speakers have with bureaus, agents, and meeting
planners? Will there be a clear distinction between
those buyer categories? Will all three still exist?
3. Speakers: Does our future still include
a place on the platform—and if it does, what will
presenting look like? Will robot keynoters take our
place? It seems like a crazy idea, but they’d be perfectly customized, up-to-date, and never jet-lagged.
AWARE, INFORMED, AND READY
When many speakers imagine the future of their
profession, this is what it sounds like: virtual
presentations, augmented reality, gamification,
artificial intelligence, big data, cybersecurity, sensor analytics, audience-controlled content, totally
immersive storytelling, machine-human interface,
industry convergence, tribalization.
“What worked in our industry 20 years ago is not working now.
And what’s working now won’t cut it tomorrow. It is our responsibility
to understand, as much as possible, what is coming next.”
Some of us thrill to vocabulary like this,
others are likely terrified. But unless you have
the context for understanding why these words
matter (and they do) then it’s just a bunch of
jargon. To thrive as a 21st-century speaker, you
don’t need to be an expert in any of these trends,
but you must be informed and aware. Only then
can you be proactive about the future.
Crystal balls, Ouija boards, tarot cards,
and tea leaves. Consult them if you wish.
But if you’re serious about taking charge of
your speaking business in the next five, 10,
even 20 years, ask the future-focused questions above. Then come to share your ideas
and learn from your colleagues at Winter
Conference 2018: The Future of Speaking.
We’ll bring the future to you. ■
WINTER
CONFERENCE
2018
THE FUTURE OF
SPEAKING
February 16-18
Baltimore, Maryland
For registration and
information, visit
NSAspeaker.org/attend/
winter-conference.
