Why is it important to determine a speaker’s zone of genius?
The simple and straightforward answer is because it will result in higher referral rates, more incoming speaking
requests and less pitching work since you are already established as the go to speaker in your niche.
You still have doubts! Do you really want to spin your wheels! Maybe you just want to speak to everyone and
feel confident of succeeding at it. Now picture your website speaking to culinary arts, international college
admissions, horse-riding, and keto dieting! In other words, you are speaking to any and everyone and no one
in particular. What you are doing is, confusing the very people you are working to serve.
To be considered an expert, you want to know precisely what you are speaking about and who you are
speaking to.
Maybe you worry that a niche will narrow your target market and hurt your speaking business. It in fact,
will allow you to branch off to other topics that are allied and can be traced back to your core expertise.
The same original process will apply to the new direction. First get good at your subject and then rinse
and repeat in other areas.
The first step therefore is to ask yourself why you want to speak in the first place. What is your goal
with your message? The next step is to determine who you want to talk to? The more specific you
get with this, the more targeted your marketing can become. Finally, you will be left with to
determine the topics that will align with your goals and support your audience. All that is left
to do now is to practice, expand and improve your topics continuously.
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The speaker sweet spot lies at the intersection of your experience, your expertise and your audience’s interest. There is no getting around this! The only way out is through it.
