NSA Hall of Famer & Leadership Training Expert Shares Advice for Aspiring Professional Speakers
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NSA Hall of Famer & Leadership Training Expert Shares Advice for Aspiring Professional Speakers

National Speakers Association Hall of Famer and leadership training expert, Simon T. Bailey, shares his insights and advice on how he has been able to rise to the top in the realm of excellent professional speakers.

November 24, 2015 // Franchising.com // GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO - Simon T. Bailey, along with four other inductees, join just 232 of the world’s top echelon of professional speakers in the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame this year. To be considered for admission, speakers are evaluated by their peers in five categories: message, presentation/delivery, experience, professionalism, and collateral material.

“I now stand on the shoulders of all the great people in the hall of fame,” expresses Simon. “I feel a great responsibility to continue to open doors for others to excel in our field, raise awareness for our profession globally, and produce work that allows us to be an original voice rather than an annoying echo.”

Connecting with the audience and originality in message is at the core of Bailey’s passion for his work. As an executive advisor, career mentor, keynote speaker, and Crestcom leadership training faculty member Simon teaches influencers how to improve themselves and change the world. His work goes beyond content to drive real results. His advice for aspiring speakers is both practical and inspirational for those of us who are building our own brand as a professional speaker and advisor.

“Decide how your content can make a difference and drive results for your clients,” advises Bailey. “The last thing that the audience wants is more noise in the market place.” Simon stresses that one must steer clear of echoing ideas that have already been run to the ground. Be unique, and always make sure you are providing insights that will return real results for your clients.

Next, focus on building meaningful relationships and expanding your network. “Relationships are the currency of the future,” says Bailey. This means that aspiring professional speakers must stop selling and start connecting. When you start connecting you transition from selective hearing to really listening to your clients and understanding their need. Then you can tailor your message to drive real value. Don’t expect that your prepackaged content is going to work perfectly for everyone as is. Go the extra mile, research and interview your client to understand what it is they really need from you. And then give a little something extra, a memorable moment, an emotional extra will ensure that you are remembered long after you’ve left the stage.

Be a learning leader: be well read and up-to-date on current practices, events, etc. You are leading from the stage, so you must be timely, relevant, and make sure you’re not telling your audience something that they’ve already heard. Subscribe to magazines and blogs so you have a really well-rounded, global world view. This way you can bring the heat and tell them something they don’t already know.

Be a cheetah in a world of hippos. Cheetahs are fast and flexible. They can adapt to their surroundings and shift gears when needed. Hippos are slow to move and slow to react. They say, “This is the way we’ve always done it, and we’re not going to change that.” Clients can see a hippo coming from a mile away. A cheetah is able to adapt and remain relevant in the face of constant change.

Simon gives us an extra, bonus piece of advice that may seem a bit counterintuitive but works every time for him. Stop selling your book from the stage. Certainly mention a key element or story from your book, but never mention the book. People know you have a book, and if they like your content and you leave them with a good feeling they will purchase your book. Selling it from the stage simply cheapens your message and dilutes your brand.

About Crestcom

Crestcom International, LLC is a sales and leadership training organization has trained more than 1 million leaders for 20,000 businesses in 60 countries across the globe. Crestcom does this through a unique blend of video-based, live-facilitated instruction in vital skill areas.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Katie Fritchen at katie.fritchen@crestcom.com or +1 303.515.3930.

SOURCE Crestcom

Contact:

Katie Fritchen
Crestcom International LLC
+1 303-515-3928

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