U.S., HAWAII: Be The Stage

by Danielle Lum

Hawaii Bureau Chief

In February, I conducted a workshop at the Hawaii Women's Business Center. With more than 15 people in attendance, I’m told that it was one of the Center’s best attended workshops. (Excuse me a second while I pat myself on the back.)

When Board president Joann Seery asked if I would be interested in doing a workshop for the Center’s clients, I jumped at the chance to do it. My reasoning was two-fold:

1. I love to teach. It’s something I always wanted to try, and since I became an adjunct professor at Chaminade University, I really think I have found my calling. I consider it a privilege to be able to help others learn so they can apply it to their lives and businesses.

   
   
2. Just as importantly, I saw it as a great opportunity to expand my network.

It took me about two hours to prep for the workshop. I first assisted the center in writing the workshop description, then crafted an outline of what I wanted to cover during the class. I also utilized my BNI 10-minute presentation to practice a portion of what I was going to cover during the class.

On the day of the workshop, I was thrilled to wake up with the starting of laryngitis. OK, so not really thrilled, just challenged.

I opened the workshop with a quick joke about my voice and puberty and begged their indulgence in getting past the raspy and soft volume. Since most had probably had a sore throat or laryngitis in their lifetime, I got their sympathy and was able to connect.

I’m not going to go into the specifics of what was covered during the workshop. Let’s suffice to say that I was able to provide them concrete information that they could use immediately.

As I reflected on whether the workshop was a success, I went back to the two reasons I agreed to do the workshop: 1) love of teaching and imparting knowledge and 2) expanding my network.

I was successful on both counts. Attendees left energized and ready to apply what they learned to their businesses. And I expended my network. How do I know I expanded my network? Simple:

1. I was able to gather cards from most of the attendees. I then sent a “thanks for attending my workshop” note to them.
   
   
2. I have since referred friends and associates to a few of the businesses that were represented at the workshop. I assisted my friends AND I assisted those who were new to my network.
   
   
3. I have received follow up phone calls and emails from attendees who want to sit with me and pick my brain further.
   
   
4. I had briefly met three or four of the attendees on other occasions. Upon meeting them this time, I made a point of saying that we had met, and the circumstances of our meeting. They were impressed that I would remember them.

APPLY THIS TO YOUR NETWORKING EFFORTS

When I take on a new client, one of the first things I tell them they need to do is position themselves as an expert among their target audience(s). There are many ways to do this, and giving speeches and presentations is one of them.

When you are on center stage, everyone in the room is watching you and waiting for your wisdom. Just being in the spotlight gives you credibility and helps others to understand who you are, what you do, and how well you do it.

Most people have trouble with the fact that everyone in the room is watching you. My best advice to that is: practice, practice, practice. The more you know your stuff, the easier it will be for your presentation to flow. You may be nervous, but because you are prepared, no one will ever know.

I’m not going to get into the specifics of how to give a great presentation (I’ll be doing a workshop on it for the HWBC later this year, so watch for it if you want more information), rather, I want to focus on how you can use presentations to expand your network:

1. Be prepared. The only thing worse than not doing a presentation is doing a bad presentation. Make sure you know your topic and your audience so you can make a good impression. Your credibility is on the line. 

   
   
2. Get names. This sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t have included it except that I was talking to a friend yesterday. She does presentations all the time, and has done them since I met her over 20 years ago. She just realized that she has never collected names and contact information from anyone in any audience. It’s always been catch as catch can, and, honestly, not very effective. She is now in the process of designing a comment card that she will ask everyone in the audience to complete.
   
   
3. Give out your business card. Another no brainer, but you’d be surprised....

   
   
4. Follow up. If someone comes to you at the end of your presentation and wants to talk, schedule a coffee, lunch, drinks, etc. For those whose names you collected, send an email or other communication (I’m partial to handwritten cards myself) to thank them for taking time to attend. If you have a newsletter or e-newsletter or article, ask if they would like to receive it. This will keep you at top of mind.

So, good luck! Get on the stage. Expand your network. You can do it.


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Danielle Lum is the president of NK Design, Inc., a public relations, advertising, and marketing company in Honolulu. A boutique agency, NK Design specializes in assisting small and new businesses to create memorable message strategies and reach potential customers.

Learn more about Danielle and NK Design:

http://nkdesignhawaii.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/nkdesign
http://prponderings.blogspot.com/










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U.S., HAWAII: Be The Stage