I caught up with Craig last week and we covered a wide range of takeaways:
The one thing Craig would change about the event
BEATS’ unique approach to taking care of speakers - a big contrast to the limits and restrictions of other events
How the 3 keynote speakers surprised him over the course of the event
But for the newsletter, I want to zero in on…
3 Surprising Ways Speakers Disqualified Themselves
Craig wanted to make speaker selection as neutral as possible for the BEATS event.
So he and his team did two things…
released an RFP (request for proposal)
formed a committee to review speaker submissions (a group of association staff and speakers called the ‘Sound Board’)
Committee members reviewed 150+ speaker submissions, with many submissions being reviewed by multiple members (over 1,000 individual reviews).
The process uncovered some fantastic speakers. I’ve been featuring them on this platform for the last few months. But when all the data was in, they revealed some critical mistakes speakers made in their submissions.
AI-Written Submissions & Session Titles
Referring to feedback from the committee members, Craig said…
“Some of the feedback we got was ‘a lot of AI.’ And a lot of ‘written by AI.’ I’m hearing that more and more throughout the industry, we’re just seeing so much stuff that you didn’t write and it’s pretty obvious right away, or you’re not [an expert in] this topic, but you’re trying to squeeze it in there to be hot. I think a lot of that stuff…got weeded out pretty quickly.” - Craig Grant
In one of the speakers-only sessions, one committee member said that 7 speakers submitted the exact same session title. Another committee member pointed out that many titles were 8-12 words long, way too long for a good session title.
As I was listening in that session, I jotted this note to myself, “AI is being used without enough editing and human intervention.”
Not Reading the RFP
“Speakers…whine about not getting picked for events, and they don’t read an RFP. An example….Our event is very clear. It’s for association staff and speakers. But the amount of people that submitted their real estate classes to it? Yeah. Those got weeded out immediately. You didn’t read the RFP. You didn’t…pay attention to the audience.”
Not Following Directions
“We were really clear on our RFP. You have to submit (with your topic)...a video of you speaking. And that way the people on the Sound Board can at least see your skills. And the amount of people who either did not submit a video or gave us a Dropbox link. And we told them…it has to be a public link [where] somebody can click and watch. You know what I mean? …But again, the amount of people who just did not follow the directions and read that. They definitely got hurt because we told our Sound Board, ‘If [speakers] didn’t follow the instructions, ding them in their score.”
Now…I could end the newsletter with a lesson like…“Sometimes, there are no shortcuts. You just have to do the work.”
But that’s not the whole story.
You could just as easily use AI to…
Coach you on writing - so you sharpen and condense your session titles and outlines without using AI-writing
Review the RFP and list all key requirements
Check your final submission to ensure every requirement is met
Using AI in this way would actually prevent mistakes that disqualify you from the stages you want.
Click on the audio file for the full chat, or search Real Estate Thought Leaders on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Or Hit Reply and tell me what you’re seeing…what are some other reasons speakers don’t get booked at real estate events?
Steal This:
Hire a videographer for your next speaking gig.
It’s more affordable than you think.
Many speakers who submitted for BEATS were eliminated for lack of video.
Even when you speak at big events, the staff videographer is focused on the event. When you hire someone, they have one job…getting the best possible footage of YOU.
Quick Links & Resources
Connect with Craig on Facebook or Instagram
Craig and his team really did a fantastic job with BEATS. If I hadn’t known it was just Year 2 of their team running the event, I would never have guessed. What I didn’t know was that Craig had his own speaking gigs the weekends before and after the event. So massive thanks are in order! I appreciate him taking time to come back and share some insider info.
All the best,
-Matt
Agency Founder & Author of MicroFamous
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