Speaking at a conference or event is an effective way to build your profile and credibility and position yourself as an expert in your industry.
In today’s competitive market being positioned as an expert in your field can lead to new business opportunities and an increase in sales and new customers.
The benefits of speaking opportunities
Speaking at conferences and events is a great way to get in front of your target audience to communicate your message and build brand awareness. It’s a good idea to speak at conferences or events your target audience is likely to attend as it may result in new customers or clients.
Speaking at an event gives you automatic credibility on your subject matter and helps to position you as an expert in your industry. When your customers or clients see you as an expert they are more likely to consider doing business with you.
When speaking at an event there are many promotional opportunities you can take advantage of to build your brand awareness. For example, you can include pamphlets or business cards in the gift bags or hand them out at the door. You also have the opportunity to publicise your involvement in the event by promoting it on your website, social media profiles and eNewsletter.
The more events you speak at the better your presentation skills will become. By speaking at many events you can increase your profile, which may lead to more speaking events in the future.
Tips to get the most out of speaking opportunities
Instead of waiting for a speaking opportunity to come to you be proactive and research upcoming events or conferences you can speak at. You can then pitch yourself to the event organisers and tell them why you would be a great speaker for their event.
When you do gain a speaking opportunity here are some tips to help you make the most of it:
- Don’t use your presentation as an opportunity to do the hard sell. A good speaker adds value and shares insights, but doesn’t overtly sell their wares.
- Target your presentation at the audiences’ level. Conduct some research into the level of knowledge the audience is likely to have. For example, if your audience has never used social media before, your presentation about social media will need to be at a very basic level and without using social media jargon.
- It’s important to know what the audience is looking for in order to tailor your presentation to their needs. When researching the audience think about how your presentation can answer any questions they may have about your area of expertise.
- Make your presentation engaging. The use of presentation slides or video equipment can assist in transferring the information to the audience in an interesting way.
- Every opportunity to speak at an event is a chance to learn, grow and refine your presentation skills. Practice your presentation and seek honest feedback in order to improve.
- Bring a colleague to the event in order to take advantage of networking opportunities.
Things to remember
- You don’t need to be a professional public speaker to present at an event. However, you do need to have expert knowledge of your area of expertise, the ability to speak clearly and engage with the audience.
- If you’re nervous before a presentation use relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing to help calm your nerves.
- Remember to make eye contact with your audience and to speak clearly.
- Make sure to prepare your presentation well in advance and allow yourself time to practice.
- If you connect with your audience early in the presentation you have a better chance of successfully communicating your message. Think about using humour or hand gestures to aid with engagement.
- Gaining speaking opportunities is a great way to increase your business’ exposure to its target audience and position yourself as an expert in your industry.
Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.cpcommunications.com.au.
