---
# The Speaking Industry ... Into 2026...!
**URL:** https://jimcarroll.com/2025/12/into-2026/
Date: 2025-12-03
Author: JimCarroll
Post Type: post
Summary: The speaking industry is changing. FAST! This month, I filmed a 10-minute video on what you need to know about how to accelerate into opportunity in this crazy industry. The key thing? The agent and speaker role is changing. The industry itself? It’s wild, with: a flood of new speakers massive economic volatility significant budget […]
Categories: Trends, Videos
Featured Image: https://jimcarroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Youtube-Bureau.jpg
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The speaking industry is changing. FAST!
This month, I filmed a 10-minute video on what you need to know about how to accelerate into opportunity in this crazy industry. The key thing? The agent and speaker role is changing.
The industry itself? It's wild, with:
- a flood of new speakers
- massive economic volatility
- significant budget cutbacks
- increased client indecision
- acceleration of last-minute bookings
- conference and event cancellations
- a massive number of niche topics.
Whew!
We all know we have to work harder to win the client's trust, and let them know we are giving them a custom solution that meets their needs.
What to do about it? Bottom line:*** Generic is out, niche is in** *- and with that, the role of the agent is changing. That was the primary focus of most of the discussions at the recent International Association of Speakers Bureaus conference - IASB. That's what I picked up from studying all the the LinkedIn posts and other social media from folks who were there, and with recent discussions I've been having with agents at multiple bureaus!
With that in mind, I filmed a video that outlines the issue and the opportunity behind this.
You want to watch it - and in particular, hit part 2, where I walk through the actual 'slides' I used with a recent client Zoom call that sealed the deal.
Clients want to know that a speaker can solve their problem before they book them - and we, the speaker, need to work harder up front to give them the insight they need to do that. Watch at 6:31 in the video what I did with this client. That's what I do to win business in this complex world that is today.
Click the thumbnail to watch the video, or go [here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH-Urg1HMjw)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH-Urg1HMjw
---
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