I’ve been booked to SPEAK! but… now what?

“How do I find the professional talk trainer who will guide me through the writing… the editing… and the performance?”

You’ve dreamed about this moment for years. Maybe decades.

You’ve got your letter of acceptance for PechaKucha, Creative Mornings, 99z or TEDx.

You’re giddy with excitement.

But then, reality kicks in.

And the questions start swirling in your head…

"WHAT IF SOMEONE FINDS OUT I’M A FRAUD?"

"WHAT IF I SOUND LIKE AN IDIOT?"

"WHAT IF I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH?"

“HOW WILL I MAKE IT IN TIME?”
and…

“THIS IS SO OVERWHELMING, WHERE DO I EVEN BEGIN?!?”

Your friend probably sent you to me because they are like the other 140 speakers who have heard my quiet whisper through the noise.

They then went on to deliver keynotes, summit addresses and TED-Style talks that shattered audiences’ preconceptions, engaged hundreds of thousands of viewers online, and made palpable change.

So hear me whisper now:

Relax.

This path, it has been taken by many before you.

And those who stuck to the end, found success they might never have even dreamed of.

I’m going to show you the step-by-step way to foster deep connections with your audience, engaging them from the moment you hit the stage.

Months and years after my talks I still getting messages from audience participants about the impact of my talk--seeking advice!

Speaking is your chance to become The Authority in your field.

Dr. Angelica Lim, PhD, Roboticist, TEDxKyoto and TedxKL speaker

"I was lost before my TEDx talk, but Soness brought me back to the Why of my speaking, got to the core of my essence and purpose. I felt calm even during technical malfunction.
Now I've spoken at TEDxKyoto and TEDxKL, did paid speaking tours of Europe & North America, not to mention a year-long documentary!

Speaking is a journey, and you need Soness to coach you."

How do you train for a big stage talk?

Over the past 15 years, I’ve seen so many other speaker trainers pushing clients to deliver specific talks in specific formats for specific events.

They say things like:

“This is what a keynote has to look like.”

“These are the exact sections of a 6-minute talk.”

“I know what TEDx wants and only I have the keys.”

But this is the wrong approach.

Because all of this is superficial.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a summit, keynote, or a TED-style talk. Whether you have 6, 12, 18 or 45 minutes to deliver your speech.

It’s the core of your talk that defines whether it’s an international success or whether no one will ever hear of it. Your Talk Core is what has to be as polished as a diamond crossed with the fluffy bottom of a baby duck.

Everything else comes after.

This is why by working with me for the next 3 to 6 months, we will:

• Develop your idea

• Clarify your core thesis for the soul of your talk

• Use my proprietary techniques to create a talk that sounds authentically like you

• Develop the structure, brevity & purpose to give you freedom

• Get a clear vision of your Kokorozashi "Heart’s Mission" for your speaking journey.  

• Discover who needs to hear your message and why you need to share it.  

• Create and implement your unique speaking journey map leading from today up to the day of your talk.

“3-6 months??” I hear you cry.

But here’s the thing.

The biggest professional speakers rehearse for a talk debut over 200 times — that's 7 times every day, for over a month.

But you don’t have to reach this level. 

In fact, I’ll show you how you can fit the creation, writing, editing and delivery practice of your talk around your existing schedule.

How do you prepare your talk?

Over 12 WEEKLY COACHING CALLS, together we’ll work on…

• Writing, timing & tweaking--we'll create a talk that flows engagingly

• Choose the right words capturing the essence of what you want to say

• Make your audience care

• Beyond accountability--find focus so you save time

• Weekly video rehearsal reviews

• Capture your audience even in the first few words of your talk

• 3 valuable ways to know your audience and what they need, before you even speak

• Create phrasing that resonates a lifetime

• Master the one piece of psychology that will make your audience hungry for your talk from the get-go

• Zen-style your slide deck

• My original technique to know your talk inside-out almost effortlessly without repetitive memorization

• Own the stage confidently in just 30 seconds.

• Speak confidently even when your heart pumps with adrenaline

YOU WILL...

• Master audience facilitation techniques that will move them to action now.

• Overcome all those little voices in your head whispering all your fears of being a fraud, an idiot or...you know.

• Become a Jedi Knight in just 30 seconds knowing what your audience is doing, thinking and feeling.  Yes, Yoda wished I worked with young Luke Skywalker.  

Is there a TED talk template?

You wouldn’t be wrong to think there is one: there are many “coaches” out there selling templates and training programmes with up to a 5-figure cost, based on bold claims about how they’re “in the know” about “what TED likes and wants”.

But let me burst that bubble right now.

1. Only TED are the people who are “in the know”, and TED and TEDx events publicly communicate what they are looking for and how to apply. There are no “secrets” here.

2. “TED-Style talk” has been a phrase in use for 10+ years. 

3. You need to look beyond a single event. If you want to get your message in front of audiences who need to hear it, you need to look beyond one time and one stage.

So do yourself a favour and if someone tries to sell you a “TED talk template”, decline in the knowledge that there is no such thing.

You don’t fit inside of a box. So why would your talk be a fill-in-the-blank exercise?

Together we’ll find your heart’s mission, grow your original seed of an idea into a talk you can deliver with competence and confidence, captivating your audience with an impact worthy of the world’s larges stages.

My speakers’ ideas matter.

I wanted a template for my talk. But Soness wouldn’t let me start there. We had to go through, what I felt at the time was drudge-work, asking questions about my values and universal truths and my inner wisdom.  Then we started writing haiku. Why are we writing haiku? I didn’t sign up for poetry class! But I decided to trust the process. I realized, if I had a template like other coaches hand out, I would have just filled in the blanks rather than create a talk that transformed the audience.  Just like she said, it came true--every line had impact! Lines formed just to meet me, take a selfie and tell me what an impact my talk had on them! And now we are working on our third talk together. Trust Soness’s process. -- Dr. Nona Djavid

Should I hire a copywriter to write my talk?

Some people try hiring a copywriter to write their talk for them. It always breaks apart, because most copywriters will have no idea what your true voice is like - how could they, if you don’t know either? I will help you discover your authentic voice. Together we’ll craft your talk. Hand-in-hand, you will know every line creates an impact. You are quote worthy! We just gotta find those quotes waiting to exhale from your heart.

Here’s the thing…

If someone writes your talk for you, you end up just performing their script.

Yeah, they might have interviewed you, but it’s not you. The audience can feel whether you are authentic or not.

Crafting your talk with Soness, she brings out your words, your voice, your creation. You will feel ownership of your material. Then you can focus on what’s important: connection.

How much is my investment to create my talk?

I built my talk training services on 100% transparency ever since I first started in 2008.

In that time, I’ve seen speaker coaches charge up to $60,000 USD just for training for delivery – and they wash their hands if you don’t arrive with a done & dusted final draft with a captivating structure, your core messages developed and placed at the best moment to connect, all written in your personal voice and timed to the exact length to the event.

And that’s not even the worst of it.

I had more than one speaker come to me with how self-proclaimed “TEDx coaches” (not licensed or affiliated with TED!) approached them with “pay-to-play” opportunities: upwards of $100K to “guarantee” them a talk.

But there’s no “guarantee” that you can get on any stage.

And some of coaches promise to write your talks for you…then outsource it to a speech writer. They charge a fortune for keeping you accountable and then hiring someone else at a lower rate to write your talk.

But here’s the thing…I don’t take on clients who I don’t believe in. And I’ll tell you directly. Just ask my speaker Karan.

I believe in my speakers.

When we work together, you will walk on stage with confidence knowing you have ownership of your talk.

I believe great ideas do not belong to the elite—They belong to everyone. That includes you.

Here’s the investment to work together on your talk over 12-sessions:

If you have 3 months before your talk: $14900 US total.
Rushing with only 2 months before the big day? $15,900 US total.
Cramming in only 1 month before? Oh, my! $17,900 US total.
Less than 29 days? Here we go! $20,900 US total.

Do I need 12 sessions?

Yes, if you want to give a talk to transform the lives of the audience and those who watch. If your goal is nothing else but to check off the vague idea to “do a TED talk” off your bucket list, this isn’t the right program to commit to speaking.

My speakers don’t speak because they want to. They speak because they have to.

They have to…

make a shift in perspective, what we hear in the world, and how people act. Making a difference one impactful idea after the next. You become quote-worthy!

What if I’ve got it all together and I just found you right now to do a quick check-in?
If you have less than one month to your talk, we can't do the full package.  I'm not a psychic, but we can do one-to-one touch-up coaching at $850 per 90-minute session.

YOU MIGHT BE WONDERING...do i need a speaker coach at all?

Doesn't my event give me a speaker coach?  

Some do. Some don’t. If they do, they’ll most often be volunteers, and I trust that volunteers have the best of intentions.  What my clients and I have discovered is that with the volunteers’ busy schedules, they might listen to your talk once or twice and provide mild feedback and tiny tweaks.

These volunteers aren't trained speaker coaches, communications experts, or have stage speaking experience with the events they work for. Which leaves you scrambling the week before.

You need a pro dedicated to your heartfelt message. I’ve spent the past 15 years speaking to audiences of 1,000+ over dozens and dozens of events. I can appreciate where you are coming from and can guide you to confidence. I’ve been through it all, many times.

Cesar Harada, TED Senior Fellow, Inventor, Environmental Activist

"I have been teaching for years and giving talks professionally and internationally for 5 years now. I had many coaches.

Without hesitation Soness has been the sharpest, high-energy, positive and articulate coach I've ever had."

Can't my friends help me?  

They will be a valuable resource as we go onto the rehearsal round, but can they spend the next 3 months working with you weekly?  Even friends who have done a talk... well, just because your friend had a great haircut before, you wouldn't want them to cut your hair, would you?

I'm really busy.  

If you are too busy, then you should give your spot to someone who is dedicated to making their idea worth spreading.  Be prepared for months of preparation.

How much is speaker coaching worth?   

You'll become the authority.  Imagine your value raising exponentially.  Some of my clients have gotten hundreds of thousands of dollars of funding, paid speaking tours, and increased earnings between $50,000-$100,000/year.  How much is becoming the Go-To Expert worth to you?  Our journey together is a fraction of that.

CLIENTS JUST LIKE YOU...

Victoria Markhoff, 16, Mental Illness Activist, Filmaker, TEDxTeen, TEDx

"After my TEDxTeen talk, people were saying that I was a really good speaker. But it wasn't just natural. It was 3 months of working with Soness.

I have social anxiety and mental illness--anyone can be good in speaking not through natural talent but a lot of hard work."

Elisa Markhoff, Eating Psychology Specialist, Huffington Post Blogger

"When I see the results of months of work, I was like, 'That is why you hire a coach.'

You don’t want to be good enough, you want to be great.

If you want to be great, hire Soness."