The Proving Stage founder and producer, Marty Dickinson, was working with two clients to help them get more speaking opportunities when he recognized the same problem for them both. They had no high quality video footage of them speaking on stage.

The problem wasn't their speaking ability but the venue settings they were brought in to speak did not produce the kind of video and photography a professional speaker needs. Marty was there in person to see the problem first-hand.

One room had bad lighting. Another had low ceilings. Audience placement made it difficult to get a good camera angle. There were tough audiences that didn't give much reaction. Wait staff interrupted presentations. Sometimes the room itself made getting good video nearly impossible.

Marty found himself training the videographers and photographers on what they needed to capture. Other times, he wound up taking pictures himself. Finally, he decided enough was enough! If his clients couldn't get brought into the right environment to get good footage, he would create the environment himself.

Marty got a room in a hotel (pictured), hired a videographer that didn't need training, bought a sound system (cheaper than renting!) and pulled together a live event in six days.

It was called Speaker Theater.

The event gave speakers something they were having a hard time getting anywhere else: an environment intentionally designed for them to perform in front of an audience and get usable video and photography from the experience.

Plans were already being made to do the same thing in four other states. Then COVID hit.

The rollout stopped just as Marty was preparing to take what had been learned from the prototype into other markets. But the need didn't go away. Speakers still needed a place to be seen.

During the pandemic, Marty was hosting the Make Money Speaking room on Clubhouse with Lois Creamer, one of the top consultants to professional speakers. Professional speakers had spent months without being in front of live in person audiences. They needed a way to keep their presentation skills at a professional level so they would be ready when conferences and other in-person events returned.

That was the reason for starting Speakers Speak LIVE in June 2021. It became a weekly private Zoom event just for speakers.

The original thought was that Speakers Speak LIVE would help bridge the gap until venues were fully open again. Instead, the event kept growing.

In June 2026, Speakers Speak LIVE celebrated its 5th anniversary.

Today, speaker participants from around the United States, Canada, and four other countries continue to meet every week. One speaker is featured as the Showcase Presenter and gets the opportunity to demonstrate what they do in front of other speakers.

The program created an unexpected benefit that became even more important than simply having a place to practice: When a speaker participant at Speakers Speak LIVE watches a Showcase Presenter speak, the participant thinks, "That person would be great for this podcast I was a guest for last month," or "I know a summit organizer that needs somebody who talks about this topic," or "I know an in-person event looking for another speaker to complete their lineup," they can make the referral based on something they actually witnessed.

They've seen the speaker speak.

That concept would become an important part of what eventually led to The Proving Stage...

After two years of Speakers Speak LIVE, another experiment took the concept back into an in-person environment.

Twelve speakers brought family members and friends on a week-long Speakers Speak LIVE hosted cruise to Alaska aboard Royal Caribbean.

There were three days at sea, and a portion of each of those days was dedicated to high mastermind-level learning.

This time, the speakers weren't delivering short Showcase presentations. Each speaker was given an hour to share the most important components of their expertise with the group in a full-program-style presentation.

The cruise combined learning, speaking, business networking, sightseeing and plenty of time with family and friends. It also gave the speakers an opportunity to experience each other differently than they could through a short presentation.

NOTE: The Alaska cruise is continuing! Another speaker and business networking cruise is planned for July 2027, this time for approximately 100 people. Business owners and speakers will be able to come together for the week, bring their families and make it part business experience and part vacation following the July 4 holiday. Get Details Here! >>

Marty's involvement with the National Speakers Association Colorado Chapter added two important pieces to the Showcase event development possibility.

1. Marty had to experience what it was like to be an in person Showcase Presenter at a Speaker Showcase event. Fortunately, his NSA Colorado chapter was hosting one at the perfect time. So he registered to participate.

2. Becoming Membership Director the next year gave him more insight into what new and emerging professional speakers need to get seen and hired for those first few speaking engagements. One of those components is the opportunity to participate in a true live and in person Speaker Showcase.

A Showcase requires much more prep and planning than just putting people on stage! Sure, the right speakers need to be selected. But, the venue matters. The audience matters. The presentations themselves matter. Most importantly, there needs to be a reason for the right people to be in the room watching. The pieces were starting to come together.

Another part of the story actually began in 2023 when Marty joined a business growth support community called Achieve Systems. Through Achieve, he was introduced to modern-day techniques for producing and conducting successful large in person events for business owners.

A year later, Marty was invited to join the leadership team as a go-to resource for speakers in the organization who wanted to use speaking to build their business or wanted speaking itself to become their business.

By March 2025, Marty saw another opportunity. There were Achieve members who were professional speakers and needed a place to Showcase what they could do. So, he founded "Achieve" Speakers LIVE.

The format was intentionally different from "Speakers Speak" LIVE.

Speakers Speak LIVE is a private event for speakers and happens every week. Achieve Speakers LIVE happens once per month on the third Wednesday afternoon, and is a public event where anyone can attend in the Zoom room or watch the livestream on Facebook.

There was another important difference. Before appearing as a Showcase Presenter for Achieve Speakers LIVE, speakers could work with professional speaker coaches (for no additional charge as an Achieve member benefit!) to improve their presentations before taking the virtual stage. Marty directs four professional speaker coaches who graciously volunteer their time to provide such valuable guidance for the speakers.

More than 50 Achieve Systems members have now been Showcase Presenters on the virtual Achieve Speakers LIVE stage, and the show is currently in its second season.

Join us at the next Achieve Speakers LIVE >>

By 2026, Marty had been involved with several different versions of the same basic challenge: Speakers need opportunities to get seen and hired. The people who hire and refer speakers need better ways to determine who is ready. And a five-minute or even 10-minute Showcase can only tell you so much.

That led to the next question: What if a speaker had 20 minutes to prove what they could really do?

Twenty minutes gives a speaker enough time to do more than introduce a topic and give the audience a few quick ideas.

Can the speaker hold people's attention?

Can they tell a story?

Can they engage an audience?

Can they teach something people will remember and use?

Can they handle themselves on a real stage in front of a real audience?

Would someone watching that presentation feel confident recommending that speaker for another stage?

That's what The Proving Stage is being created to find out.