5 Step Strategy to GROW Your Business through Public Speaking – Part 4

It’s time to bring this topic to a close. Here’s the 5th and last step you need to GROW Your Business through Public Speaking. And just because I feel generous today, I’m going to through you a bonus step to really set you on the right course.

5. Attention to Details – In order to become a meeting planner favorite speaker, be prepared well in advance to make them look like the hero of their event.
* Logistics – Be sure that you schedule a time to go through the Client
Questionnaire for Presentations to be sure that you understand your
audience, how much time you have to speak, contact information of
the meeting planner and the venue phone number, and what your
client would like your talk to accomplish.
* Room Setup – How will the room be set up? Classroom style, theater
seating, round tables? Is there a stage? Access to the stage? Middle
aisle to join the audience?
* Set up and test Audio-Visual equipment before the guests arrive – Get
to the venue early, so you can get the lay of the land and so you can
test your equipment or the equipment provided by the client. Bring all
the cords to your laptop, to be sure that it’s compatible with their
projector. That way you have plenty of time to greet and get to know
the guests as they arrive. This is your opportunity to find out what they
would like to learn or gain from your presentation. It’s a wonderful why
to start building a bond with the attendees, so they love you even
before you go on stage.
* Start & end on time – Actually, if you are given 30 minutes to speak,
speak for 25. Also, I recommend that you develop a 1 hour
presentation, a 30-minute presentation and 15-minute presentation.
Events run late and if you are the last speaker, you may find that your
30-minute has become a 15-minute presentation. If you have prepared
in advance, then you can easily and professionally switch gears
and make your meeting planner the hero. Never ever go long or you
are guaranteed to never be invited back.
* Give your audience a Call to Action – After you have given them great
content and amazing stories, ask them to take action and apply what
they’ve learned to their business or their life. The call to action should
bring them to the goal your client wanted to accomplish. Zig Ziglar
always said, “You will get all you want in life if you help enough other
people get what they want”.

Now here’s your Bonus Tip –

6) Network for Speaking Opportunities
* Let people know that you are adding speaking to your offerings. Add
Speaker to your signature line, to your website, to all of your social
media profiles, to your elevator speeches, and to all of your
communications. You tell clients when you add a new product,
so let them know that you are available to speak to groups of
people just like them.
* Contact organizations that you are a member of and offer your services
as a speaker for one of their events.
* Network with other speakers to collaborate and to refer speaking
opportunities.

Don’t want to go it alone! Since 2003, Engaging Speakers has been helping business owners, entrepreneurs, professionals, speakers and authors define their message, refine it and find the audience best served by their message. Engaging Speakers can help YOU. Join us at the next Engaging Speakers event!

Gail Brown, Founder of Engaging Speakers, gail@engagingspeakers.com