Dear Designer
Dear Designer: Get Paid What You’re Worth to Speak at Conferences
Knowing your value and negotiating smartly are skills worth learning
Dear Mike,
I’ve been a designer for a while, I’m good at it, and I have some opinions and expertise I want to share with the community. I’ve written a few articles and blog posts that’ve gotten good traction, I’ve given a few presentations at work, and now I’d like to try my hand at public speaking. I’d also like to get paid for it. Do you have any tips?
Sincerely,
A designer
Dear Designer,
Yes, I have tips. I was late to public speaking myself. Took a while to conquer the inner saboteur that was telling me not to even try, so first off: I commend you on your bravery. Anyone willing to get out in front of a crowd and talk deserves to be commended for their bravery. It’s a hard thing to do. It’s also labor, so you deserve to get paid for it. How much you get paid depends on a few things, which we’ll get into. But let me say this again so it’s crystal clear for anyone who doesn’t read further:
Speaking is labor. Labor gets paid. Never let someone convince you otherwise.
