Make Marketing Suck Less

A Rebel Speaker Christmas Wish

One of the things I do with speakers to help them find that message that they want to be known for is a free writing exercise where I give them the prompt:

I believe …

They go ahead and they write a manifesto of sorts of what they believe about their area of expertise, their industry, the audience they serve.

Sometimes it goes into about life itself when they are really on a roll.

I've realized after 83 episodes of The Rebel Speaker Podcast that I have never shared what my I believe list is.

I've never shared what I am trying to create in the speaking industry and for the speakers that I serve.

I wanted to end this season of The Rebel Speaker Podcast with my Christmas wish for you by sharing what I believe about the speaking industry and what I would like to see created. Here we go.

Prefer to Listen?

I believe in integrity and producing results for everyone who comes in contact with my message.

I believe as a speaker your number one responsibility is to your audience.

I believe your ideas, experience, and expertise are valuable and that you should be paid for them.

I believe women and people of color should be represented on every stage, not just the white men.

I believe that organizations that claim to “empower women” but don't pay their speakers are keeping women trapped in a cycle of giving their labor away for free.

I believe women and people of color should be paid for speaking and I believe they should be paid as well as the men for their time on stage.

I believe in the power of your big idea to get you known as a speaker.

I believe that you have got to have a speech that is worth paying for.

I believe selling from the stage is psychological manipulation of your audience that puts the speakers' needs ahead of their audience and turns those people into cash machines instead of human beings.

I believe that your flaws, failures, and foibles make you stand out, and it's the reason why your message can be so impactful.

I believe in the power of your rants and raves to attract and keep an audience engaged.

I believe if you're using a formula to speak, you'll sound just like everyone else. I believe there are a million and one ways to do public speaking well.

I don't believe in emulating your heroes and doing exactly what they did. Your path will look so different from theirs.

I believe that being a me too speaker is a fast track to obscurity.

I believe you should stop calling yourself a motivational speaker because you deliver so much more to your audience than fleeting motivation.

I don't believe in vulnerability as a persuasive technique.

I believe you don't need a big story to be a sought-after speaker. In fact, so many of those rags to riches stories might be a bit embellished and can be slightly manipulating towards the audience.

I believe in the free will of your audience. Make your case and see if they buy in to your way of thinking.

I believe that all public speaking must do blog posts are merely suggestions and not rules.

I believe in creating a speech like your next best-selling product.

I believe in putting yourself out there before you feel ready, especially if you don't feel ready.

I believe the imposter complex is a very real thing that holds us back from getting on stage and sharing our message more than the fear of public speaking.

I believe content is confidence.

I believe great content never has an off day on the platform.

I believe show delivery is forgotten quickly but a great message with a transformation is always remembered.

I believe that inspiration is cheap and action is priceless.

I believe in one sentence causing a huge transformation to your audience.

Most importantly, I believe in you.

I believe in you, the person reading this right now, that you can create the impact that you want to make in the world.

Merry Christmas, rebel speakers. I believe in you.

P.S.  We are going on a brief hiatus for the next few weeks to enjoy the holiday season with our family and friends. During that time we're going to be featuring the best of The Rebel Speaker from the archives. I hope you enjoy those episodes. I will see you in the new year, where we will be making some bold waves and making a bigger difference.