Promote Yourself Through Captive Audiences

By Danielle Lum

Hawaii Bureau Chief

The economy is hitting many below the belt. A number of my clients have had to tighten up the bottom line and have asked me to fashion public relations plans out of shoestring and no-string budgets.

My goal for clients is usually the same: increase the public profile of the company or individual. How we go about attaining that is different for each client and depends on a number of factors.

So the present dilemma is this: How to increase public profile without spending a lot of money.

It's not a hard question, actually. The answer is one that effective networkers should also be considering and pursuing.

Speaking engagements.

Speaking engagements are wonderful opportunities:

• You can showcase who you are and what you do. You're in the spotlight the whole time.
• You have more than 60 seconds to explain why you are an expert in your field.
• You have more than 60 seconds (usually between 10 - 20 minutes actually) to create a connection.
• You have a captive audience that is hanging on your every word, waiting for you to share nuggets of wisdom
• It's low cost - maybe even free if the organization you're speaking to picks up the cost of your lunch or conference fee

Go. Do. Don't Come Back Undone

The mere mention of public speaking can make even the most confident person break into a cold sweat. In fact, a great majority list public speaking as their number one fear -- ahead of dying.

Don't let this deter you! The benefits of speaking engagement s are limitless and, well, no one has ever died from speaking in public. None that were recorded anyway.

Booking a speaking engagement is often easier said than done. Most organizations won't schedule a speaker unless s/he has something -- information, wisdom, etc. -- to offer their members. And the bigger groups won't book you without knowing that you will do a good job and not bore their members to tears.

So you need to create a track record. First thing you need to do is to figure out the topics about which you can speak. Make a list. Which of those topics can you expound on for 10 minutes? Which of those topics will be exciting and interesting to others? Put those at the top of the list. Look for different and new angles to topics that others have already covered.

Once you have your topics set, make a list of the organizations in your area. Look for organizations that have interests similar to those about which you can speak. For example if you are a massage therapist with an expertise in ergonomics, consider groups whose members are human resource managers or business owners. These people will want to hear you so they can pass the information to their employees. They might even hire you to talk directly to their employees.

Now you have your topics and your target organizations. Make your calls. Sell yourself. Get booked!

Prepare for negative responses. And definitely keep going because someone will want to hear you or give you a chance. Stay positive!

Along the way, practice, practice, practice.

When you think you know your presentation, practice it again. Practice until you feel comfortable and the presentation is second nature to you. Solicit your friends and family to serve as surrogate audience. Ask for their critiques to help you improve.

When you do get a booking - and you will get a booking - remember that the audience is captive. You want to make a good impression and boring them to tears is not the best way. Instead, wow them with your brilliance, your confidence, and your ability to connect.

One last tip

Be sure to bring business cards and a flyer/brochure about your business. I've attended many luncheons where the speaker doesn't leave way to contact him/her after the day is done. Talk about missed opportunities!

Instead, be sure to bring a "leave behind." Something your audience members can take with them to remind themselves about how much they enjoyed listening to you and how much valuable information they learned. And, most of all, give them a way to contact you to book you for something else, purchase your services or your product, or just create a deeper connection with you.

Happy speaking!

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Promote Yourself Through Captive Audiences