Part of Strategic Coaching
Before you build a talk, a pitch, or a pricing decision — do you actually know what you’re dealing with?
Most speakers make their biggest business decisions on gut feel — what to charge, which event to say yes to, how to follow up after a planner goes quiet. Sometimes that works. Often it means finding out too late that you underpriced yourself, chased the wrong opportunity, or walked into a room without knowing who else was in it.
The Intelligence Cycle is the system for closing that gap — a five-phase process for turning “I have a hunch” into “I know, and here’s what I’m doing about it.” It’s not new. It’s the same discipline intelligence professionals have used for decades, adapted here for the decisions speakers actually face.
Information isn’t the same as intelligence
Picture a restaurant menu. The menu itself is information — a list of what’s available. Intelligence is what happens once you run that menu through your own context: what you’re hungry for, what you’re celebrating tonight. Same raw material, completely different value.
Most speakers are drowning in information — session recordings, LinkedIn posts, competitor sites, planner Q&As — and starving for intelligence. The Intelligence Cycle is what turns one into the other.
The Five Phases
1
Planning and Direction
Before you gather anything, define what you actually need to know. Not “I should learn about this event” but a specific question: who makes the final booking decision here, and what are they optimizing for?
2
Gathering
Start with what’s already public — past speaker lineups, a planner’s LinkedIn activity, competitor sites — before you ever ask someone directly. Primary sources are for filling the gaps secondary research can’t close.
3
Analysis
One data point is an anecdote. Corroborate a real finding with at least three independent sources before you treat it as fact and act on it.
4
Dissemination
This is about sharing information with your team. If you’re a solo operator, this step may not matter as much.
5
Feedback
Close the loop. Did the intelligence answer the question you started with? Skipping this step is the biggest reason people repeat the same research mistakes engagement after engagement. One effort usually opens the door to the next.
HOW IT WORKS IN PRACTICE
Not a linear checklist run once. You’re usually working a few phases at once, looping back as new information changes what you thought you knew. The formality should match the stakes.
DO I NEED FORMAL TRAINING?
No. The system beats the sophistication. Start small — one key question before your next outreach, one deliberate corroboration before you act on a hunch. This is where you can put my expertise to work for you.
A NOTE ON ETHICS
The speaking world is small. Everyone eventually talks to everyone.
Research the same way you’d want to be researched: public sources, direct questions, no misrepresentation.
How this Connects
The Intelligence Cycle is the process. Here’s what it feeds into.
CRITERIA
What you’re actually evaluating once you’re gathering — the specific things worth checking on an event, a planner, or a market before you commit.
Pyramid of Understanding
When you’re trying to understand the humans that you want to connect with, influence, or work with, you will have more success with people.
Together, this is the engine behind Strategic Coaching — using this same discipline on your pricing, your positioning, and your next move, instead of guessing.
Ready to put this to work on your own business?
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