World of Speakers

Level-up your speaking business. Ryan Foland speaks with Josh Linkner, a high-level speaker, jazz musician, tech entrepreneur, and New York Times bestselling author. Get ready for a whirlwind of tips and tricks for building your speaking business. Ryan and Josh dive right into some high-level advice for emerging and mid-level speakers. This interview is jammed packed with advice that speakers at all levels can start using immediately. The advice will make an impact on your business and help you reach the next level. Listen to this podcast to find out: - Clear and practical advice on the 7 things you need to make money as a speaker. - Why you need a very specific niche as a speaker and how it will set you apart and get you hired. - Whether or not you should consider working with a speaker’s bureau. - Why you need a super-fast response time when it comes to emails and offers. - How to structure your presentation to make the greatest impact.

Creating value and connections with your talks. Ryan Foland speaks with Drew Dudley, a dynamic and fascinating speaker whose viral TED Talk has been voted “one of the 15 most inspirational TED talks of all time.” Ryan and Drew cover a wide range of fantastically helpful topics in this podcast that range from how to effectively tell stories that connect with your audience, to how to get more bookings and become a highly-valuable speaker. Listen to this podcast to find out: - A practical guide to authentically living your values - Anecdotes or stories? How to connect and teach your audience - Reverse engineering: how to sell your talk to organizers, which will get you more bookings - Why being useful is better than being motivational or inspirational - How to overcome nerves and connect with your audience when you first start speaking on stages - Why you need to become a truly amazing speaker before investing in marketing your speaking business.

Use brain science to boost your confidence. Ryan Foland speaks with Alyssa Dver, an author, speaker and Chief Confidence Officer at the American Confidence Institute. They dive into the neurology and psychology of confidence. What does real confidence look like? We often think it is simply the opposite to acting insecurely, but Alyssa gives us a new perspective in this episode—real confidence is the ability to stop making everything about you—you are secure and able to go make change happen in the world. But how do you get there? And how to you reach inside yourself and pull out confidence when times get a little rough (like before you get on stage, or during an encounter in a difficult relationship)? The key might come from brain science. Listen to this podcast to find out: - What is happening in our brains when we start feeling insecure. - Why you need to be an expert listener if you want to succeed at speaking. - Three practices you can start today to grow a more robust sense of confidence. - Why we need more empathetic pitching and storytelling (Spoiler: Adapt stories and pitches to the listener.) - Why it has become harder to get paid to speak—and what you can do about it.

Ryan Foland speaks with Cathey Armillas, a marketing strategist, speaker, and TED Coach who helps speakers figure out what their core idea is, how to package it as a message, and how to market that message. Ryan and Cathey dive into why the TED format works, and why finding your core idea is essential to finding the right audience and getting that audience on board with your message, and take action. Listen to this podcast to find out: - How to figure out your core idea and how this can impact how you structure your talk. - What it takes to get on the TED stage, and why this might not be for every speaker. - What modern audiences are looking for and why engagement has to be at the forefront. - Why you need to find something the audiences cares about that links your whole talk together. - How diversifying your offerings can help you reach more people and bring in more revenue. (Spoiler: it’s not all about the keynote.)

Consciously creating how you feel on stage. Ryan Foland speaks with Cameron Brown, a truly inspiring musician, networker, speaker and coach who believes in the power of building relationships when networking before trying to build your business. Ryan and Cameron dive into a number of topics, and give great insights on how to use psychological hacks to both build your business and overcome nervousness on stage. Cameron also gives advice on how to maximize your networking effectiveness on LinkedIn. Listen to this podcast to find out: - Why you always need to be provide an experience to your audience, this is what will fill the room—not a perfectly polished performance. - 3 things to always “mentally pack in your suitcase” before you get on stage. - A very practical behavioral hack that will help you deal with nervousness or pre-performance anxiety. - How our psychological practice of deleting, distorting, and generalizing can either harm or help us on stage. - How to put strategies in place that will help you build your business long-term instead of just the short-term. - How to use LinkedIn by leveraging online contacts to make them real life contacts.

Don’t be afraid to muss it up. Ryan Foland speaks with Sally Zimney, a professional speaking coach, podcaster and trainer. Sally’s expertise lies in helping speakers connect on a deeper, more human level with their audience. In this fun and fast-moving talk, Sally and Ryan explore what to do when things go wrong on stage—and how it can ultimately work to your benefit when they do. Listen to this podcast to find out: - The 3 things you need to do when things go wrong. - Why being perfect and polished is actually a turn-off for audiences, and stands between you building a connection with them. - How to tell stories that will really resonate. - How to find the right balance of authenticity that won’t repel your audience. - The three boxes you need to check before you can transition into paid speaking.

Leadership and speakership. Ryan Foland speaks with Vince Molinaro, a top business strategist who specializes in speaking, and writing, about leadership. Vince has spoken in 70 cities over the past 2 years about what he has learned about how to lead, and in this conversation Ryan and Vince look at the similarities between being a speaker and a leader. The key topic in this interview is the “contract” speakers sign up to when they decide to become a speaker: while it might seem like a lucrative profession, it requires a lot responsibility and accountability—something not all speakers realize. If you want to be a truly influential speaker, you need to practice what you preach and always be offering value to your audience. Listen to this podcast to find out: - The mindset and practices needed to be a deliberate and decisive leader and speaker. - Why to be a good leader and speaker you need to have an unrelenting focus on your audience. - What the four terms are that every speaker (and leader) needs to agree to if they want to influence and impact. - Why you can’t just copy another speaker, and the impact finding your authentic path can have on your career.

A supportive network of speakers. Ryan Foland speaks with Lance Miller, an award-winning speaker and leadership and communication coach, Lance has spoken as a guest on over 150 television and talk radio shows and delivered over 5,000 presentations in more than 55 countries. Ryan and Lance explore what it means to be a successful speaker, and the route that Lance took to get there. They cover important topics like audience engagement, getting paid, and the importance of have a strong support network of other professional speakers.

Ryan Foland speaks with Manoj Vasudevan, the 2017 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking. Manoj is an introvert who has used his engineering background to analyze top speakers, ultimately leading him to be one of the world’s best speakers. Ryan and Manoj talk extensively about how to go from good to great, and why you need to perfect your keynote if you want to take your speaking to the next level. They also discuss audience engagement, and how to build your influence effectively from the stage. Listen to this podcast to learn about - The keynote revenue model and the critical components in your keynote that get you booked to speak. - 3 milestones in speaking that every professional speaker needs to know about to be more effective and get rehired to speak. - Branding and marketing your keynote - Why your audience has to be front and center of your focus. - A simple formula for crafting content that will ensure you meet the needs of your audience.

Giving audiences what they want. Ryan Foland speaks with Mitch Jackson, a mastermind when it comes to law. He is a lawyer, speaker and consultant who has been awarded the California Trial Lawyer of the Year. He shared insights on how to win over audiences and communicate effectively. Ryan and Mitch cover a handful of great topics, and Mitch provides great advice on many areas of audience engagement, presenting skills, and how to master social media. Listen to this podcast to find out: -How to communicate effectively, make clear points, and be a good negotiator. - Why live streaming can be a game changer for your marketing strategy. - What to talk about on social media and why it matters. - How to master your presentation introduction to get immediate buy in (plus 3 very helpful tips on how to create a great one.) - What audiences want: how to figure it out and then offer it to them.