CHAMPION MINDSET CONT.
You do want to encourage attendees to seek you out for questions later, whether you have a booth at the event or not. Also, Shorr advises ending your session with an action item,“ whether it ' s downloading a free report or filling out a form to get a free network assessment. There ' s a variety of things you can offer at the end that ' s not necessarily selling, but more lead generation.”
The Compound Effect
Getting on to the speaking circuit takes work, Kirkendoll acknowledges, but he’ s found that now organizations seek him out, often paying a speaking fee and covering travel. Plus, he says,“ We probably added one or two clients from any speaking engagement we’ ve done.”
Fippin says speaking has an exponential effect too.“ You do one event and then you can share that on social media so you can further educate your audience. So you get that additional layer of engagement, but then you get asked to do another event or to bring value here or whatever it is. It definitely has been very beneficial all the way around.”
Start Building Your Authority and Credibility
Even if you don’ t love speaking, the ROI on doing so is hard to beat.“ Once you start doing multiple presentations, it does get easier,” Shorr says.“ You don ' t have to love it, but what an amazing tool to building credibility and [ establishing ] that expertise in your industry.”
Speaking helps you develop your personal brand, too, which in turn enhances your business’ s brand. Kirkendoll says the reaction from the audience has become,“ I love to work with 5K because I ' m going to get Corey and all the expertise that comes along with it. They see the work I do in the channel and [ think ] this guy ' s obviously an influencer.”
Fippin encourages all her peers to give it a try.“ Like Nike says, just do it, because it ' s a great tool for new client acquisition and professional development. I ' m not any better at it than anybody else. But a lot of people just are not as willing to risk it and jump in and give it a shot.”
Colleen Frye is executive editor of MSP Success. A veteran of the B2B publishing industry, she has been covering the channel for the last 18 years, most recently as managing editor of ChannelPro. Her work has been published in a variety of media, including TechTarget sites, InfoSecurity Professional magazine, and Application Development Trends.
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Public Speaking Do’ s and Don’ ts
1. Don’ t spread yourself too thin.
Being on the road does take time away from your business, so“ make sure that [ the opportunity ] aligns with your mission and where you want to go,” Kirkendoll advises.
2. Do be prepared for technical glitches.
Just in case she can’ t access her slide deck or there’ s no audio, Fippin has notes on her phone. Shorr prints out her speaker notes.
3. Don’ t let your appearance be a distraction.
“ Make sure that you look polished from head to toe,” Shorr says.“ All of that sends a message. If we show up on stage, not on brand and looking unkempt, those can all create distractions.”
4. Do leverage your speaking appearances as part of your marketing.
“ If not, you ' re just out there speaking, having a good time and taking away from your business,” Kirkendoll says.“ Make sure you find a way to drive it back to the business.”
5. Don’ t run over your designated time.
While conference agendas are not always quite as precise as a Swiss clock, you don’ t want to be the speaker who got the hook. Know how much time you’ ve been designated and time yourself during practice.“ A lot of events have surveys that the attendees fill out and you don ' t want to be remembered for the person who rushed and went over time,” Shorr says.
6. Do ask for feedback so you can improve.
“ I’ m always asking when I go out and speak,‘ What ' s the response back? How was the review? What was my score?’ Because I want to know how to get better, what needs to be improved,” Kirkendoll says.
Resources to Polish Your Stage Presence
Feel like you need to do some homework before you hit the stage for the first time? Here are some books that can help:
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Dan Heath and Chip Heath
Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World ' s Top Minds, Carmine Gallo Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert B. Cialdini TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking, Chris Anderson The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking, Dale Carnegie
Your B. R. A. N. D. Unleashed: 9 Proven Strategies that Build Trust and Maintain Lasting Customer Loyalty, Lisa Shorr
And here are two speakers groups you may want to consider:- National Speakers Association( NSA), nsaspeaker. org- Toastmasters International, toastmasters. org