Stop Selling Topics. Start Solving Problems.
Stop Selling Topics.
Start Solving Problems.
One of the questions I get asked most often from speakers is,
"What are companies and event planners booking right now?"
Most people expect me to hand them a list of hot topics like leadership, communication, resilience, burnout, or AI. And yes, those topics are absolutely in demand.
But the truth is ... companies and meeting planners aren't booking topics, they're booking solutions.
Think about it from the perspective of the person hiring you. The VP of HR isn't sitting at their desk thinking,
"I really hope I find a resilience speaker today." They're thinking,
My managers are exhausted. We're struggling to retain great employees. Our leaders avoid difficult conversations. AI is changing everything and my employees are nervous.
Those are business problems.
Your keynote is simply one possible solution. When people ask me what companies are booking, they're really asking,
"What problems are organizations or people in general trying to solve?" Across almost every industry, I continue to see organizations investing in speakers who can help solve challenges in leadership, communication, change, workplace culture, well-being, high performance, and the future of work. You need to be more specific.
Here's what that actually looks like.
Instead of saying Leadership
- Leading through uncertainty
- Building trust within teams
- Accountability without micromanaging
- Coaching instead of managing
- Having difficult conversations
- Creating psychological safety
- Developing future leaders
Instead of saying Communication
- Giving and receiving feedback
- Cross-generational communication
- Influence without authority
- Active listening
- Storytelling in business
- Communicating through conflict
- Presenting ideas with confidence
Instead of saying Change & Adaptability
- Leading through organizational change
- Navigating uncertainty
- Decision-making under pressure
- Practical resilience
- Helping teams adapt more quickly
- Embracing change instead of resisting it
Instead of saying the Future of Work
- AI and the human side of work
- Productivity in a distracted world
- Innovation
- Curiosity as a competitive advantage
- Continuous learning
- Future-ready leadership
Instead of saying Workplace Culture
- Belonging and inclusion
- Employee engagement
- Collaboration on your team
- Building high-performing teams
- Employee retention solutions
- Strengthening workplace relationships
- Creating cultures people want to stay in
Instead of saying Well-Being
- Burnout prevention
- Stress management
- Energy management
- Sustainable performance
- Mental well-being in the workplace
- Work-life integration
- Preventing compassion fatigue
Instead of saying High Performance
- Performing at your best under pressure
- Building confidence through action
- Sustaining peak performance without burnout
- Strengthening focus in a distracted workplace
- Creating habits that drive consistent results
- Developing executive presence and influence
- Managing energy instead of simply managing time
- Turning goals into measurable execution
- Building discipline that lasts longer than motivation
- Taking ownership and personal accountability
Do you notice something? These aren't really speaking topics. They're organizational challenges. That's why they continue to get booked.
Where I see many speakers struggle is that they stop at the category. They tell me they speak on leadership. Or communication. Or resilience. Unfortunately, so do thousands of other speakers. The opportunity isn't choosing a different topic. The opportunity is getting more specific about the problem you solve.
Instead of telling me you speak on communication, tell me you help leaders have difficult conversations that improve trust and accountability. Instead of saying you speak on resilience, tell me you help healthcare professionals prevent burnout or help sales teams recover from rejection without losing momentum. The topic didn't change, but suddenly I understand why an organization would hire you.
Even speakers with niche topics should think this way. Take perimenopause, for example. That's certainly more specialized than leadership or communication, but it's still just a topic. The better question is,
what business problem does this solve?
Maybe you help employers retain experienced women during a significant life transition. Maybe you reduce absenteeism through education and awareness. Maybe you give leaders practical tools to better support employees while creating a healthier workplace culture.
The topic didn't change. The value became obvious.
One thing I tell speakers all the time is this:
Your story builds credibility.
Your expertise creates the solution.
Your solution gets you hired.
Stories absolutely matter. They're what make you memorable. They're what connect you to an audience. But event organizers aren't hiring your story. They're hiring the outcome their audience will experience because of your story.
The next time you update your website, keynote descriptions, speaker reel, or one-sheet, don't ask yourself,
"What do I speak about?"
Instead, ask yourself,
"What business problem do I solve?"
Because companies aren't buying another leadership speaker. They're buying someone who can help their leaders lead better. They aren't buying another communication speaker.
They're buying someone who can improve how their teams work together. And they aren't buying another inspirational story.
They're buying a result.
