Hello there you Greenblasters!!

(Btw, I’m thinking of changing the name of this newsletter, it feels so narcissistic.

Please reply: “FINALLY!” for yes, or “NOOOOO!” for no. I’ll also accept “BOOO.”)

Today’s question comes from a new subscriber, who said:

What I would find interesting to read about is what you think the difference is between ‘speaking’ (e.g. a talk) and ‘training’ (e.g. as masterclass) – both in terms of how they are conducted and also in terms of how they are used in marketing.

A great question. Today, I'll do a Part 1: “HOW THEY ARE CONDUCTED” (and next week, we’ll go into Part 2: Marketing).

Sound good??

So, Will, what IS the difference between speaking and training?

VERY broadly:

A speaker’s job is to entertain, and a trainer’s job is to educate.

This is, obviously, a MASSIVE oversimplification:

A good keynote speaker, in my opinion, should attempt to teach the audience SOME kind of lesson(s), even if they are more philosophical than practical.

And a good “trainer”, or “workshop faciliator”, should also be entertaining.

(Think about the best teacher or professor you ever had. I’m willing to bet they weren’t boring to listen to.)

But this dichotomy - entertain vs educate - does help us broadly answer the part of our original question:

“How they are conducted.”

First, a language thingy:

I’d like to propose a different word for “masterclass”:

WORKSHOP.

The reason is, I’ve been hired to do close to 200 workshops, and I’ve maybe been hired to do a “masterclass” 2 or 3 times. “Masterclass” just doesn’t seem to be used in my experience, UNLESS:

You’re famous, like the teachers in the popular video series Masterclass (or at least quite well-known).

So moving forward, we’re gonna call “training” a “workshop” because you’re more likely to get hired as a “workshop faciliator.”

How to conduct a talk vs a workshop:

“Talks” are:

• usually shorter, anywhere from 5 to 60 minutes

• one-way (the speaker does most of the talking)

• story-based and personal (about the speaker’s experience and POV)

• supposed to provide a level of excitement, entertainment, and “cool-ness” to an event’s audience (“Wow, Gary Vee was here! This conference rocked!”)

Here’s my favourite “talk” from recent years, a conference keynote at SXSW (it’s 45 minutes but so entertaining & well worth it):

On the other hand:

“Workshops” are:

• usually longer, anywhere from 45 minutes to 4 hours (or more)

• two-way (or more-way) (the facilitator talks a bunch, but allows group discussion, questions throughout, and/or quiet working time)

• process- or framework-based (about the facilitators’ expertise)

• supposed to provide practical, valuable, and relevant knowledge to an event’s audience (“I’m gonna use that right away in my business. This conference was really helpful.”)

Here’s a clip from a workshop of mine (The Powerful Pitch for Startup Founders):

In the above clip, you see an audience member onstage with me, getting live “hotseat” coaching, asking questions, and getting feedback.

That doesn’t usually happen in “keynote talks.”

So, which is better for YOU as a speaker?

If you’ve been reading the Greenblast or following me on LinkedIn for a while, you already know my answer:

WORKSHOP.

Why?

They’re:

• easier to book without being famous

• there are MORE workshops per conference than keynotes

• they act as a perfect “sales pitch” if you’re a coach or consultant (as long as your workshop is not STRUCTURED like a sales pitch).

As my friend and workshop expert Joao Landeiro says:

“A workshop shows the audience HOW YOU THINK.”

(Click below to see our LinkedIn Live below on this topic):

So, that’s it for Part 1!

Next week:

Marketing for keynotes vs workshops

I’ll see you all then. Greenblast… OUT 🚀

P.S. I’m fully booked on 1:1 coaching clients, but if you wanna work with me, you can:

• Let me help you get onstage with a Speaking Strategy call

• Join my community Coaches Who Speak to accelerate your speaking career

• Or book an availability call for me to speak at your company