By Liora Mendeloff, CEO & Founder, InstantMediaKit.com

True that with all the changes going on in our world today and in the speaking industry specifically, there’s a lot more questions than there are answers right now. One thing I know for sure though, is that if we’re serious about actually defining a new paradigm, then we must consider re-defining, or defining newly some of the languaging that made up the old paradigm. In the new paradigm, words like “speaker” and “platform” take on new meaning. As women step up as leaders in every industry, a built-in platform from which to lead comes with that new role. A CEO of a fortune 500 company may not consider herself to be a “public speaker”, but it’s evident that she’s a woman with a platform, who needs support just like the rest of us. Expanding our definition of “speaker” to include all educators, leaders, teachers, mentors, etc. is critical if we wish to expand the speaking industry from being a sort of sub-culture in our society in to being part of the mainstream.

We’ve moved into a virtual world, a fact to also take into account when we’re looking at how we wish to define these terms. It’s clear that in this new era, when we say platform, no longer are we limited to a box on the floor in a room somewhere. Platform can mean a seat around a board room, the floor of the U.N., a virtual seminar, an Internet radio show or a million other things.

What do you see as the 21^st century definition of the terms “speaker” and “platform” as they relate to the speaking industry?

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Liora Mendeloff is a Speaking Industry Expert, with 20+ years of experience behind-the-scenes with some of the world’s greatest thought leaders, government officials, celebrities and entrepreneurs, in helping them fulfill their vision.  Liora’s driving force is to facilitate getting women and their core message out into the world, the purpose behind her newest venture, the Women Speakers Association. She is also known for having founded InstantMediaKit.com, the pro’s secret tool to get seen, get booked and get paid!