Become the Go-To Expert and Attract Greater Opportunities with Kelly Charles-Collins.

Welcome to Public Speaking with Peter George. Do you want to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then stay tuned as Peter and his guests discuss public speaking tips, techniques, and tactics that help you increase your impact, influence, and income. Here's your host, the author of The Captivating Public Speaker, Peter George.

You hear it all the time: build a personal brand, identify your niche, craft your signature talk. But how do you actually go about doing these things? In this episode, Kelly Charles-Collins gives you the answers so you can position yourself as the go-to expert in your field — and attract more corporate training contracts and paid speaking engagements.

As a keynote and award-winning TEDx speaker, retired trial attorney, law firm partner, speaker, mentor, and author, Kelly is a sought-after authority in courageous conversations, unconscious bias, and women's empowerment. Her media features include ABC, NBC, CBS, Time.com, Forbes, Fast Company, Authority Magazine, and Women's World Daily. Her book is Conversations Change Things — and this conversation will do just that. Here's my conversation with Kelly Charles-Collins.

Why Becoming the Go-To Expert Matters

Peter: Kelly, what are the key benefits of being recognized as the expert?

Kelly: It really comes down to one thing: people have to know you. Speakers often underestimate the value of knowing their expertise and building authority around it. A lot of speakers go out and talk about many different things. What I teach is to get clear on what you're known for and build around that. People think niching down limits opportunities — it doesn't. It actually creates more of them, because people know exactly how to find you and what to expect. Once you're in the room with them, you can expand. But first you have to be known for one thing.

Peter: It's like the difference between a general practitioner and a specialist.

Kelly: Exactly. When something really matters — brain surgery, a personal injury case — you want the specialist. It's the same with speaking. People want someone who knows their topic deep, not wide. If someone asks you a question on stage, you should be able to answer it. If you're all over the place, nobody knows what to hire you for.

How to Identify Your Niche

Kelly: I always start with why. I keep asking clients why something matters to them — and why it should matter enough for someone to pay them to speak about it. From there, I explore their expertise — not just academic credentials, but their professional and personal experiences. High achievers tend to achieve and move on, never taking stock of what they've accumulated. I have them go back and take a real inventory of who they are, so they can marry the professional and personal in a way that lets them genuinely stand in the power of their message.

If you don't do this, you risk the longevity of your career. You might get a gig here and there, but without a clear, deep expertise, people will realize there's no real value being provided — and they won't invite you back. They won't refer you. You won't become the go-to person.

What a Signature Talk Really Is

Kelly: As speakers, we have a product to sell — and that product is our signature talk. What many people misunderstand is that their signature talk is not their story. Your story is not the message. Your story is a vehicle through which you help people understand the lesson and the journey you're taking them on.

A signature talk shows people that you understand their problem, the impact it's having on their life, and that you are — or you have — the solution. You insert your story for amplification, to explain, to clarify, to highlight. But the story serves the message, not the other way around. If you walk off stage and people say that was really nice — but nothing shifted for them — what was the value exchange?

Speaking to Corporate Buyers

Kelly: In corporate, you have to understand the difference between your consuming audience — the people who'll receive your message — and your paying audience — the organization bringing you in. Most speakers focus only on the consuming audience. But corporate buyers think differently. They want to know how this affects the bottom line, saves time, reduces risk. That conversation is entirely different from the one you'd have with the audience itself. You have to be able to speak both languages.

And the key to effective conversations with corporate buyers is listening. As speakers, we love to talk. But listening allows you to identify what's actually happening in an organization right now, and whether what you offer is the right fit. Sometimes the honest answer is that you're not the right person — and the most powerful thing you can do is say so and refer someone who is.

Authenticity and Online Presence

Kelly: Being an expert and being authentic are not mutually exclusive. When I'm on stage, I am me — the same person you'd meet on social media, at a conference, or over coffee. If you manufacture a persona, you have to remember it everywhere, every time. Who has time for that?

Online presence is essential. If someone is considering booking you, they will Google you. If I search your name and find nothing about you speaking, that's a problem. You don't have to be everywhere, but you have to be somewhere — and you have to show up as a speaker. For anyone in this space, LinkedIn is non-negotiable. It's a thought-leadership platform. That's where decision-makers are. Pick a lane and do it well.

Peter: Kelly, where can listeners connect with you?

Kelly: Go to kellycharlescollinss.com — Kelly Charles Collins with an S at the end. Everything is right there.

That's a wrap of another episode of Public Speaking with Peter George. Be sure to tune in again for a conversation with another public speaking expert. And remember to use the link in the show notes to go to Amazon and check out Peter's acclaimed book, The Captivating Public Speaker.