It’s the week of American Thanksgiving, 2024, and what better time to start reflecting on the year (in between meals) and noting some things for speakers to be grateful for.  Surveying the public speaking world near the end of this year yields a rich pile of blessings.

We’re back in business – in front of audiences.  Those of us in the public speaking world may feel a little shell-shocked so far at the way the 2020s are going.  It has been feast or famine, as the speaking market recovered from a meltdown at the beginning of the decade.  But now, people are back at work, back at conferences, and even back in airplanes.  Speakers are grateful.  One estimate I saw had the keynote speaking market growing from $1.9 Billion in the US in 2019 to $2.3 Billion in 2025.  Vive le rétablissement!

Those audience are smarter and more demanding than ever.  And that’s a good thing.  Good audiences demand good performances from speakers, and so it’s wonderful to have a discerning group of people to speak to. Top speakers want it no other way.  Magic happens when people are at the top of their game and audiences know it.

Public speakers are learning to be more authentic than ever.  When I started coaching people in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Jim Collins was at the top of the heap as far as business speakers were concerned.  His book Good to Great was a huge bestseller, it was based on loads of research, and it would have seemed odd indeed if Jim had told us about his childhood or a traumatic incident that led to his becoming passionate about great companies.  Today, in 2024, it would seem odd indeed if a top-tier public speaker didn’t tell us something about his or her personal connection to the topic at hand. Speeches are becoming more authentic and reflecting more lived experience, and that’s a good thing.

The speaking technology is better than ever.  There never was a better time to be a speaker in terms of technical support.  Countryman microphones and headsets, comfort monitors, huge screens and sound systems, sophisticated AV support, polling options and audience interaction software – this is indeed a golden era for technology to make speakers look and sound good and increase their ability to interact with even very large audiences.

Speakers can magnify their reach with virtual engagements.  Most speakers now give a mix of in-person and virtual speeches, with an ever-increasing emphasis on the in-person.  That’s the format that almost every speaker prefers, but the virtual remains a decent second option when budget, time, or distance makes an in-person talk impossible.  The virtual option has become what many of us predicted it would become:  a second-tier option that enriches the speaking world rather than deracinating it.

Finally, speakers can connect with their audience as never before through social networks and online outreach.  Of course, this work can feel overwhelming and never-ending, and sometimes doesn’t seem to get any result at all.  But the gates are open, and the gatekeepers have fled, and we have stormed the PR Bastille.  It’s ours, and despite the challenges, we should feel grateful.

Still, more often than not, real success comes slowly.  You have to find your niche, and your public has to find you.  That can happen quickly thanks to all the digitally enhanced means of PR at our disposal now, but usually it seems to follow a schedule of its own.  Where you start is not necessarily where you end up, and trusting in yourself means taking unexpected turns and finding new places to explore.  If you can develop a sense of organic growth, you’ll be much happier and more grounded as your career inevitably has its ups and downs.

Much to be grateful for, speakers!  And here’s to an even more successful 2025!