(Bangkok, Thailand)

How do I get more speaking engagements internationally?

That is one of the most common questions that I get.

And the answer is: Speak more internationally.

But more specifically the answer is: Speak more at global conferences.

Because at a global conference there will be people from all over the world in the audience, so if you do a great job on the stage then you will have people from all over the world come up to you after the speech to want to book you for their home market.

Which today was a great example of.

Because today 1300 Entrepreneurs from 130 countries gathered in Bangkok, Thailand for the Global Learning Conference of Entrepreneurs Organisation – a global organisation for entrepreneurs with more than 11 000 members from all over the world.

I was one of the speakers.

When I summarised the conference and went through the business cards that people had come up and given to me, I could see that I had received concrete invitations to come and speak in 41 (!) different countries from 6 continents. People from South Africa to New Zeeland, from Canada to China had approached me and asked me to come and speak in their country as well.

Let me say that again: Concrete leads from 41 different countries. All from speaking to one audience. One global audience.

And I am now in the process of going through these leads to convert them into bookings.

So if the answer to the question “How do I get to speak more globally” is “speak more at global conferences”, then the follow up question becomes: “So how do I get to speak more at global conferences?” 

And the answer to that question is: Make sure you have a great speech that is universal (meaning it will work as well on a Chinese as on an American etc.) And then go speak at local and regional conferences.

If your speech is universal enough the people who organise global conferences are going to hear about you. Because the people who organise the global conferences listen to the people who organise regional and national conferences to find out about great speakers who they can use for the global conference.

It is of course not so easy that this is the ONLY answer to the question “How do I get to speak more internationally”, but it is one piece of the puzzle of how to increase your global foot print as a speaker.

If nothing else, the fact that I got concrete leads from 41 countries today from one conference should in itself inspire you to work towards getting to speak at more global conferences – at least if your goal is to be a global speaker.