It's time for more women to get on stage: the keys to success in the speaking business

Suzanne Evans Build Your Speaking Biz Bootcamp

Written by Krystal Covington

"Most speakers are men, that's just the reality of our industry." I learned this illuminating fact at Suzanne Evans' Build Your Speaking Biz Bootcamp. 

On the stage sat 5 professional event planners whose job is to book speakers for events throughout the year. They shared some of their best tips for how speakers can get noticed by event planners like themselves, but when a woman asked the question "how can I stand out as a speaker?" the response was simple. 

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The event planners explained that as a woman, she'll already stand out amongst the thousands of men in the industry. Naturally the next question posed was whether there is a bias in play that holds women back from success in the business, but the response from Larry Winget was that if a woman can pull in a bigger audience than a man, she'll get the gig -- the bias is money. 

So what do women need to do in order to be successful in the speaking business? Here are a few of the tips shared by the expert panel. 

• Get clear about your message
• Have a "sizzle reel" to showcase your skills
• Network with event planners to get on their radar
• Practice! Get on stage as much as you can

The message that continues to come up at this event is that speaking is the quickest path to success in business and the key to becoming a speaker is building your personal brand. You must differentiate yourself, market yourself and build a reputation for what you're great at. When you do that (and put in the physical work to make it happen) you'll reach the success you dream of. ​

KRYSTAL COVINGTON

Read my story to find out why I started Women of Denver and the history behind our development.

I'm an MBA who has planned events with budgets up to $50,000, led the launch of multi-million dollar products, worked directly with Fortune 500 executives and helped lots of small business owners build their businesses. I'm also a communication specialist  with experience in multi-media production and an expert in the art of human connection & social influence. ​​