From Magician to Speaker Part 6
By Quentin Reynolds

Last week we looked at the different ways speakers earn their incomes. Before going into how you craft your speech let's look at how you as a magician can use public speaking as a means of growing your business.

Not all speakers look on speaking as a full time career. With many it is just one stream of income. The really clever ones use speaking to leverage their other businesses.

Let's say you've been following these postings for the last few weeks and maybe you're thinking. "That's OK, but I don't have a topic I'm an expert in and I don't want to spend the time becoming an expert. But I still like the idea of speaking."

Why not put together a talk based on your experiences as a magician. Now let's be honest. This isn't too likely to get you booked at top fees anywhere. But it certainly can get you speaking locally either for free or at lower fees.

If nothing else it will help make you a mini-celebrity in your area.

At the beginning you want to get as much experience as possible. The best advice when you start off is speak everywhere you can and as often as you can.

The main benefit for you is visibility in the marketplace. If your talk is humorous and contains at least some useful information you will be remembered. When the question of booking entertainment comes up, you are already in their mind. All other things being equal they are more likely to book someone they already know.

Next week I'll go into the detail of crafting such a talk but in the meantime think back over your career as a magician and make a list of all the things that have happened. Make a list of all the problems you've encountered and how you've overcome them. The unexpected interruption at a show, hassles of travelling, the magazines you read, the people you've met, the conventions you've attended.

Next you want a title for your talk. This is the hook for your booker so make it a good one. Robert Fulghum has done really well from an essay he wrote which turned into the bestselling book "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten".

A few ideas to get your imagination going:
"Secrets to handling thirty screaming six year-olds at a birthday party."
"The Life-Changing Lesson I learned from working with disabled children".
"What really happens behind the scenes at a magic show."
"The secret life of people who work in restaurants."
"How a balloon doggie saved my life."

If you read any of those headlines in a newspaper, they would grab your attention and you would read further. That's the kind of title you want for your talk. Next week I'll show you how to craft it.

© Quentin Reynolds. Quentin Reynolds works as both magician and speaker.
You can read about one of his programs at http://www.PsychicGameShow.com

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