How to answer the "So What Do You Speak About?" question

Good to know, even if you aren't a professional speaker.

I have been a motivational speaker for fifteen years, and I still have trouble answering this question in networking situations. The ongoing joke about speakers is that we can't say what we do in less than forty-five minutes - and even then we tend to never get there. So why is it so hard for some of us to answer this question? Here's why it was hard for me.

1. I wasn't really sure what I spoke about. For years, I felt like every speech I gave was about something different. Clients were constantly changing the topics and choosing new ways to spin my content. For years, my business was driven by clients looking for humor, motivation, and entertainment. The client didn't really care about the topic. They wanted the show. The experience. What I was selling was not a topic, it was a style of delivering it. Solution: I had to get really clear on what problem I was fixing for my audience and my client.
2. My topic sounded boring. We all know that whenever we are asked that question, there is the potential for us to sell ourselves and get business. When someone asks me what I speak about and I say, for example, customer service, we all know that it doesn't sound sexy or compelling. Fine if my Great Aunt Bertie is asking. Who cares? But if this person might bring us business, then simply stating our topic might be a conversation ender, instead of being a teaser for more, which is what we want. Solution: I had to find a way to freshen up the language I used when describing my topic. It's not about finding a better topic, it's about finding a better angle on it.
3. I was trying to sell style instead of substance. But style WAS the substance that many people booked me for. It was the reason for my success. But it's not an easy way to answer a simple question of what I speak about. Solution: Instead of focusing on what I'm like on stage, I start with the problems I solve. Instead of telling people about my topics, I told them about my tools.
4. I talked features, not transformations. I would give a bullet list of the things I do. Features and benefits. Blah blah blah. Solution: I started with the pain my clients feel and how I help ease that pain and the result in their lives. And even if/when that meeting planner just wanted someone funny and motivating, then I would hit that pain - the need to find someone the audience will love who will not bore them to death and who will add energy to their conference. That is just as valuable as what you teach the people in the audience - sometimes even more so.
5. I left style out of the equation. For a while I went too far in the other direction - focusing on the problems I solve. I became the "expert who speaks" in my networking. I forgot that meeting planners aren't really looking for the best problem solvers - they are looking for the problem solvers who create the best EXPERIENCE for the client. Solution: I state the problem I solve AND the methods I use to do it.
6. I spoke about me instead of about them. I always headed straight to what I do and how I do it. These people we're talking to don't really care about us, they care more about themselves. Solution: I began crafting my answers with their problems and desires in mind.
7. I didn't have a template or a script. Obviously I'm not going to have a script taped to my lap under my napkin. But having a general template in my head that can be customized on the spot was a life saver for me. Solution: Come up with a general outline of how to answer that question based on who I am talking to.

For example:

I help _______________people (what kind of people specifically) to ________________________(do what in their lives or in their work), so that they can ______________________________(fix what problem) and in turn ____________________(have what result or get what desire).

Because I believe in the philosophy that _______________________________________(my overall philosophy on this topic - shift in perspective that sounds sexy and compelling).

I do this through the use of _____________________________________(style of delivery or what my clients really love that I do).

I really love it because it allows me ____________________________(the joy I get, the bigger why of what I do in the lives of others - the transformation in the life of the receiver.)

My example if speaking to another speaker as a potential coaching client:

I help people in business who have positions of influence, to give their words more power so that they can connect on a deeper level and in turn have more impact with those they serve. I believe that too many people are focusing data, rather than focusing on emotion and that strategic storytelling is their secret weapon. I do all this using humor, motivation, and powerful storytelling because I believe that people learn better when you take the time to wrap the information in an experience they will never forget. I love seeing what happens when I take a speaker's words and with just a few tweaks, make them so much more powerful - and seeing the results in their bookings and audience reaction is a rush for me. My clients love the personal attention I give them, and the way I give them freedom to create using their own unique authentic voice.

My example if speaking to a financial planner who owns his own business:

I help business owners in industries like yours create sales and marketing language that makes the customer pick you over the competition. I believe that in your profession, you often speak an entirely different language than your client, and you need to find a way to explain what you do in a way that they understand. And even more, in a way that makes them trust you enough to choose you. I do this through the use of strategic storytelling. I believe that the key to persuading others is emotion, and that story is the only tool to do that. So I deliver funny, motivating, story driven keynotes that not only teach - they change your perspective in an experience you'll never forget. Now more than ever, consumers distrust institutions and sellers. I love helping my clients find stories that break down the barriers. It's cool because nobody is really doing it, and I'm helping my clients get a huge leg up on their competition. My clients love it when they bring me their testimonials and we turn them into stories that sell.

If the whole template thing doesn't work for you - then just create a mental outline and take your time when answering the question. It's not a race. Here are the general points of your outline:

• Types of people I help (like the person listening)
• Problems that I fix for them (like the person listening might have)
• What good things happen as a result (that this person might desire themselves)
• My Perspective on It
• How I wrap it - the experience
• Good feeling I get watching the people I help do this

The main thing I try to remember in these situations, is that I'm not being asked to give a sales presentation. Double yuck. Quick way to assure nobody wants to sit by you at dinner. The goal here is simply to answer the question as best and as quickly as you can, with the hopes that it makes them want to ask more. Then you just shut up and let them ask for more.

Sometimes I'm not ready to answer their question because I don't really know enough about them to answer. So I will say something like, "I'd love to share what I do. But first, I'd like to know what you do." And there's NEVER any harm in letting someone else talk instead of you. I'm just saying.

Don't get so wrapped up in saying the right thing the right way, that you lose your passion for it. Channel that energy and excitement you have (or should have) about what you do. Show them how much you love your job. Passion is contagious.

Hopefully this helps you like it helped me, and next time you're asked the question So, what do you speak about? you'll answer like a pro.

Need help crafting your own language? Then buy my book, or even better, come to Story Crafting Summer Camp! We still have a few seats left. It's one of the best investments you can make in your business.