I see the subject line in my email box: Would love for you to be a guest speaker in my telesummit.
I feel myself contract.
I have been asked to participate in many telesummits over the past five years and most of them were lovely experiences. Recently, however, I’ve noticed a very different trend. Somehow these online gatherings feel a whole lot less inviting.
In fact, there is often a rather lengthy list of requirements attached to the invitation that has nothing to do with contribution and everything to do with the size of one’s mailing list.
As someone who has enjoyed two different sides of these online experiences, presenter and participant, I’d like to see us bring integrity back to the telesummit table.
Here are a few guidelines you might consider and questions you might ask yourself if you’re thinking about organizing this kind of event.
What is my intention? Is it noble? What do I hope to accomplish?
Hint: If you are holding a telesummit to grow your list, think about how you’ll keep those members engaged and interested in your work once they join your community. Place more of your energy on providing value to your community and less on pitching a product, program or service.
How will my community benefit from this experience?
Hint: The human brain has the capacity to absorb only so much information at any given time. When you consider the adult learner and even more important, the characteristics of the participants (i.e., your niche), you may discover less is more. Fewer presenters may actually serve your audience more fully. People need time to process and integrate information. Watch closely as you orchestrate your event and ask your audience how they received the information. Was it too much? Not enough? Just right?
How will this telesummit get me closer to forwarding my own message in the world?
Hint: Stop and ask yourself this question: What is my point of view and will it be heard in a sea of expertise? Bringing guest experts to our community is, indeed, a gracious endeavor. It’s also a wonderful way to expand our knowledge base and deepen our expertise. Yet, sometimes I wonder if it’s also a place to hide and not fully own our own brilliance. I’m wondering how we might shine a light on both the brilliance of others and the rich body of knowledge we bring to the world.
And finally. . .
How will you invite your guest experts to share this event in a way that feels natural and ethical and good?
Many of the telesummit invitations I see in the entrepreneurial world now come with the requirement that guest teachers send out a solo email to their list inviting all to attend. There’s nothing wrong with this in theory. But, in my experience, solo emails are not always appropriate or even possible. How will you adjust your expectations if the experts you invite have something of great value to offer your community and a solo email isn’t possible given their circumstances?
How will YOU bring integrity back to the telesummit table?
Thank you for writing this post. I get a lot of invites for these telesummits and I am turning everyone down. Why? The “invite” usually comes with a lengthy list of obligations that makes it feel less like an invite and more like an onerous chore (not to mention a somewhat sleazy gimmick to latch on to people’s lists). Sorry but I’d rather grow my biz slowly and sincerely.
Great post, Sue Ann! I’m glad someone finally said out loud what many of us are saying behind the scenes.
Yes, Theresa, I agree and I love what you say about growing a business slowly and sincerely. That’s a practice I can wrap my arms around. Thanks for reading and responding to this post.