Expertise Alone Doesn’t Get You Booked as a Speaker - Here's What Does
episode
Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies
29 min
1 speaker
8 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
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Why does expertise alone not make a speaker memorable, referable, or bookable?
Learn three things you're saying yes to that keeps you in the expert trap and how to get out so you can be remembered, referred, and booked on this episode of the Speaking Your Ram podcast. Hi there and welcome to the Speaking Your Brand Podcast. I'm your host, Carol Cox. This is the fourth and final episode in the Expert Trap series that we've been doing this month. In the first episode four seventy eight, I talked about what the expert trap is. It happens when your expertise becomes the place. Where you hide, it feels really good, it feels really comfortable, feels really validating. But it ultimately doesn't help your audience get what they need and it doesn't help you to propel yourself as a speaker and thought leader.
Then in episode four seventy nine, I talked about the AI version of the expert trap and why AI can make things sound really polished, but it can't find your signature message for you. And then the last episode four eighty, you heard My conversation with one of our Thought Leader Academy graduates about what it can look like to move out of expert presenter mode and into a clearer thought leadership message. Today I want to bring this to a practical level, but I also want to go a little bit deeper because the expert trap is not only a content problem. It's not just about what information you're including in your talks or what you're leaving out. It's also an identity problem, which makes it a bookability problem.
And this is the part that matters for your speaking opportunities, your referrals, your visibility, and your business. When you stay in expert mode, people may like you, they trust you, they think you're really smart. And they tell you things like, Wow, that was really valuable. But liking you and booking you are not the same thing because people book and refer the speaker They remember and they can easily describe. They need to be able to say, you need to hear her talk about this. Not just she gave us a lot of good information. And you may realize that your talk needs a stronger point of view, that your audience doesn't need every single detail of what you know. And you probably want to be the more than the person who just gives helpful tips.
But then you sit down to work on your talk, or you get invited to speak, or you're working on the speaker proposal, and suddenly the safer version of you comes back. Yeah. The version that says, let me make sure I sound credible. Let me include the extra content. Let me not make too strong of a claim. Let me keep this broad enough so everyone in the room feels included. And as I say often in these episodes, there is no judgment in this. I've done all of these things. I still have to watch for them. When I create a presentation, I have a mental checklist that I go through when I look at it and I make sure, am I in this presentation? Am I in this talk? Is my point of view in here? So in this episode, I'm going to share three things you may be saying yes to that keep you in the expert trap.
The first is saying yes to more content. The second is saying yes to neutrality. And the third is saying yes to the wrong room. And for each one, I want us to look at the identity underneath it and what is that costing us? Because these choices look like speaking choices or content choices, but underneath they may be saying something about who you believe you are allowed to be when you're in the room or on the stage. And they may be the very reason people appreciate your talk, but don't remember, refer, or book you for the next one. If you would like to learn more about the type of speaker you are, what your natural communication strengths are, and where you can level up, take our free speaker archetype quiz.
It just takes a couple of minutes. You can do that at speakingyourbrand dot com slash quiz. You'll get your results right away with my recommendations. Again, that's speakingyourbrand dot com slash quiz. Now let's get on with the show. The first thing you may be saying yes to is more content.
How does saying “yes” to more content keep you stuck in the expert trap?
And this is the classic expert trap move.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why does expertise alone not make a speaker memorable, referable, or bookable?
0:00–4:34
2
How does saying “yes” to more content keep you stuck in the expert trap?
4:34–7:45
3
Why does staying neutral in your talk make your message harder to remember?
7:45–10:09
4
How can accepting the wrong speaking room limit your thought‑leadership growth?
10:09–11:30
5
What three diagnostic questions can reveal if you’re trapped in the expert mode?
11:30–12:47
6
How can swapping a proof sentence for a belief sentence make your talk more bookable?
12:47–13:00
7
What’s the difference between a proof sentence and a belief sentence for speakers?
13:00–13:47
8
What final actions should you take to shift from expert to thought leader?
13:47–29:24
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from Speaking Your Brand: Public Speaking Tips and Strategies
Executive Presence Starts with Clarity, Not Confidence with Mary E. Maloney
How an I.D.E.A., Not a Topic, Makes You Easier to Refer, Pitch, and Book
What Makes a Talk Worth Hearing? Hint: Are You Curious?
3 Ways AI Can Hurt Your Public Speaking, and 3 Ways It Can Help
The Expert Trap: Why Great Speakers Don't Become Thought Leaders
Why Your Audience Loves Your Talk But Doesn't Hire You