It’s the most powerful speech marketing tool you have in your arsenal…
… and it needs to be the first thing you work on…
… it’s your session description.
Many speakers think of their session description as a mere afterthought, you know, something they whip up on a whim when they're adding it to their website or sending it to an event organizer.
But, this week, I want you to reframe how you use this valuable little gem. And to fully understand its power, we’re going to check in with our two “Year of Transformation” speakers to see how they are building their own session descriptions.
(Over the past few weeks, premium subscribers like Neelu and Susan have been emailing me about their new speeches and session descriptions. I hope this helps.)
My (Unrealistic) Expectation
As you know, we're following two speakers, one a seasoned pro who's hit a plateau (Dan), and one new to the business of professional speaking (Michelle) on their year-long journey to build and sell their referrable speeches.
We started our Year of Transformation journey together in June of 2025 and within a month we started talking about crafting their session descriptions. In fact, Michelle and I had a conversation on July 15th about crafting and testing a new session description for the speech she's currently working on.
On June 9th, I asked Dan to craft a brand new session description for his new speech idea.
Why?
Now, I expected that within two weeks, we'd be sending, testing, revising, and re-sending session descriptions.
But here we are three (or four) MONTHS later and we're still struggling with the iteration of our session descriptions!!
Now, to be fair, Michelle has made significant progress. She has sent out her session description... (more on that in a minute.) And, yes, Dan is also making progress, but the bottom line is that the "progress" is WAY TOOOOO S-L-O-W.
(If I sound frustrated, it's because I am. You see, I've seen how effective rapid iteration and testing can be in building, selling, and booking a referable speech - even before you have a speech to deliver.) In fact, that's the key to success.
So, why is the progress so slow?
I've spent the last week (literally) re-watching hour-long calls with Dan and Michelle trying to figure out exactly what holds a speaker back from using their session description as a sales tool for a new speech. And, despite their different experience levels, they faced almost identical obstacles.
Understanding why session description development feels so impossibly hard is the first step to breaking through the paralysis that's keeping your new speech from generating those very first gigs.
So, here are the 5 things, that just might be holding you back too.
One: Your Selling Something That Doesn't Exist Yet.
Look, I get it. It's much easier to write a session description once the slide deck is done and you've written a script. It's much easier after you've delivered the session a few times. But that takes months.
Why spend hundreds of hours working on a speech no one is interested in buying? Instead, you've got to embrace the uncomfortable feeling of describing something that DOES NOT exist yet.
Both Dan and Michelle have struggled with the discomfort of crafting and sending a session description promising transformation they can't yet guarantee. I get it, it feels like you're being dishonest and premature.
Here's how this manifests itself. Early on in the process Michelle said:
"What if I send out this session description and they immediately ask for a recording of the presentation?"
Michelle recognizes the gap between her working material (the actual speech) and what was needed to book gigs.
"I need to get this speech together before I start sending this out..."
For Dan, he's putting the same kind of pressure on himself, not about the speech, but the session description specifically.
"My goal right now is to come up with 1-3 keynote titles and descriptions... that's it. But they have to be compelling such that a corporation or association will want to hire me immediately..."
That would be fantastic, but the truth is, the first 10 people you send the session description too won't buy it. That's not the goal. The goal is to test and iterate.
Dan understands the stakes but feels enormous pressure for the description to be immediately perfect, because he's essentially asking people to hire him for something that doesn't fully exist yet.
This kind of anxiety prevents us from using our session description as a design specification... it's a tool to validate our concept is saleable before investing months in development.
The Fear Pattern:
So, if you find yourself getting hung up on any of these fears, it's time to let them go.
- Fear of being asked for something you don't have yet (recording, slides, full speech, give the talk tomorrow.)
- Anxiety about seeming unprepared or unprofessional
- Worry that testing "too early" will damage your reputation
- Belief that you need a complete product before you can test market demand
Two: Because Every Revision Feels Like Starting Over
Look, I get it. Maybe we're used to writing a session description, posting it on our website, and thinking, "Whew, glad that's done." But when you're developing a new speech rapid iteration and evaluating constant feedback is imperative.
Here's what I mean.
Dan and I have been going back and forth on his session description and the core ideas in his new speech. And early in the process Dan said this:
"I've spent about 3 hours on this today. I can't keep doing that. I know it's important but my other work (which is also important) isn't going away."
I get it. He's a very busy professional speaker. (And, btw, he'd just lost his assistant so he found himself doing EVERYTHING himself.)
I encouraged Dan to just spend a few minutes each day working on the new keynote idea to which he said:
"It's time and the fact that I need space to be creative. I can't just turn it on for 5 minutes and then go about the rest of my day. I'm working on some new options..."
I totally agree. Turning on your creative engine isn't that easy. Here's the thing:
A great session description doesn't happen in one sitting. It happens when you read it every day, and just change one word. Adjust one sentence. Add a new turn of phrase. Constant iteration helps you gather your thoughts and keeps your session idea in the subconscious.
So, you don't need to make MASSIVE creative progress, instead, you just need to make small changes over a few weeks. You'll see the results.
Michelle isn't immune to this either. As she's working on her session description, she's writing, blocking, performing, and revising her speech. So, for Michelle, her session description is a moving target.
She's changed the name of her new framework at least four times. She's struggled with the hypothesis to solve her audience's problem. All of these speech problems have got in the way of her session description progress.
"I think I'm gonna label myself the queen of the overthink,"
Michelle said.
Bottom line:
Three: Because You're Substituting Research and AI for Deep Thinking
One of the most important aspects of writing a good session description is truly understanding the problem. (Not the surface level issues, but the REAL problem.) And, having a unique solution to solving it.
Dan has worked really hard on this. He even produced a 25-page research report about all the problems organizations face related to his new speech idea. Here's the thing:
All that research he did online (and with the help of AI) is great information, but the hard work of synthesizing and thinking through all that research is the art of creating a great session description.
Don't mistake research for thinking.
Michelle has faced very similar issues and a few weeks ago, after she expressed her frustration with her progress, I said...
"Every time you're brainstorming, you're getting somewhere. Even if it's crap"
Notice, I didn't say "researching." I said brainstorming. The more you think about your session description, the better it gets. The more you think about your speech, the more visionary it becomes.
Both Michelle and Dan have turned to AI to "help" them with their session descriptions and every single time the session descriptions have come out worse than when they went in.
Dan's mentioned more than once that his AI-powered board of advisors (which is a smart idea, btw) has validated his thinking and come up with some new language and ideas for his new session. But the truth is, it's not uncovering unique insights or visionary thinking. It's validating his premise, and watering down big, complicated ideas that need to be simplified, not diluted.
Michelle has fallen victim to the exact same trap. She's asked ChatGPT to revise her session description and every single time it's produced trite, overly-simple, output.
She later had to revert to manual work, finally admitting that working with ChatGPT "doesn't farewell for me."
NOTE: I use AI every single day and I love it. Drewdini and I work together to refine ideas, craft session descriptioins, even outline these articles. So, this is not a dig on using AI, it's just a reminder to do the heavy thinking that visionary work requires (even if AI helps.)
Four: Because You're Writing for the Wrong Problem and Making It Too Complicated
Here's what I see all the time in session descriptions: we are laser-focused on getting our message across... but we're aiming at the wrong target. And to make it worse? We're wrapping that wrong message in language so complex it sounds like a academic journal article.
Both Michelle and Dan hit this wall.
Michelle's "aha" moment came when she realized something crucial: "I'm focusing on the wrong problem..."
See, Michelle had crafted this highly customized description for a niche audience. It was smart. It was detailed. It was... completely missing the mark.
I ran her session description through my GIGS session description evaluator and had to give her some tough news:
"I evaluated your session description using my GIGS session description evaluator and found it currently fits into the Expertville category, which we need to move away from."
Expertville. That's where you sound like you're delivering a workshop instead of creating transformation.
I told her straight up: "This exercise for me is all about getting to the real problem."
The real problem isn't about showing how much you know. It's about making your audience think: "That's exactly how I feel."
Dan faced a similar challenge. His content is solid, but we had to get clear on the actual problem first.
"The problem may change in the future as we move forward," I explained to him, "but right now the problem we're solving is, that every organization is measuring the wrong things..."
Because here's the thing: "If we can't get the session description right, even at the outset, it doesn't really matter how it fits in."
You can have the best content in the world, but if your description doesn't land? You're done before you start.
The Language Trap
But it isn't just about identifying the right problem. Both speakers are making their descriptions WAYYY too complex.
Michelle caught herself on this one:
"Based on my first review of what you just did, it seems like I'm making things far more convoluted. Perhaps, not writing in simpler terms?"
Bingo.
I told her what I tell every speaker: "One of the things in a session description you need is, really easy to read sentences."
Then I gave her my favorite test:
"Try reading it out loud. It needs to be so easy to read - no stumbling or bumbling. The easier it is to read the more likely people will get through it."
Look, when you're solving for the wrong problem AND expressing it in complex language, you've just created a double barrier to securing those first gigs.
Event organizers can't understand what you're offering. They're reading your description and their eyes are glazing over.
And even if they could decode your complicated language? They still wouldn't care... because you're not addressing what their audiences actually struggle with emotionally.
You're not making anyone say "that's me!" You're just... showcasing expertise.
Five: Because You Don't Know Who to Send It To (Or What Response You're Looking For)
You know what keeps us stuck in revision hell forever?
Two things:
- Not knowing who to send our session description to,
- Completely misreading the feedback when they finally do.
Michelle? She's hit this wall.
Michelle's version of paralysis analysis looked like this:
"I know a lot of people in the healthcare space... but they are not event organizers."
She was waiting for the "perfect" person. The event planner. The decision-maker. Someone with a title that screamed "QUALIFIED TO JUDGE THIS."
But here's what I told her:
"We're just trying to test for how enthusiastic the response is to the session description, given the fact that they know you and they know the audience."
You don't need event organizers for your first round of testing. You need people who know your target audience. People who understand the pain points. People who can tell you if your description makes them go "YES! That's the problem!" People who say, "WOW, this sounds like a solution I've never considered before. This sounds unique!"
The Feedback Misread
But even when we finally hit send, we completely misinterpret the responses we get.
I had to be blunt with Michelle:
"A response that is simply 'Michelle, this is pretty good'... that's not the kind of response we want."
"Pretty good" isn't validation. It's politeness. It's your contact being nice.
What you're looking for is immediate, enthusiastic inquiry.
"OMG, this is fantastic, I'd love for our team to see this speech."
"I love this!" or
"Hey, we have an event next May, I think our audience would love this, can we chat?"
That's the response that tells you your description works.
When you wait for the "perfect" person to send your description to, you never send it at all. And when you finally do? It's easy to mistake polite responses for proof it's working.
The goal of testing isn't collecting positive feedback.
So yeah, I told Michelle what I'm telling you: "Let's, send it out. 'Cause I feel like it's close enough that it is time to get some feedback from someone who might buy this speech!"
Stop overthinking who gets it. Start recognizing what response actually matters.
When Feedback Asks for Changes (And What to Do About It)
Now, here's where it gets interesting: sometimes you'll get feedback that's positive but includes specific requests for revision. This is actually valuable! It means people are engaged enough to help you improve the session.
And here's the thing: the real goal of sending out your session description is constantly refining it. You're not looking for a pat on the back. You're looking for signals that tell you where to tighten, clarify, or pivot your language.
Michelle experienced this twice, and both times she made the changes that ultimately led to a big win (more on that in a second.)
First, she sent her description to an acquaintance in NYC (an actor/writer who'd previously hired speakers.) The response? Praise for the language, but a clear request: they wanted "a bit more 'meat' on the bone around how you enable folks to 'break the distress loop.'"
The feedback was specific: "Maybe headline/tease one or more of the steps of the Under Pressure Model?" They also noted that the "You'll leave the session..." section "feels generic. It could use something specific about individual empowerment to meet challenges."
Michelle didn't dismiss this. She changed the actual words in her session description to address the lack of specificity.
Second, she got feedback from a contact named Melodie about a specific sentence. Michelle's description included: "We've tried deep breathing and counting to ten. We've been told to meditate and prioritize self-care. And sure, those strategies may help us pause. But they don't help us pivot."
Melodie suggested modifying the phrasing: "The only thing I might modify is the sentence on breathing and meditation. For some, it does more than just help them to pause." Melodie questioned the dissmal of breathing and meditation as ineffective.
Michelle decided to stick with her original wording... why? Because this one idea is central to her keynote's differentiation. Bottom line, she now knows that if the recipient meditates or loves deep breathing as coping technique the session description might create pushback.
In both cases, Michelle's session description and her positioning of it got better.
Each piece of feedback gave Michelle a clearer picture of what was landing and what was falling flat. Each revision made her description stronger, more specific, more compelling.
What Breakthrough Looks Like (When You Finally Send It)
You know what's wild? After all the overthinking, all the delays, all the "but I'm not ready yet" anxiety... when you finally hit send, it works.
That's exactly what happened with Michelle.
After all her struggles... the overthinking, the delays, the fear of selling an unfinished product... she finally sent her "The Pressure Pivot" session description to an executive contact at Meta.
And guess what? She received the response I'd been coaching her to look for:
"Purely based on this description alone….YOU GOT ME! I'm hooked - I can't wait to hear more!"
Read that again.
"Purely based on this description alone….YOU GOT ME! I'm hooked - I can't wait to hear more!"
This wasn't "looks interesting, keep me posted." This wasn't polite acknowledgment from someone who's going to file your email in a folder and forget about it.
This was enthusiastic inquiry. The kind that immediately generates a sales lead.
When "Not Ready" Becomes Perfect Timing
Michelle had been holding back on sending it. Her contact had just returned from a two-month sabbatical on September 18th, and Michelle wanted to give her time to settle back in.
Turns out? The timing was perfect.
Her team was "overwhelmed by pressure, layoff rumors, etc." Michelle's "Under Pressure" message landed exactly when this audience needed it most.
She wasn't late. She was right on time.
The Follow-Up (And Your Brain's Immediate Second-Guessing)
Later that week, Michelle had a client theme call with the Meta exec. She was "very interested" and wanted to "consider bringing me [Michelle] in" for a speaking engagement... contingent on still having her job, which is just the reality of the current tech climate.
During the call, the executive asked for video. Michelle sent the full recording from her September 28th gig.
Then immediately second-guessed herself: "I probably should have sent a shortened version."
Of course she did. Because that's what you do when you're in this position, right? You finally take action, it works, and then you immediately wonder if you should've done it differently. (This article isn't about whether sending the video was the right thing to do. It's all about getting to that point.)
Here's What Actually Matters
Even with Michelle's slow pace. Even with her perfectionism. Even with her ongoing anxiety about having the "right" materials.
The session description worked.
It generated a qualified lead from a major tech company. All those weeks of refinement, all that painful iteration, all that uncomfortable testing... it worked.
But here's the truth: it only worked because Michelle finally sent it.
And that's the lesson for you, too.
How to Rapidly Write and Test Your Session Description (Even When the Speech Isn't Finished)
If you're a Premium Member, check out the second part of this article and I'll walk you through the exact step-by-step process for rapidly testing and refining your session description—even when your speech isn't finished yet.
Part two of this article covers:
- The exact language to use when someone asks for recordings or materials you don't have yet (that positions you as developing something current, not unprepared)
- The One-Line Clarity Exercise that forces you to articulate your unique insight before you waste time writing full drafts
- Michelle's exact email template for requesting feedback that makes contacts comfortable giving you honest responses
- How to identify the emotional problem (not just the business problem) using four specific questions that make event organizers think "that's exactly how our audience feels"
- The daily 15-minute iteration framework that prevents three-hour revision paralysis and keeps you testing constantly
Not a Premium Member? Join now to get the complete system that helps you move from draft to speaking gigs in weeks, not months.
