Lecture circuit can be a conduit for extra income

If you have something important to say and can say it with panache, you can be successful as a public speaker.

By Mike Norbut, amednews staff. April 12, 2004.

When Daniel Amen, MD, opened his first psychiatry clinic about 15 years ago, he embarked on his own small-scale lecture circuit to promote it. The psychiatrist and brain imaging specialist from Newport Beach, Calif., visited local Rotary and Lions clubs to spread the word about his clinical work, but his talent as a public speaker drew attention as well.

Today, Dr. Amen's lecture circuit spans the entire country, and he has started a side business that sets up and runs seminars for organizations. He still practices about 60% of the time, but he estimates his speaking and seminars generate about $200,000 in extra income each year.

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"When you speak, someone listens to you and then buys your book, and then they come to your clinic," said Dr. Amen, who also is a published author and now has four psychiatry and brain imaging clinics in three states. "You only have to do it a couple of times, and if you're good, you'll be asked to do more [lectures]."

For physicians who are seeing their clinical incomes sag in a suffocating managed care environment, public speaking can be a way to supplement their take-home pay. The key, of course, is not only having something important to say, but also being able to say it in an entertaining fashion.

For doctors, who spend their days offering timely anecdotes, explaining scientific material and persuading patients to take better care of themselves, making the shift to public speaking might not be terribly difficult. There is a proven market for their services, evidenced by the number of physicians who speak at conventions or have moved into television careers as experts or reporters.

The AMA even sponsors an annual Medical Communications and Health Reporting Conference, designed to teach presentation and speaking skills as well as journalistic strategies.

The extent of a physician's knowledge makes him or her a logical candidate for speaking as an authoritative figure. But without a little creativity, a speaking career can last as long as a typical office appointment.

"You have to have entertainment skills," said Dale L. Anderson, MD, an urgent care physician who practices part time in Minneapolis and delivers presentations on the effects laughter and happiness have on a person's health. "Too much of the time, they turn off the lights and turn on the slides. It's really pretty boring."

Dr. Anderson recognized his skill as a speaker years ago during presentations to corporate leaders about the importance of staying in good health. He later developed his theme, which can play universally to colleagues or the public. But finding venues for his act took a little time.

"It's not a fast in-overnight thing," said Dr. Anderson, who said after 10 years, he's built a business up to the point where he doesn't have to dip into retirement funds. "I did it with the feeling that it would be a great retirement business."

Dr. Anderson said he picked up public speaking tips and made contacts through the Minnesota chapter of the National Speakers Assn. and the National Assn. of Medical Communicators. You have to be willing to think small and regional at first, he said, because it can take a long time to build up a reputation.

Other physicians, though, don't see public speaking as another source of income. Kenneth Mattox, MD, a cardiothoracic surgeon with an emphasis in trauma who serves as chief of staff and chief of surgery at Ben Taub General Hospital in Houston, is a regular speaker for both academic and public meetings, but he said he rarely receives money for his work.

Rather than a side business, Dr. Mattox sees his lectures as a way to pass on what he's learned.

Even free speeches, though, can lead to other income opportunities later on, Dr. Amen said.

"Doctors ask what they can do to earn extra income," he said. "If you're a good speaker, you can tape your lectures, have them transcribed, and turn them into books or articles."