Speakers' Circuit Not Just Talk
The Globe and Mail
- Report on Business (Sept. 29, 2004)
By Wallace Immen
Speaking can become a lucrative career for those who do it well. But the pros say that only a select few can ever aspire to the elite ranks, WALLACE IMMEN finds
David Crisp can still remember the free-falling clutch he felt in his stomach as he stepped up to give his first speech before an audience -- his Grade 5 class.
"I was shaking, terrified and I was very shy," he says.
But in the years since, constant practice and the help of clubs and associations for speakers have made him extremely comfortable in front of audiences of dozens or thousands.
Three years ago, at the age of 55, Mr. Crisp retired from a career as vice-president of human resources at Hudson's Bay Co. and joined the full-time speaking circuit, giving talks on leadership and goal-setting.
Speaking can become a lucrative career for those who do it well. But those who run professional speakers organizations say that only a select few can ever aspire to the elite ranks.
"The world is seeking experts. In the past, there was room for people who were just eloquent but now people don't want to be just motivated -- they want to walk out of the room with something they can apply," says Linda Tarrant, past president of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.
Since being founded in Toronto in 1997, the professional organization has grown to include 400 national members and hundreds more in 11 regional chapters, Ms. Tarrant says.
To be a member and get listed on the organization's website, a speaker has to have had a minimum of 20 fee-paid engagements within the past year.
The typical keynote speaking fee in Canada is in four digits.
There is very heavy competition for the attention of booking agents, who work with meeting planners to match speakers with themes.
"We certainly don't have to go out and actively look for new speakers, because there are so many," says Martin Perelmuter, president of Speakers' Spotlight.
The Toronto-based bureau represents about 300 Canadian speakers who receive at least $5,000 for a presentation.
It receives at least 500 requests a year from speakers who would like to be added to the roster, Mr. Perelmuter says.
Speakers who succeed must be able to meet the changing expectations of their audiences, Mr. Perelmuter says.
Before the agency takes on anyone, it has to get a good sense of their effectiveness by seeing them perform in several venues live or on video.
There has been a notable shift in the kind of message that clicks with an audience, says Greg Powell, principal of Canadian Speakers Bureau in Vancouver, which represents people who want to do regular presentations for pay at conferences and corporate meetings.
The bureau is now getting so many applications it can take on only about 10 per cent of those who apply.
"A lot of them are people who have a day job and come to us because they want to do motivational speaking," Mr. Powell says.
He says the presentations in demand from meeting planners are those that have an uplifting or educational component to their message.
"Especially if it's in a long technical seminar," he adds. "Meeting planners are saying 'don't give us more handouts or sell a $100 set of tapes.' "
He says listeners are most responsive to speakers who give a personal message of how they overcame financial or life challenges, and which involve the audience in the presentation.
There is a big difference between Canada and the United States, where there is an increasing emphasis on flash and sizzle, Mr. Perelmuter says.
"I think Canadian audiences still want to be entertained but they want more substance. If a speaker has a good sense of humour, it is always more effective at getting across the message and connecting with an audience," he says.
"They are still looking to the person up there as the expert, but today, people in the audience want to be part of the discussion," says Theresa Beenken, vice-president of the Vancouver-based National Speakers Bureau, which just marked its 30th anniversary.
"With the downtrend in the tech sector and post 9/11, I find that speakers whose topics are back to the basics are really in demand. Topics like building trust and communication are hitting home," she says.
Motivation and inspiration are also more in demand in uncertain times, "but, again, there has to be strong content."
Toronto-based Mike Lipkin, president of the motivation division of Environics Research Group, is one of the busiest motivational speakers in Canada these days, Mr. Perelmuter says.
"He delivers a meat-and-potatoes message about looking at all the stuff going on and what you have to do to navigate though a fast changing world."
Mr. Perelmuter considers former Ontario NDP leader Stephen Lewis one of the most effective speakers in Canada today.
"It's partly a gift he has with the spoken word but he is very comfortable being who he is and speaking his mind. His speaking style reflects his personality," says Mr. Perelmuter, who notes that, when it comes to style, he advises speakers to go with whatever they're comfortable with.
Mr. Lewis speaks from the podium with notes, while many speakers today have taken to using multi-media tools and moving around the stage in a seemingly impromptu style.
"An effective presentation doesn't have to be a performance, although, obviously, when you are speaking to an audience of 1,000, you may have to be more animated to get your message across," Mr. Perelmuter says.
A recent trend is toward demand for speakers who put current events in context.
Among the hottest speakers in the National Speakers Bureau's roster at the moment is former Canadian Forces Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire, who uses his experience heading the United Nations assistance missions in Rwanda and Uganda to discuss human conflict, ethics and moral decision-making.
A new arrival on the speaking circuit is former prime minister Jean Chrétien, who signed an exclusive contract with the Washington-based agency Leading Authorities, Inc. Spokeswoman Debbi Saylor says the agency will not disclose his speaking fee.
The comments of former government leaders are in demand. Harper's Magazine reports former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger is regularly booked at fees in excess of $30,000 (U.S.), and Newsweek magazine reported in 2002 that former president Bill Clinton expects speaking fees of $125,000.
Mr. Crisp started at it part-time but now he's a rookie in the full-time speaking circuit, hoping to break into the big leagues, where names in demand such as Rex Murphy or Mr. Lewis can command and get $10,000 (Canadian) or more for a keynote presentation.
So far he's only getting paid for about 30 per cent of the presentations he makes on his "five invisible principles of personal and leadership effectiveness that can draw you magnetically toward your goals."
Mr. Crisp acknowledges that "it can be difficult to make a living, at least until I can fall back on a pension and consulting but my goal is to make this a new career."
The almost-daily practice has taught him tips for clicking with audiences that he is happy to share.
The golden rule, he says, is never to let a negative audience member get under your skin.
"I have had tough audiences, and it's not always easy to predict. Sometimes they just come into the room ready to disagree with you. There's nothing you can do about that, so you shouldn't focus on it," Mr. Crisp says.
He always starts with warming up the audience.
"Public speaking is building a relationship with the audience. At the start, they don't know you, and you don't know them. If you jump right in and treat the audience as if they are your closest friends, in most cases, it is overpowering."
As the talk progresses, and the audience feels more comfortable, a speaker can take more risks in terms of making jokes or observations, Mr. Crisp finds.
But there will always be a spectrum of reactions in the audience. "You will also find one or two people who nod their heads positively and practically leap out of their seats," he says.
However, "there will always be someone who sighs or shakes their head and rolls their eyes at everything you say."
He says you can't let that get you down. "A friend of mine who is a very popular public speaker believes there are at least 40 reasons why people will get up and walk out while you are speaking. So never assume it is because of you.
"You really have to remember you are talking to the whole group. The true goal is to move the largest number of people."
And it's vital to know your material. "An axiom of the speaking business is that even an impromptu speech is the product of three days of preparation. It's not that you memorize the lines, but you remember what got a good response and you use it again."
The amount of preparation should be the same no matter what size group you are speaking to, Mr. Crisp has found. And while speaking to a small group is more natural and personal, big groups shouldn't be intimidating.
"Big groups often have a tremendous amount of energy, especially if they are in a theatre. It's powerful and you can build on it and get them laughing.
"Laughing is definitely better than having them screaming," he says. "You can have them cry, but you'd rather have them laugh."
Fees of the pros
Here is what some of Canada's top speakers expect to get for a presentation:
$10,000 and up:
Olympic medalist Donovan Bailey
Astronaut Roberta Bondar
TV host Mike Bullard
Boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
Canadian Forces Lt.-Gen. Roméo Dallaire
Actress Margot Kidder
Reform Party founder Preston Manning
TV host David Suzuki
$5,000-$10,000:
Entertainer Dave Broadfoot
Football coach Michael "Pinball" Clemons
CTV commentator Mike Duffy
Columnist Allan Fotheringham
"Man in Motion" Rick Hansen
Olympian Silken Laumann
Former Ontario NDP leader
Stephen Lewis
Maureen McTeer
Columnist Peter Newman
Globe and Mail columnist Jeffrey Simpson
Up to $5,000
Radio host Andy Barrie
Entertainer Luba Goy
Margaret Trudeau
Source: Speakers' Spotlight
Tips to successful public speaking
Know the room. Arrive early and practise using the microphone and visual aids.
Know the audience. Standing near the door and chatting with people as they enter will make it seem like speaking to friends rather than strangers.
Know your material. Practise and revise until you are comfortable with the contents of your presentation.
Relax. Ease tension by doing breathing or stretching exercises.
Visualize yourself giving your speech. See yourself speaking clearly and with assurance and being successful.
Realize people want you to succeed. They want to be interested, informed and entertained and are rooting for you.
Don't apologize. If you mention nervousness or apologize for a problem you have, you call the audience's attention to something they might not have otherwise noticed. Keep it to yourself.
Concentrate on the message and your audience rather than yourself and the stage.
Turn your nervousness into positive energy and enthusiasm.
Gain experience. Make presentations regularly to stay confident in your skills.
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