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July 8, 2013 By e-Patient Dave 27 Comments

New series: “Speaker Academy” – becoming a patient speaker

The world is changing, in good good ways. As we start the second half of 2013 it’s a perfect time for something new: coaching patients on becoming speaker/advocates.

Times have changed. When I started giving speeches four years ago I literally couldn’t get anyone to pay a cent to hear the voice of a patient. Now that’s changed – medicine understands that there’s genuine value in seeing things from the patient’s point of view, and gollllly, some of us can even give a pretty good speech, even if we don’t work in the industry!  So as I said last winter, I’m finally making a living at it: it took three years, but I finally reached break-even.

That creates both a problem and an opportunity:

  • The problem is that I’m now too expensive for a lot of events. (I’ve demonstrated my value, and I get full professional speaker fees.) (This is good; it means I get to sleep, not bounce checks anymore, etc.)
  • The opportunity is that this creates an updraft, so to speak – a market for additional speakers, earlier in their trajectory, who can give a compelling speech that’s focused not just on their story, but on delivering value to the audience.

And that has led several patients to ask how I got started, so they can try too.

I’m happy to explain how I market myself. And taking a tip from Ted Eytan, I’ll mentor people via this blog, so others can benefit from the advice, and so we can discuss, to help future travelers too.

My next post will be the first in this new series. Let’s have fun!
______________

The first few posts in the series:

  • #1: Marketing yourself (with Randi Oster)
  • #2: Understanding the industry
  • #3: Q&A on Sales, with Trevor Torres
  • #4: Cognitive dissonance
  • #5: Knock it out of the park
  • #6: What could be said that would make any difference?
  • #7: 2011 post “Building a career as a public patient”
  • #8: My way’s not the only way, but speaking skills matter.
  • #9: Your website, with video
  • #10: Take off your stupid badge.
  • #11: Introducing ourselves (workshop begins!)
  • #12: “Slaves of the Internet, Unite!” (NYTimes Sunday Review)
  • #13: Strategic freebies
  • #14: Core speech elements – “Data makes you credible. Stories make you memorable.”
  • #15: The contract
  • #16: Getting paid (being businesslike about cash flow)
  • #17:  “Your message did not fall on deaf ears.”
  • #18: Client Honor Roll – great and valued business partners
  • “The Big Ugly” meets Speaker Academy #19: What’s up with expense checks??
    • #19 (getting paid), continued
  • #20: Message lessons from a video boot camp
  • #21: Interview at Mayo with @Chimoose on the value of patient voices
  • #22: Diary of an Invited Speaker
  • #23: First, get into their world (presentation at CGT)
  • #24: Friday: It’s #RebelJam15! Much to learn – and FREE!
  • #25: “Being heard as possibility”: my talk at #RebelJam15
  • #26: To hone your skills, eight great TED Talks
  • #27: Impact speakers! Get the “Official TED Guide” to speaking
  • #28: “It’s my job to be more interesting than your email” (@TedEytan)
  • #29: The power of “consultative speaking”: keynote at Leapfrog Group’s annual meeting

The series continues, as time allows, in the category Speaker Academy.

Filed Under: Business of Patient Engagement, Speaker Academy 27 Comments

Comments

  1. dpr says

    July 8, 2013 at 4:00 pm

    Hi Dave:
    Thank you for posting this and (in advance) for taking the time out of your schedule to coach us along publicly here. I look forward to the subsequent posts on this topic.

    Reply
  2. Anthony White says

    July 9, 2013 at 1:18 pm

    Bravo Dave!!!

    I’m looking forward to hearing your wisdom.

    Be well

    Reply
  3. Kelly Young says

    October 12, 2013 at 9:04 pm

    Dave has been my friend and mentor in this patient advocate endeavor the past three years since we finally met in person. His schedule and mine have made it impossible to have long formal discussions, but I take any praise or constructive criticism from Dave to heart because it is usually so valuable. Except for occasionally when I can’t understand yet what he means. ;)

    I can only travel to speak a few times per year because of health problems and family responsibilities. When I accepted the last invitation, I had to think long and hard. When I accept an invitation, I see an opportunity not as just something to add to my resume & make a few dollars, but more as an opportunity to make a difference. It means a lot to me.

    Sooo.. since Dave had started this series, I studied it & put every thing I could into practice. I took notes – really. The result: I was confident those hundreds of young pharmacists and students were being offered a message that would make a difference to the patients they serve. And the organizers sounded extremely pleased and received very positive feedback about the talk.

    Public speaking is something I’ve done for many years and have been comfortable with, but this work is *different* for me because the audience and/or environment are often unfamiliar. Using Dave’s advice is helping me prepare better. I don’t know if I’ll ever be as comfortable as Dave is to face large crowds & rock the world, but I know I’m making a difference. Thanks, Dave.

    Reply
    • e-Patient Dave says

      October 18, 2013 at 11:36 am

      Kelly, somehow I only now saw this. Thanks SO much for this feedback. (Funny how we give each OTHER feedback, right? That’s how it works; that’s how our “stone soup” gets better and better.)

      Knowing what a good and effective speaker you are, I’m especially happy that the advice to focus on the audience has been useful for you.

      I’m thinking of adding another step to the process – calling back later to see if anyone has done anything specific and different as a result of a talk. THAT will be a heck of a selling point, a heck of a testimonial on how a talk truly added value for an audience.

      Reply
    • e-Patient Dave says

      October 27, 2013 at 2:53 pm

      You are just astounding, Kelly. It’s a thrill to know you, and I’m constantly stunned by the technical excellence and astounding content of your blog. Teach, teach, teach, teach. I wish Doc Tom Ferguson had lived long enough to know you and your work.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Becoming a patient speaker, part 1: Marketing yourself « e-Patient Dave says:
    July 9, 2013 at 9:40 am

    […] previous post introduced a new series of advice posts (mentoring) on how patients with good speaking skills can […]

    Reply
  2. Speaker Academy #4: Cognitive dissonance « e-Patient Dave says:
    July 14, 2013 at 6:48 am

    […] Speaker Academy #4: Cognitive dissonance Next in the series Speaker Academy, which started here. […]

    Reply
  3. Speaker Academy #5: Knock it out of the park « e-Patient Dave says:
    August 2, 2013 at 9:01 am

    […] you’re new to this series of advice to speakers, read the initial post, and it’ll help if you follow the […]

    Reply
  4. Speaker Academy #7: “Building a career as a public patient” (March 2011) « e-Patient Dave says:
    August 25, 2013 at 1:24 pm

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here seven weeks ago. It’s been much delayed by family and summer – all good! Before I […]

    Reply
  5. Speaker Academy #12: “Slaves of the Internet, Unite!” (NYTimes Sunday Review) « e-Patient Dave says:
    November 2, 2013 at 5:29 pm

    […] is a brief addition to the Speaker Academy series, which started here. The series is addressed to patients and advocates who basically know how to give a talk but want […]

    Reply
  6. Speaker Academy #13: Strategic freebies « e-Patient Dave says:
    November 3, 2013 at 10:00 am

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here. The series is addressed to patients and advocates who basically know how to give a talk but want […]

    Reply
  7. New speech at @Berci’s Healthcare Social Media course in Budapest « e-Patient Dave says:
    November 16, 2013 at 9:51 am

    […] appearance in the video is not great – here's a tip to my Speaker Academy cadets: even if you've just been on a redeye then another flight and you're exhausted and a little […]

    Reply
  8. Speaker Academy #14: core speech elements – “Data makes you credible. Stories make you memorable.” « e-Patient Dave says:
    November 25, 2013 at 12:55 pm

    […] Latest in the Speaker Academy series. If you’re new to it, it starts here. […]

    Reply
  9. Speaker Academy #15: The contract « e-Patient Dave says:
    December 10, 2013 at 3:14 pm

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here. The series is addressed to patients and advocates who basically know how to give a talk but want […]

    Reply
  10. Speaker Academy #16: Getting paid (being businesslike about cash flow) « e-Patient Dave says:
    January 29, 2014 at 11:48 am

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here. The series is addressed to patients and advocates who basically know how to give a speech but want […]

    Reply
  11. Speaker Academy #17: “Your message did not fall on deaf ears.” « e-Patient Dave says:
    April 11, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here. The series is addressed to patients and advocates who basically know how to speak on a subject but […]

    Reply
  12. Speaker Academy #18: Client Honor Roll – great and valued business partners « e-Patient Dave says:
    June 2, 2014 at 10:37 pm

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here. The series is addressed to patients and advocates who basically know how to speak on a subject but […]

    Reply
  13. “The Big Ugly” meets Speaker Academy #19: What’s up with expense checks?? « e-Patient Dave says:
    June 22, 2014 at 11:45 am

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here. The series is addressed to patients and advocates who basically know how to speak on a subject but […]

    Reply
  14. Speaker Academy #20: Message lessons from a video boot camp « e-Patient Dave says:
    October 21, 2014 at 3:35 pm

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here. The series is addressed to patients and advocates who basically know how to speak on a subject but […]

    Reply
  15. Speaker Academy #21: Interview at Mayo with @Chimoose on the value of patient voices « e-Patient Dave says:
    January 6, 2015 at 9:46 pm

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here. The series is addressed to patients and advocates who basically know how to speak on a subject but […]

    Reply
  16. Speaker Academy #22: Sponsors, please: adjust your budgets. « e-Patient Dave says:
    May 3, 2015 at 12:50 pm

    […] occasional Speaker Academy series, which started here, provides a bit of free advice (worth every penny) for patient voices who know how to give a good […]

    Reply
  17. Speaker Academy #23: First, get into their world (presentation at CGT) « e-Patient Dave says:
    May 17, 2015 at 1:51 am

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here. The series is addressed to patients and advocates who basically know how to speak on a subject but […]

    Reply
  18. Friday: It’s #RebelJam15! Much to learn – and FREE! (Speaker Academy #24) « e-Patient Dave says:
    June 22, 2015 at 12:01 pm

    […] This is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here.  […]

    Reply
  19. Speaker Academy #26: To hone your skills, eight great TED Talks « e-Patient Dave says:
    October 24, 2015 at 10:01 pm

    […] This is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here.  […]

    Reply
  20. The power of “consultative speaking”: keynote at Leapfrog Group’s annual meeting says:
    June 2, 2017 at 10:31 am

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here, but it’s also intended for my potential speaking […]

    Reply
  21. The power of “consultative speaking”: keynote at Leapfrog Group’s annual meeting says:
    June 2, 2017 at 10:54 am

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here, but it’s also intended for my potential speaking […]

    Reply
  22. The power of “consultative speaking”: keynote at Leapfrog Group’s annual meeting | e-Patient Dave says:
    June 2, 2017 at 7:33 pm

    […] is the latest in the Speaker Academy series, which started here, but it’s also intended for my potential speaking […]

    Reply

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