It is hard to get an independent consultant to be frank and forthcoming about their business. During this one-hour recording, you will get an insider’s view of what it is like to go from being an employee to an independent consultant. The audience had hard-hitting, personal questions, and they got full, open answers.

Audio-only broadcast: http://www.alexsbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/consultant/consultant-pmi-nyc-2009.mp3Download the audio file


Thinking of Becoming a Consultant?
If you want to know more about becoming a consultant and the techniques I talked about in the speech, take a look at:
The Project Charters LIVE! DVD
How to get well known by becoming a speaker or a writer
Personal advice for you about becoming an independent consultant



Press “play” to begin. The speech will start after the introduction. If you want to hear the introduction, click on the first chapter, on the far left.
Having trouble using the built-in player? Download the full speech in any of these formats:

MP3 Audio
Ogg Speex Audio
iPod Video
AVI Video

About the Speech
The speech was given before the PMI New York City Chapter on 5 January 2009. Over 100 people gathered for business networking and to hear the speech in Manhattan.
I came prepared with slides and talking points. Each attendee got a copy of a handout to help guide the discussion.
As expected, I did not get to use any of my prepared material.
After a loosely-prepared introduction (about 12 minutes), the audience began asking questions. After an hour we had to end to keep to the schedule, but one-on-one discussion continued long after the recording ended.
If you are looking for a more tightly organized, written overview about what it is like to be a consultant, see the paper co-authored with Jennifer Russell Tharp, “So You Want to Be an Independent Consultant.”
About the Recording and Performance
When watching the video or listening to the audio, please keep in mind that almost all of the presentation was unscripted. The first 12 minutes about my own experiences were prepared, but involved real events that happened only shortly before the speech itself.
The video contains slides and some supporting photos and graphics. All of these were added after the event. We had a slide projector, but we only used it to show an opening welcome message. I stood before the group and answered questions with the screen blank. It was more like a conversation than a formal presentation.
This recording was made from a single, omni directional microphone. The lapel microphone, which would usually give a very crisp recording of the speaker, did not record properly. Although the recording is a little noisy, it is a great example of how you can get a clear recording of audience question and answer sessions with a single microphone.