What Award-Winning Speakers Do Differently ... and Why It Matters with Elliot Kay

You've probably heard me say before, there are a lot of great speakers out there, but not all of them are visible. Not all of them get the recognition they deserve. Not all of them get the opportunities that they should. Sometimes the speakers that shout the loudest aren't necessarily the best. So how can we shift that? Well, one of the ways is the Speaker Awards. And I have on this show one of the founders of the Speaker Awards, Elliot Kaye. He sees basically what's happening year after year, how the standard is evolving, and what separates the speakers that stand out from the ones who don't. Now, I'm a judge for the Speaker Awards as well, 3rd year running, and we have a good chat about what types of things people can do to help themselves to be more visible, to do well at things like the Speaker Awards. We're talking about also what's going on in the speaking industry right now, where speakers are missing opportunities, and how you can position yourself more powerfully whether you're entering the awards or not. So, if you've ever wondered, what does it take to stand out as a speaker? And could I win a speaking award? Well, this one is for you. Let's dive in. Welcome to The Speaking Club again, Eliot Kaye.

Hi, thanks for having me back.

You're welcome. I'm excited. We just wrapped you interviewing me.

Yes.

As a Speaker Awards judge, and I thought I would return the favour. So I wanted to just check in with you. So you're— the Speaker Awards is back. It's year 5. Yeah, it's changed since we last spoke. And I think we were just debating whether it was 2 years or a year. But what's changed in the awards or in the caliber of speakers that you're seeing enter the awards?

I think what's changed, if we look over the last 5 years, right, since launch, I think number one, we've gone from being a UK-based awards to a global awards. You know, I think we had over 27 countries enter last year. Um, this year I've had a look and again I'm seeing Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, and we're seeing like really far— where I would consider far, right? Yeah. Countries enter. Um, we've seen Australia, we've seen again European countries. So in that respect, that's grown. Um, its reputation has grown, touch wood, for all the right reasons. Um, and you know when you're kind of doing something right? When the speaker bureaus want to get involved. When they want to get involved, you know you're doing something right and when you're on their radar. Then you've done something right. So that's also something that's happened. And in the last year we've introduced, so for this year, as it being year 5, we've introduced 2 new categories. And we also have opened it, reopened up so people can apply for 3 categories. So we had limited it to 2, but as we're like, you know, it's year 3, let's go for 3 categories. And the introduction of 2 new categories, which means we also got rid of one. category as well. So we've grown. And I think, I'm not sure when we did this if we had this, but we've introduced a Lifetime Achievement Award and a Hall of Fame Award as well.

That's brilliant. So what are those new categories? Uh, let's— people, I know if you've said that, people are gonna go, what are they? What are those new categories?

For that, you have to go to our website. No, I'm joking. We've introduced Best Motivational Speaker Award. So anyone that that kind of helps people build their belief, shift their belief, you know, it's really kind of motivational from the essence of shifting people's paradigm.

Mm-hmm.

We've introduced that. And Best Host Award, right? Which has been bubbling around for a while. And Lovelda being a professional MC and a professional host, she's a co-founder. She was like, for years, she was like, we need a host award, we need a host award. And then we're like, well, how are we going to judge it? This year, we managed to clock how to judge it. And we've introduced Best Event Host Award. So those are the new 2. I'm very excited about that.

And when you, you know, it is 5 years, when you step back to when you had the seed of the idea for this thing, has it surpassed what you imagined back then? Is it, is it where you thought it would be? Has it been harder work than you thought? What's, what's been the experience over those 5 years?

Yeah, so, you know, it's interesting because when I had the idea, I was like, let's put an award ceremony and let's really kind of shine the light on the great work speakers are doing. Um, and we'll put a day together that kind of, you know, that goes with it. And, and it wasn't— it was like, uh, okay, be nice if it works, right? So then we did the first one, November 2022. Um, and even then we had like 95 people in the room. And we gave loads of awards out.

Hmm.

But then we put it to bed for 6 months. So then nothing happened and I'd wake up the awards and then for 6 months we would peddle the awards. Year 3, everything changed, right? Everything changed. It suddenly couldn't be put back to bed. There was no, you know, putting in the drawer, that's it for the next— it just became a continuous momentous movement. It became continuously demanding. So it's a bit like it became a toddler, right? And the toddler needed attention, it needed love, love, it needed support. So suddenly we've gone from there's something we could put to bed to something we cannot put to bed, and that's a massive shift. And then it became like, okay, um, I think I want to do this full-time now. I think I really want to focus on this. And it became the center of my attention versus a secondary. So before that, I was leading with my training, my coaching, and all that stuff that I do, and then it's flipped. So now it's 80% awards and speaker summit and, and, and 20% the coaching and stuff like that. So that's a big shift. It's a beast. It's a beast, Sarah. I'm telling you, this toddler has become a beast. Exactly.

So it is a big— it's a big, you know, turning into a bit of a movement really as well in that sense. And, and I guess that's, that sort of leads me to my next question. So beyond the trophies and, uh, you know, the glam of the event itself, what are the awards actually trying to recognize and encourage in the speaking industry?

I think what we want to help do is standardize the industry, right? I think, you know, well, you know, would we get your sort of— the people entering the awards are the people that want a stamp of authority, they want a stamp of acceptance, they want to uplevel, right? And I think that's where the awards come in. You know, will we get like Richard Branson into the Speak Awards? Well, he doesn't really speak anyway, but someone of that— no, because, you you know, but what we do find is even very established speakers that enter the awards, they're very highly paid. It feels it gives them like that stamp of authority, that stamp of recognition. And that's what we're starting to see, which is nice, because year 5, people are finally coming around, especially the skeptics in the industry, you know, your speaker bookers, your speaker bureaus, who deal with high caliber, they're like, well, do they need that? And now I'm seeing, we're seeing them starting to enter. So it's trying to achieve that, it's trying to help level, like have creating a standard. It's helped to create a recognition vehicle and an authority vehicle. And really what I want to do is shine the light on the great work professional speakers do and give them the spotlight, you know. So that's the other thing we're trying to do. And what we are seeing by setting that out every year as a judge, you know, we're seeing the level go up and up. And I think by someone winning a category, what immediately happens is other speakers go to watch, look at that speaker. And they go, oh, if they won, that's where I need to go to. Now, of course, there are people going, well, I'm so much better than them. Of course, you're going to get that. But those who are hungry and understand you can always learn, they'll go, right, Jazan Parfar won that. Okay, let me go look at her stuff. And okay, that's where I need— that's my— that's the level I need to aspire to. Or any other speaker, Dale Bates, or, you know, anyone that's been— and actually this year, hopefully in the next week, we'll bring back past winners from the last 5 years so everybody can go check out who won in the past. But I feel that's what it's trying to achieve.

Yeah, definitely. And, and I think if you do have that, you know, you as in someone listening, if you do look at the stuff and go, well, I'm better than that, well, put your hat in the ring, you know, step onto the field and, uh, and see, and, you know, put your money where your mouth is, but you'll, you know, put your time where your mouth is and have a go yourself.

But, you know, equally, I completely accept the awards isn't for everybody, and that's okay, right? And, and you don't have to enter Uh, and you don't have to be a part of this, and that's okay too. Like, that doesn't— neither nor. I think your career will be your career. Yeah, for some people we found the awards have helped them, and, and for other people it's helped rekindle relationships. It's helped kind of like be able to ask. Or what we found for people, for example, one of the speakers I interviewed mentioned this, she said, I haven't seen a difference in the amount of bookings. What I've seen the difference is, is how easier it is to ask for my fee.

Yeah.

Right? And that's, and that's a good difference to have. She finds that the awkwardness or the justification isn't there. It's like they go, she goes, here's my fee. They go, okay, would you accept this? Or are there payment terms versus having to justify herself, which is what she felt she had to do before. So all these little nuances, right? Is it gonna like launch you to Wembley and 80,000 people? Well, it'd be nice if it did. No, but it will help you on your journey there.

Definitely, definitely. Now I wanted to ask, um, people have perceptions and assumptions and stuff about the awards. Yeah. What do speakers assume about the awards process that just isn't true?

Um, I think the biggest assumption, and we, you know, I think we don't get this as much anymore, but we did get this definitely in the first few years, was paying, right? Paying an admin fee. So, you know, this year there's £80 admin fee, which is very low for an award. And we keep it as baseline as we can. But the assumption is, you know, like the typical line is, oh, I'm buying an award. No, you're not. You're buying an entry to the awards. The gala has its own separate ticket. So I think the biggest thing is that by buying, you know, by paying, you're buying for an award. That's not true. You're just paying to enter. There's an admin fee. There's a lot of work goes on behind the scenes. Right. So that's what that That's the biggest thing we get. We've worked very hard to move away from any popularity, kind of like, you know, that's why there's no voting from the public. We don't do any of that. It's amazing people like you that come in and judge, who industry peers, right, who work with speakers on a regular basis. So the biggest one is around the payment. That seems to be it. Like, and you know, normally what's really interesting is a lot of resentment or a lot of people that have these objections tend to be the old guard from certain speaking organizations, or speaker trainers. They seem to really— the amount of times I get comment and I look at who's commenting, and it's a speaker trainer that resents the fact that there's an entry fee. So that's one aspect. So it's £80 this year, all in for one category. If you went for 3, it's £240, right? Yeah, nothing— we purposely keep it accessible. That's really the biggest one, to be honest, Sarah. Like, once people actually look and read the process, which is all transparent and stuff. Obviously, when people win or don't win, that's when some people will fill in a gap, right? They'll be like, oh, it's because they work with this person, or it's because they, they spent, they bought a table. And of course, it's like none of that. Like, that is not true. Like, there's 2 rounds of judging, as you know. It's completely like the first round is an individual thing. You don't connect with any other judges, you don't know. And at that point, no one's bought tickets anyway. So it can't be because someone's bought 10 tickets, right? That's not true. And then the second round is when you get with your fellow judges and you decide the winner, highly commended. Again, you, you have— do you— have we ever told you how many tickets have been sold? Has anyone ever informed you how many tickets?

I've no clue about any. We're not, we're not given— all we're given is the criteria. We all have to sign a judge's code of conduct. And, you know, which makes sure that it's fair and transparent, and we're never given any information beyond the application. There you go. The video, that's— and I've never, I've never inquired about that. It's not something I care about.

No, exactly.

Like, what? No. So that's absolutely nothing. We're just literally given the, the information that we need to, to judge the merit of the application.

And that's it, right? So, um, and, and again, the other— the last one is, is the whole, like, if I, I have to buy a ticket to win. Right? And we're very clear in the terms and conditions, actually, we want you to be in the room or send someone, right? Because there's nothing worse than dead space. Oh, and please, because this award goes to Sarah Archer, and they're nowhere to be found, right?

Yeah.

Um, but it's not— that's not— your ability to win doesn't depend on your ability to buy a ticket for the gala, right? People will win whether— because at that point, again, once they're shortlisted, we don't know if they're gonna go. And again, we're so removed from the process that even if they bought a ticket and you've made them the winner, right, sure, we'll invite them all to send someone. But, you know, last year we had a guy in Canada who couldn't make it, his wife was pregnant, and then he just asked someone else to accept the award for them. So that's the last thing, the fact that it depends on that they're buying a ticket. That is not true.

Yeah.

It's completely removed from that. We do want you to be in the room. Why wouldn't you want to be? And we do want you to be present or someone representing you. Yes, yeah, it's true.

Cool. Hopefully we've dispelled a number of myths around the awards. Cool. And this is something that we spoke about when you interviewed me as a judge. I'm gonna throw the question back at you. Have you noticed the bar shifting year on year? You know, is it harder now to stand out compared to years ago?

Um, well, I don't really look at a lot of the applications, to be completely honest, because I want to say I want to stay so removed from from it, right? I don't look at them according to— till they've won, right? So I might look at winning once they've won. Yeah. But I have noticed, here's where I know it shifted. A, that the speaker bureaus and the, you know, speaker bookers want to be involved. That's where the level of conversations I'm having and the people I'm having them with has also shifted, right? So in that respect, that's grown. Um, yes. And I look at the caliber of speaker entering, like when people say, I'm going to enter, I'm like, oh, okay. Oh, I might put my hand in. Okay, right. This is— that's where I've seen the shift. Because I don't really look at applications, I can't tell you in terms of the delivery and what they're submitting. But in terms of who I'm seeing, in terms of who's getting involved, in terms of the level of conversations, that's where I can see a shift and an uplevel. Right. Yeah. Totally.

Cool. And you did mention that there is a celebrity entered this year.

So there is a celebrity. I can't say who they are. But whoever gets to judge that category will— they might not even know who they are at this point, you know, but I'm pretty sure, I'm pretty sure when they see the video, because actually I was flicking through, there's a reason I was looking through because I was looking through, we're looking at who, how many had completed in certain categories and then so it brings up and I was like, oh, it's that person. Yeah, wow, that's pretty cool. So anyway, um, but again, they'll be judged according to their ability as a speaker and nothing else, and I just want to be clear on that. But yes, that's another level, that the fact that people's managers are putting their speakers in is another sign that it's gone up a level. And, and then it's got kudos, it's got merit, right? Um, because I know for a fact, like speaking to the ambassador, she's been showing people the website, and I know they are reading it in fine detail, um, because she tells us. She's like, look, this person, this managing director of this particular bureau, has been reading your website. Okay, yeah, good to know, right?

Excellent, excellent. Okay, I'm gonna, um, again, you— it'd be interesting to see if you have any insight on this. What do you think speakers believe the judges are looking for that actually doesn't matter as much as they think?

Okay, so having interviewed yourself, and I've interviewed 3 other judges on our podcast. Yeah. I can tell you that they kind of uniformed in the sense that judges want something fresh, something new. They want to see your ability to deliver. It's a speaking competition, right? So please remember that everyone watching or listening to it, it's a speaking competition. They need to see you speak, period. And then they want to see a lot has come across about the messaging that that's clear, that what you've put in the video is relevant to the category, right? That's also come across because some people just put one video across 3 categories.

Yes.

And judges can see that. They're like, that's lazy, right? That's not relevant. Like, those put their showreel across 3 categories. Yeah, well, that's not going to show me your storytelling ability, right? No. Um, so that's what I'm seeing, a uniform. And people like— the judges are hungry to see a speaker, and I think I'm going to quote your words here, commit to the craft, right? Commit to the speaking process. And that's what they're going to be looking at. And again, it's all transparent, you can see what you're being marked on. But that's what I'm seeing from interviewing the judges on our podcast, is those are the elements that really matter. We talked about the fact of does it matter where it's filmed? And you don't, I don't think it does, as long as it's not like in a closet with clothes hanging behind you. You know, as long as you're— And someone emailed this in to today when we, you know, we raised this on our podcast, you know, they asked if they could film in their living room. And I just said, as long as it's appropriate to the category and it shows off your speaking, then it shouldn't be an issue because you're judged on your speaking.

Yeah.

You know, half the time you're not going to see the size of the theater anyway, right? Or even if they are on stage, you don't know if there's 2 people in the audience, if it's edited properly, or there's 100,000 in the audience. I mean, I think my last one was 100,000. But yeah, so I think those are the kind of key uniform that I'm getting from yourself and interviewing other judges that they're looking for clear messaging, really high-level delivery. They're looking for clarity as a speaker, you know, can they get who you are and the real sense and Dom talked about this a lot. He's from the London Speaker Bureau, authenticity. He wants to know that you are real and you're not trying to be another speaker.

Yeah, definitely. I think that's really important. I just wanted to linger on the question of video for a second because we You know, we talked about this at length on your show. I think it's really important to, to just clarify and expand on this, that, you know, one of the things that I said was that I think if you have got film of you on stage, it gives you an advantage because you've got that space. to perform in, in a sense, and use to bring your talk to life. But that doesn't mean that you can't recreate that space if you're, you know, if you're clever with, you know, in your home. And so I just wanted to flag that.

Yeah.

But it has got to be, you know, professional in the sense, you know, you mentioned something that I think is important to bring up. I mean, I'm sure people don't need this, but, you know, Who knows?

Yeah, I think it's important that the video— look, um, if you look, like, we put examples on the resource page, right? And if you look at Emma Henderson, the one Booker's Choice last year, right? She just chopped bits of her talk. It wasn't cleverly edited, it was cleanly edited. Yeah, it wasn't like this massive transition, it's literally chopped, right? But what she created is a clear narrative as to, you know, why she should be booked, why she's bookable, why she can get repeat book— and that's all it needed. Yeah, and it's actually her on a It's not her on stage, right? So again, and that worked for Booker's Choice, which is one of the toughest categories, right? I think what's important when you're submitting video is it has to reflect you as a speaker. It doesn't have to be perfect. It has to be clear, has to be clean. And the audio has to be easy to listen to. If you kind of abide to those 3 principles, if it's shot on your phone, but the mic's good, no judge is going to go, oh, that they shot on their phone. In fact, you don't want to be thinking or even guessing what they've been shot on. But if it's pixelated and it looks like, you know, it's from a distance— but again, you know, when I looked at, um, I looked at Bonita Norris's storytelling one from a couple years ago, and again, some of it's from the side. It's not always her front on. And it's like, oh, interesting choice. And for her, again, it really worked because she won Storyteller of the Year. Right. The only time it really matters is if you're entering showreel. If you're entering showreel, then it has to be well edited, well shot, well delivered, right? Um, but everywhere else, as long as it's clear, clean, and the audio is good, and your background is acceptable, then it can work.

Yeah, as we were talking about the other—

no knickers, no washing, no washing, no, no, nothing that, you know, that could be distracting in any way.

And I think that's the key thing, isn't it? This is the the whole point is like, I don't— as a judge, I don't want to be looking around and seeing things that are distracting me from you and your message. And I think that's the key thing. Cool.

Exactly.

Now, um, I don't know if, again, if you've got a view on this, but if you had to boil it down, what are the 2 to 3 things that consistently show up in the, in the award winners that you, you might have seen?

I think it kind of, uh, to talk about what we've talked about, I think they had a really clear style, right? They had a clear message. I feel that when I have looked at some winning entries, they had a clear emotional connection and hook that pulled people in, right? The judge could sit and connect to. I mean, Ricky talked about that in great detail.

Yeah.

You know, they do the TEDx and storytelling often. And they talked a lot about feeling the speaker, really getting an emotional connection with them. And I think that's something I've noticed among all the speakers, regardless of the category, their ability to do. And then if you take that as the core, then depending on the category, then they've actually had those other layers. So like Jim Steele, like really demonstrated his ability to be a live speaker and how well he did as a live speaker. So then, but they had everything else there. And then that layer, If you look at thought leadership, they had all of those elements, but then they really displayed a unique perspective or unique thought leadership.

Yeah.

Um, so I think that's kind of your key 3 things.

Yeah, definitely.

Cool.

And we've talked about, you know, I'm gonna get a question, follow-up question coming in a bit around the people that do win, but how should speakers be thinking about the awards strategically? Not, not just entering it, but using it to grow their speaking business?

A lot of people have talked about how the process alone gets them really clear and dialed in. And I think what it makes a lot of speakers do is go, who am I as a speaker? What is my speaker identity? What do I stand for? What's my key message, right? And we like the videos around it, we talk about, you know, be unique, right? Don't be like, hey, I'm a wellness coach that speaks. Like, no, what's your uniqueness around wellness? Or unique approach, unique attitude? Um, so I think in that respect, it helps you get dialed in, you know. I mean, recently, I know someone that literally has rewritten her whole talk. And today, actually, as we record, she's filming specially for the Speaker Awards. And she's bringing content specifically for 3 categories, right? Um, and I think to that, it gets you dialed in. Now, as you go through the process, then, you know, then it is about Does the market validate that? Right? And again, it's a snapshot in time, right? Because we had people like Mark LaRoost, who's an incredible human being, whose year in, year in, like for 3 years, he got nothing. And then last year, he got shortlisted. And so he keeps coming back. He's like, hey, you know, he even was on our launch. Like, he's like, I'm not letting this go until I get it right until I, you know.

Yeah.

And I think so the next thing when you get shortlisted is validation. It's like, look, there's something here. And then when you win, it means your market, the people that represent the market, the judges go, yes, this is, this is a cornerstone. This is something to, to look to. So what we've— to answer your question as well is we've brought in PR, Ambition PR, that then guide a lot of speakers how they can monetize, how they can monetize it, how they can really use it for an authority stamp beyond that. So I think if we dial it back for people entering, it helps get dialed in. As you go through the process, it helps you get really, who are you? What do you stand for? What's your key message? What makes you unique? Then if you're shortlisted, the market's going, hmm, there's something interesting here. And then if you win, the market goes, yes, you're in. So it can help them in. And that's when a lot of people really find that the doors open up. Alex Atherton spoke very openly about he'd been trying to get into lots of speaker bureaus and lots of stuff. And then once he won the award, the doors opened a lot easier. He finds he's one of the people that mentioned the conversations around pricing has shifted. Again, we interviewed him. So there's so much it can bring. But more than anything, it's a— I hope it brings your ability to back yourself win or lose. It's a snapshot in time. Like if you don't go through, okay, fine. It's, it's just like a snapshot, right? So either people decide to come back bigger and better, right? Or you can go cool. And it's over there. But you've got clear, you've got really dialed in on who you are as a speaker. And I think for more than anything, that's worthwhile.

And have you seen, for people that have won, is there someone that stands out to you in terms of what they did to maximise the opportunity that having that award and recognition has given them? And I know you're talking about a PR company, but is there someone who, like, they were sort of systematic in trying to leverage this as much as Well, definitely Alex, Alex Atherton.

He's definitely— so he won Newcomer of the Year last year. So I can see it on his social media, on his posts, on his redistribution of videos that he's continuously referring back to winning the award when he won the award. So I can see him like, and he talks about now the level of bookings he gets are much higher. Doors are open a lot easier. Mark Denton, he won a couple of years. He kind of dipped in and dipped out, but he won Booker's Choice.

Yeah.

And he talked about his fees going up as a result. And he was already already very well-paid speaker, right? So he's already making a good living. He's talked about the increase. But the person I could put my hand and kind of— I've got literally tangible— there's a few of them, but really one jumps out is Bonita. Bonita Norris, right? So she won Storyteller of the Year 2 years ago, and last year she won Showreel of the Year. But even like previous, before she'd entered the showreel, she talked about how her bookings had doubled, her fees have increased, um, and she's like, honestly, she— and I've got, you know, because we WhatsApp every and then when I'm like, well, how's your life been since, right? And she literally said, Elliot, I'm telling you, things have doubled. I'm busier. My fees are up. You know, I think she was on— this was last year— on track to do 100 gigs that year. And she does. She says, I mean, she attributes— obviously, she's a great speaker, right? Let's not pretend it is about that.

Yeah.

But she says it, you know, massively thanks to the awards. So, you know, that, that really helps us. And, you know, we don't hear these things because unless we ask, very few people are going to be like, oh, thank you, awards, you've done this for me.

Yeah.

You know, those are winners. And I think you've got to remember there's people behind that that aren't winners, that there's people that are highly commended as well. So they've done well. Yeah. But also, you know, the people that have shortlisted, there's ways you can leverage that. But those are kind of the ones that really jump out. I know Emma Henderson now is really booked and busy. How much she attributes that back to the awards, I don't know, because I haven't asked her, to be honest with you. But I do know, you know, she took her time. She— after she won, she— I think she needed to get everything in line. She's like, well, you know, I want to leverage this award, so I need to make sure everything else matches it. But now I see her just booked all the time. Now, I don't know if that's because of that or not, but, you know, every little bit helps, right?

Yeah. And I think what's— what's clearly coming across is that it's helping people level up their game.

Exactly.

If, you know, even like after she's won, she's like, I need to do XYZ to fully maximize this. If you're applying, you're having to level up your game in terms of positioning and messaging, right? And your personality. So at each level, it helps you level up your game, and that's a benefit. even if nothing else happens, um, to, to entering.

Yeah, absolutely.

So I guess this is the thing, if there is someone sitting there thinking, I'd love to enter but I'm not sure I am good enough as yet, you know, Alex was Best Newcomer last year, you know, what would you say to them?

I'd say, look, there's no guarantees in life, right? And, and you, you fail all the risks you don't take, right? I'd say this, right? What is the worst that can happen? The worst that can happen is you enter and you get nothing. Okay, let's just— that's the worst. But what you have gained is you got really clear, hopefully by the process, on who you are and what you want to be as a speaker. So that in itself makes it worthwhile. Now, who knows, right? Maybe you'll be surprised and you get shortlisted, right? And then who knows, maybe you win. Now, if you listen to the interviews I did do with winners, whether they— I mean, you can sometimes go, okay, they're just saying that. But when all of them say they didn't enter to win, they entered to see how far they could go, and then they won, and then there's something there. So why— you might just surprise yourself. Look, I can't guarantee anything. I can't promise anything, and I won't. But I can promise this, that if you do go through the process, you'll get a lot clearer on who you are as a speaker. From there on, I can't say anything. That's what I'd say. So we've been talking about like the key message is back yourself, just back yourself, go through the process. You don't want to enter 3 categories, enter 1. It's £80, right? That's 2 Starbucks coffees these days, right? And a brownie. Right? So for the price of 2 coffees and a brownie, you know, I think it's worthwhile. That's what I would say to them. Don't underestimate your ability. Don't underestimate what— who you are, because, you know, the judges will have a look at that and either you're through to the next one or you're not. But again, that's just a snapshot. That's just a moment in time. Don't let that define you. And I think a very quick story, if I may. Yeah, go for it. You know, obviously there's the Business Book Awards, and I, a few years ago, entered the Business Book Awards with my 4th book, and I didn't get anywhere. And of course, I was like angry, resentful, pissed off. I'm not part of a clique, I'm not in the right gang, they don't like— you name it, it all went through my mind, which is why a lot of speakers, they win, they don't win. Um, so then what did I do? I then wrote another book to enter the following year, um, which I did, and then I got shortlisted, right? So then when I went to the gala and I didn't win, that's okay, um, but I did get shortlisted. So I come bigger and stronger, and then I got invited as a judge. Now, last 2 years I haven't been able to be a judge at the Business Book Awards. Now, considering I'm dyslexic Pretty good going, right? But I haven't been able to be a judge the last couple of years. However, it opened doors. My point is, I didn't know, right? And I'd got nowhere one year, and then I got shortlisted next. Sure, I could have gone through the whole writing another book with the intention of winning the Business Book Awards. And who knows, maybe the next one I will enter, because I've just finished my 7th one. But the point is, you've got to be in it to win it, right? I know it's a cliché, and you risk everything you don't take. So this risk is quite minimal. Right? And I think the best thing you can do is, is bet on yourself, back yourself, go for the process and see where you land.

Yeah. I think this is the other thing is, it's the other thing, it's what we don't have a lot of in the speaking industry is benchmarking. It is a very subjective, much like acting and everything else, it is subjective. You know, I, when I sit there with the other judges in the second round, they've seen something different to what I've seen and we have a conversation and And we work it out and we come to a decision. But this is an opportunity to benchmark. And there's, you know, there's that business saying which is, you know, if you don't measure it, it doesn't get managed.

Yeah.

And in a sense, you can be thinking that you, you know, there's a reason why you're not getting as many gigs as, or whatever. Like, this is an opportunity for you to like get a stake in the ground, say, I, I am good, or I need to do some work, um, because these are the people that are winning. Um, but you know, as you said, it's not for everyone, but I do think it's an opportunity for you to benchmark yourself, especially if this is a serious career choice for you, right? It's, it's something that you should be looking to do, um, to get better at your craft in your career.

Absolutely, I agree. Well said. I can add nothing to that. Okay.

Right now I want to shift gears slightly.

Okay.

This was a question that you asked me. I'm going to ask you, which is what, what are you seeing across the industry? What do you think speakers should be focusing on in terms of topic? Like, what are you seeing across the industry generally?

I think, I think that a lot of speakers should from your world, definitely focus a lot more on storytelling, um, and, and really investing in emotional connection with an audience.

Yeah.

Um, we have information, we've got lots of information, and plus we've got lots of sources of information. So I think, and I, I, I'm seeing this, is people are craving connection, they're craving authenticity more than I've seen before. I know post-pandemic there was that, but it's increased. And we talked about this, I think, with the rise of AI and the rise of skepticism around content and even video content. People want to feel connected. They want to get a real sense for the person. And we talked about imperfection being a currency. And I'm seeing that more and more. You know, if I, if I think about when I work with speakers a bit like yourself, professional speakers, You know, a lot of our time spent on storytelling, right? You know, even I'm working with Maria Franzoni, the ambassador for the Speaker One Speaker Summit, and I'm not working on her information. We're working on how she tells the story. Yeah. And I think a lot of speakers should uplevel their storytelling more than anything, because I can Google most of the things you're going to tell me. I can ChatGPT it. Like, what can you do that can't be ChatGPT'd or Googled in the room?

Right?

Storytelling, emotional connection, taking an audience on a journey that can— you can still help shift their paradigm and you can help shift who they are, whatever you're trying, whether you're— whatever your topic is. But nothing's gonna replace how you make them feel, right? And that's really important. They're gonna forget what you say anyway, but how you made them feel, that's not gonna shift, right? And, you know, talking about it, I walk my walk. My latest keynote, Watch Me, Watch Me Go, which is the name of my book, I only have 5 slides. That's it. The rest of it, they're all stories. I tell 5 stories and it's all about the watch me attitude, right?

Yeah.

And it's all stories. And I found that's been the most impactful keynote I've ever delivered. And I've delivered a few, right?

Yeah.

So yeah, that's why I think the shift should move to storytelling, emotional connection, authenticity, and really elevating the audience. That's what I would say.

Absolutely. I think all of those things are true. I think I would also add insight and opinion, because I think that, like, we— if you want to be unique as a speaker, your stories are often unique, you know, unless, you know, there are some ones that people sort of share, but like most of the time they're lived experience, they're real stories that, that share that transformation, but also insight and opinion, because like Elliot said, information is cheap. Uh, AI can get you anything, but your insight and your opinion based on your lived experience and your journey are also the unique things that you can bring to the table. Um, and that comes from having that strong foundation of being a being. You normally can get those things when you're an expert, so that shows, you know, where you are. I don't know if that's something you see as well.

Yeah, absolutely. I think, yeah, so adding the opinion and insight, I think, yeah, because again, why would people book you?

Yeah.

And I think the other element to add to everything we said is be absolutely clear on the problem you're solving.

Yeah, definitely. Yeah, definitely.

And I think that's a big part of it. Like, people forget that side of things. So the problem you solve, because that's what you're going to get booked for really. You get paid according to the problem you solve. Now, it's okay to be inspirational, motivational if you want to go into that space. I think my latest keynote is more motivational, inspirational. Yeah, but it still solves a problem of, of a mentality, of an attitude. Yeah, right, definitely. And, um, so I think that's another part.

Absolutely true. Cool, right. So we were talking in the interview about shifts that, you know, some things seem to be shifting, and I wondered if you could share like what you're up to.

Yeah.

And what the future is looking like for you, what you're trying to create and bring into the world.

So I think, first of all, I think there's some internal shifts going on, which will be announced as they, when they happen in terms of the team and the growth. The other aspect is us going international. So once I've got that locked in, we'll announce that. So that's quite good. And we are going to be looking at launching a community platform. So really an online platform that will allow the community to have access to, and our idea is not to become just, I'm going to put out, I do not want to become a training company. We won't be putting trainings on. But what we do want to be is the people that link the people to the trainers, to the coaches. So we're going to build that out, which allows us then, of course, to support the community beyond the marquee events. So that's kind of on our future. Nice.

Excellent. Lots. And then there's the book that will be coming out in the not too distant future.

Yeah, the book will be launched at the Speaker Summit on the 3rd of July. Yes. So I'm actually doing the closing keynote and then launching the book. So I hope people will queue up for it afterwards. But yeah, I've just finished that with the editor. Once the editor's done, I will do the editor's edits. And then actually this evening, I should be having a call with The designer. So it's all happened very quickly because, as I told you offline, I wrote one version and then got feedback that it's not very good. So I had to rewrite, restructure everything, which is what I did. So everything's on a very tight deadline. So, uh, hopefully this evening I'll get a look into what the COVID will look like.

Yeah.

And then I will be able to really move forwards with getting it loaded and getting it Getting the, you know, because you have to get the author copy first and sign that off. And yeah, so we can start all that.

Yeah. Oh, I look forward to seeing that, uh, at the, at the summit. That sounds brilliant. Congratulations. So big, big plans, global expansion, personal expansion, lots going on. So I think one thing that I want to say, I don't know if we've mentioned the time frame. This, uh, show, as the time that it's out there, people will probably have about 7, 6 to 7 days to get their application in. So, um, where's the best place for them to go if they haven't already looked at this?

So thespeakerwards.com, that's the best place to go. It's got access to resources on there, it's got the Q&As, it's got what the judges look at, it's got the code of conduct, it's got everything, everything, everything is on thespeakerwards.com.

Cool. All in one place. All in one place. You've got, you know, based on what we've been saying, you've got nothing to lose to have a go, um, get on the field, out of the stands, and, uh, and give yourself your best shot. And where's— is there anywhere else that people should go to find out more about you, Elliot, what you're up to, or connect with you? Where's the best place for people to, to go?

I think the best place— thanks, great question— um, is to go to LinkedIn. Elliot Kay, spelled correctly, E-L-L-I-O-T K-A-Y. Just say, you know, I'm— I heard you on Sarah Deliver Us Podcast just to say hello. And that's probably the best place. I mean, I'm not gonna say— I've got so many websites, there's no point sending them. Like, I just— that is the place where I'm most active. I post daily. You can access me, email me, or DM me is LinkedIn.

Cool. And there is one I have— we've spoken before, so you've been on the show, you've had the standard questions. I'm going to ask you the last question just to check in, um, before we wrap up. If you could have one mentor, alive or dead, fictional or non-fictional, who would you choose and why?

Oh gosh, that's an interesting one. You know, I guess because he's just on my periphery right now because I followed the TV show the last— well, I've been throwing it— because I've got to work with a few of the apprentices. And this year we have a judge who was on The Apprentice a couple of years ago. And actually, he His story's quite interesting because he won an award in the very first Speaker Award.

Cool.

Um, and he didn't show up. He's one of the ones that didn't show up. I went, um, welcome Frederick, and he didn't show up. And then he told me later that he was so broke that he couldn't attend. But now it's all changed, obviously full circle. He's now a judge. So, and we talk about this in the podcast with him. And so I think because he's on my periphery, I think Alan Sugar would be someone that I would Interesting. To be a mentor. You know, I just feel that, you know, A, there's no nonsense, but B, I do think he really believes in who he invests in. I don't think that's a line. I think it's true. And he likes to back underdogs. And also, like, Watch Me is a little bit of an underdog story. So I think if he— if we were to bump in and say, hey, I think I'd go with Alan Sugar right now. Brilliant.

Well, you never know. He may by some route get hold of this, and he wants to expand globally, so he'd be a good investment. He's done some good stuff, so there you go.

Hopefully he doesn't think I'm some schmuck, you know. Cool. That's after his money.

Exactly. Make, make him money, more like. Yeah, cool. Um, good. So, well, thank you so much for coming back on the show and sharing more about the Speaking Speaker Awards and and how it can help people and, you know, and all of that good stuff. And I just want to wish you best of luck. I'm looking forward to getting my, uh, judges, uh, training upgrade, you know, retraining, and then all the applications. So I'm— I think it's going to be exciting to be part of it again. So brilliant, thank you for putting the whole thing on.

Thank you for being a part of it.

I hope you got a lot of value from that. There was some interesting things there, both about how you can give yourself the best opportunity for success, uh, if you're thinking about entering the speaking awards, perhaps what you need to do to get ready or feel ready to enter the awards next year, what you can do to stand out as a speaker, what's going on in the industry. It's a real behind-the-curtains look, and I hope you found that helpful. Um, the thing is, like, it's not about just being talented or intentional. It's thinking about how you show up, how you position yourself, and how you can make it easy for people to say yes to you. So, if you're thinking about entering the awards this year, or even if you're not, this might be a good moment to ask yourself, am I operating at the level I want to be recognised for? Whether that's bookings or fees, platforms, are you operating at that level? Or are you demonstrating visibly that you're operating at that level? Might be a better question. So if you want to find out about the Speaker Awards, I'll put the links in the show notes. Basically, thespeakerawards.com is where you need to go. Go and find Elliot on LinkedIn or elsewhere if you have anything that you want to say to him, give him feedback, comment, ask questions. He'll be available to you on that medium. And if you know there is someone who's ready to step up their speaking game, maybe send them this episode too. Well, until next time, thanks so much for watching or listening to the show. If you haven't yet subscribed to the YouTube channel, do that, and if you've got a question or a comment, leave it below. We'd love to hear those. If you're listening on any of the other platforms, podcast platforms— Apple, Spotify, Amazon, or podcast app. Do subscribe if you like what you hear. Leave a rating or review where you're listening, or you can do it at ratethispodcast.com/tsc. I really appreciate you taking the time to do that, to leave an honest review, because it helps us, you know, promote the show to other people that might need help with their speaking, storytelling, humour, and all that good stuff. So until next time, don't you 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!