Turn Stage Presence Into Influence

Kendall Bonner didn’t set out to build a platform as a professional speaker.

After leaving her law practice and getting her real estate license in 2011, she went all in on her new career.

“I realized real estate was a full-time job, not a side hustle,” says the founder of The Industry Speaks Academy in Tampa.

Before long, colleagues and industry leaders were asking her to share what she’d learned. Those invitations led to more opportunities to teach, train and contribute in what she calls “rooms where industry conversations are happening.”

Her path as a speaker grew from “a heart of service” and a desire to help others learn from her own experience.

“It’s never about being the smartest person in the room,” she says. “Part of being a speaker or an industry voice is taking your experience and turning it into contribution.”

One of her biggest aha moments came when a stranger recognized her in a restaurant and mentioned her stage appearances. “I realized, ‘Wow, people are listening, and it’s meaningful to them,’” Bonner says. She eventually used that momentum to found her speaking and training company.

Bonner says most speakers don’t land on stage by accident—they are referred, recommended or remembered by someone who has seen them contribute.

“People who can speak your name when you’re not even in the room are people who are advocating on your behalf,” she adds.

Here’s her advice:

1. Consider your impact

Agents need to be honest with themselves about why they want greater visibility, Bonner says. “If it’s about clout, there’s one path for that. But if it’s about contribution, that needs to begin with clarity of message, clarity of identity and clarity of path, meaning and intention.”

The strongest industry voices are those focused on helping others avoid mistakes, solve problems or see something more clearly, Bonner says.

Her philosophy is simple: learn, test, teach. In other words, gain knowledge, put it into practice, and then share what works so others can benefit from it. As her mother told her when she was young: “You don’t have to make the mistake to learn the lesson.”

2. Get clear on your message

“Lots of people will get distracted with, ‘I can talk about a million things,’” Bonner says. But audiences and event organizers respond to a clear takeaway. “They’re not booking the speaker; they’re booking the topic,” she adds.

Bonner urges agents to think carefully about what they want to be known for. What message do they want to own? What audience are they best equipped to serve? “Trying to speak to everyone speaks to no one,” she says.

She also believes it’s important to own the identity you want to grow into.

“It’s OK to say, ‘I’m a professional speaker’ or ‘I’m a communicator’ and own that identity,” she says.

Until then, fear and self-doubt can lead people to say no to opportunities that are actually aligned with their path. “People think it’s about confidence, but it’s not. There is no courage or bravery without fear. Stop seeing fear as a foe. I use it as fuel.”

After turning down one opportunity and regretting it, she says she decided future yes-or-no decisions would come “not from fear, but from alignment.” If an opportunity was aligned, she says, that was when she needed to say yes.

3. Be a benevolent teacher

Real credibility goes beyond production numbers and transaction volume, Bonner says.

“Start sharing the lessons publicly and consistently,” she says. “Teach what you learn and what you know so others can avoid mistakes and pitfalls or duplicate your success.”

This is especially powerful in situations where agents can make difficult topics easier to understand. Drawing on her legal background, for example, she translates complex industry developments into plain language.

“A few years ago during the mega lawsuits, I took a complex scenario and made it digestible,” she says. “I’m a lawyer, but I speak real estate professional.”

She also warns against confusing activity with authority.

“Posting a lot or doing a ton of content doesn’t equate to meaningful,” Bonner says. Influence is not about people merely seeing your content. It’s about helping them understand something better, make a decision or take an action they might not have taken otherwise.

4. Practice, practice, practice

One mistake Bonner sees too often, she says, is people trying to wing it. They write a presentation or training and then deliver it for the first time—to the very audience they’re trying to impress—without practicing.

She encourages first-timers to test material in smaller rooms, then get meaningful feedback and refine their delivery.

“Strong communicators are also strong listeners,” she says. “They pay attention to what an audience needs, what lands and what does not. They also understand the through line of their message, which is what they want listeners to know, think, believe or do.” Stories should do more than entertain.

Looking back, Bonner says one of the biggest lessons from her own journey is that too many people wait for permission to step into leadership. They assume they need to be chosen before they can begin contributing.

“Stop waiting,” she says. “You don’t need permission to be a speaker, an influencer or a leader. All you need is an example.”

Leslie C. Stone is a Vero Beach-based freelance writer.