speaking career Archives - Speaker Sponsor

I just read about how Jane Goodall passed away at 91 while she was on a speaking tour. And it made me think about whether there are any age limits for longevity in speaking. I have spoken to a lady who was still speaking in her 90s.

A speaking career takes a lot out of you. There is the non stop hustle of getting the work. Then there is the non stop travel when you do get it.

When an established speaker continues to take the stage into their 70s, 80s, or beyond, it sends a powerful message. It declares that age is not a silencer, and that lived experience, refined perspective, and durable authority can deepen one’s voice rather than dull it. But a long speaking career also demands adaptation, self-care, and intentional reinvention.

Longevity in speaking

Comedian–humorist Jeanne Robertson spoke well into her 70s and remained a beloved storyteller until her death in 2021 at age 77. Her last tour she did from a rocking chair on stage. But that didn’t dim her incredible wit and humor. Her shows were still sold out.

These high-profile examples spark the question: What enables a speaker to continue effectively into advanced age. And how can one plan for that kind of longevity?

Other Examples of Late-Life Speakers

While Goodall and Robertson are perhaps the most dramatic recent examples, there are many speakers, thought leaders, and public intellectuals who stayed active into their later years. A few illustrations:

Ken Dychtwald is a gerontologist, author, and keynote speaker on aging and longevity, maintaining an active schedule well into his senior years.
Max Atkinson, a scholar of rhetoric and public speaking, remained engaged in speechwriting and communication well past typical retirement. (He died in 2024 at age 80.)
Maggie Kuhn, founder of the Gray Panthers, continued speaking, advocating, and organizing vigorously into her 80s, becoming a well-known public figure for elder rights.
Even in motivational speaking, Zig Ziglar delivered talks and trained speakers deep into his later years (though he eventually reduced his load).

These examples underscore that aging need not mean withdrawal. Many speakers find renewed purpose or fresh angles in their later years.

What Enables Longevity in a Speaking Career

From observing these long-serving voices, and reflecting on the demands of a public speaking career, a few themes emerge.

Evolving content & relevance

Adapt your message — Audiences evolve. A speaker who remains rigid in style or content risks becoming stale. The most enduring speakers shift emphasis, incorporate fresh data or cultural change, and stay curious about new forms of communication.
Lean into your wisdom — As one ages, what younger voices often can’t offer is a depth of lived experience, historical perspective, and tested insight. Frame talks around lessons learned rather than just “how to do X”.
Diversify formats — In later decades, one might scale back touring but lean more into webinars, recorded content, podcasts, smaller “fireside” talks, or mentoring. This allows continued voice without always pushing full touring demands.

Physical & logistical self-management

Health and stamina — Regular physical exercise, vocal health, sleep, nutrition, and preventive medical care become nonnegotiable. The more robust one’s health, the more sustainable the schedule.
Pacing & rest built in — Strategically scheduling rest days, travel buffer time, and fewer back-to-back engagements helps preserve energy.
Smart logistics — Whenever possible, optimize routing, minimize layovers, use first-class or premium travel for comfort, and choose venues that reduce strain (e.g. fewer stairs, better acoustics, easier access).
Support team — As age advances, having a reliable team or assistant becomes increasingly important. Find someone to manage travel, coordination, tech, and accommodations.

Voice & delivery adaptation

Refine delivery to match changing voice — Voices change with time. Maybe one’s projection, resonance, or stamina shifts; adapting pacing, tone, volume, and pauses helps maintain clarity and impact.
Embrace shorter formats when needed — Rather than forcing a full 90-minute keynote, a speaker might transition to more compact, high-impact micro-talks or panel contributions.
Use multimedia and interactivity — Embedding visuals, video, audience interaction, or storytelling elements can reduce the burden of “lecturing” continuously.

Reputation, relationships & legacy mindset

Cultivate a brand of trust and legacy — When people book a speaker in later years, part of the draw is the reputation and the “voice of authority.” That reputation is built over decades.
Mentor and amplify others — Many aging speakers extend their influence by mentoring younger speakers, cultivating protégés, or curating events. These roles can complement or replace heavy touring.
Plan exit or taper strategies — At some point, full touring may become unrealistic. Having a plan to taper gradually, shift to fewer appearances, specialize, or “tour less but deeper” helps preserve dignity and effectiveness.

Tips for Speakers Who Want a Long Career

If you aspire to keep speaking into old age, here’s a roadmap of practical actions:

Build for longevity

Invest in fundamentals — Strong writing, storytelling, message discipline, presence, and a reliable supporting infrastructure are foundations that will carry you decades.
Diversify formats early — Don’t depend only on “big keynotes.” Explore digital, virtual, small interactive sessions, workshops, master classes, etc. This builds flexibility. Create intellectual property for residuals.
Build intellectual and topical depth — The more you deepen your domain, the more you can pivot or adapt in later years when novelty is harder to rely upon.

Mid-career adjustments

Audit your schedule regularly — As decades pass, revisit whether your pace is sustainable. Cut low-yield engagements.
Nurture your health as a priority — Regular medical checkups, vocal coaching, physiotherapy, fitness, and stress management pay dividends later.
Fit new technologies & channels — Stay current with virtual platforms, recording techniques, online marketing, social media, etc. This ensures you’re not cut off by changes in how audiences congregate.

Transition wisely

Reassess your core offerings — Perhaps you shift from high-volume touring to flagship annual talks, retreats, online residencies, or masterclasses.
Curate your geography — Limit long travel. Focus more on regional or clustered trips where possible.
Use hybrid or digital extensions — Record versions of your talks, livestream, offer “signature sessions” virtually, or partner with others so your content continues even when you’re not physically on stage.
Delegate and lean on a team — Let others handle logistics, tech, marketing, and administrative burdens so your energy goes to content and delivery.
Plan your succession or legacy path — Mentor rising voices, codify your best talks, create frameworks others can carry, and think of how your brand and mission extend beyond your own voice.

Reflections & Cautions

The body is a limiting instrument. No matter how wise or experienced, aging bodies and voices have constraints. Recognize limitations early and work within them rather than demand heroic efforts indefinitely.
Balance humility & authority. As you age, audiences may inadvertently see you as “grand elder.” That’s powerful, but also demands humility.
Don’t postpone reinvention. The most dangerous trap is when a mature speaker refuses to evolve. The world changes. A speaker whose style, content, or form remains frozen risks irrelevance.
Know when to fade gracefully. There is dignity in knowing when to reduce load or shift forms. For many, the later years are less about quantity and more about depth, influence, reflection, mentoring, and legacy.

Jane Goodall’s passing while on tour at age 91 reminds us that speaking can remain a mission and a calling into very late life. Jeanne Robertson’s decades of storytelling show that humor, narrative, and authenticity can age well. As a speaker, if you aim for longevity, think of your speaking career as a multi-stage rhythm rather than a sprint. Feed your body, refine your craft, adapt your formats, pace yourself, and prepare for the future.

Has your speaking career stalled? Has the phone stopped ringing? Getting fewer jobs?

This week is when summer officially begins, so I thought it would be a good time to talk about spring cleaning, since summer is typically a slower time in the speaking business.

Speaking career

I remember watching a video of Joe Calloway speaking at an NSA conference. He talked about how we tend to cling to our old speeches, outdated training manuals and jokes that no longer work. His solution… “throw it out!”

As speakers we work incredibly hard doing research, preparing speeches, writing books, creating workshops, putting together one sheets, etc. So hearing that we should just throw it all out sounds a little daunting.

But all artists (I would call a speaker a performing artist), need to occasionally sit down and take inventory of what’s working and what isn’t. There’s no point in spinning your wheels going in a direction that isn’t working for you. Every so often you need to re-evaluate your speaking career, and now is as good a time as any while business is slower. Here are a few things to think about when it comes to reinventing yourself as a speaker:

Do a forensic analysis

Go through all of your marketing materials one by one. Which things bring in the best ROI? Is it your website? Your printed one sheet? Postcards? Referrals? Are your materials outdated? Can they be improved? Sit down with someone who will give you honest feedback and get their input. Hire a speaker marketing coach to help you. Get several opinions. If you hear the same advice from a few different people you need to take notice. 80% of your business is probably coming from 20% of your effort. Find out where it’s coming from and do more of it.

Create your material in different ways

Keynote speaking isn’t the only kind of speaking out there. Many speakers make a great living doing workshops. In fact, I recently talked to a meeting planner who told me they got all of their keynote speakers for free. When I looked at the line-up, I was surprised. “You mean this guy speaks for free?” He said “Not only does he speak for free, but he actually pays us to speak on our stage”. I was surprised. So, if established speakers are paying to speak, where does that leave up and coming speakers? He said his company pays very well for trainers, and that it’s going to be much more in demand in the future. So, do you have a workshop ready to go? Do you have training materials? I lost a good job opportunity a couple of years ago because I didn’t have a workshop prepared.

Freshen up your performance

When I first moved to L.A. I worked in a comedy club and I watched how comedians prepared their material. One night was dedicated to open mic, where new comedians could get practice and established comedians tried out new material for their act. If it bombed, usually no one saw it. And if it got a great response, they would add it to their act, and constantly honed it until they got 5 minutes of the very best material. You can do the same thing as a speaker. Summertime is a great time to try out new things. Test out something new, and if it works, add it to your speech, while cutting the lame, old material that isn’t your best. What you want is what comedians aim for – 60 minutes of killer material.

If there is a speaking topic out there, it’s a pretty good bet that someone, somewhere is making money speaking about it. Some speakers have a unique background in the topic or work in a particular industry, and some choose the topic based on a burning passion to learn more about it and share that knowledge with others.

Here are three speakers with niche speaking topics who have made a career out of a passion:

Tom Ingrassia – Motown

Tom is an example of a speaker who took a passion and turned it into a book and speaking career. He’d had a long, successful career in education, but in 2001 he decided to act on a lifelong dream of working in the entertainment industry.

Tom is an accomplished music journalist, with more than 25 articles printed in publications ranging from Billboard, Record Auction Monthly, and San Francisco Hot Ticket. He collaborated with Barbara Alston (of The Crystals) on her autobiography, “There’s No Other,” and Carl Gardner’s (of The Coasters) autobiography, “Yakey Yak, I Fought Back” before writing his own book “Reflections of a Love Supreme: Motown Through The Eyes of Fans”. Tom is also the host of “The Motown Jukebox” on WCUW 91.3FM, in Worcester, MA.

His pop culture programs, “Motown and The Civil Rights Movement” and “Girl Power: The Supremes As Cultural Icons” have been presented at the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity, on college campuses, for performing arts centers, museums, senior centers, libraries, and business groups.

http://www.ingrassiaproductions.com/

John Granger – Harry Potter

John Granger is another speaker who turned a passion into a writing and speaking career. According to John, he became a Potter Pundit in response to the ‘Potter Panic’ of 1999-2007, during which it was widely believed that the popular series was “the gateway to the occult” and poorly written. His books and talks have overturned this narrative — and have earned him the title “the Dean of Harry Potter Scholars” from TIME magazine.

John is the author of several books on the subject of Harry Potter including “How Harry Cast His Spell: The Meaning Behind the Mania for J. K. Rowling’s Bestselling Books” and “Harry Potter Smart Talk”.

His speech “Why we Love the Harry Potter Stories — Exploration of the Artistry and Meaning of Joanne Rowling’s Hogwarts Saga” has been given at universities, academic and fan conferences, and churches.

http://www.hogwartsprofessor.com/johngranger/

Julianne Soviero – Sports Scholarships

If you read through Julianne’s website you will see that she is absolutely obsessed with pitching. In fact she says so on the first page! And she has the credentials to back it up. She was an All-County Athlete, the recipient of a Division I athletic scholarship, and an academic All-American. She has over twenty years experience pitching and over fifteen years of experience teaching pitching.

She speaks on the topic of sports scholarships, which is a surprisingly complex topic and is usually hired by travel teams. She’s even written a book on the subject called “Empowered Recruiting”. She says she got started on this topic because of working with female pitchers, many of whom earned scholarships in an increasingly complex market.

http://www.flawlessfastpitch.com

These speakers have turned their passion into a lucrative speaking career in a specialized niche. Do you speak on a niche topic?

If you’re working as a speaker, you must be an expert at something. But what makes someone an expert? Does writing a book make you one? I could write a book about scuba diving. In fact, I could write a whole series of books about scuba diving, but it’ll never make me an expert.

expert speaker

I have a crazy theory that you should have actually put in a certain number of years into practice that which you claim to be an expert in. My doctor’s been practicing medicine for 30 years, but he’s never written a book. I would call him an expert.

The trifecta for speakers

But I’m not the one who makes the decision to hire speakers. And having a book and being high profile does appeal to plenty of meeting planners. Of course, if you have the experience and a book and you’ve gotten a lot of press, you’re way ahead of the game. (more…)

speaking career

Speaking Into Old Age: How to Have Longevity in Your Speaking Career