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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.

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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.

"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.