is, how they see the problem, what, what does it look like from their perspective, What do they have in terms of dreams for their future or career, sort of around this thing? What keeps them up at night? What are they scared of around this thing? What's the pain? And also, what do they believe about themselves, about the situation, about the problem? You need to understand all of that stuff, and you also need to understand how sophisticated they are. In relation to this issue? And if you can get that deep understanding, it will enable you to do so many things. It will enable you to know how to grab the attention of your audience, know how far you'll be able to take them in this talk. It will enable you to understand what might stop them from getting into action even if they see the value. It's such a big thing. This is like the fundamental building blocks. I always start when I teach people how to create a signature talk, we start here because all of this stuff feeds into the content of the talk and how you make it a wow experience for your audience. So it's super, super important that you do this, but this is one of the biggest stumbling blocks I see for speakers. Because, and it's something that I've talked to you about loads before, you are looking at this and, you know, we, I do it too, that's why I have a coach, we see things from our expert mindset. We see the problem from our perspective instead of seeing it from their perspective, and until we're able to shift it from us to them and look at everything we do and speak about through the lens of the audience, If I say this, what will they think? What do I need to say? You know, then we're never going to get the talk to where we need it to be, which is absolutely relevant for them, compelling for them. And that, that relevance word is a key word, because if you cannot make the talk title, the talk content relevant for them, you're never going to shift your audience to where you want to get them to. You're never going to get booked in the first place. So that's a key part of the journey. You step into their shoes, otherwise you're not going to get the talk that you want. And I know that people find this super hard to do, and that's why I'd recommend to get an external perspective on what you think, to see if the language resonates that you use with your audience, to test it out. Okay, so that's the first thing. Okay, so moving on to the second ingredient, which is also based on really having a good understanding of your audience, is the big idea. Some of the most profound messages that have shaped countries, that have started movements and stopped wars, have come from a profound understanding of where people are and where they want to get to expressed in a really simple idea, like, be the change you want to see in the world, like, I have a dream. Simple ideas that create worlds for people. And I know I've talked about the big idea lots before, and last week I was just talking about ideas with impact, how you need to have a sticky idea that lingers, but I need to talk about it here because it is a fundamental ingredient for a successful signature talk. The big idea is the vehicle through which you shift your audience from where they are, from how they see the problem or solution, to how you see it, and it's the thing that you need to get them to believe or understand in order to make that shift. And it can be hard to identify clearly what this is, especially as I've said, if we're too close to our stuff. You could have written a whole book, but actually picking out that one thing that's gonna make all the difference, the big domino, uh, as Russell Brunson calls it, um, to get them to make that shift can be super difficult. So it might be that you need some external help with that. Once you've identified what that thing is that's going to make that shift, then it gives you the opportunity to create your content around that. It gives you a yardstick through which to decide what's in, what's out, what matters, what doesn't. It's all in service of making that shift for your audience. And again, this can be a struggle for people because we can get attached to things that we find exciting or that we think is important for the person to know when actually it isn't. So we've got to kill our darlings, and again, external pair of eyes on this can help you do that. The last ingredient of an incredible signature talk is creating that wow experience for your audience, and as a speaker, Unless you get some outside help, you are the writer, the performer, and the director. It's all on you to create and deliver a talk that adds value, that moves your audience, and entertains them. It's on you to create that signature bit that only you can do, that they'll remember long after. I do a signature bit about Charles Dickens amongst other things. It's something that, that will linger with them, like your big idea, but in a, in a performance part of the talk. And it's on you to manage the emotional journey of the audience, to lift them when you need to, to focus them when you need to, to challenge and provoke them, to make them smile, To make them feel in their core a visceral emotion, and to continuously build that relationship with them. Once you feel that though, when you're in that dance with the audience, that exchange of energy that comes when you've created a talk and rehearsed it and practised it, when you're owning the stage, you're the conductor, ah, it's a beautiful thing. And it's addictive. That's why people who start speaking and feel it keep wanting to speak more and more and more. Well, I hope that I've convinced you of the benefits of creating a signature talk and shown you, like, to do all of that, it's much easier to do if you've got one talk, or, you know, one talk that you can sort of create other talks off of, then do it, you know, take that level of performance and content and connection for loads of different talks that you're creating for every single client. It's not possible to do that, and it's why speaking is both a skill and an art, but you can master it as long as you're committed to the journey. And I hope that what I've given you today has given you, you know, 3 places to focus to start creating that signature talk. Yes, there are other things, but these are some of the fundamental building blocks that can get you started on the journey. But I also wanted to share with you something else that might help you to nail that signature talk faster, and that's a workshop that I'm doing very soon where I'll be actually focusing on 2 of the key ingredients that I've spoken to you about today. It's called the Big Idea Workshop and we will be working on that audience intimacy so that you can create that deep connection that the best ideas and talks flow from. Then we're going to be actually looking at your big idea, Have you got it clear? Is it the right one? Will it have the effect? We'll be looking at that so that you can walk away having clarity on what you need to build your talk around. And then we're going to look at the content edit. I'm going to give you a process through which you can streamline your content once you've got that big idea identified. So if you want to join me, Find out more about that workshop, which is coming up, and it is a roll up your sleeves and get you know get stuff done workshop. It's not me chatting at you. Yes, there's some training, but you are going to be doing work. You're going to leave with stuff to take away with you. If you're interested in that, then you need to go to saraharcher.co.uk/big. Hyphen idea. Okay? So, have a look at that if you want some help to nail a couple of these ingredients and to get a head start on creating your signature talk. Well, all that's left for me to say is thank you so much again for watching the show, for listening to the show. If you do get value from The Speaking Club, I would be really grateful if you could leave a comment below, subscribe to the video channel as well. It's growing, but very slowly. Love to have more of you subscribing. And if you are listening to the podcast, then please take a couple of minutes to leave a rating or review, and you can do that over at ratethispodcast.com/tsc. And if you take a little photo either of a comment and your subscription to the channel, or leaving a rating or review, I'll send you an e-copy of my book. Oh, it's over this shoulder. No, that shoulder. It's Cracking Speech, Mate: How to Use Humour to Make You an Amazing Speaker. Just send me proof, I will send you a copy of that book. Smashing! Well, I will see you next time, and you know what I'm gonna say. In the meantime, don't forget to go out, grab your life by the nuts, and get cracking. Bye-bye.

It's a nightmare.

You're an expert with so much to say, but now that you've been booked to speak, you're struggling to know exactly what to talk about. You want a talk that engages the audience and wins you new clients without you losing your personality or anyone feeling pitched to. But what happens when you sit down to create that talk is that you end up staring at a blank page for ages, or worse, surrounded by hundreds of sticky notes with content that you could include. With so much material, you just don't know where to start or finish. Don't worry, because many experts like you face exactly the same challenge, and that's why I created the Blank Page to Stage Guide. In just 50 minutes, this breakthrough resource is going to help you identify the big idea of your message, make it relatable for the audience that you're speaking to, and convey it all in a way that gets the audience inspired and on board with your idea. And it works even if you have tons of material, or your subject feels less than exciting. If you want to cut through swathes of content and get a talk that you're excited to share, your audience loves, and wins you new clients, then grab your Blank Page to Stage guide from saraharcher.co.uk/newguide-tsc. Oh, I forgot to say, it's completely free.

Enjoy!