Staying Relevant as a Speaker – How to Future-Proof Your Speaking Career - SUP204

 In this episode of the SpeakersU Podcast, James Taylor and Maria Franzoni explore one of the most important challenges for professional speakers: how to stay relevant in a rapidly changing marketplace.

Maria explains why relevance to a paying market is the first element of her Bookability Formula and how speakers can identify what audiences will need today—and in five years’ time. James shares how he blends perennial topics like creativity with fast-moving ones like AI, and why staying a few steps ahead of clients keeps him in demand.

From industry reports and boardroom insights to experimenting with new keynote content and testing topics with the market before creating them, this conversation is packed with strategies to help speakers stay visible, booked, and valued in an ever-evolving industry.

Memorable Quotes

• “The most important element of being bookable is relevance to a paying market.” – Maria Franzoni
  
  
• “Don’t wait for five-year plans—ask what the world will look like in five years and move your speaking to match.” – James Taylor
  
  
• “Sell it before you create it. The market decides what’s relevant, not you.” – Maria Franzoni
  
• “Relevance isn’t just your topic—it’s how you present it to different stakeholders.” – James Taylor