22 Words That Will Get You Speaking Gigs (with Joel Weldon)

 

Joel Weldon is the first guest I've ever had who wrote the introduction to the podcast episode for me.

He's also the first to have a timer on so he could make sure we didn't go over 30 minutes.

You get it, the guy's a pro.

And it makes sense. He's a Hall of Fame speaker who's been speaking for over four decades and is a true legend in the speaking industry—having been paid to speak at over 3,000 events and personally coached over 10,000 speakers. 

In this episode, we talked about how to why you need to research your audience ahead of time, how to make your speech about them and the 22 words you need to know if you want speaking gigs. 

(Know you want to work with him? You can go ahead and book here.)

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TRANSCRIPT:

Anna: Well, as you know, you're here because this podcast meets your needs as writers, entrepreneurs and business owners. And you also know how important it is for you to communicate effectively. Warren Buffett, considered the greatest investor that ever lived, made this bold statement, you can improve your value by 50% by learning public speaking, and communication skills. And I'm here to tell you, that's true. And that's why I invited Joel Weldon to be our guest today. So for over 40 years, he's been a Hall of Fame professional speaker and speaking skills coach, having been paid to speak at over 3,000 events. And he has personally coached over 10,000 speakers, including yours truly. He has a very different approach on how to be an even better speaker, which you'll pick up on in this interview. And I can tell you that it works. He trained me when I was lucky enough to speak at the Genius Network annual event, alongside such luminaries as Tony Robbins. And Joel was so patient and worked with me and not only on my delivery and content, but he also gave me this fabulous idea, which was to hold up a sign, which I never would have thought of. So, without further ado, welcome, Joel.

Joel: Well, thank you, Anna.

Anna: That was a brilliant introduction and listeners, because you know, I believe in full disclosure, I will tell you, the Joel wrote that, ah, was that good. It's another thing he does. So hello, and welcome, and thank you for being here. It's an honor to have you on the show.

Joel: Well, it truly is to and as you're listening as an author, you’re here, because you get something out of Anna's show, you get something that you can turn around and put into action. And that's all that counts, you know. Ideas are worthless unless you use them. So this discussion as you read is going to really be about how you can take your book, and use that to get more speaking engagements, how you can get paid to speak, and then more importantly, how to speak even more effectively. You can get speaking engagements, and not do a very good job, it's not going to get you anywhere. You and I have both seen people at Genius get their start by giving a 10-minute talk.

Anna: Joel, personally, coaches, every single person, I go to tell you at Genius Network, I've never seen a bad talk there. Ever.

Joel: Well, I don't coach ever, I coach all the 10-minute talks, and many of the guest speakers, but we have some guest speakers that don't really want to be coached. And it's not so much coaching, it's just helping them understand their audience, which is the first thing that you need to think of. If you're using speaking to grow your business, or to promote your book or to spread the wisdom that you have, you need to make sure that that message is relevant to the people you're talking to. So if there's one piece of advice that will help you be even better, as a speaker, it's know who your audience is.

Anna: Know that I mean, let's say, you know, oh, I'm speaking at a corporation, or I'm speaking at a college because it makes sense to try to get more information from the person who booked you about what sort of executives or what sort of college students?

Joel: Absolutely, yes, because just think about it. Right now, we're going to talk about how to tune up a car engine. But you have a car, don't you?

Anna: I do.

Joel: Is that why you're on this podcast to learn about how to maintain your car? No. So unless you know who your audience is, you just get to give what you think it's important. And that's the biggest mistake I think people make, especially even professional speakers. They begin with something like this. I'm so excited to be here. This is my favorite subject, so here's a little suggestion, no one cares. No one cares about you. Unless what you know and what you have, can benefit them. Would you agree with that? You don't care anything about Joel Weldon. You might care about Anna, but you don't care about me. Unless does this guy know something that I can use, so I can get more effective in front of a group. I can figure out a way to get paid to speak, I can get more speaking engagements. If that's important to you, then you you're in the right place. But if you want to learn how to tune your car go somewhere else. That's not this.

Anna: And it's very relevant. It's the same problem people have with books. And I had for six books, I didn't know that there was an audience for it. Turns out, there wasn't, or I couldn't find them. So if you're lucky enough to be, you know, in front of an audience, yes, know who they are. Again, it's a mistake that I've made in the past. So, you find out by asking the person who booked them. I remember when you helped me, Joel, we actually worked in references to specific people that were in the room. Is that something you recommend always?

Joel: Oh, yes, absolutely. That's one of the powerful ways you can make it more relevant is using people in the group. And I just happened to have, I was talking to somebody, this is a meeting I did, called the RelaDyne National Sales Meeting. These are the names of the people I had worked in to my presentation. And normally, it would be between 20 and 35 people sitting in the seats that I would work in. So as an example, if I was somebody you'll know, imagine just we're talking about how to take the message that's within you and share it with others. Now, one way is to write a book. As an example, Anna David, you have written six books, you help other people write books, you know how important that is. So if I mentioned that in a group, how do you think the group responds? Well, he knows what Anna does. Maybe he knows what we all do, and maybe these ideas then are relevant. But when you hear a canned talk, the first thought that goes through a person's mind is, well, maybe this worked for the last group that person talked to, but it doesn't apply to me. So let me give you a suggestion how to open any message. Three words, if you use this, anytime you gave a presentation, whether there's three people around a coffee table, or 30 people in a small meeting room, or 300 people, and you're on a stage. If you use these three words, you're here because. You're here because you're a writer, you have a book, or you're a business owner, or an entrepreneur. That's how the introduction that I wrote for Anna to read, started. But if you just began that, you're here because you're part of the University of XYZ, and you're in the graduate program, in the business school. And one of the things that you enrolled in this program for, is so you can have a successful career in the business world. Now, if you just began with something like that. So you mentioned about signs, I think signs are important. I have a little sign here. I don't know if you can see it. It's a little small. But it's a giant sign if you're listening to this on audio, and it says, you, if you would just begin your opening of any presentation about your audience, and their name is you. But what do most people say, I'm so excited to be here. Anna, I've been looking forward to doing this interview. Oh, I'm just so pleased I can get to talk about speaking. It's my favorite subject. No one cares.

Anna: Yeah.

Joel: Make it about them. And you're here because it's three words that you can't go wrong opening a message with.

Anna: Do you think everybody should have one of those “you” signs?

Joel: Well, I think they should have it in their head, yes. And so here's a good assignment. As you're listening. Look at the last email you wrote to somebody you do business with. Maybe it's a supplier, maybe it's your editor, maybe it's somebody who got one of your books, or maybe somebody that's hired you to speak. Look at the first two paragraphs, take a pen and circle how many times you said “I” and how many times you said “you.” Now I could be, I, my, you is you, your, or you’re. The chances are, you've got more Is than anything else. That's why “I” is the most frequently used word in the English language. How about writing a book? What do most authors begin with? They talk about themselves. I don't think anyone cares. Unless, what you know and what you're going to share is a benefit to them. So that's rule number one, about speaking, is making it about them. And I remember that talk that you gave about addiction. That's what you began with. You talked about them, that you might have experienced some addiction, or, you know somebody in your life that has.

Anna: And I remember you teaching me to literally, it's possible to turn around an “I” sentence. You may think, well, I got to get this information out because it's about me. And you taught me the, have you ever? You know, and so then have you ever, whatever it was, and then there, you've got the audience engaged, and then you can talk about yourself. I think that's what you taught me?

Joel: Yes, that's one way. The other way is you can just put them in your stories. So people love to tell their personal story. Well, let me give you some advice and your story. No one cares. No one cares why you're doing what you're doing. No one cares why you wrote the book. Unless that can be helpful to them. So, let's just make up something. So I'm going to be an author speaking. I'm just so proud of this book. It took me so many years to first get committed to writing it, and then the years of struggle to write it. But I just wanted to get this message out about pursuing your passion. That's what the book is about is pursuing your passion, and being able to monetize that, when you really get good at doing that. Okay, so what if instead, you started like this, just imagine that you had something burning inside of you. An idea, but you wanted to share that idea with others, and you didn't know how to do it, then you meet somebody, and they tell you one of the best ways to do it is to write a book. But that's exactly what happened to me three years ago, when I met Anna David. So just imagine you've got this burning desire, and you meet somebody like Anna and she tells you that there's a certain process to writing a book. And you soak in every word that she tells you because she's done a lot of this. But then you reach a roadblock, and maybe you just can't figure out what to do next. That's exactly what happened to me six weeks after I got started. And maybe what I did would be helpful for you.

Anna: I love it.

Joel: Alright, so that's what I call putting your audience in the story or just saying something like this if it's an “I” story. So there I was struggling I didn't know what to do. I was experiencing writer's block. I tried meditation, I tried ice plunges, I tried everything. What would you do? What would you do if you just couldn't get going on something? That's another way to draw your listeners into your message or to your story. What would you do? What would you be thinking if that happened to you? How would you respond to something like that?

Anna: I hope you guys are taking notes on these intros. It's so good. So Joel, let me ask you selfishly. So I have a new keynote, and listener, I'm taking Joel's advice, put yourself in my situation. I've got a new keynote. And I want to do more corporate speaking. And so the path I'm taking, I have a friend who is a big corporate speaking agent. And so what we actually did, is we went first to Google, and my talk could be molded. It could be about goals, it could be about wellness, it covers a lot of topics, and we looked, and best wellness speakers and best happiness speakers, everybody had bought up those Google words. What we discovered was, there wasn't so much about goal setting. And that's a topic that corporations are interested in. So, I made my keynote around goal setting. And then I said, well, I need practice and I need a reel. So I asked some friends, I asked our mutual friend, Tim Westbrook. I said, hey, could I come to Arizona to give this talk to your people in your rehab? And he said yes, and he said he would buy the book copies for everybody who was there. And I went out and did it. And of course, things went wrong. They always do. And that's great, because then you get to learn what to not do the next time. So then, I'm sorry, this is a long question. But I'm also walking you through what you can do. Then I said, well, I want really good video footage. So I actually booked a studio near me, I actually got my makeup done, and I went to that studio, and I delivered it as if I were on a stage. And now I have another rehab. It's the employees of a rehab that I'm speaking to next week, and I'm also going to get footage. Well, the footage at the studio didn't go great either because he cut off part of me. Even a professional is going to do that. But I'm going to be able to create a reel where I'm taking different bits of the speech from those different experiences, the video that works, and I'm going to have a great reel. Is that what you would recommend Joel?

Joel: Well, I've never done that. My career was never built on, I had no demo video. I never did marketing. I didn't know anything about marketing until I joined Genius Network, and that was well at the end of my career, even though I'm still speaking now. But all I can tell you is, that if you want to get paid to speak, you need to have something that people are willing to pay to hear. Now, in this age of the internet, and we know AI is coming next, which is going to overshadow the internet, that you can find almost anything. You can find information, but you can't always find the way to connect that information to the audience. And that's why my recommendation from the very beginning when we talked about this, including people in the audience, is talking about things that are relevant to them. So let's say your subject is goals, which was one of the subjects that I always talked about as well. How does that apply to this audience? So, let's just say you're going to Tim Westbrook's audience, again, these are people that have had an addiction problem. They're involved in living in one of his homes, but they have a job and a career, but they need to be focused and surrounded by people, so they have sobriety or kick those addiction, correct?

Anna: Yes. But I would love to talk about how to take that and get the reel or get whatever it is you do need to get paid and then get to those people. So if not a reel, what should people put together? They should have a one sheet, you didn't have to do that, but most people listening are going to have to put something together in order to get paid to speak. What should that be?

Joel: Raving fans.

Anna: Great.

Joel: If you think about that, how do you spread, how do you start a restaurant that people want to come back to? You put out great food? You wow the people you have, so that when they see what you do, they want to see you do it again. So I built my career on a statement that Walt Disney used to make Disneyland a success. Now I don't know, you're in California. Have you ever heard of Disneyland or Disney World?

Anna: Yes.

Joel: Oh, you have? Would you say it's a successful organization?

Anna: Yes.

Joel: Very successful. Have you been there many times?

Anna: I have.

Joel: In your lifetime?

Anna: Yes. But I really want to get to how people can get booked. Yes, Disneyland's amazing.

Joel: Well, I'm going to give you the answer, because Walt Disney gave it in 1955 on how he built Disneyland. And this is how you build a speaking career. Here’s what he said, “do what you do so well, that when people see what it is you do, they want to see you do it again, and will bring others to show them what it is you do.” That's how we're going to sell Disneyland. And in 1955, they put on a great program. So that's my recommendation, speak for free. Get out in front of some place.

Anna: On a practical level, how do you speak for free? Who do you reach out to, your Chamber of Commerce?

Joel: No, you start out with everybody you know, and you say something like this. Anna, you and I have been friends for years, and I don't know if you know that in my XYZ business, I also am speaking now. I created an amazing talk on goal setting. Are you part of any kind of organization that brings in speakers that you'd be willing to recommend me to?

Anna: That’s great.

Joel: Okay. So, there's the first place to start. Everybody, you know, that likes and trusts you. Many of them are part of an organization where they bring in speakers for meetings. And many of them are involved in who they choose. They don't know that you do that. So that's the first place to go. It costs you nothing. But it's amazing how it works. Second suggestion, when you get one talk, get feedback. Use a blank card, whether it's an index card, and on that card, just ask the audience to write three things. On a 1-10 scale, how valuable was this talk on goal setting for you? Number two, what's your one best takeaway of all the things we talked about, you know, 30 minutes together, what's the one thing that was most helpful? Third question, what could I have done to make this presentation even better for you? Okay, no names on the card. Now. If you like this message, and you rate it at over a seven or an eight, and you got some good ideas, is there any group that you think could benefit from this idea that I should be talking to? If so, would you just put your name and phone number on the back? And I'll call you. And I'd be happy to follow through and find out who this group is.

Anna: So good.

Joel: Okay. So, there you have somebody who just saw you speak. Now, this is all predicated, and of course, you meet the requirement to kind of be good. Yeah. Because if you give a terrible presentation, if Disneyland was filthy and dirty, and they employees was sullen and angry at you, nobody would go back. But that was why that Walt Disney statement was the key, do what you do so well, that when other people see what it is you do, they want to see you do it again. Why did Joe have me at Genius Network work with these speakers for eight years? Because he saw what happened to a 10-minute talk, when I coached them. And now everybody is coached by that. I didn’t advertise, I didn't have a sizzle reel, I just did a great job. And that's what you can do. Whatever you doing, marketing helps advertising helps, but are you the real deal? How do you get a book to be sold? It’s got to be a good book. Sure, you can market it in the beginning. But eventually, if it's a terrible book, that stops helping you. But if people buy 10 copies, because they want everyone in their family to have one, and talk about it at a meeting, then you got something going. Like I'm thinking of writing a book called Party Girl, but I'm not sure.

Anna: On a practical level, you said get raving fans. Perhaps when you finish, you could get some testimonials while people are still on the high. Hey, what’d you think? They're like, I loved it. Could I capture a video of you saying that?

Joel: Well, that's what I was going to recommend. This is a reel should be, a reel should be testimonials.

Anna: Love it.

Joel: But no one cares about you. Now, if you have say, and you know, it can be a sign that says R.B. New York. No, it's got to be a first name and a last name, and a company name. Anna David, you know, such and such company, and then a testimonial. That's what I had, raving fans. So, and again, what I did is not relevant in today's world, because things have changed. But the concept is still true. The best way to get repeat business is to be amazing the first time, how do you become amazing? You make the message about them, and you make it about their situation. So, I started to say about goals. If you're talking to somebody, like Tim Westbrook's group, so let's talk about the goal, like what's your first goal when you leave this rehab center? Do you remember your first goal when you decided to become sober? Do you remember your, then you're talking about them. So when talking to Tim, I would say Tim, what are some of the kinds of goals that you recommend people have once they start to get ready to leave your facility? What do you call these things? What are some examples of what you've used? And that's what you talk about, things that are in their world. So like that list of people that I showed you here, these are all people that exemplified some of the qualities I talked about in my message. So I'm looking at this one name here. Troy Gold, who is the best in customer service. So I asked my client, who's really terrific, oh, Troy, they love him. I said, what does Troy do? He just follows up so well. So all of that became part of it. So rather than saying in a generic term, you know, one of the things that customer service is so important, you got to follow up with people. If somebody calls you don't have an answer, you get back to them. That's ordinary. But if you said something like here’s one of the keys to being effective in customer service, is to follow up with something like Troy Gold. If somebody calls Troy and he doesn't have an answer, you know what happens? He calls them back in 24 hours and if he still doesn't have an answer, he tells them to call him back in another 24 hours. What if you did the same thing that Troy did? By the way, let's give Troy a great hand for being number one customer service the last five years at Anna David's company. Right? So not only does that edify people in the audience, it shows the audience that you've done your homework, and you know about Troy, plus the fact, that you using that information to make a point that they can use. Rather than say, you know, when I was in service, I was always the best customer service person in the company, and one of the things I always did was I called people back in 24 hours. Why don't you do that, which would have more impact?

Anna: Troy

Joel: The reason Troy is so good, is because Troy's doing what they're doing. I wasn't in your business; I don't have any credibility. So when I hear people always using themself as an example, they're missing the boat. Find out what everybody else is doing, don't do it. Don’t compete, create, be unique. And you are unique because you're an individual. That's what makes a great speaker is being yourself. Not acting, not performing. That's why I love Anna when she talks. Anna is Anna. And if I talked to people who know her, what’s Anna David really like? What you see is what you get. Isn’t that what they say about you, Anna, you're always the same.

Anna: I’m always the same.

Joel: We went to a party at Joe's house, we sat together we've talked, you're just like you are now, there's no difference. It's not a performance. Speaking effectively, is not acting. It's not how to use your voice and your body. That's ridiculous. Then you’re making it about yourself and you’re thinking about yourself, your voice, your movements, be natural, but know your audience. If there's one thing that will help you become a speaker and a paid speaker. And one other thing, too, you have a business. You don't necessarily have to get paid to make money. If you have a product or service, you can talk about or your book, many speakers began their career, Zig Ziglar began speaking free by selling his book.

Anna: In terms of getting paid, let's say you have raving fans, all of that, what do you do next?

Joel: Well then you use them to get as many speaking engagements as you can. And there is a way of course with social media, you can put things out like that. There are all kinds of organizations where they have lists of meetings, but I don't find that works very well. It's really using referrals, your own centers of influence, and then putting stuff out on YouTube, putting your material out on goals, a 10-minute video and goals. And by the way, if you liked this message on goals, that's just the beginning of a keynote speech that I can give. Look up Anna David, and I'll tell you more. So putting things out like that.

Anna: And then you just try to get as much traffic as you can, or you show it to your people that you know. We know that Joel is a professional because he's showing me the clock that's at 28 minutes and we got to get, we got to get close to wrapping up. And I know that Joel, first of all, I want people to know how they can reach you. And I want you to give your parting wisdom. So first of all, how can they reach you?

Joel: Well, the easiest way is if well, you can look at www.ultimatespeaker.com, that shows what we have in our coaching programs or our product. Or if you're serious about speaking and want to take it to the next level, get on my calendar, make a 15-minute appointment. Let's talk about it. www.talktojoel.com Just www.talktojoel.com leads you right to my calendar appointment.

Anna: So, what are your parting words, Joel?

Joel: Well, as you're listening to this podcast, and you have a book, or you have a business that you're passionate about, and you want to speak about it, and you're going to use speaking to grow what you're doing. Here are 22 words, to think of. If I was to sum up everything I've learned about speaking here it's for you in 22 words. You ready? Speak to your audience about what they need, in an organized way they can follow, and get yourself out of the way.

Anna: Genius. Well, thanks so much, Joel. And thank you all for listening and go do it. Just remember those 22 words. I hope you took notes throughout this one, but in case you didn't, there will be a full transcript of the episode at www.legacylaunchpadpub.com/blog/joel. And I'll have links to all things related to Joel on how you can reach out to them. So thank you so much for listening and thank you Joel.

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