When
creating a proposal for a speaking gig, remember that this is often what a
meeting planner sees before meeting you. In fact, they may see it when they’re
searching your website. Therefore, you want to make a good first impression
before taking the stage. Crafting a winning proposal is a great opportunity. It
can make you shine like a professional or keep you from making the sale if it
appears amateurish.
A winning
proposal doesn’t have to be flashy. In fact, when starting out, some speakers
try too hard to impress. And a poorly crafted flashy proposal will often have
the opposite effect of what the speaker intended.
Never fear.
Read on and you’ll know how to do it the right way. Simply. Below is a proposal
style and an example that can help you realize speaking success.
(Note: Never promise
anything you can’t deliver.)
You may want
to add your proposal to your website. That’s great! However, my suggestion is
to offer your pricing after an inquiry. For local gigs, you may feel you can
discount your regular fee; for gigs that require personalization (and I
recommend personalizing your program anytime you can), or overseas travel, you
may want to modify your fees accordingly. Even when travel / lodging is paid
for, there is the additional burden of shipping your materials, paying for an
assistant, etc. Plus, once you don’t want to have to update your program
proposal each time you modify your fees. I suggest keeping it simple.
Proposal
Style:
Program 1: Title (Convey what you’ll present; don’t make them guess
what it’s about.)
Duration: How long will your program last? 1 hour? ½ day? 1 day?
Description: What will your session deliver? What is expected of
the participants?
Key Points: After the session, participants should:
·
Use an action
verb to begin each objective you want the participants to accomplish or
takeaway. (Usually 3-5 points are sufficient.)
·
Next point
·
Next point
Proposal
Example:
Program 1: “No Buts About
It: Six Steps to Spectacular Speaking”
Duration: 1 hour or expanded into a ½ day or full day workshop
Description: This interactive presentation
will help the participants get past their fears, find confidence and
build skills in public speaking. They will learn tips and tricks to use before,
during and after they take the stage to be, not just effective, but memorable.
Key Points: After the session, participants should:
·
Discover how to
eliminate obstacles that hinder them from achieving successful communication.
·
Identify six ways
to realize speaking success.
·
Become aware of
how to apply their newfound knowledge / skills starting now.
This is just
a guide. (However, it IS based on one of my programs!) You may want to browse the web and see what other speakers are doing.
Now that you
know what you need to do in presenting a professional program proposal package,
create yours with confidence.
Wishing you
the best in your speaking success!
Jean Bailey
Robor
LeadershipEXTREME
A Subsidiary
of Celebrate life
Contact Jean for your upcoming events
or to coach you and your team to greater speaking success.
