On this episode of the program I’m joined by Grant Baldwin. Grant is the founder of The Speaker Lab, a training company that helps public speakers learn how to find and book speaking gigs. He’s also the author of the book The Successful Speaker: Five Steps for Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform.

Through his popular podcast The Speaker Lab and flagship coaching program Booked and Paid to Speak, Grant has coached and worked with thousands of speakers. As a keynote speaker, Grant has delivered nearly one thousand presentations to over 500,000 people in 47 states and has keynoted events for audiences as large as 13,000. Grant has also been featured in national media including Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and Huffington Post. He now lives near Nashville, Tennessee, with his wife, Sheila, and their three daughters.

I’m happy to have Grant return to the podcast to share some of the ideas and insights he presents in his new book. I look to Grant as someone who knows his stuff about being a successful speaker and there’s plenty you can learn from what he shares during our discussion.

Talking Points

What made Grant decide to take all his lessons and work from his speaking gigs and put them into a book?

This is the step that Grant thinks is overlooked too often

How does a budding speaker still come off as authentic but not too polished or over-rehearsed?

How do you keep in mind while speaking that people want you to relate to them and don’t necessarily care about your thoughts on something?

How does Grant suggest dealing with the patience aspect of getting good at speaking… and everything that comes along with that?

This is Grant’s views on slides as a tool for speaking gigs

How has Grant balanced the travelling life of a speaker with his family life?

These are the steps Grant takes when he’s building a talk

Quote

“It’s not an overnight thing… and so one of the things we tell speakers all the time is this is simple but it’s not easy.”

Helpful Links

The Successful Speaker: Five Steps for Booking Gigs, Getting Paid, and Building Your Platform

Comedian

thespeakerlab.com/book

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