📚 Friday Read: Why Some Speakers Get Booked (and Rebooked)


Hi Reader,

Recently, I’ve been working on a book version of a course I created last month.

The Confidence Switch book expands on the ideas from the course into a deeper exploration of on-camera presence, visibility, and inner growth.

At the same time, I’ve been thinking more intentionally about how to deliver that message as a talk.

Not a tech tutorial. Not a workshop walkthrough. But a real talk. The kind that shifts something inside the audience. The kind that sticks.

And that’s exactly why this book stood out.

This Week's Book

The Referable Speaker

“Your guide to building a talk that drives impact and gets you booked and rebooked”

by Andrew Davis & Michael Port

✍️ About the Authors

Andrew Davis is a keynote speaker and former television producer for The Today Show with a reputation for helping experts turn their ideas into impactful talks.

Michael Port is the founder of Heroic Public Speaking and author of multiple bestsellers including Book Yourself Solid.

Together, they unpack what separates speakers who just speak from speakers who get referred again and again.

📖 About the Book

The Referable Speaker is a practical guide for crafting talks that leave a lasting impression and generate momentum for your brand, business, and ideas.

The core argument? Being a good speaker isn’t enough. To build a sustainable speaking career, your talk itself must be referable. That means it’s memorable, transformational, and aligned with a big idea that people want to share.

The book breaks down how to structure, refine, and position your talk so it leads to more opportunities, not just applause.

💡 Why This Book Matters

This book was recently recommended to me by Cat Mulvihill—and of course, coming from Cat, I knew it would be solid. But it resonated more deeply than I expected.

There’s a subtle but important distinction between delivering great information and delivering a referable idea.

Many of my past talks have been rooted in technical skills—tutorials, presentations, live production workflows. They’ve served a purpose. But they’re not the kind of talks people build keynotes or TED-style talks around. They don’t typically spark that deeper shift or create a narrative others want to repeat.

That’s what this book helped clarify.

It reminded me that real authority isn’t just built through teaching—it’s built through sharing big, repeatable ideas that travel beyond the room. And it’s part of the reason I’ve been creating new courses and content that go beyond the “how-to” and into mindset, presence, and transformation.

The Referrable Speaker challenged me to think about how my ideas are packaged, delivered, and remembered.

And if you’re someone who speaks, teaches, or simply wants to grow your authority through your ideas, I think you’ll find it just as valuable.

💬 Join The Conversation

Digital Stage Network members — let’s dive deeper in the community, ask questions, and connect with others who are reading along. We’ll also be having our first Book Club meet-up next month (details to follow!).

Not a member yet? No worries. We’ve got something exciting in the works. Stay tuned — I know I’ve said that in the past few editions of this newsletter, but honestly… it’s coming. And it’ll be worth the wait.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this week’s read. And if it sparks something for you, feel free to hit reply and let me know what stood out.

Have a great day,
Alec
🙏😊

Alec Johnson
Founder 🎬 Take One Tech

Need Help? ☎️ Book a call with me


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113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205

Alec 🎬 Take One Tech

Empowering business professionals and coaches to enhance their online presence and elevate their presentations with the latest tech solutions. My mission is to help you become more productive, impactful, and professional with tech, so you can confidently present yourself and your content online.

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