As a rising star in your industry, speaking engagements are excellent opportunities to shine a light on your expertise and provide value to the market you serve. Events help you increase visibility of your brand in a way that connects with people in a more meaningful way by acting as its human face.
Public speaking, however, can be a scary proposition. Flashbacks to eighth grade oral reports in front of the class, anyone?
Whether you’re up on stage at a live event or participating in an online panel discussion, there’s a lot you need to coordinate in your head to be able to adeptly land a clear message. Fortunately, with a bit of advance preparation and in-the-moment deep breathing, you can ace your speaking opportunity every time.
1. Crystalize your key messages
Outline and streamline the main points you want to convey, focusing on two or three main ideas tops, and keeping your audience top of mind. What info do you want them to take away from your talk? More importantly, what learning are is your audience looking to come away knowing? Think beyond your problem-solution set-up and unique selling proposition, and drill into how you can be of service and provide value to the event attendees. Added bonus: you’re more likely to hold their attention if you do. It’s OK to weave in mentions of your brand by referencing examples of how the company is managing this now, trends you’re seeing in the industry, but keep your main messages focused on what your audience cares about.
2. Show up authentically
In the precious minutes you have the mike, your aim is two-fold. You want to convey not only that you know your subject matter back to front, but also that you are a trustworthy source. So while you should always keep your tone appropriate to the event topic, don’t be afraid to show your humanity. Whatever the technological innovation or macro business trend you’re discussing, always bring the discussion back to people. Compassion, empathy and a bit of humor show you’ve got heart. Use storytelling to connect with participants by talking about personal experiences from your past or of people you’ve known. For example, “I remember a time recently when I was forced to make a pivotal decision…” or “My friend Bill is HR director at a Fortune 500 company and he says the biggest challenges he’s experiencing is…”
3. Use “word pictures”
A picture is worth a thousand words, right? And your speaking slot may not even allow you the time to utter a thousand words. So here’s a media training tip guaranteed to make your discourse more colorful – and more effective. Use word pictures.
Word pictures are evocative statements that help drive your point and engage your audience. Where possible use metaphors or colorful imagery to make your point. Imagine the difference you convey when reacting to the latest industry news as a “battle cry” vs. a “Casandra curse” vs. like a “kid in a candy store.” These expressions help make you more memorable and journalists will love quoting you.
4. Work your network
Many events have online forums, dedicated app platforms and event hashtags designed to create a like-minded community with more opportunities to connect. They also serve to extend the scope of the event well beyond the hour and day of the big event. So share your social handles in advance. Use your individual and your company’s social channels to let people know when and where you’ll be appearing, starting a week or two in advance of the event. The day of the event, be sure you’re familiar with the names and roles of your fellow panelists. Where appropriate, look for ways to acknowledge or build upon the previous comments to make the panel discussion more interactive and conversational – without dominating the conversation of course! Go back to your channels to thank the organizers for the opportunity, tagging other panelists.
By sharing your story before, during and after the event you will amplify your impact. This is the smart way to capitalize on the fantastic opportunity events provide for shining a light on your expertise.
