I’m writing this somewhere between Cairns and Melbourne on my way back from the Global Speakers Summit. I’m tired, oversaturated with ideas and excited about seeing Matt and the kids. I’ve also finally stopped sweating for the first time in nearly a week. I didn’t really appreciate what 100% humidity was until I landed in Cairns five days ago. Note: It's a constant film of moisture over your entire body that is always there. Always.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect walking into the Cairns Convention Centre on day one of the four day Summit but like most rooms I walk into, especially the massive ones, I was excited about the possibility. Luckily I wasn’t coming in completely cold (impossible in a Cairns climate) as there were 10 or so people I’d already met at local chapter PSA events so I expected to see some familiar faces but I really need not have worried.
The first thing that struck me about GSS was participants' willingness to connect with one another. Obviously lots of the delegates knew each other already but as a newbie it took me about 40 seconds to strike up a conversation with someone new. There was a ‘no lanyard, no fun’ policy so everyone's names were swinging about their chests which acted as an instant invitation to say hi. Well, I took it as such.
I’ve been to stacks of networking events over the years across multiple industries but the vibe here was different. It genuinely felt like everyone and anyone was up for a chat. I have two working theories. Firstly, professional speakers are normally the VIP’s. They’re the guest speakers brought in to talk to the crowd. Normally they'd be working the event rather than being a participant. There was a relaxed vibe and if people were presenting, it was to their supportive pairs about their craft, not necessarily about their field of expertise.
Secondly, it dawned on me that being a professional speaker can be a lonely pursuit. Most are solopreneurs who are travelling around the world inspiring others in some way or another. Many presented as family businesses with partners acting as booking agents and there was an army of VA’s (virtual assists) making sure everyone had made it there on time in the first place.
I love being an amateur. I really do. Attending an event like this at the beginning of my speaking career is really quite special because everything piqued my interest. I don’t know enough to dismiss anything. My biggest struggle was trying to figure out which session to go to because all of them sounded worthwhile.
I attended sessions about Speaker Bureaus, which are kind of like agents for speakers. I went to a great session about writing a book as a speaker which was exactly what I’m trying to do. Turns out I’m not the only one - speakers like to write books - lots of them. I learnt about stage craft and the importance of where you put yourself on the stage from a theatre expert. I learnt about online courses and how they can help support your speaking work which is something I’ve always been toying with.
AI was an interesting topic and came up a lot over the four days. On one hand AI has been extraordinary for taking over much of the administrative tasks that speakers require. Things like managing marketing pipelines, sales inquiries and searching and applying for gigs - interestingly only 12% of work comes through bureaus so just because you're signed, you still have to do your own marketing or be famous enough that people come to you.
The other, more sinister side of AI is authenticity. How do you build trust as a speaker in the world of AI? AI has a tendency to make everything beige so it should be used with caution on the creative side of the process. As an author who has typed out this blog for 325 weeks in a row having never put it through AI, I felt validated. Real human content is only going to increase in value which means my stock price just went up.
As a graphic designer I was surprised by the calibre of presentation and branding. 70% of people had a pretty slick operation but 30% looked like their cousin had whipped it up the night before which surprised my because the quality of their talks were amazing - they were experts but their visual assets didn’t meet the same level of quality. If I was there as a graphic designer, I could’ve made an absolute fortune.
Alas I wasn’t there to sell design packages (although I’m thinking about offering my services to GSF…), I was there to solidify some directions around becoming a professional speaker. Meeting and talking to so many people was absolutely my favourite part because everyone had such a different career and path that led them there.
The most common question was ‘so what do you speak about’ and I think I changed my answer 30 times as I workshopped ideas on the spot. Sometimes I’d say I was an MC. Sometimes I’d say I was an author writing my first book “Good news, good story - creativity in the face of catastrophe”. Sometimes I’d say I work in youth leadership and sometimes I just said I had no idea but was really excited about figuring it all out.
I got so much useful advice and insights that I’m sure I’ll be downloading and making sense of it all for weeks to come. What I did get to bring home straight away are the friendships I made and there are some rippers. After writing about building rapport last week, I was primed to hit it quickly. There are stacks of lovely people who I just had the best time with and they made the whole experience really special.
Shout out to PSANZ (Professional Speaker Association New Zealand) who were happy to adopt me on the first night for dinner which was so much fun. I befriended people as far away as Spain and as convenient as Brunswick. I exchanged numbers and finally figured out how to bring up a QR in LinkedIN making it even easier to stay in touch.
I’m still not 100% sure what my next steps are going to be. I think I need to go home, sleep in my own bed and hang out with my family for a bit to let it percolate but what I can confirm is that I think I’m on to something. Of all the conversations I had, with all the different types of people, from all over the world, not one person said - that's a bullshit idea Jess - I wouldn’t bother. They said wow - that is a story worth sharing and we can’t wait to see you up on stage. One lady even touched my face and said she can’t wait to work with me. It was quite magical really.
