Author of The Great Tech Revolution, Christina Boutrup, started speaking professionally following the publish of her first book. She says with two years of research and many years of experience in China, she felt there was so much more to engage and share with the world, so she expanded her knowledge share to speaking.
Very much a self-made success, Christina says her years in journalism gave her the framework and understanding of how to structure a story. However, she says she has also learned a great deal about speaking through analysing the ‘form’ of others on how to engage people, be more engaging and get audience reaction. She says her venture with speaking began when she reached out to a famous speaker friend and the first good advice she got was – never receive two bottles of wine in exchange for a gig. Set your price and be professional.
Initially for Christina, she says her speaking was predominantly focused on the great content she had share, and the elements of trust building with audience soon followed suit. She believes that if you want to be a thought leader and share knowledge others can learn from, then you have to dare to give your answer when asked what you think. This learning she says was the breakthrough for taking her speaking to the next level.
The impact of Corona meant that she (like other speakers) had to face cancelled events and big conferences. Although events were off the table she surged forward with translating her content to the virtual stage. And whilst many expected her to drop her fee for a virtual gig she says it’s better to be prepared for the uncertainty with plan A and B, but the price is the same, whether it is going to be virtual or not.
Christina is currently investing a lot of her time on the writing of her next book, The Great Health Revolution. She says we all have to rethink how we organise health in the future, especially from the pandemic and that by looking into what is going on in China we can get an idea of what the future holds for Europe and the rest of the world.
Her top tips for speakers during these times is to talk to other people about your price level and establish if it is too high or too low. She also advises other speakers to hire a personal assistant when business is overwhelming. If you need help, then outsource some of the work to your PA. This will make logistics easier, and the money spent is valuable to your securing new business in the long run.
At the Innovation in Speaking conference Christina will show us how new technologies can affect the speaking industry while looking to China; where companies are leading in the new technologies that are currently shaping our future. In AI we see translations and avatars. You do not want to miss Christina’s insights as she delves into a journey of the future – and what we can expect for better or worse.
Get your tickets for 9-11 April 2021 here.