A Blog Designed to Help You Become a Better Speaker

Ahhh, the elusive demo reel. You can’t get hired for events without video footage of you speaking. But how do you get footage of you speaking if you can’t get events?

 In addition, what is it meeting planners or hiring committees want to see?

 Here are some tips and things to keep in mind regarding creating a demo reel that actually gets you hired.

1.        Quality of Footage:

There is a saying I have heard amongst speakers that the amount you want to make per event is the amount you should spend on a demo reel shoot. Basically, if you want to make $10k, then you need to spend $10k.

 Uhhh, no thank you. I come from the film/commercial world, and I do not see a reason to spend that kind of money. Ahhh, the elusive demo reel. You can’t get hired for events without video footage of you speaking. But how do you get footage of you speaking if you can’t get events?

 In addition, what is it meeting planners or hiring committees want to see?

 Here are some tips and things to keep in ...

If you want to get paid speaking engagements I highly recommend Sam Richter's, "Intel Engine" specifically designed for professional speakers.

In this video, I take you through how I use Sam's Intel Engine for my own speaking career.

Video Link: https://youtu.be/kilm3iOtnGE

The software mentioned in this video: Sam Richter's Intel Engine (Affiliate Link): https://www.knowmore.university/a/aff_gqtxt90h/external?affcode=231462_e4qadq6x

My Speaker Coaching Website for courses and more content: https://www.boringtosoaringspeeches.com

For Video Click Here: https://youtu.be/NGr8N0NOIfI 

If you want to get paid speaking engagements, RFP's (Request for Proposals) are a great way to get started.

In this video, I take you through how I find RFP's for conferences and how I fill them out.

The software mentioned in this video: Sam Richter's Intel Engine (Affiliate Link): https://www.knowmore.university/a/aff_gqtxt90h/external?affcode=231462_e4qadq6x

Word Counter: https://wordcounter.net

My Speaker Coaching Website for courses and more content: https://www.boringtosoaringspeeches.com

I had so much fun shooting this with the fabulous, Corey, and the RVS Small Business Network Show.

You can watch the full episode here: https://rvasbn.com/featured-interviews/boost-your-business-speaking-with-humor-and-authenticity/

Below is a recap:

Welcome to another episode of The RVA Small Business Show with your host Cory Mosley. In today’s segment, we are joined by Stacy Pederson, Speaker Coach, and Funny Motivational Keynote Speaker.

Stacy is a well-known expert who helps speakers add entertainment value to their speeches.

WHEN IT COMES TO AUTHENTICITY, FOR ME, ON STAGE IS BEING COMFORTABLE ENOUGH IN FRONT OF THE AUDIENCE TO MAKE MISTAKES, TO BE MYSELF, TO SHARE MY STORY, TO NOT ACT LIKE I HAVE MY LIFE ALTOGETHER. -STACY PEDERSON

Speaking: More Than Just Words

You’ve probably attended dozens of seminars or business events. Remember that one speech or presentation that had you hooked? The odds are that it wasn’t just the content but the speaker’s delivery that made ...

Speaking is NOT about standing in front and providing a bunch of information. People don’t remember information.

 If I asked you to name what you learned in 3^rd grade about American History, many of you won’t remember a single piece of information.

 If I asked you to share what the bully on the playground said to you that year, you probably remember it down to exact way he or she said it.

 Why? People don’t retain information strictly from facts. People retain information depending on the feeling attached.

 This is why creativity – the use of humor, visuals, stories, etc., are so important in your talk. Creativity sparks emotion.

 I like to think of creativity as a cake. The layers of the cake are your content. The frosting is creativity. It is what ties your talk together and makes it fun, enticing, and memorable.

Most of us don’t want to eat an entire cake of frosting (unless it’s buttercream…then maaaybe…) We want just enough frosting to add the fun and appeal. The same is ...

Above is a video that gives an overview of my morning routine for when I do motivational speaking for out of state events.

I have different routines I've developed over time. One for later in the day events, night events, in-state, out of -state etc. If you are new speaker or performer who is starting to travel you will develop your own over time.

I remember googling and trying to find ANYTHING that could give me an idea of what to do when I traveled. I found nothing. That's why I made this video.

If you'd like more videos on public speaking, performing (behind the scenes), then you can watch the video here and subscribe to my YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/vKg69eDLIjc

Kindly, Stacy P.

You thought you did pretty good when you were speaking and THEN you watched yourself back….

And now you’re googling because you hated everything you saw in your video. I'm glad you stumbled onto this blog post, because I totally understand how you feel.

First, good job for making a decision to get better instead of folding up the ‘ol laptop and quitting. Second, there is a LOT that can be worked on but for this blog post we are only focusing on 4 things.

(When you get to # 4, you’ll see why.)

 So - quiet on the set – let’s get started.

1. It's normal to hate yourself on camera.

Even famous actors hate themselves on camera. (Think Joaquin Phoenix storming out of an interview because they showed a clip of him. He refuses to watch himself.) 

Unless you’re narcissistic, you don’t normally stare at yourself all day long every day to know what you actually look and sound like. You’re just walking around being you. When you see yourself on camera it’s a shock because you had no ...