In this article, we have gleaned insights from a few global speakers like Rah Gor, Drew Dudley, Ty Bennet, and Fredrik Haren who offer advice on how they went from regional to national to international. This article should give you a lot of ideas on how to start changing your mindset, and will provide practical pointers on how to find and get in contact with event organizers and go from a local speaker to the global stage.

1. BREAKING INTO THE INTERNATIONAL SPEAKING MARKET:
GOING FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL
A GUIDE TO GETTING ON TO INTERNATIONAL STAGES

2. BUT HOW DO YOU TRANSITION FROM
SPEAKING ON YOUR REGIONAL
CIRCUIT TO THE WORLD STAGE?
MANY SPEAKERS HAVE THE CAREER GOAL TO GET
BOOKED ON STAGES AROUND THE WORLD.

3. "If you put yourself in the right mindset to spot
opportunities, there are always more to follow."
—Richard Branson

4. Your message has to be
applicable to a wide variety of
audiences—while still being
targeted and niche enough
that you stand apart from the
million other speakers out
there.

5. Research is essential when it comes to
crafting your content.
Think about "What do they need? What
can I offer them? How can I speak in a way
that resonates with them?"
Once you are clear about what their struggles
are and what they are dealing with, your talk
can help them solve the issues.
?

6. YOU ARE A CREDIBLE
EXPERT ON YOUR
SUBJECT.
Your online marketing materials are
essential in helping you get booked. The
materials should present the appropriate
information to convince the event organizer

7. "If you want to be successful, if you want to make an
impression, you have to lock down, you've got to
make sure that your hometown is taken care of,
because if you fail in a market, in an environment that
is totally different and foreign from your own, at least
you can always go back home and you can re-group
and you can always get the support, because
everyone there knows what you're trying to do."
—Jay Z

8. ALWAYS ASK FOR REFERRALS TO TWO
OR THREE ORGANIZATIONS WHO MAY
BENEFIT FROM WHAT YOU OFFER.

9. Don't dig where everyone
else is digging. Look for
fresh fields.
If you are doing the same things that
everyone else is doing, and applying
for the same speaking opportunities
that everyone else is applying for, it’s
going to be challenging to stand out.

10. INVEST TIME IN RESEARCHING
What are the twenty
countries you want
to go to?
What kind of stages
do you want to
speak on?
Who are the relevant
individuals and how
can you contact them?

11. They have expectations from their organization and
audience to ensure that whoever they put on stage is
going to have a positive impact. If they hire a terrible
speaker, they lose credibility.
THE EVENT ORGANIZER’S REPUTATION IS ON THE LINE.

12. Be understood by a
non-native English
speaking audience
Top tips for adapt your language:
Speak slower
Speak clearly
Simplify your language
Cut out slang, jargon and metaphors
Watch your body language
Understand cultural nuances
Use local terminology correctly
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

13. 3 tips for telling jokes in
other cultures:
1.
Avoid making
comparisons
between the
country you are
in and other
countries.
2.
Even if people in
the culture are
self-deprecating,
this is not an
invitation to
join in.
3.
Run your jokes
past the event
organizer or a
counterpart
from that
culture

14. 3 examples of body
language that could be
misinterpreted
1.
Direct eye
contact can be
regarded as rude
in many Asian
countries and in
some regions in
Africa.
2. 3.
Nodding your
head often means
“yes”, but it can
actually mean “no”
in some parts of
Greece, Bulgaria
and Turkey.
The “ok” hand
symbol can imply
something is
worthless in
France (zero) and
could even cause
offence in Brazil.

15. 3 TIPS FOR WORKING WITH INTERPRETERS
Keep each section
short
Slow your talk
down
Talk directly
to your audience

16. “Here's the truth, long-term, for your speaking
business to work: you have to get to the point
where the majority of your speeches are
coming from other speeches, because to go
and find 100 new stages to speak on every
year...that would be a tough deal.”
—Ty Bennett

17. Many businesses and
organizations tend to have
recurring needs that can
create a lot of opportunity for
repeat business, and if you
can meet their needs, they
are more likely to ask you to
come back.