Don't be a speaker, be the speaker. Ryan Foland speaks with Ryan Avery. Ryan Avery went from never having spoke on stage to winning the Toastmasters World Championships, launching his career as a public speaker. However, it took 3-4 years before he hit the professional level. Now he is booked for 75 international keynotes a year. Sprinkled with acronyms and new words, this entertainingly insightful interview shares ideas on how to transition from public to professional speaker, how to connect with your audience, and some key strategies for growing your speaking business. Listen to this podcast to find out: 1. The main key to speaking: which is to speak how you like to be taught. 2. How finding your key, niche topic can set you apart from other speakers and help you excel in your career. 3. How to find success in your business by curating content, curating new content, curating stories, curating things. 4. Why it is essential to hit your audience with something valuable to them in the first 60 seconds if you want immediate engagement. 5. What the difference is between Toastmasters and the NSA, and how to use both to hone your speaking skills and build your business.

Preparation, practice, prayer, presence. Ryan Foland speaks with Tara Jaye Frank, leadership development expert, speaker, and writer of “Say Yes: A Woman's Guide to Advancing her Professional Purpose”. Tara Jaye speaks internationally on topics such as leading with purpose, inclusion as a business driver, emotional intelligence, and advancing women. Listen to this podcast to find out: 1. The 4 things Tara Jaye does for each talk: preparation, practice, prayer and presence. 2. How to find out what motivates the event organizer, and why this is essential for ensuring you can offer a talk that meets their needs. 3. Why being clear on your talk's storyline is more dynamic than rotely memorizing your talk. 4. Ideas on how to maintain presence both onstage and in daily conversations. 5. Ryan and Tara Jaye’s thoughts on finding the right balance for what you share on social media.

The neuroscience of audience engagement. Ryan Foland speaks with, David Meerman Scott, a professional speaker and marketing strategist. He has authored several books on marketing, including “The New Rules of Marketing and PR” and is one of the forefront thoughts-leaders on using content marketing to connect with audiences. In this jam-packed podcast, Ryan and David explore how to connect personally and individually with audience members as a strategy for growing your fan base. For high-level speakers, David shares his insights on using speaker bureaus to get more bookings. Listen to this podcast to find out: 1. What David learned about being a speaker from going to 75 Grateful Dead concerts. 2. The neuroscience of audience interaction, and how simple things like walking directly into the audience or live streaming videos can help you build a strong connection with your audience. 3. How to incorporate audience engagement into your talk naturally. 4. A surefire way of building a loyal audience by cultivating fans one by one. 5. Should you go exclusive with a bureau or not? What can you do to stay top-of-mind with bureaus and agents?

Ryan Foland speaks with Shep Hyken, a customer service expert and thought-leader. He is a National Speakers Association hall of fame speaker, and a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. Ryan and Shep talk about how to progress your career as a professional speaker, with a variety of ideas on how to build your business depending on what level you are (entry level to seasoned pro). Listen to this podcast to find out: - The different types and levels of speakers, who makes the most money, and how to take your business to the next level. - The newest trends for the speaking industry (Spoiler: it legit includes holograms. - How to break an audience from their preoccupations when you first get onto a stage. - A technique on how to memorize your talk (that will make it seem seamlessly natural). - Niche or broad? How and why you need to hone in on your messaging.

Building credibility through podcasting. Ryan Foland speaks with Mary Drumond, a fellow podcaster who hosts the show The Voices of Customer Experience. In her podcast she interviews CX thought-leaders, executives, researchers, academia and Customer Experience front-liners. She is also editor-in-chief of the Voices of CX Blog. Ryan and Mary talk about how speakers can use podcasting as another stage, helping to build your credibility as a speaker while acting as a showreel for both your speaking style and expertise. Listen to this podcast to find out: 1. How to get started creating your own podcast. 2. Whether or not you should pay for platforms and tools right from the start 3. Why it is essential to stay on top of marketing trends, even as they change rapidly. 4. How to use podcasts to build your credibility and brand

Mastering Facebook Live. Ryan Foland speaks with Mari Smith, the Queen of Facebook. She is one of the world’s foremost experts on Facebook marketing, and has been featured on Forbes’ perennial Top Social Media Power Influencers lists. As an author and speaker, she shares insights on the latest trends and best practices for businesses looking to increase their social influence and build their businesses with social media. Ryan and Mari talk a lot about how speakers can use Facebook, and specifically Facebook Live to engage their audiences and build a stronger, more loyal following. If you’ve been thinking it’s about time to master Facebook marketing, this is a great place to start. Listen to this podcast to find out: - Why you should consider hosting Facebook Live sessions as a pro speaker to build your audience and credibility. - The tools you need to make great, professional Live videos - Why many speakers are late to adopt Live streaming, and how to overcome common fears - The biggest trend right now in digital speaking, and why you should consider being an early adopter - Where to look when making a Live video

Cultivating a powerful voice. Ryan Foland speaks with Arthur Samuel Joseph, the founder and chairman of the Vocal Awareness Institute. Arthur is widely-recognized as one of the world’s foremost communication strategists and authorities on the human voice. He teaches communication mastery through a disciplined regimen of highly-specific techniques designed to cultivate an embodied and enhanced leadership presence, as well as personal presence, through body language techniques, vocal warm-ups, and storytelling skills. Ryan and Arthur discuss how speakers can be their most authentic selves on stage, how to increase their credibility, and how to make an impact on audiences through their most powerful tool — their voice. Listen to this podcast to find out: 1. Why you need to stop thinking about your talk as a presentation, and start thinking of it as a performance. 2. How to center yourself and your breath to access your most powerful voice. 3. Why it is essential to use pauses to create space in your speech for maximum effectiveness. 4. What “Vocal Awareness” is and how to cultivate it. 5. A simple and powerful exercise that will help you speak with authenticity and resonance. In the interview, Arthur mentions resources available to World of Speakers listeners. You can find those resources at https://vocalawareness.com/world/

Humor, storytelling, and 14 ways to get more bookings. In this episode of World of Speakers, our host Ryan Foland talks to Ty Bennett, the founder of Leadership Inc., a speaking and training company, and writer of four best-selling books on leadership. Ty gives roughly a hundred talks a year, and was one of the youngest speakers ever to receive the CSP Designation from the National Association of Speakers – less than 5% of the world’s speakers earn this honor. Ryan and Ty explore key topics like how to use humor and storytelling to connect with audiences. Ty offers a lot of great advice on how to market yourself as a speaker, and explains the 14 things he does to make sure his booking calendar stays brimming. Listen to this podcast to find out: 1. The 14 things Ty does to get more bookings (he gets booked roughly 100x a year) 2. The importance of humor and how to use it on stage 3. How to use the “struggle to solution” storytelling model to help your audiences. 4. The long-game of getting booked, and why repeat bookings are essential. 5. Why, as a speaker, you need to be making the most of video and podcasts to market your ideas and build your brand.

How to get on more stages. Ryan Foland speaks with Laura Gassner Otting, an international speaker who talks about success and living life by your own standards, not those of others. She inspires audiences around the world to push past the doubt and indecision that hold them back—including those speakers who feel stuck on small stages. In this candid and free flowing talk, Ryan and Laura discuss numerous topics, from how to use video effectively, to stand up comedy, to how to make meaningful connections with event organizers, audiences and other speakers to build your network and excel in your speaking career. Listen to this podcast to find out: - How to get on bigger stages - Why video is an essential marketing tool, and how to get started - Why watching stand-up might be a better way to learn about audience engagement than TED Talks - The benefits of being able to speak off-the-cuff, and some tips on how to do it. - How to bounce back when you make a mistake or get rejected.

Ryan Foland speaks with Shane Barker, a professional speaker marketing expert. Shane has been recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Influencer Marketing, and teaches at UCLA on personal branding and influencer marketing. In this fast-paced and funny podcast, Ryan and Shane talk about how to use networking to increase your influence and get more bookings. Even if you are not speaking, events are some of the best places to get your name out there and meet new people who can help you build your speaking career. Listen to this podcast to find out: - How to use networking events to springboard your speaking career - Ideas on how to engage your audience right off the bat, and why this is essential if you want to make an impact. - How entertaining your audience increases the chance that your message will get through to them. - What you can do to level-up your networking skills, and how they will give you the edge over your competition. - Whether or not gingers have souls. (Just kidding, but there is a fair bit of ginger camaraderie that may make you laugh.)